Population Geography of Assam: A Study of Dibrugarh District (1872-1971)

Population Geography, as an organized branch of Geography, is comparatively new. The study of this branch of knowledge was first initiated ink the first half of this country in France by Beaujeu-Garnier. It acquired importance in a format form in 1953 when Trewarths introduced this subject for discussion before the Association of American Geographers has registered a significant increase. The subject has new become the central them of a number of scholarly works. The present volume is a most welcome addition to the subject of Population Geography has registered a significant increase. The subject has now become the central theme of a number of scholarly works. The present volume is a most welcome addition to the subject of Population Geography in this country where ‘this branch of Geography is almost negligible and many of its aspects like population pressure, regional analysis of fertility and mortality, migration, population characteristics and Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, regional changes in occupational structure, population regionalisation etc. are yet to be studied So far as Assam is concerned, the study of Population Geography is still in its infancy. The present volume therefore plays a useful role in making up this difficiency. As its tell-tale title indicates, the author has enumerated her objectives in conducting this study as under: (i) A study of the historical background of the population of the District as far back as its historical background permits, I99) A study of the spatial distribution, numerical, racial, religious, occupational andk social composition of its population in the 18th century since the time of the ennexetion of Dibrugarh District (1826) by the British rulers to the time of the earliest available census period, (iii) Growth and distribution of the population since 1872 with special reference to all the attributes of its composition , (iv) An enalysis of group-wise variations in distribution, density and also racial, linguistic, occupational and social and areal composition, (v) Present characteristics of the population and finally (vi) The synthetic appraisal. Apart from other preliminary components of the work like Preface etc. its main text consists of 9 chapter 1 introduces the reader to the heart of the problem taken up by the author for research like its significance, its objective scope and methodology. The other Chapters deal with the geographical set-up of district like physiography, climate, vegetation. Geology, mineral and soil, the original socio-cultural basis of the people who constitute the present population and the geo-political evolution of the district; the economic resources of the district leading to its industrial development; demographic aspects; the spatial characteristics in the growth of population through the passage of time; the occupational composition of the population and the socio-cultural ix=-embodies a synthesis of the facts and findings in the form of summary and conclusions. It ha been found that the growth of population in Dibrugarh district has enormously risen duringk the last one hundred years during which it registered a rise of 1618.59% in 1971 over that of 1872. With the discovery of new oil fields in the south where natural resources are in abundance both the population and the industrial tempro are likely to registere a phenomental growth rate. The book biazes a new trail and marks a significant contribution to the new field of Population Geography and will give an impetus to the further development of prolific literature in this branch of knowledge in the years to some.