Begusarai was established in 1870 as part of Munger District. In 1972, it was given district status.[4]
Geography
Begusarai district occupies an area of 1,918 square kilometres (741 sq mi).[5] The district lies on the northern bank of the river Ganges. Begusarai district is a part of Munger division. It is located at latitudes 25.15N & 25.45N and longitudes 85.45E & 86.36E. The Ganges river separates Begusarai district from Patna District and Munger District.[citation needed]
Flora and fauna
Kanwar Lake
In 1989 Begusarai district became home to the Kanwar Lake Bird Sanctuary Kanwar Lake Bird Sanctuary Wildlife Sanctuary, which has an area of 63 km2 (24.3 sq mi).[6] It is Asia's largest freshwater oxbow lake. In November 2020, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) declared it the first Ramsar site in Bihar.[citation needed]
According to the 2011 census Begusarai district has a population of 2,970,541,[9] roughly equal to the nation of Armenia[10] or the US state of Mississippi.[11] This gives it a ranking of 128th in India (out of a total of 640).[9] The district has a population density of 1,540 inhabitants per square kilometre (4,000/sq mi).[9] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 26.44%.[9] Begusarai has a sex ratio of 895 females for every 1000 males,[9] and a literacy rate of 63.87%. 19.18% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 14.55% and 0.05% of the population respectively.[9]
At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 79.77% of the population in the district spoke Hindi, 9.53% Urdu and 2.43% Maithili as their first language. 7.94% of the population spoke 'Others' under Hindi.[12]
Barauni is the major industrial town in the district. It has big industries like Barauni Refinery, Barauni Thermal Power Station, Urvarak Nagar Barauni, Garhara electric locomotive shed and Pepsi bottling plant. Shri Krishna Singh wanted to build an industrial corridor from Begusarai-Bakhtiyarpur-Fatuha, so he looked to construct Rajendra Setu in Mokama. Begusarai is one of the largest milk-consuming districts in India. Sudha dairy plant is also one of the biggest exporters of milk all over Bihar.[15]
Barauni Junction is the major railway junction. Another major railway station is Begusarai. Begusarai is well connected by road to other parts of Bihar and the country.
National Highway 28 starts at Barauni and leads to Lucknow. National Highway 31 passes through the district and leads to Guwahati. Both National Highways have junctions here. It is also called Assam Road. Many small city buses pass through here. Begusarai district also has Rajendra Setu on the Ganges near Simariya, which was the first railroad bridge in independent India on the river Ganges. A six-lane bridge is under construction in Begusarai on the Ganges in Simaria. It will be complete by December 2024.[16]
