Pernem is a northmost administrative region or sub-district in North Goa. It acts as the Gateway of Goa from Maharashtra side. It is also the name of the town of Pernem, which is its headquarters. It has a Municipal Council. Geographically, Pernem is surrounded by Sawantwadi sub-district (Maharashtra State) on East, Arabian Sea on West, Bardez and Bicholim sub-district on south and Sawantwadi sub-district (Maharashtra State) on north. The two rivers which decide the boundary of this sub-district are Terekhol River and Chapora River. Terekhol river acts as a border of Maharashtra and Goa while Chapora river acts as a border of Pernem sub-district and Bardez sub-district. History Pernem is counted as belonging to one of the two Goan sub-regions, the Novas Conquistas, or New Conquests. It was taken over, lost and finally regained from the Rajas of Sawantwadi, who were handling the affairs of Pernem Taluka though the Deshprabhu family, (which to this day owns major lands in Pernem taluka) a state on Goa's northern border that allied sometimes with the Portuguese and sometimes with the Marathas. (The Kingdom of Sawantwadi was integrated into the district of Ratnagiri after 1947 and is now part of the district of Sindhudurg). After the capture of Goa by Indian Armed Forces from Portuguese, it became part of Union Territory of Goa. Pernem is the Portuguese spelling (the m only makes the e nasal). The name in Konkani Pedne, and inhabitants are called Pednecar in Konkani. The surname Pednekar used by some Konkanastha Brahmans may indicate their origins in Pernem. Location The Konkan Railway passes through Pernem, and there is a railway station called Pernem at a distance of about 4 km east from the town. The proposed Mopa International Airport is situated at Mopa in Pernem sub-district. National Highway 17 (NH-17), which connects Mumbai (Bombay) and Goa, passes through Pernem (bypassed at Malpem) Demographics As of the 2011 Census of India, Pernem had a population of 70726 with gender ratio of 959 females to 1000 males. However, the child ratio (0–6 years) is much lower i.e. 911. The overall Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Pernem has an average literacy rate of 82.6%, higher than the national average of 74.04%: male literacy is 84% and female literacy is 75.1%. In Pernem, 9.1% of the population is under 6 years of age. The total urbanization level is 39.7 percent Transport