Jamtara district is one of the twenty-two districts of Jharkhand and Jamtara is the administrative headquarters of this district. Its name originated from two words in the local tribal language, Jama (Santhali for Snake) and Tar (Settlement/Residence) - meaning this area may have been heavily infested with snake. In Mihijam, the other big town in the district, has some of the best doctors in the region for snake bite.
Jamtara is a newly formed district of Jharkhand State. It came into existence on 26th April 2001 . The small district of Jharkhand state comprises of only 4 blocks . It was created by carving out four blocks from DUMKA District. Jamtara is located at 23.95° N 86.8° E[1]. It has an average elevation of 155 metres (508 feet). It is located 200 km from Ranchi, the state capital. It has an area of 1801 kmē.
Other towns in this district are Nala, Kundahit, Narayanpur and Fatehpur. As part of the economically backward Santhal Pargana area, this district too has not seen much development. In mineral rich Jharkhand, this is one of the districts with no minerals.
