Umerkot District

Coordinates: 25°22′12″N 69°43′48″E / 25.37000°N 69.73000°E / 25.37000; 69.73000
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Umerkot District
  • عمرڪوٽ ضلعو
  • ضلع عمرکوٹ
Amarkot District
Top: Umarkot Fort
Bottom: Birth place of Akbar
Map of Sindh with Umerkot District highlighted
Map of Sindh with Umerkot District highlighted
Coordinates: 25°22′12″N 69°43′48″E / 25.37000°N 69.73000°E / 25.37000; 69.73000
Country Pakistan
Province Sindh
DivisionMirpur Khas
HeadquartersUmerkot
Number of Tehsils4
Government
 • TypeDistrict Administration
 • Deputy CommissionerN/A
 • District Police OfficerN/A
 • District Health OfficerN/A
Area
 • Total5,608 km2 (2,165 sq mi)
Population
 • Total1,159,831
 • Density210/km2 (540/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+5 (PST)
Websitewww.umerkot.gos.pk

Umerkot District (Dhatki: عمرکوٹ / عمرڪوٽ, Sindhi: عمرڪوٽ ضلعو, Urdu: ضلع عمرکوٹ), also known as Amarkot District, is a district in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The city of Umerkot is the capital of the district. Sindhi is the native language of approximately 93.4% of the residents according to the 2017 Pakistan Census.[2] Umerkot is the only non-Muslim majority district in Pakistan, with adherents of Hinduism representing 52.2% of the total population.[3]

History[edit]

Akbar was born in Umerkot Fort when his father Humayun was fleeing from the Suris. After the 1843 invasion by Charles Napier, Sindh was divided into provinces and was assigned a Zamindars, also known as Wadaras, to collect taxes for the British.

Administration[edit]

Map of Umerkot District's tehsils

The district is administratively subdivided into the following Tehsils:[4]

Demographics[edit]

At the time of the 2017 census, Umerkot district had 209,962 households and a population of 1,073,469. Umerkot had a sex ratio of 929 females per 1000 males and a literacy rate of 35.07%: 48.36% for males and 20.87% for females. 243,537 (22.69%) lived in urban areas. 364,105 (33.92%) were under 10 years of age.[5] In 2023, the district had 222,649 households and a population of 1,159,831.[1]

Religion[edit]

Religions in Umerkot district (2017)[5]
Religion Percent
Hinduism
52.15%
Islam
47.29%
Other or not stated
0.56%
Population of taluks by religion
Circle Hindus Muslims Others
Kunri 50.47% 47.66% 1.87%
Pithoro 45.13% 54.47% 0.40%
Samaro 51.36% 48.48% 0.16%
Umerkot 54.53% 45.27% 0.20%
Umarkot Shiv Mandir

Umerkot is the only Hindu majority district in Pakistan. Hindus form around 51% and Muslims form around 48% of Umerkot's population.[3] The Hindu population declined due to the migration of Hindus to India. Muslims are in the majority only in Pithoro taluk.[6]

The Umarkot Shiv Mandir in Umerkot is one of the oldest and most sacred Hindu temples in the Sindh. The annual Maha Shivratri celebration of the temple is one of the biggest religious festivals in Pakistan and is attended by around 250,000 people.[7]

Languages[edit]

Languages of Umerkot district (2017)

  Sindhi (93.43%)
  Punjabi (3.02%)
  Urdu (1.80%)
  Others (1.75%)

At the time of the 2017 census, 93.43% of the population spoke Sindhi, 3.02% Punjabi and 1.80% Urdu as their first language.[5]

List of Dehs[edit]

The following is list of Umerkot District's dehs, organised by taluka:[8]

 

 

 

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "TABLE 1 : HOUSEHOLDS, POPULATION, HOUSEHOLD SIZE AND ANNUAL GROWTH RATE" (PDF). www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. 2023.
  2. ^ [1][dead link]
  3. ^ a b "Umerkot district". Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  4. ^ DISTRICT GOVERNMENT - Umerkot Archived 2012-02-24 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ a b c "District Wise Results / Tables (Census - 2017)". www.pbscensus.gov.pk. Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.
  6. ^ "The untold story of Sindh's Umerkot, a town torn apart by Indo-Pak wars". Scroll. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  7. ^ "The thriving Shiva festival in Umarkot is a reminder of Sindh's Hindu heritage". Dawn. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  8. ^ "List of Dehs in Sindh" (PDF). Sindh Zameen. Retrieved 22 March 2021.