Uttarandhra


Uttarandhra is a region consisting of three north Andhra districts of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It comprises the districts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam. As of 2011 census of India, the region with three districts has a population of 9,338,177.
The region is in the extreme Northeast of Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The region is skirted to a distance by Kandivalasagedda, Vamsadhara and Bahuda at certain stretches of their courses white a line of heights of the great Eastern Ghats run from North East. East Godavari District flanks in the southwest while Odisha bounds it on the north and Bay of Bengal on the South and the East. Visakhapatnam is the largest city of the region in terms of population and area. However Uttarandhra is a part of Coastal Andhra region.

Geography

rises in the eastern slopes of the Eastern Ghats near Lakhbahal in the Kalahandi district of Odisha at an elevation of about 1,300 metres. The total length of the river is about 256 km, of which 161 km are in Odisha and the rest in Andhra Pradesh. The catchment area of the basin is 9,510 square km. Nagavali is an interstate river with 4462 km2 and 5048 km2 river basin area located in Odisha and Andhra Pradesh respectively. The river basin receives 1000 mm average rain fall annually. The uplands of the river basin are hilly areas with predominantly tribal populated. It drains parts of the Kalahandi, Rayagada and Koraput districts of Odisha and Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam districts of Andhra Pradesh. Vamsadhara River originates in the border of Thuamul Rampur in the Kalahandi district and Kalyansinghpur in Rayagada district of Odisha and runs for a distance of about 254 kilometers, where it joins the Bay of Bengal at Kalingapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The total catchment area of the river basin is about 10,830 square kilometers.
Climate
South West Monsoon : 1000–1100 mm. Temperatures range from Max. 33-36 °C & Min. 26-27 °C. Red soils and Black soils with clay base, Pockets of acidic soils, laterite soils, Soils with PH 4-5.

Economy

Agriculture

Major crops grown in this region are Rice, Black gram, Green gram, Groundnut, Sugarcane, Sesame, Pearl millet, Mesta, finger millets, Horse gram. This region is home to many co-operative sugar factories, jute mills, cashew processing industries.
Visakha Dairy is second biggest co-operative dairy in India.

Industries

is the biggest city of the region and is placed 10th among the top 15 cities contributing to India's overall Gross domestic product.
The industrial city, Visakhapatnam has contributed a GDP of $26 billion. The city is home for various state owned heavy industries and a steel plant.
Palasa-Kasibugga is the center of cashew industries in the Srikakulam district.
Ponduru hand-loom where the finest khadi is woven. Jute mills and dairy products industry like Visakha Dairy contribute to the economy of the region

Politics

The parliament constituencies of Uttarandhra are

Central Universities

Cuisine

Cuisine of this area still has its own distinctive flavours and unique taste, while it shares many similarities with the Andhra region cuisine.While Visakhapatnam district has its own distinct Dialect and Cuisine which is closer to the rest of Andhra, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam have a slight difference in taste compared to rest of Andhra.
Visakhapatnam has a different dialect and cuisine compared to vizianagaram and Srikakulam.
Mostly in Vizianagaram and Srikakulam, they like to eat many of their foods really sweet unlike other regions of Andhra Pradesh. While most of the cuisine is very spicy, they often cook lentils in jaggery enjoyed with butter and steamed rice.
They cook vegetables in gravies of Menthipettina Kura, Avapettina Kura, Nuvvugunda Kura, etc. Ullikaram is another popular dish where vegetables or corn seeds are flavored in shallots or onion paste.
While regular Andhra fare like Idli, Dosa, Upma, Poori etc.. are common in the region, Pesarattu topped with onions and ginger, served with allam chutney is a favourite Breakfast item. Pesara Punugulu with ulli chutney is a popular item in visakha region.
Patoli is a favorite breakfast time or festive time dish in Srikakulam. Patoli is soaked up split black chickpeas ground to a coarse paste and seasoned in coriander seeds, onions and at times with cluster beans. Uppupindi is coarsely Broken Rice upma steamed with vegetables and tempering seeds. This dish is had during festive days when people would fast during the day and have it at night.
Inguva charu is a stew popular among adults and kids, is a sour and sweet stew made with Tamarind and Asafoetida It can be had with rice or uppupindi. Bellam pulusu is another highly flavored thick sweet stew made out of rice flour, Jaggery, corn cobs and whole Shallots. Madugula Halwa is a very unique and famous variety of Halwa from Visakha region.

Notable personalities

Visakhapatnam city has a range of tourist attractions including beaches, hilltop parks facing the sea, a beach road, a zoological park and wildlife sanctuary, a submarine museum, hill stations, limestone caves, mountain ranges and valleys. Araku Valley is a hill station.
Reservoirs like Meghadri gedda, Mudasarlova, Thatipudi reservoir and water falls at Devarapalli,Duduma waterfall and other water falls near Araku valley. Karlakonda Ava.Devipuram near sabbavara. Hillstations like Lambasingi and adventure games at Sitampeta in Srikakulam.

Religious Destinations

Transport

and NH 26 passes through most of the Uttarandhra towns. The East Coast Railway serves Srikakulam, Vizianagaram District, and part of Visakhapatnam district including Visakhapatnam City and remaining under South Central Railway zone. Visakhapatnam Airport is a customs airport situated in the region. Visakhapatnam Port, Gangavaram Port are the major seaports. Some minor ports are at Bhavanapadu, Kalingapatnam, Bheemunipatnam.