Washim is a district in Maharashtra, India. The headquarters is at Washim. The area of the district is 5,150 km².

Demography and Geography

Washim is located in the eastern region of Vidharbha. Akola lies to its north, Amravati lies to its north-east, Hingoli lies to its south, Buldhana lies to its west, and Yavatmal lies to its east. River Penganga is the main river of the district. It flows through the Tehsil of Risod. Later it flows through the boundary of Washim and Hingoli districts. River Kas is the main tributary of Penganga. River Kas meets Penganga about 1 km from the village of Shelgaon Rajgure. River Arunavati and its tributaries originate in the Tehsil of Washim and those flows through the tehsils of Mangrul Pir and Manora into the district of Yavatmal. River Katepurna originates in the hilly areas of the district and flows northwards through the tehsil of Malegaon and enters the Akola district.

There are hilly ranges extending from through the tehsils of Malegaon, Washim, Mangrul Pir and Manora. There is plain region in the basins of River Penganga in the Risod Tehsil. The important cities are Washim, Risod, Karanja, Malegaon, Mangrul Pir, Manora and Shirpur. Washim is the largest city in the district. There are many well known hospitals, Schools, Colleges and Banks in Washim City. It is especially famous for its Balaji Temple. It also has a railway junction. By railway is connected to Akola, Purna, Nanded and Khandwa. Karanja is another city. It has another railway junction. There are some parts covered by the forests. There are mainly two regions. Both the regions are protected under Katepurna Wildlife Sanctuary and Karanja Sohol Wildlife Sanctuary respectively.

History

Washim district was formed on 1 July 1998. Washim was once known as Vatsagulma, the capital of the Vatsagulma line of Vakataka dynasaty. In the year 1905 during the period of the British Raj Washim district was bifurcated into two separate districts, namely, Akola District and Yavatmal District. It again became a district in 1998.

Divisions

This district is divided into 2 sub-divisions, namely, Washim and Mangrulpir. These are further divided in to 6 talukas (tehsils). The talukas are Malegaon, Mangrulpir, Karanja, Manora, Washim and Risod.

Presently, there are 3 Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly) constituencies in this district. These are Karanja, Risod and Washim. While, Risod is part of Akola Lok Sabha constituency, Karanja and Washim are part of Yavatmal-Washim Lok Sabha constituency.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Washim district has a population of about 1,196,700, roughly equal to the nation of Timor-Leste or the US state of Rhode Island. This gives it a ranking of 398th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 244 inhabitants per square kilometre (630 /sq mi). Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 17.23%. Washim has a sex ratio of 926 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 81.7%.