Bicholim

<!-- See WikiProject Indian cities for details -->Bicholim (; , pronounced ) is a city and a municipal council in North Goa district in the state of Goa, India. It is a town in the territory of Goa, and the headquarters of the concelho (district) of the same name; the Concelho of Bicholim, located in the north-east quarter is one of the seven that make up the Novas Conquistas or New Conquests, territories added to Goa comparatively latter than the first three of the Velhas Conquistas. The town is located about 30 kilometres from the capital Panjim. It is in the mining heartland of Goa.

History

A part of Bicholim was once part of Kingdom of Sawantwadi till late 18th century, but the major part was of an independent landlord (PrabhuSarDesai's of Sankhali/Sanquelim) It was taken over by Portuguese in late 18th century as part of New Conquest.

Geography

Bicholim is located at . It has an average elevation of 22&nbsp;metres (72&nbsp;feet).

Demographics

India census, Bicholim had a population of 14,913. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Bicholim has an average literacy rate of 80%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 84% and female literacy of 75%. 10% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Economy

Mining constitutes a major chunk in the economy of Bicholim with about 36% of the population working for a single iron ore mine owner (Dempo now taken over by...
Read More