KORAPUT

town, southwestern Orissa state, eastern India. The town is located in the Eastern Ghats range just east-southeast of Jeypore and lies at an elevation of more than 3,000 feet (900 m). Most of the people of the surrounding area live in tribal communities and are engaged in agriculture, with rice, sugarcane, and oilseeds the biggest crops. The region also has rich mineral deposits, including aluminum ore, manganese, and limestone. The area was under the Cola kings in the 10th and 11th centuries; later it was part of Madras, before being included in the new Orissa province in 1936. Pop. (1991 prelim.) town, 34,780.