Background
The Union Territory Administration of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu sets out the 2011 Census figures separately for each of its three districts. The sex ratio is 774 in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, 534 in Daman and 1031 in Diu. Because a sex ratio is the number of women per thousand men, Diu, the island district, is the only one of the three where women outnumber men. The child sex ratios are 926 for Dadra and Nagar Haveli, 897 for Daman and 929 for Diu. The recorded populations are 343709 for Dadra and Nagar Haveli, 1,91,173 for Daman and 52,074 for Diu, with densities of 700, 2655 and 1302 persons per square kilometre. Literacy is 76.2% in Dadra and Nagar Haveli, 88.06% in Daman and 83.46% in Diu. Each district has its own municipal council: the Silvassa Municipal Council, the Daman Municipal Council and the Diu Municipal Council.
Sex ratio, Dadra and Nagar Haveli:
774
Sex ratio, Daman:
534
Sex ratio, Diu:
1031
Population density, Daman:
2655
Literacy, Daman:
88.06%
Population, Diu:
52,074
Why it matters for exams: Sex ratio and literacy figures for the smaller union territories are asked directly, and the distance between Daman's 534 and Diu's 1031 within one union territory is exactly the contrast an examiner builds a question on.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Sex ratio — The number of females per thousand males in a population.
Child sex ratio — The same ratio counted only among children in the youngest age group recorded by the Census.
Background
The district administration of Dadra and Nagar Haveli places the district on the western side of the foothills of the Western Ghats, with undulating terrain and 41.63% of its total geographical area under forest. It records the major tribes of the district as Varlies, Kokana, Dhodia and Dublas, and says no occasion in tribal life, whether a marriage or a harvest, is complete without a folk dance. The major dances it names are Tarpa, Dhol, Bhavada and Gherria. The district covers 491.00 sq.kms and recorded a population of 343709 at the 2011 Census. Its major river, the Daman Ganga, and its tributaries criss-cross the district and drain into the Arabian Sea at Daman. The administration's own account records the territory as comprising 72 villages.
Major tribes:
Varlies, Kokana, Dhodia and Dublas
Major dances:
Tarpa, Dhol, Bhavada and Gherria
Forest cover:
41.63%
Area:
491.00 sq.kms
Major river:
Daman Ganga
Villages:
72 villages
Why it matters for exams: Tribal composition and folk dance names for the smaller union territories are standard culture questions, and the 41.63% forest share with the Daman Ganga drainage is the geography an aspirant is expected to place.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Tarpa — A tribal folk dance of Dadra and Nagar Haveli, named after the wind instrument that leads it.
Undulating terrain — Land that rises and falls in low hills rather than lying flat.
Background
The Union Territory Administration describes Diu as a picturesque island situated in the Arabian Sea just off the southern coast of the Kathiawad Peninsula of Gujarat, which is also called Saurashtra. A portion of Diu District is on the mainland and is named Ghoghla. A small part of Diu known as Simbor is situated at a distance of 25 km from Diu and is reached through Gujarat. The district covers 40.00 Sq. Km. The attractions the Administration lists for Diu include the Diu Fort, the Naida Caves, the INS Khukhri Memorial, Gangeswar Mahadev, the Diu Museum, Saint Paul's Church, Nagoa Beach and Goghla Beach, which it records as holding Blue Flag certification. The town of Diu was an important port on the trade routes of the Arabian Sea, and the Battle of Diu was fought there in 1509 between Portugal and a combined force of Turkey, Egypt, Venice, the Republic of Ragusa and the Sultan of Gujarat.
Area:
40.00 Sq. Km
Mainland portion of the district:
Ghoghla
Distance of Simbor from Diu:
25 km
Beach recorded with Blue Flag certification:
Goghla Beach
Peninsula it lies off:
Kathiawad Peninsula
Why it matters for exams: Diu's position off Saurashtra, its mainland portion at Ghoghla and the detached pocket of Simbor are the kind of map facts a question turns on, and Blue Flag beaches are repeatedly examined.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Blue Flag — An international certification awarded to beaches meeting set standards of cleanliness, safety and facilities.
Kathiawad Peninsula — The large peninsula of western Gujarat, also called Saurashtra.
Background
The union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu is made up of three districts, named Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu. The UT administration's introduction page records that the territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli became one of the three districts of the new union territory. It gives the area of Dadra and Nagar Haveli as 491.00 sq.kms, landlocked between Gujarat in North and Maharashtra in South. Daman, whose area the administration gives as 72.00 Sq. Km, is divided by the Damanganga river. Diu is described as an island in the Arabian Sea off the southern coast of the Kathiawad peninsula of Gujarat, with an area of 40.00 Sq. Km. A portion of the Diu district is on the mainland and is named Ghoghla. A small part of Diu known as Simbor lies at a distance of 25 km from Diu and is reached through Gujarat. Each district has its own municipal body: the Silvassa Municipal Council, the Daman Municipal Council and the Diu Municipal Council.
Districts:
three districts
Area of Dadra and Nagar Haveli:
491.00 sq.kms
Area of Daman:
72.00 Sq. Km
Area of Diu:
40.00 Sq. Km
Mainland part of the Diu district:
Ghoghla
Municipal body in Dadra and Nagar Haveli:
Silvassa Municipal Council
Why it matters for exams: The union territory's three districts lie in physically separate pieces surrounded by Gujarat and Maharashtra, and examiners regularly ask which state borders which part.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Kathiawad Kathiawad (Saurashtra) peninsula — The large peninsula of western Gujarat, off whose southern coast the island of Diu lies.
Background
The UT administration records that the Marathas signed a treaty with the Portuguese in 1779 allowing them to collect revenue from Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and that the Portuguese occupied the territory between 1783 and 1785 and ruled it until its liberation. About 170 years of Portuguese rule in Dadra and Nagar Haveli was ended on 2nd August 1954 by volunteers of Goa parties acting in close cooperation with the local inhabitants. The Varistha Panchayat then passed a resolution for integration with the Indian Union in June 1961, and the territory was integrated by the Dadra and Nagar Haveli Act, 1961, which is Act 35 of 1961 and is deemed to have come into force on the 11th day of August, 1961. Daman was obtained by the Portuguese in 1559 by means of a treaty with the Shah of Gujarat, and remained under Portuguese rule until its liberation in 1961. Diu was liberated on 19th December 1961 under Operation Vijay and was then made part of the union territory of Goa, Daman and Diu. After statehood of Goa on 30th May 1987, Daman and Diu became a separate union territory. The administration's own introduction page gives two different starting years for the continuous Portuguese hold on Diu: it says Diu was conquered by the Portuguese in 1546, and also that Diu remained in the possession of the Portuguese from 1535 until 1961.
Liberation of Dadra and Nagar Haveli:
2nd August 1954
Act that integrated Dadra and Nagar Haveli:
Act 35 of 1961
Date the Act is deemed to have come into force:
11th day of August, 1961
Liberation of Diu:
19th December 1961
Operation under which Diu was liberated:
Operation Vijay
Statehood of Goa:
30th May 1987
Why it matters for exams: The three parts of this union territory left Portuguese rule at different times and by different instruments, and the order of liberation, Act and statehood is the detail most often got wrong.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Varistha Panchayat Varistha Panchayat of Dadra and Nagar Haveli — The body of local representatives set up after the 1954 liberation, which asked for the territory's integration with India and later advised the Administrator.
Operation Vijay Operation Vijay — The Indian military operation of 1961 in which Goa, Daman and Diu were taken from Portuguese control.
Background
Article 239 of the Constitution provides that, save as otherwise provided by Parliament by law, every union territory shall be administered by the President acting, to such extent as he thinks fit, through an administrator to be appointed by him with such designation as he may specify. Article 239 also allows the President to appoint the Governor of a State as the administrator of an adjoining union territory, and a Governor so appointed exercises those functions independently of his Council of Ministers. The Dadra and Nagar Haveli Act, 1961 defines the Administrator of the territory as the Administrator appointed by the President under article 239 of the Constitution. Section 3 of that Act provided that there shall be allotted one seat to the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli in the House of the People. Section 11, headed Extension of the jurisdiction of Bombay High Court to Dadra and Nagar Haveli, provided that from a date notified by the Central Government the jurisdiction of the High Court at Bombay shall extend to Dadra and Nagar Haveli. Under Section 4 the Varishta Panchayat could discuss and make recommendations to the Administrator on general policy and schemes of development, but its functions were advisory only. When the merger of the two union territories was taken up, the Minister of State for Home Affairs told the Lok Sabha that both the Lok Sabha seats would remain intact and that the merged entity would be governed under the jurisdiction of the Bombay High Court.
Constitutional article on the administration of union territories:
Article 239
High Court with jurisdiction over the union territory:
Bombay High Court
Representation given to Dadra and Nagar Haveli by the 1961 Act:
one seat
Nature of the Varishta Panchayat's functions under the 1961 Act:
advisory only
Why it matters for exams: The chain from Article 239 to the Administrator, the Lok Sabha seats and the Bombay High Court is the standard polity question on this union territory.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Administrator Administrator of a union territory — The officer through whom the President administers a union territory, appointed by the President with whatever designation the President specifies.
House of the People House of the People (Lok Sabha) — The lower house of Parliament, whose members are directly elected from territorial constituencies.
Background
The UT Administration records that the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli was merged with the neighbouring union territory of Daman and Diu to form the new union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu on January 26, 2020. The territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli then became one of the three districts of the new union territory, as the Dadra and Nagar Haveli District; Daman and Diu are the other two. The merger was carried out by an Act of Parliament. The Bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha by the Minister of Home Affairs, amended the First Schedule to the Constitution, which specifies the territories that come under various states and union territories, and amended Article 240(1), under which the President may make regulations for certain union territories, to replace the two old territories with the merged one. The First Schedule to the Representation of the People Act, 1950 had provided one Lok Sabha seat to each of the two union territories; the Bill allocated two Lok Sabha seats to the merged union territory. It also provided that the jurisdiction of the High Court of Bombay would continue to extend to the merged union territory. All three parts were former Portuguese possessions, as Goa was. Dadra and Nagar Haveli, spread over 491.00 sq.kms and landlocked between Gujarat and Maharashtra, was liberated from Portuguese rule on 2nd August 1954 and united with India by the Dadra and Nagar Haveli Act 1961 (No.35 of 1961). Daman was obtained by the Portuguese in 1559 and remained under them till its liberation in 1961. Diu was conquered by the Portuguese in 1546, was liberated on 19th December 1961, and became part of the UT of Goa, Daman and Diu; after the statehood of Goa on 30th May 1987, Daman and Diu became a separate union territory.
Date the merged union territory came into being:
January 26, 2020
Districts in the merged union territory:
one of the three districts of the new union territory
Lok Sabha seats for the merged union territory:
two Lok Sabha seats to the merged UT
High Court jurisdiction:
the jurisdiction of the High Court of Bombay will continue to extend to the merged UT
Area of Dadra and Nagar Haveli:
491.00 sq.kms
Liberation of Dadra and Nagar Haveli from Portuguese rule:
2nd August 1954
Liberation of Diu:
19th December 1961
Statehood of Goa, after which Daman and Diu became a separate UT:
30th May 1987
Why it matters for exams: The merger changed the number of union territories in India and the Lok Sabha seat arithmetic, so examiners use it to test whether a candidate's list of union territories is current.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
First Schedule First Schedule to the Constitution — The schedule that lists India's states and union territories and the territories each comprises.
Article 240 Article 240 of the Constitution — It empowers the President to make regulations for certain union territories named in it.
Background
The forest department of the Union Territory records a Recorded Forest Area of 212.47 sq. kms.
Within that, Reserved Forests account for 113.07 sq. km, Wildlife Sanctuaries for 94.4 sq. km and Protected Forest for 5 sq. km.
Forest Cover in the Union Territory is 207.16 sq. km, which is 42.19 per cent of its geographical area.
By canopy density, Moderately Dense Forest is 79.93 sq. km and Open Forest is 127.23 sq. km.
The forests of Dadra and Nagar Haveli are Tropical Moist Deciduous and Tropical Dry Deciduous, while those of Daman and Diu are Littoral and Swamp Forests.
Mangroves in the Fudam Bird Sanctuary of Diu form a spawning ground for fishes.
Recorded Forest Area:
212.47 sq. kms
Forest Cover:
207.16 sq. km
Share of geographical area:
42.19%
Wildlife Sanctuaries:
94.4 sq. km
Why it matters for exams: Forest cover percentages of small Union Territories are a recurring environment and statistics question.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
RFA Recorded Forest Area — Land recorded as forest in government records, whether or not it carries tree cover.
Background
Vasona Lion Safari spans 20 hectares.
It lies within the Dadra and Nagar Haveli Wildlife Sanctuary.
The safari is about 10 km from Silvassa town and is reached by the Khanvel-Silvassa road.
It is a protected habitat for Asiatic lions.
Visitors move through the enclosure in mesh-screened safari vehicles on a ride of about 30 minutes.
Area:
20 hectares
Distance from Silvassa:
about 10 km
Species:
Asiatic lions
Why it matters for exams: Asiatic lions outside Gujarat's Gir landscape are a favourite environment question, and this safari is one such site.
Kerala PSCUPSC
Background
Satmaliya Deer Park lies inside the Dadra and Nagar Haveli wildlife sanctuary.
It stands on the Khanvel-Silvassa road near Dapada, in the Dadra and Nagar Haveli district.
The park houses blackbuck, chital or spotted deer, sambhar deer, nilgai, chinkara and the four-horned antelope.
Birds recorded there include peacocks, the flame-back woodpecker and thrushes.
The park has mud trails, a waterhole and a watchtower known as a machan.
Visitors cross it in government-operated vans.
Location:
Khanvel-Silvassa road near Dapada
District:
Dadra and Nagar Haveli
Why it matters for exams: The four-horned antelope and chinkara are species questions that examiners pair with the places that hold them.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Machan Machan — A raised watchtower or platform used to observe wildlife.
Background
Construction of the Fort of Moti Daman commenced in A.D. 1559 and concluded in A.D. 1581.
The fortification covers a large area of 30,000 square metres.
It has 10 bastions, reached by stairs at several points along the walls.
Inside stand the Cathedral of Bom Jesus, a Dominican Monastery, Bocage House, an old lighthouse and a convent school.
The fort also holds the Administrator's Secretariat, Government House, the district court, the district library, a public health centre and the Daman Municipal Council.
Most of the fort is open to the public.
Construction:
A.D. 1559 to A.D. 1581
Area:
30,000 square metres
Bastions:
10
Why it matters for exams: A Portuguese fort that still houses a district court and a secretariat is an unusual heritage-and-administration link examiners like.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Bastion Bastion — A projecting part of a fort wall, built so defenders can fire along the wall face.
Background
Diu Fort was built by the Portuguese in 1535.
It stands at the mouth of the Gulf of Khambhat.
The parapet of the fort is lined with cannons that were earlier employed in its defence.
Three churches stand within it: St Thomas Church, St Paul's Church and the Church of St Francis of Assisi.
A lighthouse inside the fort gives an elevated view of the area, and a Shiva temple dedicated to Gangeshwar Mahadev lies nearby.
A Venetian-Gothic style bungalow stands close to the fort.
Built:
1535
Built by:
The Portuguese
Churches inside:
Three
Why it matters for exams: The year 1535 and the Gulf of Khambhat location fix Diu Fort in the standard Portuguese-India chronology.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Parapet Parapet — The low protective wall along the top edge of a fort rampart.