Salem District, Tamil Nadu
Salem District is an administrative district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is situated about 340 km from Chennai, the state capital of Tamil Nadu. The district headquarters is located at Salem. Tamil and Kannada are the main languages spoken in the district. The district covers a total geographical area of 5,237 km², including 4,561.41 km² of rural area and 675.59 km² of urban area.
List of Talukas in Salem District
Salem District is divided into 14 Talukas for administrative and revenue purposes. In total, there are 700 villages under these talukas. The table below lists each taluka along with village count and geographical area.
| Sl. No. | Taluka | Villages | Area (km²) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Attur | 40 | 1,166.02 |
| 2 | Edappadi | 26 | 317.64 |
| 3 | Gangavalli | 36 | 524.57 |
| 4 | Kadayampatti | 29 | — |
| 5 | Mettur | 53 | 774.77 |
| 6 | Omalur | 74 | 666.14 |
| 7 | Pethanaickanpalayam | 47 | — |
| 8 | Salem | 60 | 539.47 |
| 9 | Salem South | 46 | — |
| 10 | Salem West | 29 | — |
| 11 | Sankari | 53 | 424.22 |
| 12 | Thalaivasal | 43 | — |
| 13 | Vazhapadi | 72 | 439.02 |
| 14 | Yercaud | 92 | 385.14 |
Population of Salem District
As per the Census 2011, Salem District has a total population of 34,82,056 people, consisting of 17,81,571 males and 17,00,485 females. There are 9,15,967 households in the district with an average population density of 665 people per km². The table below shows the rural and urban breakup of population and households:
| Particulars | Total | Rural | Urban |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Population | 34,82,056 | 17,07,934 | 17,74,122 |
| Male Population | 17,81,571 | 8,83,274 | 8,98,297 |
| Female Population | 17,00,485 | 8,24,660 | 8,75,825 |
| Total Households | 9,15,967 | 4,52,023 | 4,63,944 |
| Population Density | 665 / km² | 374 / km² | 2,626 / km² |
Beyond these basic counts, the district has 22,85,562 literate people and 3,44,960 children (0–6 years). The demographic distribution also includes 5,80,512 from Scheduled Caste (SC) and 1,19,369 from Scheduled Tribe (ST) communities. Detailed rural and urban data for these categories is provided below:
| Particulars | Total | Rural | Urban |
|---|---|---|---|
| Child Population (Age 0–6) | 3,44,960 | 1,73,421 | 1,71,539 |
| Literate Population | 22,85,562 | 10,08,761 | 12,76,801 |
| Illiterate Population | 11,96,494 | 6,99,173 | 4,97,321 |
| Scheduled Caste (SC) Population | 5,80,512 | 3,18,693 | 2,61,819 |
| Scheduled Tribe (ST) Population | 1,19,369 | 1,10,233 | 9,136 |
NOTE: Population and area figures shown here are based on Census 2011. Administrative boundaries may have changed, so the figures may include combined values for areas that were reorganized later.