South Delhi is an administrative district of the

National Capital Territory of Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

with its headquarters in Saket. Administratively, the district is divided into three subdivisions, Saket, Hauz Khas, and Mehrauli. It is bounded by the

Yamuna River The Yamuna (; ) is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in List of major rivers of India, India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of B ...

to the east, the districts of

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

to the north, Faridabad district of

Haryana Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...

to the southeast, Gurgaon District of Haryana to the southwest, and

South West Delhi South West Delhi (ISO 15919, ISO: ''Dakṣinṇa Paścima Dillī'') is one of the eleven administrative districts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi in India. Kapashera serves as the administrative headquarters of South West Delhi. Sout ...

to the west. South Delhi has a population of 2,731,929 (2011 census), and an area of , with a population density of 9,034 persons per km² (23,397 persons per mi²). The South Delhi neighborhood of Hauz Khas is witnessing the growth of trendy shops and lodgings. It is now becoming the center for domestic and international tourists and backpackers. The area also is home to historical monuments and has easy access to the

Delhi Metro The Delhi Metro is a rapid transit system that serves Delhi and the adjoining satellite cities of Faridabad, Gurugram, Noida, Bahadurgarh, and Ballabhgarh in the National Capital Region (India), National Capital Region of India. The system cons ...

, making it a preferred location for many visitors to India and domestic middle-class visitors from other Indian states. The area attracts young tourists with numerous hip

hostel A hostel is a form of low-cost, short-term shared sociable lodging where guests can rent a bed, usually a bunk bed in a dormitory sleeping 4–20 people, with shared use of a lounge and usually a kitchen. Rooms can be private or shared - mixe ...

s and

cafe A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café (), is an establishment that serves various types of coffee, espresso, latte, americano and cappuccino, among other hot beverages. Many coffeehouses in West Asia offer ''shisha'' (actually called ''nargil ...

s. The division shown on the map bears only administrative significance, as to the common citizen, broadly speaking

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

is vaguely ring-like, having five regions, namely North, West, South, East and Central. The usage of the term South Delhi in day-to-day life expands from

's IGI Airport in the New Delhi district to the river

Yamuna The Yamuna (; ) is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of Bandarpunch peaks of the Low ...

in the South East, a region protruding into administrative

district.

History

South Delhi is a vast area in the city of Delhi and contains many significant locations. Of the eleven 'historical cities' of Delhi, three, viz. Qila Rai Pithora (1st), Mehrauli (2nd) and

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(including Hauz Khas) (3rd) fall in the South Delhi district. It was originally created after the construction of New Delhi. Jahaz Mahal, Zafar Mahal, Hauz Khas Complex, Bijay Mandal, Qutub Minar, Mehrauli Archaeological Park, and the Safdarjung's Tomb comprise some of South Delhi's most scenic heritage sites.

Geography

The administrative district had 20% green cover, as of 2009. It has several spacious green parks, wildlife sanctuary, biodiversity parks, and green belts. Deer Park and Rose Garden in Hauz Khas, Asola Wildlife Sanctuary close to Delhi's southern border on the Aravallis foothills are few examples. It has a good mix of concrete and greens.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census South Delhi has a total population of 2,731,929, comprising 1,467,428 males (53.8%) and 1,264,501 females (46.2%), roughly equal to the nation of

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or the US state of

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. This gives it a ranking of 144th 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 20.59%. The religious composition of the population is predominantly Hindu, making up 78.8% (2,155,759 adherents), followed by Muslims at 16.3% (445,914). Other religious communities include Christians, numbering 1.5% (41,880); Sikhs, with 2.5% (69,520); Buddhists at 0.1% (3,862); and Jains, totaling 0.4% (11,020).

Economy

Many renowned markets of Delhi such as Sarojini Nagar Market,

Green Park The Green Park, one of the Royal Parks of London, is in the City of Westminster, Central London. Green Park is to the north of the gardens and semi-circular forecourt of Buckingham Palace, across Constitution Hill road. The park is in the m ...

Market, etc. and malls such as DLF Avenue, MGF Metropolitan, Select Citywalk, Malviya Nagar, etc. are located in South Delhi.

Administrative divisions

South Delhi has three administrative divisions: * Hauz Khas * Mehrauli * Saket

Transport

Roadways

Metro rail

Two lines of the

, namely the

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and

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lines pass through the district.

Railways

The nearest railway station is Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station.

Airways

The nearest airport is Indira Gandhi International Airport, located towards west of the district.

Culture

South district is considered to be the most affluent of all residential districts of Delhi, other than the districts falling under Lutyen's Delhi, viz.

and Central Delhi. With upscale areas like Saket, Sainik Farm, Malviya Nagar, Hauz Khas, Greater Kailash,

, Rama Krishna Puram, Gulmohar Park, Gulmohar enclave, Vasant Vihar and Vasant Kunj, it has one of the highest land prices in Delhi. Urban villages in South Delhi, like Hauz Khas Village, and Shahpur Jat have become hub for designer boutiques, restaurants and art galleries and design studios.

Notable personalities

Education

The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi,

All India Institute of Medical Sciences The All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is a group of autonomous government public medical universities of higher education under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. These institutes ha ...

and National Institute of Fashion Technology, three of the country's premier institutes in the field of technology, medicine and fashion respectively lie in the Hauz Khas locality of South Delhi. The Indian Institute of Foreign Trade of Delhi is located in the Qutub Institutional Area of South Delhi. Sangam Vihar is also located in South Delhi, which has the highest population in the state. The top Central University

Jamia Millia Islamia Jamia Millia Islamia is a Public university, public and research university located in Delhi, India. Originally established at Aligarh, United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, United Provinces (present-day Uttar Pradesh, India) during the British R ...

is situated in the Jamia Nagar area of South Delhi. Further, University of Delhi South Campus which is one of the oldest universities in India has its southern campus in the region. The southern campus is a part of the proposed four direction-based campuses in Delhi with East and West campuses currently in progress.

Importance

This district has thriving medieval era colonies or sarais, which now are severely congested and under neglect. These include Chirag Delhi, Kalu Sarai, Jia Sarai, Ber Sarai, Lado Sarai, Katwaria Sarai, Yusuf Sarai, Hauz Khas Village, Munirka, Kotla Mubarakpur, Begumpur, Saidulajaib, Mohammadpur, Khirki Village, Adhchini, Chhattarpur Village, Aayaa Nagar, Maandi Village, and Dera Village. Many important city roads such as Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road, Mehrauli-Badarpur Road, Aurobindo Marg, August Kranti Marg, Press Enclave Road, etc. fall in this district, while arterial roads like Inner Ring Road and Outer Ring Road pass through it.

References

External links

South Delhi District official website
{{Delhi Districts of Delhi South Delhi district Central business districts in India