Nagaon

Geography

The Kolong River, a tributary of the Brahmaputra River, flows through Nagaon and in the process divides the city into two distinct regions: Nagaon and Haibargaon.

Nagaon is bounded on the north by the Sonitpur district and the Brahmaputra River. On the south, it borders the western Karbi Anglong District and Dima Hasao. On the east it is bounded by eastern Karbi Anglong and the Golaghat district, while on the west it neighbours the Marigaon district.

There are several beels, marshy areas and swamps in the district, including the regions of Marikalong, Potakalong, Haribhanga, Jongalbalahu, Samoguri Beel, Urigadang and Nawbhanga. These wetlands are former channels of the Kolong and Kopili rivers.

Road

Nagaon is integrated into the National Highway system connected to NH 36 and 37 providing easy access to important places in Assam. Buses connect the city with all parts of Assam.

Railway

There are two railway stations in Nagaon town, one at Haiborgaon and another at Nagaon proper. The nearest railway junction is at Chaparmukh, which is around 28 km from Nagaon.

Airport

The nearest airport is Tezpur Airport. The nearest international airport is Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati.

Demographics

As of 2011 India census, Nagaon city had a population of 147,231, making it one of the largest cities of Assam.The population is largely of heterogeneous nature. Assamese, Muslim, Bengali, Marwardi communities form the majority.

Politics

Nagaon is part of the Lok Sabha constituency of Nowgong.

Education

Modern education was first introduced in the district by Christian missionaries, such as Miles Bronson and Nathan Brown in the nineteenth century. Anandaram Dhekial Phukan, a major figure in Assamese literature, spent the better part of his life in Nagaon, and the Assamese intellectual Gunabhiram Barua worked in Nagaon for about two decades.

Schools

The Nowgong Mission High School, established by Miles Bronson in 1846 is the oldest school in Assam. It also has the third oldest government school in Assam, the Nowgong Government Boys' Higher Secondary School, established in 1865. Another old school is the Dawson Higher Secondary & Multipurpose School. Kendriya Vidyalaya Nagaon and Christ Jyoti School are regarded as the best English medium schools among the residents of Nagaon. Best Hindi school is Marwari Hindi High School situated near Haibargaon Bazar.

Prominent English Medium Schools:

1. Kendriya Vidyalaya, Nagaon
2. Christ Jyoti School
3. Nowgong Mission High School
4. St. Ignatius Loyola English Medium High School
5. St. Antony's High School
6. Little Flower School
7. Nagaon English Academy
8. Sandipani Vidyamandir
9. Riverdale Academy

Other Schools of Repute:

1. National Academy Nagaon
2. Nowgong Government Boys' Higher Secondary School
3. Nowgong Government Girls' Higher Secondary School
4. Nagaon Bengali Boys' Higher Secondary School
5. Nagaon Bengali Girls' Higher Secondary School
6. Government Urban Basic School
7. Dawson Higher Secondary and Multipurpose School
8. Om Prakash Jajodia Girls' Hindi High School
9. Marwari Hindi high School

Colleges

At present, there are about 25 colleges, of which probably the most renowned are

1. Nowgong College
2. A.D.P. College (named after Anandaram Dhekial Phukan)
3. Khagarijan College (named after the old administrative headquarters of Nowgong District)
4. Nowgong Girls' College
5. Nowgong Law College
6. Nagaon G.N.D.G. Commerce College

Besides these there are a number of junior colleges that have sprung up in Nagaon. Some of them have made a mark for themselves by bagging the top positions in the State Higher Secondary exams. As such many students from the neighboring districts also come to study in these colleges.

Assam Homeopathic College

The Assam Homeopathic College is situated in Haibargaon, Nagaon. The institute was established in the year 1968. It is the first homeopathic medical college of the entire North East India.

Nagaon Polytechnic

Nagaon is also home to Nowgong Polytechnic, one of the oldest technical education institutes in Assam.

Nagaon also has an ITI at Panigaon.

The College of Fisheries

The College of Fisheries, the only college of its kind in the entire northeastern India, is located in Raha and comes under the academic management of Assam Agricultural University in Jorhat.

The Nagaon Medical College

The foundation stone of the Nagaon Medical College was laid by the then chief minister of Assam Mr. Tarun Gogoi in February, 2016. The construction work on the same has officially begun from 18th Feb, 2017 and the college will be ready for operation in 3 years time.

University

Nagaon is home to the prestigious Mahapurusha Srimanta Sankardeva Viswavidyalaya, which offers postgraduate and doctorate level courses.

Notable people

Sports

The multipurpose stadium in Nagaon is named after the sportsperson late Nurul Amin. Nurul Amin Stadium hosts the prestigious Independence Day Cup Football tournament every year in August and September, in which most of the teams of national repute participate.