Rongo, Kalimpong

Rongo (also referred to as Rango Forest) is a village in the Gorubathan CD block in the Kalimpong Sadar subdivision of the Kalimpong district in the state of West Bengal, India.

Location
Rongo is located at 27.0435°N, 88.8335°W.

Rongo used to be an important place for growing medicinal plants. It has views of the surrounding hills, forests and the valley of the Jaldhaka River. Most of the people are Buddhists and speak Nepali.

Area overview
The map alongside shows the Kalimpong Sadar subdivision of Kalimpong district. Physiographically, this area forms the Kalimpong Range, with the average elevation varying from 300 to 3000 m. This region is characterized by abruptly rising hills and numerous small streams. It is a predominantly rural area with 77.67% of the population living in rural areas and only 22.23% living in the urban areas. While Kalimpong is the only municipality, Dungra is the sole census town in the entire area. The economy is agro-based and there are 6 tea gardens in the Gorubathan CD block. In 2011, Kalimpong subdivision had a literacy rate of 81.85%, comparable with the highest levels of literacy in the districts of the state. While the first degree college in the subdivision was established at Kalimpong in 1962 the entire subdivision (and now the entire district), other than the head-quarters, had to wait till as late as 2015 (more than half a century) to have their first degree colleges at Pedong and Gorubathan.

Note: The map alongside presents some of the notable locations in the subdivision. All places marked in the map are linked in the larger full screen map.

Demographics
According to the 2011 Census of India, Rango Forest had a total population of 9,131 of which 4,563 (50%) were males and 4,568 (50%) were females. There were 777 persons in the age range of 0 to 6 years. The total number of literate people in Rango Forest was 6,679 (79.95% of the population over 6 years).

Healthcare
Medicinal Plantation Hospital at Rangoo functions with 11 beds.