entire district of Latur is on the Balaghat plateau, 540 to 638 metres from the mean sea level. Latur District is bound by Nanded district to the northeast, Bidar district of Karnataka to the southeast, Osmanabad district to the south-west, and Beed and Parbhani districts to the northwest. On 30 September 1993 an earthquake struck Latur. It is the 16 largest city in Maharashtra. Climate Average rainfall in the district is 600 to 800 mm. This is usually during the monsoon months from July to October. Moderate temperatures are mainly observed. The rainfall is unpredictable in tune with the Indian monsoon. Summers begin from early March to July. Summers are dry and hot. The temperature ranges from 25 °C to 39.6 °C, though at the peak they may reach 45 °C. November to January is the winter season. Temperatures at the peak drop to single digits but usually they hover around 12 °C to 21.8 °C sometimes lowers up to 11 °C. January to March are the months with moderate temperatures. Rivers, lakes and dams The district lies in the Godavari river basin. Much of the water used in the district comes from the Manjara River, which suffered from environmental degradation and silting in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. Other major rivers of the district are the Terna (Tirna), Rena, Manar, Tawarja (Tawarjo), Tiru and Gharni. These rivers and a number of smaller ones are dammed to provide both irrigation and drinking water. Large dams include the Devargan Dam, Gharni Dam, Masalga Dam, Sakol Dam on the Sol River, Tawarja Dam, and Tiru Dam. On the northern plains of the district there are three main rivers, the Manyad, the Lendi (a tributary of the Teru), and the Teru (Tiru). Demographics According to the 2011 census Latur district had a population of 2,454,196, roughly equal to the nation of Kuwait or the US state of Nevada. This gives it a ranking of 181st among the districts of India (out of a total of 640). The district had a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 18.04%. Latur had a sex ratio of 924 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 79.03%. 25.46% of the population lived in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 19.60% and 2.34% of the population respectively. At the time of the 2011 Census