Kandhamal district is a district in the state of Odisha, India. The district headquarters of the district is Phulbani. Kandhamal is famous for its local turmeric renowned as 'Kandhamal Haldi' which has earned the Geographical indication (GI) tag from Intellectual Property India, an organisation functioning under the auspices of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (India). It is the district full with natural beauties includes wild animals and birds. History Kandhamal district was created on 1 January 1994 from the former Phulbani district as a result of district reorganization in the state of Odisha. It is a tribal-dominated district, where a majority of the people belong to the Kondh (Kandha) tribe. Geography The district lies between 83.30° E to 84-48° E longitude and 19-34° N to 20-54° latitude. The district headquarters is Phulbani, located in the central part of the district. The other popular locations are Baliguda, G. Udayagiri, Tikabali and Raikia. The territory is rural, with a number of waterfalls, springs, hill stations, and historical and archaeological places. Area: 8,021 km² Altitude: 300 to 1100 meter Rainfall: Climate: Minimum temperature (December) ; maximum temperature (May) A majority of the land area of the district (71%) is forests, and 12% of the land is cultivable. The road connectivity with other districts is poor. Kandhamal is one of the poorest districts in Orissa, ranking 29th out of 30 districts by the Human Development Index. Demographics According to the 2011 census Kandhamal district has a population of 733,110, roughly equal to the nation of Guyana or the US state of Alaska. This gives it a ranking of 497th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 12.92%. Kandhamal has a sex ratio of 1037 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 65.12%. At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 53.15% of the population in the district spoke Odia and 45.65% Kui as their first language. A majority of the inhabitants belong to the Kondh tribe, following various religious faiths, who are said to be "proud and aggressive", in the words of a district official. The Kondhs hold 77% of the cultivable land. Khond Scheduled Tribes (including 21% Protestant Christian Khond tribals) make up the total of 53.6% of the population of the District. Panos (the main Dalit community) hold 9%