North Sikkim district
| North Sikkim | |
|---|---|
| District | |
 |
|
 North Sikkim's location in Sikkim |
|
| Coordinates: 27°31′N 88°32′E / 27.517°N 88.533°ECoordinates: 27°31′N 88°32′E / 27.517°N 88.533°E | |
| Country |
 India
|
| State | Sikkim |
| Headquarters | Mangan |
| Area | |
| • Total | 4,226 km2 (1,632 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 610 m (2,000 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 43,354 |
| • Density | 10/km2 (27/sq mi) |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+05:30) |
| ISO 3166 code | IN-SK |
| Website | http://nsikkim.gov.in |
North Sikkim is a district of the Indian state of Sikkim. Its district headquarters is Mangan. It is the seventh least populous district in the country (out of 640).
As of 2013, C P Dhakal is the district Collector of the district.
The district is the largest of the four districts of Sikkim.
The landscape is mountainous with dense vegetation all the way up to the alpine altitude before thinning out to desert scrub towards the northern tundra. Numerous waterfalls astride the main road make the trip to this district extremely picturesque.
The most prominent effect of the steepness of the valleys is the prevalence of landslides that at times drop to anything between 3000 to 5,000 ft (1,500 m) carrying devastation along their course. Most of them are caused either by the melting snow beds on top of the mountains or by erosive action of the rains.
Most of the people of the state reside near Mangan, the district headquarters which is about 2,000 feet (610 m) above sea level. Further north the elevation increases with the vegetation turning from temperate to alpine to tundra. Temperatures range from about 25° to below -40° in the extreme high reaches where the altitude is in excess of 6,000 metres. Kanchenjanga is the highest peak at over 8,000 m, straddling its western border with Nepal and can be seen clearly from the town of Singhik.
The district was previously divided into 3 assembly constituencies.
Mangan is known as the Cardamom Capital of the world. The climate and terrain best suit the cultivation of the larger variety of Cardamom here.
The region has many power projects and enjoys almost uninterrupted electricity. The steep gradient and the innumerable lakes on the higher reaches facilitate ideal conditions for generation of hydro electric power.
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Wikipedia