From pre-Christian times until 1312, the area – like the entire region – was ruled by various Buddhist and Hindu rulers. The first state known by name was the Mauryan Empire, the last non-Muslim dynasty were the Yadavas of Devagiri. After decades of military clashes with Muslim rulers in northern India, the region was occupied by Muslim armies between 1312 and 1470. From 1500 on there was fierce fighting for rule on the coast between the Muslim rulers and the Portuguese. After that, various Muslim dynasties ruled until 1658 (Sultanate of Delhi, Bahmani, Deccan Sultanates and the Mughals). From 1658, most of the area became part of the Maratha Empire. After the defeat of the Marathas against the British in 1818, Ratnagiri area became an administrative region of the Bombay Presidency. With the independence of India in 1947 and the reorganization of the country, it became part of the new Bombay State in 1950. In 1948 the district grew through the incorporation of the Sawantwadi princely state. In 1960, Bombay State was divided and the area became part of the newly created state of Maharashtra. In 1981 the district was divided and the southern part of the district became Sindhudurg district.[3][4][5]
Geography
An outstanding feature of the geography of the district is its uneven or hill topography, with about 45% of the district being characterized as 'hilly'.[6] Very narrow riverine plains fringe the coastline.[6]
According to the 2011 census Ratnagiri district has a population of 1,615,069,[9] roughly equal to the nation of Guinea-Bissau[10] or the US state of Idaho.[11] This gives it a ranking of 311th in India (out of a total of 640).[9] The district has a population density of 196 inhabitants per square kilometre (510/sq mi) .[9] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was -4.96%.[9] Ratnagiri has a sex ratio of 1123 females for every 1000 males,[9] and a literacy rate of 82.43%. 16.33% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 4.15% and 1.26% of the population respectively.[9]
At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 88.18% of the population in the district spoke Marathi, 7.36% Urdu, 1.43% Hindi and 1.14% Konkani as their first language. Most people speak distinct coastal dialects of Marathi.[12]
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