Assam's Majuli becomes India's First Island District on 8th September, 2016.
First island district of the country
- Majuli in Assam is all set to become the first island district of the country. Chief Minister Sarbanand Sonowal said, the river island will be upgraded to a district from sub-division on 8th September.
- Majuli covers an area of around 340 miles and is one of the prime tourist destinations of North East. Nearly 1 lakh 60,000 people reside in the island. The first cabinet meeting of Srabanand Sonowal government decided to upgrade Majuli as a district.
About Majuli District
- Majuli is a large river island in the Brahmaputra River, Assam, India. The island had a total area of 1,250 square kilometres (483 sq mi) at the beginning of the 20th century, but having lost significantly to erosion it had an area of only 352 square kilometres (136 sq mi) in 2014. Majuli has shrunk as the river surrounding it has grown.
The island is formed by the Brahmaputra River
- The island is formed by the Brahmaputra river in the south and the Kherkutia Xuti, an anabranch of the Brahmaputra, joined by the Subansiri River in the north. Mājuli island is accessible by ferries from the city of Jorhat.
- The island is about 200 kim east from the state's largest city —Guwahati. It was formed due to course changes by the river Brahmaputra and its tributaries, mainly the Lohit. Mājuli is the abode of the Assamese neo-Vaisnavite culture.