Nellore district, officially known as Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore district in Coastal Andhra Region, is one of the 28 districts in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. According to the 2011 Census, the district's population was 2,963,557 of which 29.07% was urban. Its administrative headquarters are located in Nellore city. Located in the Coastal Andhra region, the district is bordered by the Bay of Bengal to the east, Kadapa district and Tirupati district to the west, Prakasam district and Markapuram district to the north, and Tirupati district to the south.
Etymology
The name of the district is derived from the name of the district headquarters, Nellore. The city was historically known as Vikrama Simhapuri until the 13th century, when it became known as Nellore. The name "Nellore" originates from a mythological story in the Sthala Purana, which depicts a lingam in the form of a stone under a Phyllanthus emblica (amla), or nelli tree. According to this myth, the place gradually became known as "Nelli-ooru" (nelli referring to the amla tree and ooru meaning "place" in both Tamil and Telugu). Over time, the name evolved to the present-day "Nellore," reflecting the area's historical and cultural significance. The name is also linked to the Tamil word "நெல்லு" (nellu), meaning "paddy" or "rice," highlighting the region's long-standing association with rice cultivation.
The official name of Nellore was changed to Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore District (SPS Nellore) on 4 June 2008, in honour of the Indian revolutionary Potti Sri Ramulu, who died fasting in an attempt to achieve the formation of a separate state for the Telugu people, which would later become Andhra Pradesh.
History
The Nawabs and the British period
After the fall of the Vijayanagara Empire, the area was ruled by the Nawabs. During the eighteenth century, Nellore saw wars between Najeebullah, the ruler of the area, and his brother Arcot Nawab, who received support from the British and French. Nawab's army, under the command of colonel Caillaud, took over the Nellore fort in 1762. For the purposes of revenue collection, the town of Nellore and the surrounding district were handed over to the British East India Company in 1781 and 1801, respectively. Nellore was named the revenue unit for the district.
Post Indian Independence
In 1970, the northern parts of Nellore district were transferred to the newly created Prakasam district.
On 4 April 2022 Some areas from Southern parts of Nellore district were transferred to newly created Tirupati district.
Education
In the undivided Nellore district, as per the school information report for the academic year 2017–18, there are a total of 4,489 schools. These include: 21 government, 3,140 mandal and zilla parishads, 2 residential, 1,077 private, 10 model, 10 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV), 106 municipal and 123 other types of schools.
The total number of students enrolled in primary, upper primary and high schools of the district are 3,95,092.
Economy
The Gross District Domestic Product (GDDP) of Nellore district is ₹30,482 crore (304.82 billion rupees) and makes up 5.8% of Andhra Pradesh's Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP). For the fiscal year 2013–14, Nellore's per capita income at current prices was ₹80,782 (US$850). The primary, secondary and tertiary sectors of the district contribute ₹9,729 crore, ₹6,320 crore and ₹14,433 crore (97.29 billion, 63.2 billion and 144.33 billion rupees), respectively. The major agricultural contributors to the district's gross value added (GVA) include: paddy, sugarcane, lemon, tomato, milk, meat and fisheries. The major industrial and service contributors to the district's GVA include: construction, electricity, manufacturing, transport and education.
Mining
Nellore district produces most of the crude mica in India. Between 2011 and 2012, Nellore produced 1,784 tonnes of crude mica, the majority of India's total production of 1,899 tonnes.
Epigraphical records
In Nellore district, there exist a variety of Telugu inscriptions originating from several different kingdoms. Tamil inscriptions also exist near the Mallam Subramanyeshwara Swamy temple, which was constructed by Rajendhra Chola during the fourteenth century.
Geography
Located in the Coastal Andhra region in Andhra Pradesh and also a Tondai Nadu region, the district is bordered by the Bay of Bengal to the east, Kadapa district and Tirupati district to the west, Prakasam district and Markapuram district to the north, and Tirupati district to the south.
Climate
Maximum temperature occur during the summer at 36 to 46 °C (97 to 115 °F), while the minimum temperature occurs during the winter at 23 to 25 °C (73 to 77 °F). The average annual rainfall of the district is 1,080 mm (43 in), and reaches its peak during the southwest and northeast monsoons.
Demographics
The reorganised Nellore district as of 2025 has a population of 2,345,052, of which 722,684 (30.82%) lived in urban areas based on the 2011 Census. It has a sex ratio of 983 females per 1000 males. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 480,613 (20.49%) and 221,907 (9.46%) of the population respectively.
Based on the 2011 census, 87.96% of the population spoke Telugu and 9.91% Urdu as their first language. There is also a small population of fishermen who speak a mix of Tamil and Telugu.
87.65% of people follow Hinduism while 11.10% of people follow Islam and 0.93% follow Christianity (this is a large underestimate).
Administrative divisions
Mandals
The following lists the 36 mandals in Nellore district by their revenue division.
Politics
Parliament segments
Nellore (Lok Sabha constituency)
Tirupati (Lok Sabha constituency)(partial).
Assembly constituency
The district has the following Legislative Assembly segments:
The district has four revenue divisions namely Gudur, Kavali, Atmakur and Nellore. These revenue divisions are divided into 36 mandals, which consist of 1,177 villages and 12 tow
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