SIKKIM, a small Himalayan State lying between 27 to 28 degrees North latitude and 88 to 89 degrees East longitude is the second smallest state in India. It is barely 7,096 sq km in size yet has an elevation ranging from 300 m to 8585 m above sea level. It's Geography is dominated by the most majestic mountain chain in the world which includes the Khangchendzonga , the world's third highest mountain and is worshipped as the guardian deity to their land.
AREA : 7096 sq km
CAPITAL TOWN : Gangtok
NUMBER OF DISTRICTS : 4
DISTRICT HEADQUARTERS : North - Mangan , South - Namchi , East - Gangtok , West - Gyalshing .
POPULATION - 5,40,493 (Census -2001)
LANGUAGE SPOKEN : Nepali, English, Hindi, Bhutia (Sikkimese), Bhutia (Tibetan), Lepcha, Limboo.
LITERACY RATES : 69.68%
URBANISATION RATIO - 9.10% (Census -1991)
CLIMATE - Cold Winters in the month of November to February with minimum temperatures dipping to 4 centigrade during January - February. It is between the month of March and early May when sunshine is quite abundant. Though summer is officially from May to October, Sikkim is almost always wet due to the heavy monsoons, with rains at times continuing for days on ends. Longest recorded nonstop rain is 11 days. September to October is Autumn. A peculiar feature of Sikkim weather is that though there is a classification of sorts of the various seasons, actually experiences a cold winter from end of November to February and monsoons throughout the year with a little respite during May - June and October - November. Even the winter months can be irritatingly wet and damp with the unpredictable showers.
BEST SEASON TO VISIT : March to June and September to December
MAXIMUM SUMMER TEMPERATURE : 28 ° C
MINIMUM WINTER TEMPERATURE : 0 ° C
AVERAGE RAINFALL : 325 cm. RF / Year
CURRENCY : Indian Rupee
NEAREST RAILWAY STATION : The closest Railhead is at New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal, 148 km and Siliguri which are connected to Calcutta , New Delhi Guwahati and other major Indian cities.
NEAREST AIRPORT : The closest Indian Airport isat a distance of 124 kms from Gangtok at Bagdogra in Siliguri in West Bengal , where scheduled flights operates from Kolkata(Calcutta), Delhi and Guwahati and connecting flights onwards. Travel time from the airport to Gangtok is 4 hours. From Kathmandu you can fly to Bhadrapur in the east Nepal(1 hour), then drive to Kakarbhitta (Nepal-India border, 35 kms), to Siliguri (37 kms) and to Gangtok (110 kms, 4 hrs). Or fly to Biratnagar also in the east.
HELICOPTER SERVICE :
The Bagdogra airport is connected to Gangtok by a helicopter service which takes approx. 30 minutes to reach Gangtok. Sikkim Tourism Development Corporation(+91-3592-222634) operates this service daily at 11:00 AM from Gangtok to Bagdogra and at 2:00 PM from Bagdogra to Gangtok at a price of Rs.1500/- per person. It is a five seater chopper and mountain flights and other such tours to North Sikkim are conducted.
ROAD : Gangtok is well connected by road to Siliguri , 114 kms. 4 hours, which functions as the major transit point for the North and North Eastern sections of the Indian Sub-continent. Gangtok is further well connected by road with Darjeeling(4 Hrs), Kalimpong and with Bhutan, Phuntsholing (6 Hrs).
STATE ANIMAL : Red Panda (Ailurus fulgens)
The red panda is a smaller relative of the well known giant panda. Like its larger relative, the red panda is a member of the order Carnivora , even though the vast majority of its diet is vegetable in nature. There is some argument as to whether pandas are more closely related to the raccoon family or to the bear family, but most experts think they belong to a family of their own.
STATE BIRD : Blood Pheasant (Ithaginis cruentus)
Unlike any other pheasant species blood pheasant appearance resembles a partridge in both size and shape. A good runner but poor flier. There are eleven subspecies
STATE FLOWER : Noble Orchid ( Dendrobium nobile)
Dendrobium nobile has been one of the most commonly grown dendrobium species, it is widespread throughout parts of India, China and Southeast Asia and is very variable in colour. It has been recorded as growing and flowering in full sun at altitudes below 1500 meters. A fresh clean fragrance is an added bonus.
STATE TREE : Rhododendron ( Rhododendron niveum)
CASH CROP : Cardamom (Amomum Sublatum), tea, ginger, potatoes, oranges, medicinal plants, flowers and flower bulbs . |
