Rasuwa District

Rasuwa District
रसुवा जिल्ला
District
Clockwise from top: Kyanjing Gompa village, Stupa near Langtang village on a popular trek route, Panorama of Gosaikunda lake, Dhunche— the headquarter of Rasuwa district
Location of district in province
Location of district in province
Country Nepal
ProvinceBagmati Province
Established1962
Admin HQ.Dhunche
Government
 • TypeCoordination committee
 • BodyDCC, Rasuwa
 • Chief District OfficerNaba Raj Jaisi
Area
 • Total
1,544 km2 (596 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total
43,300
 • Density28/km2 (73/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+05:45 (NPT)
Main Language(s)Nepali, Tamang

Rasuwa District (Nepali: रसुवा जिल्लाListenⓘ is one of 13 districts of Bagmati Province and one of seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Dhunche as its district headquarters, covers an area of 1,544 km2 (596 sq mi) and has a population (2011) of 43,300. Its District Post Office (DPO) has a Rasuwa DPO code of 45000. There are five post offices in the district. As per census 2011 total households in Rasuwa district were 9,778. It is the smallest district by area, among 16 districts in the Himalaya region of Nepal.[1][2]

Etymology

The name, formerly Rasowa, is believed to be derived from two Tibetan words ra (lamb) and sowa (grazing), as it was known for its lamb and grazing lands.

Geography and climate

Climate Zone[3] Elevation Range % of Area
Upper Tropical 300 to 1,000 meters
1,000 to 3,300 ft. 		 1.2%
Subtropical 1,000 to 2,000 meters
3,300 to 6,600 ft. 		11.4%
Temperate 2,000 to 3,000 meters
6,400 to 9,800 ft. 		20.8%
Subalpine 3,000 to 4,000 meters
9,800 to 13,100 ft. 		20.0%
Alpine 4,000 to 5,000 meters
13,100 to 16,400 ft. 		11.8%
Nival above 5,000 meters 32.9%
Transhimalayan[4]

[5]

Cold arid or semi-arid  2.0%

Its territory has elevations ranging from 614 to 7,227 meters (2,014 to 23,711 ft) from mean sea Level. Forests cover 31.43% of the land while 16.63% is always snow-covered.[6] Steeply varying territory and plenty of natural blessings make Rasuwa a well-known tourist destination in Nepal.[citation needed] Sightseeing places including Gosaikunda Lake, Langtang valley plus one of the hot springs in Nepal (locally called Tatopani) are located in the district.

Demographics

Historical population
Census yearPop.±% p.a.
1981 30,241—    
1991 36,744+1.97%
2001 44,731+1.99%
2011 43,300−0.32%
2021 45,554+0.51%
Source: Citypopulation[7]

At the time of the 2011 Nepal census, Rasuwa District had a population of 43,300.

As their first language, 68.2% spoke Tamang, 26.5% Nepali, 1.7% Tibetan, 1.1% Gurung, 0.7% Newari, 0.6% Sherpa, 0.3% Maithili, 0.2% Ghale, 0.2% Magar, 0.2% Yolmo and 0.4% other languages as their first language.[8]

Ethnicity/caste: 69.6% were Tamang, 15.2% Hill Brahmin, 3.1% Gurung, 2.4% Ghale, 2.3% Newar, 2.0% Chhetri, 1.9% Kami, 1.2% Magar, 1.0% Damai/Dholi, 0.2% Yolmo, 0.1% Badi, 0.1% Gharti/Bhujel, 0.1% Sherpa and 0.7% others.[9]

Religion: 70.0% were Buddhist, 25.4% Hindu, 4.3% Christian, 0.1% Prakriti and 0.3% others.[10]

Literacy: 52.3% could read and write, 3.0% could only read and 44.6% could neither read nor write.[11]

Administrative divisions

The administrative division of Rasuwa comprised 5 Rural Municipalities.

Map of the VDCs in Rasuwa District

Following are five Rural Municipalities in Rasuwa District:

Rural municipalities of Rasuwa District
# Name Website
1 Uttargaya Rural Municipality uttargayamun.gov.np
2 Kalika Rural Municipality kalikamunrasuwa.gov.np
3 Gosaikunda Rural Municipality gosaikundamun.gov.np
4 Naukunda Rural Municipality naukundamun.gov.np
5 Aamachhodingmo Rural Municipality aamachhodingmomun.gov.np


Many leaders of different parties are here but only 5 mayors are here. Nepali Congress won 2 places, CPN UML won 2 place and Rastriya Prajatantrik Party won 1 seat/place. The first ever person who was elected in Rasuwa from Nepali Congress was Mr. Bal Chandra Poudel (2046 B.S). The history of other parties are not commenced yet but this district in Nepal is also the one with no VDC. The winner of election 2070 BS in this district is Mr. Janardan Dhakal.

Transportation

Rasuwa is accessible by bus from Kathmandu (national capital) via Pasang Lhamu highway (H21), with its headquarters (Dhunche) being about 120 km (75 mi) from Kathmandu. As of 2013, 3 Village Development Committees (VDCs) namely Thuman, Langtang and Haku are not touched by any kind of roadway.

Tourism

Rasuwa lies in Himalayan region

Rasuwa is rich in natural resources.[citation needed] Langtang mountain range stands to the north of Rasuwa. The northern parts of the area largely fall within the boundaries of Langtang National Park. Gosainkunda Lake, Ganja La Pass, and Tamang village in Bridim are the major highlights of Rasuwa for tourism. The Gosainkunda Lake, also known as "Frozen Lake", is a mountain lake in the Langtang region. There are about 108 kundas (lakes) in this area. Saraswati Kund, Bhairab Kund, Surya Kund and Gosainkund are most important ones.

Langtang valley is another attraction in Rasuwa which is aptly called the valley of glaciers; mountains rise soaring toward the sky. The valley offers pine forest, swift mountain streams, rugged rock and snow-capped peaks, grassy down and meadows strewn with daisies and wild animals.

Gosaikunda lake is an alpine freshwater oligotrophic lake in Nepal's Langtang National Park.

References

  1. ^ "Rasuwa". nepalmap.org. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  2. ^ "स्थानीय तहहरुको विवरण" [Details of the local level bodies]. www.mofald.gov.np/en (in Nepali). Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development. Retrieved 17 July 2018.
  3. ^ The Map of Potential Vegetation of Nepal - a forestry/agroecological/biodiversity classification system (PDF), Forest & Landscape Development and Environment Series 2-2005 and CFC-TIS Document Series No. 110, 2005, ISBN 87-7903-210-9, retrieved Nov 22, 2013
  4. ^ Shrestha, Mani R.; Rokaya, Maan B.; Ghimire, Suresh K. (2005). "Vegetation pattern of Trans-Himalayan zone in the North-West Nepal". Nepal Journal of Plant Sciences. 1: 129–135. Retrieved Feb 7, 2014.
  5. ^ Banerji, Gargi; Basu, Sejuti. "Climate Change and Himalayan Cold Deserts: Mapping vulnerability and threat to ecology and indigenous livelihoods" (PDF). Pragya. Gurgaon, Haryana, India. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  6. ^ Environment Statistics of Nepal, 2011 Archived 2013-09-25 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "NEPAL: Administrative Division". www.citypopulation.de.
  8. ^ NepalMap Language [1]
  9. ^ NepalMap Caste [2]
  10. ^ NepalMap Religion [3]
  11. ^ NepalMap Literacy [4]
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28°7′N 85°17′E / 28.117°N 85.283°E / 28.117; 85.283