Rajkot district is located in the south-west region of Gujarat. The district has 14 talukas of which the major talukas are Rajkot, Morbi, Jetpur, Wankaner, Upleta and Dhoraji. Rajkot is considered the economic, industrial and educational hub of the region. The district boasts of a stock exchange, which is linked with exchanges in Mumbai, Kolkata and New Delhi. Engineering and Auto ancillary industry is viewed as the growth engine of the district. The area of the district is 11203 sq. km. As per 2001 census, the population of this district is 31, 68,392.
Geography of Rajkot District
Geographical location of Rajkot District is 20.58 degree to 23.08 degree North (Latitude) and 70.20 degree to 71.40 degree East (Longitude). Maximum temperature of the place is 41 degree centigrade and the minimum temperature is 9 degree centigrade. Bhadar, Machh and Aji are the main rivers of this region and the average rainfall is 540 to 600 mm.
Demography of Rajkot District
According to the Population Census in the year 2011, Rajkot District had a population of 3,804,558 of which male and female were 1,974,445 and 1,830,113 respectively. The population of Rajkot District constituted 6.29 percent of total population of Rajkot District. The population density of Rajkot district for 2011 is 340 people per sq. km. The average literacy rate of Rajkot in 2011 was 80.96 compared to 74.16 of 2001. If things are looked out at gender wise, the male and female literacy rate was 87.07 and 74.43 respectively. The total literate in Rajkot District were 2,725,056 of which male and female were 1,514,075 and 1,210,981 respectively.
Education in Rajkot District
There are 1845 Primary Schools, 426 Secondary Schools and 40 higher secondary schools in Rajkot district. Saurashtra University is a major is well known for several departments such as journalism, economics, biosciences, pharmaceutical science, electronics, and chemistry, among several others. There are 5 engineering colleges in the district offering courses in computers, electronics and communication, instrumentation and control, mechanical, IT, and electrical engineering. Various Industrial Training Institutes provide training in areas like electronics, instrument and motor mechanic, wielding, dress making, tailoring and cutting, painting, stenography, carpentry and Wood working, oil engine and tractor repairing and others.
Economy of Rajkot District
Economy of Rajkot district is primarily based on manufacturing and service sector. About 42 percent of workers are engaged in service activities and 34 percent in manufacturing activities. The district also has various manufacturing units for machine tools, industrial equipments, lathe machines, metallurgical industries, electronics, engineering and auto ancillary sector. Small and medium industries are dominated by foundries, engineering and automobile works, textile related units gold and silver jewellery, handicrafts, spices, medicines, and wall clocks. Jetpur taluka of the district is famous for dyeing and printing business and Paddhari taluka for ginning and pressing business in the entire State.
Tourism in Rajkot District
Rajkot district houses the Kaba Gandhi no Delo, the house built by Mahatma Gandhi in 1880-81 and this has been declared as a national monument. Watson Museum inaugurated in 1888, has an excellent collection of archaeological and ancient traditional items like Indus Valley artefacts, textiles, paintings and colonial memorabilia. The Rotary Dolls Museum gives an overview to the culture and traditions of the world at large through the medium of dolls. Other places of interests include Mukti dham - Crematorium, Ram Krishna Temple, Swaminarayan Temple, and Aji Dam.
How to reach Rajkot District
By Air:
The district has a domestic airport at Rajkot city, which operates flights to major cities such as Vadodara, Bhuj, Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Jamnagar.
By Road:
Rajkot is well connected to other cities through National Highways (NH) and State Highways (SH). The district is connected to Ahmedabad (225 km), Vadodara (294 km), Surat (461 km), Mehsana (299 km), Bhavnagar (175 km), Jamnagar (92 km), Vapi (549 km) and Ankleshwar (388 km). The regional network includes NH -8a that links Kandla, NH -8b that links Porbandar and Gandhinagar and NH 8d that connects, Jetpur, Junagadh with Rajkot.
By Rail:
Rajkot is well connected by rail network to important cities in Gujarat and India like Delhi, Mumbai, Cochin, Coimbatore, and Bhopal.
By Port:
Navlakhi, the only port in Rajkot has good rail and road connectivity. It is connected to Morbi by road and national highway. The port is connected by broad gauge railway line with rest of India via Maliya.
