Province No. 2

Province No. 2 प्रदेश नं. २
Province
Anticlockwise from top Janaki Mandir, Kankalini Temple, Gateway of Nepal Birgunj, Chhinnamasta Temple, Gadhimai Temple and Koshi Barrage
Seal
Location of Province No. 2
Parsa Bara Rauta hat Sarlahi Maho ttari Dhanusha Siraha Saptari Province No. 3 Province No. 1 India Map of Province No. 2, Nepal
Country	Nepal
Formation	20 September 2015
Capital	Janakpur (Temporary)
Largest city	Birgunj
Districts	8
Government
• Body	Government of Province No. 2
• Governor	Ratneshwar Lal Kayastha[1]
• Chief Minister	Mohammad Lalbabu Raut Gaddhi (FSFN)
• High Court	Janakpur High Court
• Provincial Assembly	Unicameral (107 seats)
• Parliamentary constituency	32
Area
• Total	9,661 km2 (3,730 sq mi)
Area rank	7th
Population (2011)
• Total	5,404,145
• Rank	2nd
• Density	560/km2 (1,400/sq mi)
• Density rank	1st
Demonym(s)	Madhesi but Nepali
Time zone	UTC+5:45 (NST)
Main Official Language	Nepali (6.67%) (under Constitution of Nepal)
Other Official Language(s)	1. Maithili (45.30%) 2. Bhojpuri (18.58%)
HDI	0.485 (low)
Literacy	49.54%
Sex ratio	101.18 ♂ /100 ♀ (2011)
Website	http://p2.gov.np

Province No. 2 (proposed names: Madhesh, Mithila or Bhojpura)^[2] (Nepali/Maithili: प्रदेश नं. २) is a province in the southeastern region of Nepal that was formed after the adoption of the Constitution of Nepal. It is Nepal's second most populous province,^[3] and smallest province by area. It borders Province No. 1 and Province No. 3 to the north, and the Indian state of Bihar to the south. It has an area of 9,661 km² (3,730 sq mi) with a population of 5,404,145 per the 2011 Census of Nepal, making it most densely populated province of Nepal.^[4]

The province includes eight districts from Saptari District in the east to Parsa District in the west. The majority of the province's population speaks Maithili, Bhojpuri, Bajjika and Nepali.^[4]

The sub-metropolitan city of Janakpur, also known as Janakpurdham,^[5] is a centre for religious and cultural tourism.^[6] It is also thought to have been the capital of the Videha dynasty that ruled Mithila region in ancient times.^[5]

The first urban planned municipality of Nepal, Rajbiraj, is also the oldest municipality of the Terai belt of Nepal.^[7][8][9] The town is believed to have been named after the ancient Rajdevi temple, which dates back to the 1700s. The metropolitan city of Birgunj is an economically important industrial centre and the only metropolitan city in the province.^{[10][11][12][13][14][15]}

As per a 17 January 2018 cabinet meeting, Janakpur has been declared as the interim capital of Province No. 2.^[16] Mohammad Lalbabu Raut Gaddhi is the current Chief Minister.^[17][18]

Geography

The region is surrounded by:^[19]

• The Sunsari District of Province No. 1 to the East.
• The Chitwan District of Province No. 3 to the West.
• The Makwanpur District and Sindhuli District of Province No. 3 and Udayapur District of Province No. 1 to the North.
• The Bihar state of India to the South.

As per Central Bureau of Statistics(CBS)^[20] the province covers about 9,661 km² (3,730 sq mi). of Nepal's total area of 147,181 km² (56,827 sq mi). with total number of 5,404,145 inhabitants, it is the second most populous province in Nepal.^[3][21]

Province No. 2 has no difficult terrains. The province is totally located on a flat plain land which is a part of Terai. Chure (Churiya) or the Shiwalik Hills are the natural border of the province which falls in northern side. The southern side has an international border with the Indian state of Bihar. Koshi River on its eastern side acting as a natural border with Province No. 1. Province No. 2 has eight districts in a series (parallel). Bagmati River, Kamla River, Lakhandei River, Bishnumati River are the main rivers of the province.

Government and administration

The Governor acts as the head of the province while the Chief Minister is the head of the provincial government. The Chief Judge of the Janakpur High Court is the head of the judiciary.^[23] The present Governor, Chief Minister and Chief Judge are Ratneshwar Lal Kayastha (governor), Mohammad Lalbabu Raut (chief minister) and Udaya Prakash Chapagain.^[24][25] The province has 107 provincial assembly constituencies and 32 House of Representative constituencies.^[26]

Province No. 2 has a unicameral legislature, like all of the other provinces in Nepal. The term length of provincial assembly is five years. The Provincial Assembly of Province No. 2 is temporarily housed at the District Education Office in Janakpur.^[27]

Administrative subdivisions

Province No. 2 is divided into eight districts, which are listed below. A district is administrated by the head of the District Coordination Committee and the District Administration Officer. The districts are further dived to municipalities or rural municipalities. The municipalities include one metropolitan city, three sub-metropolitan cities and 73 municipalities. There are 59 rural municipalities in the province.^[28]

Largest cities or towns in Province No. 2 Central Bureau of Statistics
	Rank		District	Pop.	Rank		District	Pop.
Birgunj Janakpur	1	Birgunj	Parsa	240,922	11	Bardibas	Mahottari	66,354	Kalaiya Jeetpur Simara
	2	Janakpur	Dhanusha	159,468	12	Ishwarpur	Sarlahi	59,986
	3	Kalaiya	Bara	123,659	13	Lalbandi	Sarlahi	59,395
	4	Jeetpur Simara	Bara	117,496	14	Jaleshwor	Mahottari	58,549
	5	Lahan	Siraha	91,766	15	Mahagadhimai	Bara	54,474
	6	Siraha	Siraha	82,531	16	Golbazar	Siraha	51,137
	7	Chandrapur	Rautahat	72,059	17	Garuda	Rautahat	50,481
	8	Barahathwa	Sarlahi	69,822	18	Mirchaiya	Siraha	50,079
	9	Rajbiraj	Saptari	69,086	19	Simraungadh	Bara	49,939
	10	Gaushala	Mahottari	66,673	20	Manara Shiswa	Mahottari	49,692

Infrastructure

See also

• List of provinces of Nepal
• List of districts of Nepal

References