North Sikkim
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
North Sikkim is a district of the Indian state of Sikkim. Its capital is Mangan. It is the largest of the four districts of Sikkim.
The people are mainly of Nepali descent. Other ethnic groups include the Lepcha and Bhutia communities. Nepali is the most widely spoken language in the district. It also has one of the lowest populated regions of the state.
The region has many power projects and enjoys almost uninterrupted electricity. Roads however, are in a poor condition owing to the frequent landslides.
Most of North Sikkim is restricted to travellers and permits are needed to visit these areas. The area, which shares a sensitive border with the People's Republic of China is heavily patrolled by the Indian army.
Most of the people of the state reside near Mangan, the district headquarters which is about 2,000 feet above sea level. Further north the elevation increases with the vegetation turning from temperate to alpine to tundra. Temperatures range from about 25° to below -40° in the extreme high reaches where the altitude is in excess of 6,000 metres. Kanchenjanga is the highest peak at over 8,000 m, straddling its eastern border with Nepal.
