TAMENGLONG DISTRICT
The district of Tamenglong, is located on the west of Manipur at an altitude of 1,260 m above the sea level and covers a total area of 4,391 sq.km. It lies between 24°30’N and 25°27’N latitudes and of 93°10’E and 94°54’E longitudes. The district is bounded by Nagaland in the North, Churachandpur district in the South, Senapati district in the East and in the West by the state of Assam. It is the farthest District from the state capital, Imphal and the district headquarter Tamenglong itself is also the farthest District HQ from Imphal with 147 Kms.
The main tribes of the district are ZeliangrongNagas (with different sub-tribes- Rongmei, Liangmai, Zeme, and Puimei) and Kukis besides minority Hmars, Chirus and Khasis. Racially or physically and linguistically Zeliangrongs are Tibeto-Burman (Indo- Mongoloid) of Sino-Tibetan family of the Mongolian race.
Physiographically, Tamenglong is composed of hills, ranges and narrow valleys. The hilltops and valley sides are dotted with small hamlets. Most of the land is hilly except a few pockets of flat lands such as Barak bank, Khoupum Valley and Kunphung.
According to the 2011 census report, Tamenglong district has a total population of 1,40,651which made up for 5.47 % of the population of Manipur. The district has 72,371 male and 68,280 female thus having a sex ratio of 943females for every 1000 males. It has a population density of 32 inhabitants per square kilometre and a literacy rate of 70.05%.
Climatically, Tamenglong belongs to sub-tropical zone. Because of high altitude summer are mild with maximum temperature of 27°C and minimum temperature of 5°C. The district however experienced a maximum temperature of 37.71°C in monsoon season although the average temperature of the whole year is 34.175°C. This is far higher than the state average temperature of 26.9° C.
The district has flat land of barely 10 sq.km and the net sown area in the district accounts for 7.04 % of the total district area. Whole cultivated area is rain-fed area with no irrigation facilities which is why wet paddy cultivation cannot be done in the large scale. Hence, the Jhum cultivation is the main method of cultivation in this district. Rice is the main crop cultivated and other major crops are sugarcane, pulses, oil seed, etc.
The recorded total forest area of Tamenglong District according to 2017 assessment is 3953 Sq. Km. which is 90.03 % of the total geographical area. Out of that, 390 Sq. kms are very dense forest, 1754 are moderately dense and 1809 are open forest.The forests can be grouped as Tropical-Ever-green forest, Sub-tropical forest and Bamboo brakes.The forests are rich in wildlife and Tamenglong is often called as the land of the Hornbill (Chareng). The main rivers flowing in the District are Barak(Ahu), Irang, Makhru(Makhu), Iring, Ijei(Aga) and Apah rivers etc. Barak(Ahu) is the biggest river. The wetland area estimated is 5086 ha. The number of small wetlands, which are less than minimum mapable units (MMU), are 47 in the district.
The Tamenglong district, like other hill districts, is socio-economically backward. Many villages are in the interior region still lacks the basic facilities. In the event of any natural changes, the district would be most vulnerable. Adaptation would serve as a solution to the changing climatic condition.