The city of Dibrugarh, situated on the banks of the River Brahmaputra, in the Upper Districts of Assam, India, is the gateway to the three tea producing districts of Tinsukia, Dibrugarh, and Jorhat. These three areas account for approximately 50% of India's Assam tea crop and this gives Dibrugarh its rightly earned sobriquet as the Tea city of India. Oil and Timber are the other big two industries in and around Dibrugarh.
In 1950, an earthquake measuring over 8.5 on the Richter Scale, changed the course of the River Brahmaputra, and this caused the destruction of more than 3/4ths of the city. The city has since been rebuilt over the years, but the River Brahmaputra nearby is, as always, a constant reminder to its people that live in the shadow of this mighty river's turbulent, and all encompassing journey to the sea.
As of 2001 India census, Dibrugarh had a population of 122,523. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Dibrugarh has an average literacy rate of 81%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 82% and, female literacy is 80%. In Dibrugarh, 9% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Dibrugarh is the education hub of upper Assam. With Dibrugarh University, Assam Medical College and numerous other institutes of repute it is a major contributor to the education scenario in Assam. The John Bery White Medical School established in 1914 was the first centre for formal medical education in North East India. This institution (Named after its founder) was upgraded to a Medical College on the 3rd of November 1947. |
