of Western Maharashtra. Divisions Satara district consists of four subdivisions namely Satara, Wai, Karad and Phaltan, divided into eleven talukas (tahsils). These are Satara, Karad, Wai, Mahabaleshwar, Phaltan, Man, Khatav, Koregaon, Patan, Jaoli and Khandala. There are eight Vidhan Sabha constituencies in this district. Karad North, Karad South, Patan, Koregaon, Wai and Satara are part of Satara (Lok Sabha constituency) and Phaltan, Man are part of Madha (Lok Sabha constituency). Later, in the year 2009, the Karad (Lok Sabha constituency) was cancelled and it fused in the Satara (Lok Sabha constituency) . A new Madha (Lok Sabha constituency) was formed in the same year. Jaoli and Khatav Vidhan Sabha constituencies were cancelled, and Man, Phaltan were added to Madha (Lok Sabha constituency). Demographics According to the 2011 census Satara district has a population of 3,003,741, roughly equal to the nation of Albania or the US state of Mississippi. This gives it a ranking of 122nd 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 6.93%. Satara has a sex ratio of 988 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 82.87%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes made up 10.76% and 0.99% of the population respectively. Language At the time of the 2011 census, 95.05% of the population spoke Marathi, 3.60% Hindi and 0.90% Urdu as their first language. Education The Sainik School in Satara is one of the oldest residential school preparing boys for military career. The boys are prepared for NDA (National Defence Academy) UPSC examination, and also for technical entries of Army Navy And The Airforce. Ex Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Pradeep Vasant Naik is an alumnus of this institution, amongst many officers serving or served in Indian Armed Forces. This is the First Sainik School established in India and comes under Ministry of Defence. Krantisinh Nana Patil College of Veterinary Science, Shirwal is affiliated with Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences University. There are also institutes run by the Rayat Shikshan Sanstha. Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil College Of Engineering and Polytechnic is run by Rayat Shikshan Sanstha and is one of the oldest and reputed engineering colleges in Satara. In primary education SEMS, Mona School Satara, Nirmala Convent, KSD Shanbhag Vidyalaya, Chhatrapati Shahu Academy, Narmada are some of the best and oldest English Medium schools which are