Salem District, Tamil Nadu
Salem is an administrative district in Tamil Nadu, India. The district is located about 340 km from Chennai, the capital of Tamil Nadu. Its administrative headquarters is in Salem. Tamil and Kannada are the major languages spoken in the district. The district covers a total 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 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
According to the 2011 Census, Salem District had a population of 34,82,056 people living in 9,15,967 households. The population comprised 17,81,571 males and 17,00,485 females, with an average population density of 665 people per km². The table below provides a rural-urban comparison of these statistics.
| Category | 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 |
Salem District had 22,85,562 literate people and 3,44,960 children in the 0–6 age group. Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) populations were 5,80,512 and 1,19,369 respectively. The table below presents their rural and urban distribution.
| Category | 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.