| Pokhran | |
| State - District(s) | Rajasthan - Jaisalmer |
| Coordinates | |
| Area - Elevation | - 233 m |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Population (2001) - Density | 19,186 - |
Pokhran (also spelt Pokaran) is a city and a municipality in Jaisalmer district in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is a remote location in Thar Desert region, the test site for India's first underground nuclear weapon detonation.
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Pokhran is the test site for India's nuclear program. The Atomic Energy Commission of India detonated its first underground nuclear weapon there on May 18, 1974. The Indian government, however, declared that it was not going to make nuclear weapons even though it had acquired the capacity to do so. It claimed that the Pokhran explosion was an effort to harness atomic energy for peaceful purposes and to make India self-reliant in nuclear technology, but subsequently, India conducted five nuclear tests on May 11 and May 13, 1998. Since then, India has declared a moratorium on nuclear testing.
Pokhran is located at <ref>Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Pokaran</ref>. It has an average elevation of 233 metres (764 feet).
As of 2001 India censusGRIndia, Pokhran had a population of 19,186. Males constitute 55% of the population and females 45%. Pokhran has an average literacy rate of 56%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 68%, and female literacy is 41%. In Pokhran, 19% of the population is under 6 years of age.
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fr:Pokharan
