Ratnagiri District

 Ratnagiri is a district located in the state of Maharashtra, India, covering an area of 8196 sq. kms. It has three sub-divisions and nine talukas. The district is situated at a distance of 330 kms from Mumbai and has 15 railway stations, in addition to road transport and ports for connectivity. The total population of the district is 16,96,482, out of which 7,94,431 are male and 9,02,051 are female. The literacy rate in Ratnagiri is 75.35%, with a total of 11,04,922 literates. The district has an area of 5413 hectares under irrigation, with one medium irrigation project named Natuwadi. Ratnagiri is declared as the Horticulture District in Maharashtra, with an area of 1,20,194 hectares under horticulture. The weather in Ratnagiri is warm and humid, making it suitable for horticulture, particularly for mango, cashew, and jackfruit. The district has produced three Bharat Ratna laureates, namely Dhondo Keshav Karve, P.V.Kane, and B.R.Ambedkar, which is a unique distinction in India. The famous King of Mangoes, Alphanso, is grown in Ratnagiri, and its cashew nuts are well known for earning Dollars for Konkan. The district has a total of 120 big and 3374 small industries. The primary languages spoken in the region are Marathi and Daldi (Konkani), with Naman and Jakhadi being the main folk arts. The district experiences an average temperature of 33.1 Deg.C. as maximum and 18.0 Deg.C. as minimum, with an average rainfall of 2874.9 mm. Ratnagiri's major crops include rice, mango, cashew, and coconut. The district has a health infrastructure comprising 67 PHCs, 10 rural hospitals, 1 district hospital, and 2 big hospitals. Ratnagiri also has several tourist places, including Shreekshetra Ganpatipule, Velneshwar, Pavas, Marleshwar, Hedvi, Dervan, and Guhagar. The district has one university, ten colleges, 2698 primary schools, and 302 secondary schools. The information is sourced from the Census of India 2001.