Diu district

Diu district
District
Map of Diu district, the exclave of Simbor is not shown
Map of Diu district, the exclave of Simbor is not shown
Diu district is located in India
Diu district
Diu district
Diu district location
Coordinates: 20°43′N 70°59′E / 20.71°N 70.98°E / 20.71; 70.98
Country India
Union Territory Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu
HeadquartersDiu Town
Area
 • Total40 km2 (20 sq mi)
Elevation
30 m (100 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total52,074
 • Density1,300/km2 (3,400/sq mi)
DemonymDiucar/ Dioese
Languages[1]
 • OfficialHindi, English
 • OtherGujarati, Portuguese[2][3][4]
Websitehttp://diu.gov.in/

Diu district /ˈdiːuː/ is one of the three districts of the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu of India.[5] The district is made up of Diu Island and two small enclaves in the State of Gujarat. The district headquarters are at Diu Town. It is the ninth least populous district in the country (out of 640).[6]

History

Distrito de Dio, India Portuguesa (1920).
The Diu Fortress was built in 1535 by the Portuguese, when Bahadur Shah, the Sultan of Gujarat, requested their help to resist an attack by Humayun, the second Moghal emperor.

The district was historically part of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. Mirroring the system of administrative division in Portugal, Diu district (Distrito de Diu) was established as an administrative division of the Portuguese State of India (Estado da Índia) in the first half of the 19th century. It was headed by a district governor, subordinate to the governor-general of Portuguese India in Goa. The district included the single municipality of Diu, which was further subdivided into civil parishes.[7]

It remained an overseas territory of Portugal until it was annexed by Indian forces on 19 December 1961. From 1961 to 1987, it was a part of the union territory of Goa, Daman and Diu. In 1987, it became a part of the newly formed union territory of Daman and Diu. In January 2020, the district became part of the new union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.[7]

Geography

Diu district occupies an area of 40 square kilometres (15 sq mi),[8]

It consists of Diu Island and a part on the mainland (the Ghogolá peninsula). 20 km East of Diu Island, is the small territory of Simbor.

Sub-districts

Diu Island

The town of Diu and most of the district's villages and settlements are on Diu Island. Many of these places have been renamed since the Invasion of 1961.

Settlement type Portuguese name Indian name
Town Diu Diu
Village Podamo Fudam
Village Bunxivará Bucharwada
Settlement Dangarvadi Dangarwadi
Village Brancavará Vanakbara
Uninhabited Fortim do Mar Pani Kota
Uninhabited Castilo de Diu Diu Fortress

Gogolá

The area on the mainland borders Gir Somnath district of Gujarat. It contains the village of Gogolá. The village lies on the mainland opposite the eastern end of the island .

Simbor

The tiny territory of Simbor, located about 25 km east of the town of Diu, is also part of the district. It has no permanent population.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Diu district has a population of 52,074,[6] roughly equal to the nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis.[9] This gives it a ranking of 631st in India (out of a total of 640).[6] The district has a population density of 1,301 inhabitants per square kilometre (3,370/sq mi) .[6] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 17.73%.[6] Diu has a sex ratio of 1030 females for every 1000 males,[6] and a literacy rate of 83.36%.[6]

Sister cities

Diu Island is twinned with the city of Loures, in Portugal.[10]

Landmarks

Diu is home to a few surviving buildings and monuments with Portuguese architecture. The best preserved are the churches and fortifications.

The nearest railway junction is Veraval, which is 90 km from Diu. Major cities like Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Jabalpur (Madhya Pradesh), Dwarka and Thiruvananthapuram are directly connected to Veraval Railway Station. Delwada is 8 km from Diu.

Churches and chapels

Major Church Buildings on Diu Island (Anticlockwise from top):
1. Churches of St. Paul and St. Thomas (Diu)
2. Church of St. Francis of Assisi (Diu)
3. Church of Our Lady of Remedes (Fudam)
4. Church of Our Lady of Mercy (Vanakbara)

There has been a steady exodus of Christians from Diu[11] ever since the Invasion of 1961. This has led to many of their historic and religious sites being victims of disrepair, abandonment or conversion to secular use.

Type Portuguese Name English Translation Location Current Status
Cathedral Catedral de São Paulo (Sé) Church of St. Paul Diu Town Active
(demoted to church)
Church Igreja de São Tomás Church of St. Thomas Diu Town Secularized
(Museum)
Church Igreja de São Francisco de Assis Church of St. Francis of Assisi Diu Town Secularized
(Hospital)
Church Igreja de São João de Deus Church of St. John of God Diu Town Inactive
(Ruins)
Church unknown Fort Church Diu Fort Inactive
(Ruins)
Church Igreja de Nossa Senhora dos Remédios Church of Our Lady of Remedies Podamo Active
Church Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Misericórdia Church of Our Lady of Mercy Brancavará Inactive
(Intact)
Convent[12] Convento de Santa Ana Convent of St. Anne Diu Town Active
(School)
Chapel Capela de São Tiago Chapel of St. Tiago Diu Fortress Inactive
(Ruins)
Chapel Capela de Nossa Senhora da Vitória Chapel of Our Lady of Victory Fortim do Mar Inactive
(Ruins)

Fortresses

Due to constant invasions from neighboring kingdoms as well as distant powers, the Portuguese built several fortifications all over the district. Most survived to this day, although some have little to no physical traces of their existence.

Portuguese Name English Translation Location Current Status
Cidadela de Diu Diu Fortress Diu Town
Fortim do Mar Panikota Diu Town Ruin
Forte Santo Antonio Fort St. Anthony of Simbor Simbor Ruin
Forte de Nagoá - Nagoá near Podamo Ruins lost
Forte de Barra - Brancavará Ruins lost

Beaches

  • Nagoá Beach, most visited beach in on Diu.
  • Ghogolá Beach, largest beach off the island of Diu.
  • Chakratirth Beach
  • Barra Beach
  • Nadia Caves

Gallery

  • Diu Fort Fixed Cannons
    Diu Fort Fixed Cannons
  • St. Thomas Church, Diu
    St. Thomas Church, Diu
  • Diu fort
    Diu fort
  • Nadia Caves of Diu
    Nadia Caves of Diu
  • St. Paul's Church, Diu
    St. Paul's Church, Diu
  • Church in Nani Daman Fort
    Church in Nani Daman Fort
  • Se Cathedral
    Se Cathedral
  • View of Water Fort Prison from Diu Fort with watchtower of Diu Fort
    View of Water Fort Prison from Diu Fort with watchtower of Diu Fort
  • Portuguese Fort
    Portuguese Fort

See also

References

  1. ^ "52nd Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India" (PDF). 29 March 2016. p. 87. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  2. ^ "District at a Glance".
  3. ^ "Survey chapter: Diu Indo-Portuguese".
  4. ^ "Firangiwada Heritage Walk".
  5. ^ "Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu UTs merge for 'better admin efficiency, service': MoS Home". Indus Dictum. 4 December 2019. Archived from the original on 11 November 2021. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g "District Census 2011". Census2011.co.in. 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
  7. ^ a b "Diu History". Diu Tourism Department. U.T. Administration of Dadra & Nagar Haveli And Daman & Diu. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  8. ^ Srivastava, Dayawanti et al. (ed.) (2010). "States and Union Territories: Daman and Diu: Government". India 2010: A Reference Annual (54th ed.). New Delhi, India: Additional Director General, Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Government of India. p. 1216. ISBN 978-81-230-1617-7. {{cite book}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  9. ^ US Directorate of Intelligence. "Country Comparison: Population". Archived from the original on 13 June 2007. Retrieved 1 October 2011. Saint Kitts and Nevis 50,314 July 2011 est.
  10. ^ "Município – Cooperação externa – Diu". cm-loures.pt (in Portuguese). Loures, Portugal: Câmara Municipal de Loures. 2014. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2014.
  11. ^ "Census: Population: by Religion: Christian: Daman and Diu".
  12. ^ "Schools in the territory of Diu during the Portuguese India".

External links

  • Official website
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