Upper Assam | |
---|---|
Country | India |
State | Assam |
Largest city | Jorhat |
Headquarters | Dibrugarh |
Population | |
• Total | 7.5 million |
Time zone | UTC +05:30 (IST) |
Upper Assam is an administrative division of the state of Assam comprising the undivided Lakhimpur and Sivasagar (previously, Sibsagar) districts, of the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra valley. The other divisions are: Lower Assam, North Assam and Hills and Barak Valley. The division is under the jurisdiction of a Commissioner, stationed at Jorhat.
Consisting of 7 districts initially, the Upper – Assam division now contains 10 districts, that includes Biswanath, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Dhemaji, Golaghat, Charaideo, Lakhimpur, Majuli, Sivasagar, and Tinsukia. While Charaideo and Majuli are the newest districts that were raised to district status in 2016,[1][2] Golaghat and Tinsukia are the biggest districts in terms square kilometre area in the region, raised to the district status in the years of 1987 and 1989 respectively.[3][4]
Dibrugarh,1 Golaghat2 and Jorhat3 are also the oldest recognised and constantly inhabited urban centres (municipal areas) in the region based on the earliest years of formation of the civic bodies, constituted before the Indian independence of 1947.[5]After Guwahati Dibrugarh is officially recognised as a second city of Assam by formation of Dibrugarh Municipal Corporation and Government of Assam will establish a CM Secretariat at Dibrugarh.
An extended list of Upper – Assam region also includes the districts of Sonitpur, Karbi Anglong & Nagaon. The region is the most productive part of the state of Assam, which is rich in natural resources like coal, oil and natural gas as well as tea plantations.