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About Chandigarh
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Chandigarh, the dream city of India's first Prime Minister, Sh. Jawahar Lal Nehru,
was planned by the famous French architect Le Corbusier. Picturesquely located at
the foothills of Shivaliks, it is known as one of the best experiments in urban
planning and modern architecture in the twentieth century in India.
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Chandigarh derives its name from the temple of "Chandi Mandir" located in the vicinity
of the site selected for the city. The deity 'Chandi', the goddess of power and
a fort of 'garh' laying beyond the temple gave the city its name "Chandigarh-The
City Beautiful".
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The city has a pre-historic past. The gently sloping plains on which modern Chandigarh
exists, was in the ancient past, a wide lake ringed by a marsh. The fossil remains
found at the site indicate a large variety of aquatic and amphibian life, which
was supported by that environment. About 8000 years ago the area was also known
to be a home to the Harappans.
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Since the medieval through modern era, the area was part of the large and prosperous
Punjab Province which was divided into East & West Punjab during partition of the
country in 1947. The city was conceived not only to serve as the capital of East
Punjab, but also to resettle thousands of refugees who had been uprooted from West
Punjab.
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In March, 1948, the Government of Punjab, in consultation with the Government of
India, approved the area of the foothills of the Shivaliks as the site for the new
capital. The location of the city site was a part of the erstwhile Ambala district
as per the 1892-93 gazetteer of District Ambala. The foundation stone of the city
was laid in 1952. Subsequently, at the time of reorganization of the state on 01.11.1966
into Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pardesh, the city assumed the unique distinction
of being the capital city of both, Punjab and Haryana while it itself was declared
as a Union Territory and under the direct control of the Central Government.
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The basic geographical and demographic profile of Chandigarh is as under:
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Area
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114 sq kms
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Longitude
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760 47' 14E
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Latitude
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300 44' 14N
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Altitude
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304-365 meters above MSL with 1% drainage gradient
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Annual Rainfall (average)
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1110.7 mm
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Monsoon
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July-September
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Temperature
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Winter Min. (Nov.-Jan, 2006) 10 C-160 C
Summer Max. (April-July, 2004) 270C-440C
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Prevalent Winds
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From the North West to South East in Winter and reverse in Summer
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Total Population (2001 census)
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9,00,635 (Rural population-92120 (10.2%)
(Urban population-808515 (89.8%)
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Density of population/sq. km.
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7,900
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Birth Rate (per 1000)
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21.45 (2005)
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Death Rate (per 1000)
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10.22 (2005)
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Infant Mortality Rate (per 1000)
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44.13
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Sex Ratio (females per 1000 males)
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777
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Decennial Population Growth
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40.33%
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Literacy Rate
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81.9%
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The Union Territory of Chandigarh is located in the foothills of the Shivalik hill
ranges in the north, which form a part of the fragile Himalayan ecosystem. It is
occupied by Kandi (Bhabhar) in the north east and Sirowal (Tarai) and alluvial plains
in the remaining part. The subsurface formation comprises of beds of boulders, pebbles,
gravel, sand, silt, clays and some kankar. The area is drained by two seasonal rivulets
viz. Sukhna Choe in the east and Patiala-Ki-Rao Choe in the west. The central part
forms a surface water divide and has two minor streams. The stream passing through
the central part is called N-Choe and the other is Choe Nala which initiates at
Sector 29.
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Chandigarh falls under Koeppen's CWG category i.e. it has cold dry winter, hot summer
and sub tropical monsoon. Evaporation usually exceeds precipitation and the weather
is generally dry.The area experiences four seasons : (i) Summer or hot season (mid-March
to Mid-June) (ii) Rainy season (late-June to mid-September); (iii) Post monsoon
autumn/transition season (mid September to mid-November); (iv) Winter (mid November
to mid-March).The dry spell of summer is long but with the occasional drizzles or
thunder storms.
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May and June are the hottest months of the year with the mean daily maximum & minimum
temperatures being about 370C & 250C, respectively. Maximum temperatures can rise
up to 440C. Southwest monsoons with high intensity showers commence in late June.
The weather at this time is hot and humid. The variation in annual rainfall on year
to year basis is appreciable i.e. 700 mm to 1200 mm. The 20 year average rainfall
for Chandigarh is 1100.7 mm. January is the coldest month with mean maximum and
minimum temperatures being around 230C and 3.60C respectively. to
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Winds are generally light and blow from northwest to southeast direction with exception
of easterly southeasterly winds that blow on some days during the summer season.
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Read More About Chandigarh...
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