Geography of Manipur

Manipur is located between 23.83oN and 25.68oN latitude and 93.03oE and 94.78oE longitude. It comprises 1820 sq. km of flat plateau of alluvial valley and 20,507 sq. km of hill territory and forms a part of the Himalayan mountain system, which carries this cup-shaped wonderland inside its series of hill ranges. Nagaland in the north, Mizoram in the south, upper Myanmar in the east and Cachar district of Assam in the west bound Manipur. Hill ranges from all sides surround the valley portion of the state. All the hills are covered with luxuriant growth of forests with nagesar, jurul, Indian rubber, tan, oak, ash, teak and palm.

The climate of Manipur is largely influenced by the topography of this hilly region which defines the geography of Manipur. Situated at an elevation of 790 meters above the sea level, the state of Manipur is wedged between  hills from all sides. This north eastern corner of India is blessed with a generally amiable climate though the winters can be a little chilly.

Climate

The maximum temperature recorded in the summer months of Manipur is 32 degree Celsius. In winter the mercury often falls to sub zero temperature making it frosty in the wintertime. The coldest month in Manipur is January and July experiences the maximum summer temperature. The ideal time for tourism in the state, in terms of the climate of Manipur, is from the months of October till February, when the weather remains bright and sunny without the scorch of the sun.

The hilly state is drenched in rains from the months of May and continues till the middle of October. It receives an average rainfall of 1467.5 mm, annually. However, the rain distribution varies from 933 mm in Imphal to 2593 mm in Tamenglong. The downpour ranges from light drizzles to heavy showers.

The normal rainfall of Manipur enriches the soil and helps in agricultural processes and irrigation. However, the heavy and sustained fall of rain is largely responsible for the soil erosion down the hill slopes. The South Westerly Monsoon picks up moisture from the Bay of Bengal and heads towards Manipur, hits the Eastern Himalaya ranges and produces a massive amount of rain in the state.

Population of Manipur

The noteworthy aspect of the population of Manipur is its sex ratio. With 978 females per 1000 males, Manipur has a balanced sex ratio. According to the last census in 2001, the total population of Manipur is 23, 88,634. There are a total of 11, 81,296 of females in comparison to 12, 07,338 of males.

About 60% of the population resides in the valley region while the rest lives in the hilly areas of the state. The state population is a combination of non tribal and tribal people. The tribal people mostly inhabit the hilly areas and the plains have a dense population of non tribal people.
Manipur has a large rural population of 18, 18,224 and comparatively much lower urban population of 5, 70,410. The population density in Manipur is 107 per square kilometers. The literacy rate of Manipur is almost 69% with the total literate population of 14, 29,656.

Districts of Manipur

Manipur has 9 districts: Bishnupur, Chandel, Churachandpur, Imphal-East, Imphal-West, Senapati, Tamenglong, Thoubal and Ukhrul

Rivers of Manipur

Manipur has Major Rivers - Imphal, Iril, Nambul, Sekmai, Chakpi, Thoubal and Khuga.

Language 

Meitei, Bishnupriya Manipuri, Hindi, English, Mizo and local dialects.