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Overview of the Wayanad District

Overview of the Wayanad District

Wayanad District came into existence on 1st November, 1980 as the 12th District of Kerala consisting of Mananthavady, Sulthanbathery and Vythiri Taluks. The name Wayanad is derived from Vayal Nadu which means the land of paddy fields. It is a picturesque plateau situated at a height between 700 meters and 2100 meters above the mean sea level nested among the mountains of the Western Ghats on the Eastern portion of North Kerala and on the sides of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka States. The District was carved out from the then Kozhikode and Kannur Districts. About 885.92 sq.km of area is under forest. The culture of Wayanad is mainly tribal oriented. Though considered as backward, this District is perhaps one of the biggest foreign exchange earners of the State, with its production of cash crops like pepper, cardamom, coffee, tea, spices and other condiments.

Nestled among the mountains of the Western Ghats, Wayanad the green paradise, located at a distance of about 76 kms from the seashore of Kozhikode lies at a height of 700 to 2100 meters above the sea level, on the north-eastern part of Kerala state. The name, Wayanad is derived from the Malayalam word 'Vayalnad' meaning the land of paddy fields.

The district has an area of 2131 sq.kms. (2,12,560 ha) which account for 5.48 percent of the state total. Being a hilly district, vast area of Wayanad district consists of forests (36.48 percent). 51.04 percent of the total area of the distrlct is under cultivation.

Economy

Agriculture is the backbone of the economy of the district. Most of the lands in the district are used for agricultural purposes. More than half of its population are engaged in agriculture in order to earn their livelihood. The chief agricultural crops in the district are Coffee, tea, cocoa, pepper, plantain, vanilla, rice, coconut, cardamom, tea, ginger, etc. Wayanad is known for its rice production. The two rice of the district namely Wayanad Jeerakasala rice and Wayanad Gandhakasala rice has their different properties.

Another source of economy in the district is the cattle farming.

The tourism sector of the district is very developed and every year a huge chunk of revenue comes from this sector helps in its economy to a great extent.

The district is scantily industrialised. There is the Wayanad dairy of Milma (Kerala Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation) at Kalpetta and a few small scale industries.

Flora and fauna

The flora of Wayanad are characteristic of the Western Ghats and the plantation crops grown in the cool climate. A major portion of the district is covered by coffee plantation. Trees of the wild type like rosewood, anjili (Artocarpus) mullumurikku (Erthrina), several species of Classia and many other non-descript varieties are still preserved here and there, to give shade to the coffee plants. These trees give a resemblance of wilderness to the landscape of Wayanad. In a majority of coffee plantations, the age-old species shade trees are replaced by silver oak, which is suited to the cold climate. This tree grows quickly and its cultivation is wide spread among coffee plantations for shade and for giving support to pepper plants. It is used for plywood industry and thus it is useful for farmers. Of the 20864 hectares of reserve forests, the major portion is teak plantations. Tea is grown as an industry in large estates. However, among the forest products teak and Bamboo are the most widely grown items.

With the clearing of forests, the diverse and buzziing animal life, characteristic of the forests of Western Ghats, has vanished from Wayand. One can still see the bonnet monkeys, loris, mongooses, jungles cats, wild squirrels, jackals, bears etc. in the limited forest area. Elephant, bear and other wild animals from the neighboring wild life sanctuaries of Karnataka and Tamilnadu, stray into Begur forest range and the forests around Muthanga, which is 20 kilometers away from the town of Sulthan Bathery. 

Demography

Description  Value
Area  2,130 sq.km
Population  817,420 ; Male:401,684 / Female:415,736
Density 384 Sq.km
Literacy Rate 89.03; Male:92.51 / Female: 85.70
No. of Revenue Divisions 1
No. of Taluks 3
No. of Muncipalities 3
No. of Blocks 4
No. of Panchayats 23
No. of Villages 49

Last Modified : 9/19/2020



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