Indore is located in the western region of Madhya Pradesh (approx.76o E, 23o N), on the southern edge of the Malwa plateau, on the Saraswati and Khan rivers, which are tributaries of the Shipra River. Indore has an average elevation of 553 meter above mean sea level. It is located on an elevated plain, with the Vindhyas range to the south. Two main rivers are Chambal at the west (which originates from Vindhya range south of Mhow) and Kshipra, a tributary of Chambal at the east. Other small rivers include Gambhir and Khan, two tributaries of Kshipra.
According to the 2011 census Indore District has a population of 3,272,335, roughly equal to the nation of Mauritania or the US state of Iowa. This gives it a ranking of 106th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 839 inhabitants per square kilometer (2,170 /sq mi). Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 32.71 %. Indore has a sex ratio of 924 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 82.32 %.
| Year | Population | Urban Area (Sq km) |
Decadal | Population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 99880 | |||
| 1911 | 57235 | -42.70 | ||
| 1921 | 107948 | 88.60 | ||
| 1931 | 147100 | 36.27 | ||
| 1941 | 203695 | 38.47 | ||
| 1951 | 310859 | 52.61 | ||
| 1961 | 359000 | 55.8 | 15.49 | 6433.7 |
| 1971 | 572622 | 59.50 | ||
| 1981 | 829000 | 44.77 | ||
| 1991 | 1104000 | 130.1 | 33.17 | 8485.8 |
| 2001 | 1639000 | 130.1 | 48.46 | 12598.0 |
| 2011 | 1992535 | 130.1 | 21.57 | 15315.4 |
The languages of Indore are a hallmark of the cosmopolitan culture and the demography of the Madhya Pradesh city that is reputed to be a forerunner of academics and at the focal point of business and commerce.
Hindi is the principal language that is spoken by majority of the populace of Indore. The language has been in vogue ever since the 18th century when the powerful Holkar dynasty ruled over the terrains of Central India and continues to be predominant even till today. In fact, the considerable influence of the Hindi culture and its inroads into the Indore society has culminated in the Hindi language being a part and parcel of the lives of the local inhabitants of Indore.
Besides Hindi, the citizens of Indore are polyglots who are proficient in Hindi (India’s national language), Gujarati and Sindhi as well as the universally recognized and accepted English language
