Visakhapatnam district

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.[5] 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.[6][7][8] 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.[9] In 1979, part of the district was split to form Vizianagaram district.[10] Visakhapatnam district is currently a part of the Red corridor.[11]

On 3 April 2022, Government of Andhra Pradesh has 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.

Satellite view of Visakhapatnam district

The district is divided into 2 revenue divisions: Bheemunipatnam and Visakhapatnam, which are further subdivided into a total of 11 mandals, each headed by a sub-collector.[12]

There are two parliamentary and six assembly constituencies in Visakhapatnam district. The parliamentary constituencies are

The assembly constituencies are[13]

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 4th 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%.

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.[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.[16]

• 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 Kancharana, film actor

Visakhapatnam district occupies an area of approximately 1,048 square kilometres (405 sq mi),[17] comparatively equivalent to United States Atka Island.[18]

Climate

The Gross District Domestic Product (GDDP) of the district is ₹73,276 crore (US$9.2 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$1,600). The primary, secondary and tertiary sectors of the district contribute ₹6,300 crore (US$790 million), ₹21,654 crore (US$2.7 billion) and ₹45,321 crore (US$5.7 billion) respectively.[19] 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.[19]

The total road length of state highways in the district is 964 km (599 mi).[20]

The primary and secondary school education is imparted by government, aided and private schools, under the School Education Department of the state.[21][22] 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.[23] The total number of students enrolled in primary, upper primary and high schools of the district are 609,587.[24]

There are thirty six temples under the management of Endowments Department.[25]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Visakhapatnam district.

• Official Website
• Vizagport
• Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Vizagapatam" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 28 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 164–165. This contains a detailed description of the town and district under British rule.