Medziphema is a town and sub-division located in

Chümoukedima District Chümoukedima (), previously spelled Chumukedima, formerly known as Samaguting, is a municipality in the Chümoukedima District of the Indian state of Nagaland. It is situated on the left bank of the Chathe and with its surrounding area that ...

Nagaland Nagaland () is a States and union territories of India, state in the northeast India, north-eastern region of India. It is bordered by the Indian states of Arunachal Pradesh to the north, Assam to the west, Manipur to the south, and the Naga Sel ...

state of India. Medziphema Town and Medziphema Village are situated few kilometers apart, the village stands on a hill top to the north of the near-valley Town. It is located 44 km from the Capital City of

Kohima Kohima (; Tenyidie: Kewhira ()) is the capital of the North East Indian state of Nagaland. With a resident population of almost 100,000, it is the second largest city in the state. Kohima constitutes both a district and a municipality. The m ...

, 20 km from

Chümoukedima Chümoukedima (), previously spelled Chumukedima, formerly known as Samaguting, is a municipality in the Chümoukedima District of the Indian state of Nagaland. It is situated on the left bank of the Chathe and with its surrounding area that inc ...

and 33 km from

Dimapur Dimapur () is the largest city and municipality in the Indian state of Nagaland. As of 2024 , the municipality had a population of 172,000. The city is the main gateway and commercial centre of Nagaland. Located near the border with Assam along ...

. The National Highway 29 runs through the Town area.

Geography

Medziphema spreads over a very wide beautiful landscape and its altitude is about 360 m above the sea level. It is neither a hill nor a valley and it gently slope down towards the southern region from the north-eastern side of the town. This town actually represents an interface of the Hilly

and the valleys as the actual hill region more or less starts after this town as we move up towards Kohima and it overlooks the valley of Chümoukedima District. The temperature during summer ranges between 28-32 °C and winter from 10 to 15 °C. The total population of this town is around 9,000-10,000. Other settlements in and around Medziphema Town are Pherima, Piphema, Molvom, Kukidolong, Khaibung, Sirhima, Vihokhu, Zuikhu, Rüzaphema, New Socünoma etc. Medziphema

Postal Index Number A Postal Index Number (PIN; sometimes redundantly a PIN code) refers to a six-digit code in the Indian postal code system used by India Post. On 15 August 2022, the PIN system celebrated its 50th anniversary. History The PIN system was introd ...

is 797106

Demographics

The population is a conglomerate of all the major Naga ethnic groups in the state. Angamis, the community solely inhabiting Medziphema Village also has sizable inhabitants in the Town area and consist close to 40–45% of the population approximately. Other major inhabitants includes the Lothas, Sümis, Aos,

Chakhesang The Chakhesangs are a major Naga ethnic group inhabiting the Northeast Indian state of Nagaland. Chakhesangs were previously known as the former Eastern Angami, now recognized as a separate ethnic group. The name "Chakhesang" was created as ...

s, Kukis,

Rengma The Rengma Naga are a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group inhabiting the Northeast Indian states of Nagaland and Assam. According to the 2011 Census of India, the population of Rengmas in Nagaland stands at 62,951 and the population of Rengmas in Assam ...

s and to a lesser extent the tribes of

Zeliangrong The Zeliangrong people are one of the major indigenous Naga communities living in the tri-junction of Assam, Manipur and Nagaland in India. They are the descendants of Nguiba. The term "Zeliangrong" refers to the Zeme, Liangmai and Rongmei ...

Pochury The Pochurys are a Naga ethnic group inhabiting the Northeast Indian state of Nagaland. They are native to Meluri District. History The Pochury identity is of relatively recent origin. It is a composite ethnic group formed by three Naga ...

s, Sangtams, etc.

Religion

About 90–95% of the population is

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

by faith like in any other part of the State. Mostly the Christians are

Baptists Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

who were evangelised by the American Missionaries in the 1800s. Most of the communities residing in Medziphema have their own churches which forms the fundamental structure of the society along with the Hohos (the Unions).

Economy

Agriculture

Medziphema is also known for its

pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a Tropical vegetation, tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been culti ...

s. There are several villages around this town that cultivate pineapples at a large scale; some are even called as pineapple villages for their mass cultivation. In peak seasons one can find a lot of sells on the road sides of the highway at very low prices.

Education

The School of Agricultural Sciences and Rural Development (SASRD),

Nagaland University Nagaland University is a Central University established in the state of Nagaland by an Act of Parliament by the Government of India in 1989. It is headquartered at Lumami, Zünheboto District. Two other permanent campuses are located at Merie ...

, Medziphema campus where is the hall mark of this small town. Added to this a new Central Institute of

Horticulture Horticulture (from ) is the art and science of growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, trees, shrubs and ornamental plants. Horticulture is commonly associated with the more professional and technical aspects of plant cultivation on a smaller and mo ...

(CIH) is coming up which will become fully functional soon. There are several small training centers like Veterinary training center, CTC, IECTC, etc. to boost human resources developments. There are also talks of an engineering college and a Veterinary college coming up in this town in the near future.

References

{{reflist Cities and towns in Chümoukedima district