North Sikkim district

North Sikkim is a district of the Indian state of Sikkim. Its district headquarter is Mangan. It is the largest of the four districts of Sikkim. Mangan is also known as the Cardamom Capital of the world. The climate and terrain best suit the cultivation of the larger variety of Cardamom here.

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. The steep gradient and the innumerable lakes on the higher reaches facilitate ideal conditions for generation of hydro electric power. The most prominent effect of the steepness of the valleys is the prevalence of landslides that at times drop to anything between 3000 to carrying devastation along their course. Most of them are caused either by the melting snow beds on top of the mountains or by erosive action of the rains. Roads, however are in a poor condition owing to the frequent landslides.

The landscape is mountainous with dense vegetation all the way up to the alpine altitude before thinning out to desert scrub towards the Northern Tundra. Numerous waterfalls astride the main road make the trip to this district extremely picturesque. It is also home to the Red Panda (Ailurus Fulgens),a vulnerable speciesChoudhury, A.U. (2001). An overview of the status and conservation...
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