Umerkot District عمرڪوٽ ضلعو ضلع عمرکوٹ Amarkot District
District of Sindh
Top: Umarkot Fort Bottom: Birth place of Akbar
Map of Sindh with Umerkot District highlighted
Coordinates: 25°22′12″N 69°43′48″E / 25.37000°N 69.73000°E / 25.37000; 69.73000
Country	Pakistan
Province	Sindh
Division	Mirpur Khas
Headquarters	Umerkot
Number of Tehsils	4
Government
• Type	District Administration
• Deputy Commissioner	N/A
• District Police Officer	N/A
• District Health Officer	N/A
Area
• Total	5,608 km2 (2,165 sq mi)
Population  (2017)[1]
• Total	1,073,469
• Density	190/km2 (500/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+5 (PST)
Website	www.umerkot.gos.pk

Umerkot District (Dhatki: عمرکوٹ / عمرڪوٽ, Sindhi: عمرڪوٽ ضلعو, Urdu: ضلع عمرکوٹ), also known as Amarkot District, is a district in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The city of Umerkot is the capital of the district. Sindhi is the native language of approximately 93.4% of the residents according to the 2017 Pakistan Census.^[2] Umerkot is the only non-Muslim majority district in Pakistan, with adherents of Hinduism representing 52.2% of the total population.^[3]

History

Akbar was born in Umerkot Fort when his father Humayun was fleeing from the Suris. After the 1843 invasion by Charles Napier, Sindh was divided into provinces and was assigned a Zamindars, also known as Wadaras, to collect taxes for the British.

Administration

Map of Umerkot District's tehsils

The district is administratively subdivided into the following Tehsils:^[4]

• Kunri
• Pithoro
• Samaro
• Umarkot

Demographics

At the time of the 2017 census, Umerkot district had a population of 1,073,469, of which 243,537 (22.69%) lived in urban areas. Umerkot had a sex ratio of 929 females per 1000 males and a literacy rate of 35.07%: 48.36% for males and 20.87% for females.^[1]

Religion

Religions in Umerkot district (2017)[1]
Religion			Percent
Hinduism			52.15%
Islam			47.29%
Other or not stated			0.56%

Population of taluks by religion

Circle	Hindus	Muslims	Others
Kunri	50.47%	47.66%	1.87%
Pithoro	45.13%	54.47%	0.40%
Samaro	51.36%	48.48%	0.16%
Umerkot	54.53%	45.27%	0.20%

Umarkot Shiv Mandir

Umerkot is the only Hindu majority district in Pakistan. Hindus form around 51% and Muslims form around 48% of Umerkot's population.^[3] In 1965, about 80% of the district's population were Hindus and 20% were Muslims. The Hindu population declined due to the migration of Hindus to India. Muslims are in the majority only in Pithoro taluk.^[6]

The Umarkot Shiv Mandir in Umerkot is one of the oldest and most sacred Hindu temples in the Sindh. The annual Maha Shivratri celebration of the temple is one of the biggest religious festivals in Pakistan and is attended by around 250,000 people.^[7]

List of Dehs

The following is list of Umerkot District's dehs, organised by taluka:^[8]

See also

• Umarkot Shiv Mandir
• Dhatki language

References