Visakhapatnam district is a district in the Uttarandhra region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, headquartered at Visakhapatnam. It is one of the twenty-six districts in Andhra Pradesh state. The district shares borders with Vizianagaram district in north and south-east and with Anakapalli district in the south-west and Bay of Bengal in the south.
History
During the British rule in India, Visakhapatnam emerged as a district in the year 1802. Chicacole (present-day Srikakulam) which was in Visakhapatnam district was incorporated into Ganjam when the latter was formed as a district. On 1 April 1936, Bihar and Orissa Province was split to form Bihar Province and Orissa Province. Parts of the Vizagapatam district (i.e., Nabarangpur, Malkangiri, Koraput, Jeypore, Rayagada etc.) and the Ganjam district (excluding Chicacole division) of Madras Presidency were transferred to Orissa Province along with portions of the Vizagapatam Hill Tracts Agency and Ganjam Hill Tracts Agency. The Chicacole division (i.e., Ichchapuram, Palasa, Tekkali, Pathapatnam and Srikakulam) was merged with Visakhapatnam district.
Later, in 1950, Srikakulam district was carved out from the erstwhile Visakhapatnam district. In 1979, part of the district was split to form Vizianagaram district. Visakhapatnam district is currently a part of the Red corridor.
On 3 April 2022, Government of Andhra Pradesh created 13 new districts in the state, hence the district was once again divided into three i.e., Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju districts. This made Vizag the only district with 90% urban population in AP.
Historical demographics
According to the 2011 census Visakhapatnam district has a population of 4,290,589. This gives it a ranking of 44 in India (out of a total of 640 districts) and fourth in the state. The district has a population density of 384 inhabitants per square kilometre (990/sq mi). Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 11.89%. It has a sex ratio of 1003 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 67.7%.
Geography
Visakhapatnam district occupies an area of approximately 1,048 square kilometres (405 sq mi), comparatively equivalent to United States Atka Island.
Climate
Politics
There are two parliamentary and seven assembly constituencies in Visakhapatnam district. The parliamentary constituencies are
• Anakapalli (Lok Sabha constituency)
The assembly constituencies are
Administrative divisions
The district is divided into two revenue divisions: Bheemunipatnam and Visakhapatnam, which are further subdivided into a total of eleven mandals, each headed by a sub district collector.
Mandals
The list of eleven mandals in Visakhapatnam district, divided into two revenue divisions, is given below.
Cities and towns
Demographics
After reorganization, Visakhapatnam district had a population of 1,959,544, of which 1,757,542 (89.69%) live in urban areas. The district has a sex ratio of 983 females per 1000 males. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes made up 167,272 (8.54%) and 22,574 (1.15%) of the population respectively.It has a literacy rate of 80.1%.
At the time of the 2011 census, 92.93% of the population spoke Telugu, 2.47% Urdu, and 1.96% Hindi as their first language. Although in the past ten years many people from outside AP have migrated to Vizag for a living, so the linguistic statistics have rapidly changed. In Vizag one can find sign boards of busy markets written in languages namely English, and Hindi respectively.
Economy
The Gross District Domestic Product (GDDP) of the district is ₹73,276 crore (US$7.8 billion) and it contributes 14% to the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP). For the FY 2013–14, the per capita income at current prices was ₹124,162 (US$1,300). The primary, secondary and tertiary sectors of the district contribute ₹6,300 crore (US$670 million), ₹21,654 crore (US$2.3 billion) and ₹45,321 crore (US$4.8 billion) respectively. The major products contributing to the GVA of the district from agriculture and allied services are, sugarcane, paddy, betel leaves, mango, milk, meat and fisheries. The GVA to the industrial and service sector is contributed from manufacturing, construction, minor minerals, software services and unorganised trade.
Transport
The total road length of state highways in the district is 964 km (599 mi).
Education
The primary and secondary school education is imparted by government, aided and private schools, under the School Education Department of the state. They include 162 government, 2,793 mandal and zilla parishads, 9 residential, 1225 private, 5 model, 34 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV), 147 municipal and 829 other types of schools. The total number of students enrolled in primary, upper primary and high schools of the district are 609,587.
Culture
There are thirty six temples under the management of Endowments Department.
Sport
ACA–VDCA Cricket Stadium also known as Andhra Cricket Association–Visakhapatnam District Cricket Association Cricket Stadium is an international cricket stadium located at Madhurawada, Visakhapatnam.
The stadium had its inaugural ODI match against Pakistan, during which Mahendra Singh Dhoni achieved his first one-day international century, scoring 148 runs, in 2005. Following its elevation to Test status, the stadium held its inaugural test match in November 2016, featuring India and England. In February 2016, it hosted its first T20I match, featuring India and Sri Lanka. Additionally, the stadium served as the venue for several IPL matches and served as the home ground for the Deccan Chargers in 2012.
Notable people
Alluri Sitarama Raju, freedom fighter
Tenneti Viswanadham, politician
Sri Sri (writer), writer
Parasuram (director), writer and director
Sricharan Pakala, music director
Ramana Gogula, music director
Satyadev, film actor
Nikita Dutta, Bollywood actress
Devika Rani, Bollywood actress
Waheeda Rehman, Bollywood actress
Mayuri Deshmuk
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