Our country, India has 28 states and 9 union territories. A district is an administrative division in the Indian state. In some cases, districts are subdivided into talukas. As of 2020, there are 739 districts in totals. The district magistrate or collector will be responsible for administration and revenue collection. The deputy commissioner of police in each district will be in charge of maintaining law and order. The deputy conservator of the forest will entrust managing forest, environment, and wildlife of the district. Each of these officials will be aided by officers from the apt branch of the state government. Most districts have different headquarters but Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Chennai have no distinct district headquarters. Most of the enormous districts are located in Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan. Here are given the lists of largest districts by territorial area.
Table of Contents
1. Kutch
Kutch district is located in Gujarat and it is the largest district in India with 10 Talukas, 939 villages, and 6 Municipalities. Kutch district with its headquarter Bhuj covers an area of 45674 km sq. The largest district in India has a population of about 2,092371. Kutch is home to Kutchi people and speaks Kutchi language. The large part of the district is known as Rann of Kutch which is a shallow wetland and submerges in water during the rainy season. The district is surrounded by the Gulf of Kutch and the Arabian Sea in south and west. The district is well connected by road, rail, and air. The place is famous for the Kutch festival and promotes lots of tourism.
2. Leh
Leh district of Ladakh is the second-largest in India. Ladakh is a union territory of India. Leh district and Kargil district are the largest union territory of Ladakh. Leh covers an area of 45,110 km square, and the district headquarter is in Leh. Tibet lies to the east Kargil to the west, Lahul, and Spiti to the south. It lies 32 to 36 degrees north latitude and 75 to 80 degrees east longitude. Leh is quite huge in terms of size. In 2017, the district was declared a tobacco-free zone. Most of the people living in the area follow Buddhism and Muslim. Leh has a population of about 133,487 and has a sex ratio of 690 females for every 1000 males. The literacy rate in this district is 77.2%.
3. Jaisalmer
Jaisalmer situated in Rajasthan state is the third-largest district in the country. The city of Jaisalmer lies in the Thar great Indian desert and it is one of the biggest tourists attraction in Rajasthan. The city lies 289 km from Jodhpur and 559 km from the Jaipur city. Jaisalmer is the least populous district of Rajasthan. It is bounded by Jodhpur at the east, Barmer district at the south, west, and north by Pakistan. Jaisalmer is entirely sandy forming a great part of the Indian desert. Water remains scarce and the depth of the well remains 250 ft. There are no streams and only one river the Kakni which flows at a distance of 28m. The climate remains dry and only rain crop grown includes bajra, joar, motif, and til.
4. Bikaner
Bikaner is the second largest district by area in Rajasthan and it is also a division with four districts. North of Bikaner lies Ganganagar, Churu district to the east, Jodhpur to the south, and Punjab Province to the northwest. Bikaner lies in the Thar desert and the Indira Gandhi canal runs through the district providing irrigation for the district. The district has eight subdivisions called tehsils and there are two sub-tehsils also. There are 1498 villages and 290-gram panchayats. Bikaner district has a population of 2363937 and most of the people in the district speak Hindi. The population density is 78 and Bikaner remains too hot during summer. The place is famous for its forts, monuments, sweets, and handicrafts.
5. Barmer
Barmer is a district in Rajasthan and the district form a certain part of Thar desert. It is the third-largest district by area and fifth-largest district in India. Barmer covers an area of 28,387 Km square. Jaisalmer lies to the north of the district and Jalore towards the south. Pali and Jodhpur form its eastern border and shares the border with Pakistan in the west. A certain part of the district is desert so there is variation in temperature. Luni is the longest river in Barmer district which has a length of almost 500km and it passes through Jalore gets merged with the marshy land of Rann of Kutch.
6. Jodhpur
Jodhpur is a district in Rajasthan and it is the second-highest populated district of Rajasthan after Jaipur. The district is a historic center of the Marwar region. Jodhpur is famous for its rich history, houses, fort, and museums. Jodhpur is bounded by Bikaner at the north, Pali by the south, and Jaisalmer on the northwest. The city is spread across a total area of 22850 km square and has a population of 3687165. It has a population density of 161. It attracts tourists throughout the year. Jodhpur has a huge population and its density is greater than some of the bigger districts in Rajasthan.
7. Anantapur
Anantapur district lies in Andhra Pradesh and it is one of the four districts that lie in the Rayalaseema region of the state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the largest district by area and holds a population of 4083315, the seventh most populous district. Anantapur covers an area of 19130 sq km bounded by Kurnool in the north, Kadapa lies on the east, Chittoor southeast and southwest by Karnataka state. Six rivers flow within the district and the area receives an average rainfall of 381 millimeters. Anantapur is 485km from Vijayawada and the neighboring state includes Hyderabad and Bangalore. Agriculture is the main activity of people living there. Banana and Papaya are largely cultivated in that area. Anantapur district has many industries, famous temples, thermal power plants and famous for handmade pure silk sarees.
8. Nagaur
Nagaur is a district in Rajasthan covering an area of 17 718 km square. The city of Nagaur introduced panchayat raj and the district lies in the Marwar region of Rajasthan which is a belt surrounded by Thar desert. Nagaur consists of 13 main tehsils, 11 blocks, and 1607 villages. The district is bounded by Bikaner in the northwest, Churu to the north, Sikar to the northeast, Jaipur to the east, and Pali to the south. Nagaur district has a population of 3,307, 743, and has a population density of 187 inhabitants. The population growth rate was 19.25% and the literacy rate 64.08%.
9. Kurnool
Kurnool is the gateway of Rayalseema and bounded by Mahabubnagar in Telangana. The district lies in Andhra Pradesh and has a population of 4053463. Kurnool is the second largest by area and seventh-largest by population. The district covers an area of approximately 17,658 sq km and surrounded by some districts Kadapa to the south, Prakasam to the east, and Bellary to the west. The district comprises the Srisailam dam and Nallamala hills. The district has the highest population density with 229 inhabitants. The city is well-known for important caves, Konda Reddy Fort, Orvakal Rock Garden, and Yaganti temple. The district has a literacy rate of 59.97%.
10. Prakasam
Prakasam is a district that lies in Andhra Pradesh and it is the coastal region of the state. The district was formed in 1970 and the headquarter of the district is Ongole. Prakasham lies western shore of the Bay of Bengal bounded by Guntur on the north, Kurnool on the west, and Nellore on the south. It is the largest district in the state and 10 largest in the country. Prakasam covers an area of 17,626 km sq and has a population of 3392764 as per the 2011 census of India. The place is famous for the Ongole cattle breed for their big bulls.
11. Ahmednagar
Ahmednagar is the largest district in Maharashtra and the district is popular for the town of Shirdi related to Sai Baba. The neighboring districts of Ahmednagar include Solapur, Osmanabad, Beed, Aurangabad, Pune, Thane, and Nashik. The city came into existence in 1818 and in 1960, it became the part of Maharashtra. Ahmednagar has a population of 4040642 and the majority of the population are Hindu. It is one of the country’s 250 most backward districts and they are receiving funds from the backward region grant fund program.
12. Churu
Churu lies in the Bikaner region in Rajasthan state and shares boundaries with Haryana to the east, Nagaur to the south, and Bikaner to the west. The district covers an area of16 830 km square and has a population of approximately 2039547. The literacy rate among the residents includes 67.46% and there are 7 tehsils in the district. The major crops cultivated there include bajra and guar. The area is the hottest part of India and quite popular for Indian Savannah desert and grand Havelis. It is also known as the gateway to the Thar desert of Rajasthan.