| Type: | District |
| Dhankuta District | |
| Native Name: | धनकुटा जिल्ला |
| Mapsize: | 300 |
| Image Map1: | Dhankuta District political.png |
| Mapsize1: | 300 |
| Map Caption1: | Divisions of Dhankuta District |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | Koshi Province |
| Parts Type: | Municipality |
| Parts Style: | coll |
| P1: | Urban |
| P2: | Dhankuta |
| P3: | Pakhribas |
| P4: | Mahalaxmi |
| P17: | Rural |
| P18: | Sangurigadhi |
| P19: | Chaubise |
| P20: | Khalsa Chhintang Sahidbhumi |
| P21: | Chhathar Jorpati |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Established Date: | during Rana regime |
| Established Title1: | Reestablished (rearranged) |
| Established Date1: | 1962 |
| Seat Type: | Admin HQ. |
| Seat: | Dhankuta |
| Leader Title: | Head |
| Leader Title1: | Deputy-Head |
| Leader Title2: | Parliamentary constituencies |
| Leader Title3: | Provincial constituencies |
| Government Type: | Coordination committee |
| Governing Body: | DCC, Dhankuta |
| Area Total Km2: | 892 |
| Population Footnotes: | [1] |
| Population Total: | 163412 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Population Blank1 Title: | Households |
| Population Blank1: | 37616 |
| Demographics Type1: | Demographics |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Ethnic groups |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 20%Rai 20%Chhetri 13%Limbu 10%Magar 37%Others |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Female ♀ |
| Demographics1 Info2: | 53% |
| Demographics1 Title3: | Male ♂/100 female |
| Demographics Type2: | Human Development Index |
| Demographics2 Title1: | Income per capita (US dollars) |
| Demographics2 Info1: | $1257 |
| Demographics2 Title2: | Poverty rate |
| Demographics2 Info2: | 15.9% |
| Demographics2 Title3: | Literacy |
| Demographics2 Info3: | 74% |
| Demographics2 Title4: | Life Expectancy |
| Demographics2 Info4: | 69 |
| Blank Name Sec1: | Main Language(s) |
| Blank Info Sec1: | Nepali, Limbu, Bantawa, Magar |
| Blank Name Sec2: | Major highways |
| Timezone1: | NPT |
| Utc Offset1: | +05:45 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal Codes |
| Area Code Type: | Telephone Code |
Dhankuta District (ne|[[:ne:धनकुटा जिल्ला|धनकुटा जिल्ला]]) is one of 14 districts of Koshi Province of eastern Nepal. The district covers an area of and has a population (2011) of 163,412. The hill town of Dhankuta serves as the district headquarters of Dhankuta District.
See also: Unification of Nepal. Dhankuta was a part of Limbuwan (pallo kirat) before unification of those parts into Kingdom of Nepal.
After 1816 there were 10 districts in Nepal and Dhankuta-chainpur district was one of them. All land from east of Dudhkosi river to the Mechi river was one district Dhankuta-chainpur.[2]
From 1885 to 1962 Nepal remained divided into 32 districts and there were six districts in eastern-hill region: East No. 1, East No. 2, East No. 3, East No. 4, Ilam and Dhankuta. Dhankuta was center of these districts. That time also dhankuta was a large (by area) district. Current Sankhuwasabha, Tehrathum, Taplejung, Panchthar and Dhankuta districts were Incorporated under one district. The total area of the former Dhankuta district was 3448mi2.[2] [3]
In 1962, Nepal divided into 75 districts and 16 districts of eastern Nepal grouped to form Eastern Development Region and Dhankuta became the headquarter of it.[4] [5]
Dhankuta is a mid-hill district of eastern hill region of Nepal. It is situated between 26°53' to 27°19' north latitude and 87°8' to 88°33' east longitude. Total area of the district is 888.7km2 and it is located at 243m (797feet) to 629m (2,064feet) of elevation above sea level.[6]
The vegetation zones in the district range from sub-tropical Sal forest along the Tamor and Arun rivers, and cooler temperate forests on some of the high ridges that mark the watershed between the two catchments. The altitude ranges from around 300m to 2500m. The majority of the population are involved in agriculture and crops include maize, rice and millet. Important cash crops include citrus fruits, cauliflower, cabbage, ginger, and in recent years, tea. A well-preserved forest (Rani Ban – Queen's Forest) spreads along a ridge line on the northwest side of the village, with well-developed mature stands of rhododendron and sallo (pine) trees.
| Climate Zone | Elevation Range | % of Area | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Tropical | below 300 meters (1,000 ft) | 3.7% | |
| Upper Tropical | 300 to 1,000 meters 1,000 to 3,300 ft. | 44.7% | |
| Subtropical | 1,000 to 2,000 meters 3,300 to 6,600 ft. | 46.6% | |
| Temperate | 2,000 to 3,000 meters 6,400 to 9,800 ft. | 3.2% |
At the time of the 2021 Nepal census, Dhankuta District had a population of 150,599. It has a literacy rate of 73.9% and a sex ratio of 1040 females per 1000 males. 27,351 (19.41%) lived in municipalities.[7]
Ethnicity/caste: 19.93% of the population were Chhetri, 19.70% Rai, 13.85% Limbu, 10.35% Magar, 6.56% Tamang, 4.48% Newar, 4.09% Bahun, 3.65% Kami, 3.56% Athpahariya, 2.88% Yakkha, 2.14% Damai, 1.42% Sarki, 1.39% Gurung and 1.08% Bhujel.[8]
Religion: 49.56% were Hindu, 34.74% Kirati, 13.11% Buddhist and 2.47% Christian.[9]
As their first language, 45.44% of the population spoke Nepali, 12.98% Limbu, 9.85% Bantawa, 9.28% Magar Dhut, 5.28% Tamang, 3.40% Athpahariya, 3.09% Rai, 2.54% Yakkha, 1.61% Chhintang and 1.39% Newari.[10] In 2011, 43.47% of the population spoke Nepali as their first language.[11]
Dhankuta is divided into 3 urban municipalities and 4 rural municipalities.
| No. | Type | Name | Nepali | Population (2011) | Area | Website | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Urban | Dhankuta | धनकुटा | 36,619 | 111 | www.dhankutamun.gov.np | |
| 2 | Urban | Pakhribas | पाख्रीबास | 22078 | 144.29 | www.pakhribasmun.gov.np | |
| 3 | Urban | Mahalaxmi | महालक्ष्मी | 24,800 | 129 | www.mahalaxmimundhankuta.gov.np | |
| 4 | Rural | Sangurigadhi | सागुरीगढी | 21,536 | 147.6 | www.sangurigadhimun.gov.np | |
| 5 | Rural | Chaubise | चौविसे | 19,283 | 147.6 | www.choubisemun.gov.np | |
| 6 | Rural | Shahidbhumi | सहीदभूमि | 18,760 | 99.55 | www.choubisemun.gov.np | |
| 7 | Rural | Chhathar Jorpati | छथर जोरपाटी | 18,322 | 102.83 | www.choubisemun.gov.np | |
| District | Dhankuta | धनकुटा | 163,412 | 892 | www.ddcdhankuta.gov.np |
Formerly Dhankuta was divided into 2 municipalities and many Village development committees.
Dhankuta District has a single Parliamentary constituency and 2 Provincial constituencies:
| Name of cons. | Incorporated areas | Type of cons. | MP/MLA | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dhankuta 1 | whole district | parliamentary | Rajendra Kumar Rai | NCP | |
| Dhankuta 1(A) | Chaubise, Sangurigadhi, Dhankuta (excluding ward no. 2), Khalsa Chhintang Sahidbhumi (excluding ward no. 4 & 5) | provincial | Niran Rai | NCP | |
| Dhankuta 1(B) | Chhathar Jorpati, Pakhribas, Mahalaxmi and ward No. 2 of Dhankuta and ward no. 4 & 5 of Khalsa Chhintang Sahidbhumi | provincial | Indra Mani Parajuli | NCP |
Dhankuta, the headquarter (center) of Dhankuta District is connected with NH-08 (Koshi Highway), which connects Dhankuta with NH-01 (East-west Highway) at Itahari. Itahari is at distance from Dhankuta. The NH-08 also connects Dhankuta to northern hill and mountainous area.