Majuli Island is the world’s biggest river island in the Brahmaputra River, Assam. In 2016 it became the first island to be made a district in India. This fluvial riverine island is formed by the Brahmaputra river in the south, Subansiri River in the north and the Kherkutia Xuti (split channel of Brahmaputra River) in northeast.
Hidden chars (temporary islands formed by sedimentary deposits) and sandbars are features of this island.
The island has a total 144 villages with a population of over 160,000 and a density of 300 individuals per square km.
Majuli island is mostly inhabited by Mishing tribal people. Apart from them, there are inhabitants from the Deori and Sonowal Kacharis tribes. On the island languages spoken are Mishing, Assamese, and Deori.
As many as 100 varieties of rice grown organically i.e. without pesticides or artificial fertilisers.
It is the nerve centre of Assamese neo-Vaishnavite culture initiated by saint-reformer Srimanta Sankardeva in the 15th century.
It is home to many rare and endangered avifauna species including migratory birds.
Due to erosion of the river-bank, the island has lost around one-third of its area in the last 30-40 years caused mainly due to frequent flooding of the river.
The island has been nominated for the World Heritage Site status. It has been included in the tentative list by UNESCO.
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