# Kakinada district

Kakinada district is a district in the Coastal Andhra Region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. With Kakinada as its administrative headquarters, it was proposed on 26 January 2022 to become one of the resultant twenty six districts in the state after the final notification has been issued on 4 April 2022 by the government of Andhra Pradesh. The district was formed from Kakinada and Peddapuram revenue divisions from East Godavari district. Incidentally, during earlier times, the region comprising towns Pithapuram, Kakinada and Peddapuram were referred as Prolunadu (prōlunāḍu) or Polnaud, which now roughly corresponds to the areas in this district.

## Etymology

This district name derives from its headquarters Kakinada.

## History

The region's administrative structure has undergone several reorganizations since the early 19th century. In 1823, during British rule, the Rajahmundry District was established as part of the Madras Presidency. In 1859, the administrative divisions of Rajahmundry, Masulipatam, and Guntur were reorganized into two districts: Godavari, with its headquarters at Kakinada, and Kistna, with boundaries defined by the Upputeru and Tamaleru rivers.
Further adjustments occurred in 1907–1908, when portions of the Godavari district were transferred to the Kistna district. In 1925, the Godavari district was bifurcated into East Godavari and West Godavari districts. Kakinada was designated as the headquarters of East Godavari, while Eluru became the administrative center of West Godavari.
On 4 April 2022, East Godavari was further bifurcated, leading to the creation of Kakinada district. Kakinada continued as the administrative headquarters of the newly formed district.

## Geography

This district is surrounded in the north by Alluri Sitharama Raju district, south by Bay of Bengal and Yanam district, east by Anakapalli district and west by East Godavari district and Konaseema district.

## Politics

There is 1 parliamentary and 7 assembly constituencies in Kakinada district. The parliamentary constituencies are
* Kakinada Lok Sabha constituency
The assembly constituencies are
| Constituency number | Name | Reserved for (SC/ST/None) | Parliament |
| 35 | Tuni | None | Kakinada |
| 36 | Prathipadu | None | Kakinada |
| 37 | Pithapuram | None | Kakinada |
| 38 | Kakinada Rural | None | Kakinada |
| 39 | Peddapuram | None | Kakinada |
| 41 | Kakinada City | None | Kakinada |
| 42 | Jaggampeta | None | Kakinada |

## Administrative divisions

The district is divided into 2 revenue divisions: Kakinada and Peddapuram, which are further subdivided into a total of 21 mandals, each headed by a sub-collector.

### Mandals

The list of 21 mandals in Kakinada district, divided into 2 revenue divisions, is given below.
* Kakinada revenue division
** Samalkota
** Pithapuram
** Gollaprolu
** U. Kothapalli
** Karapa
** Kakinada Rural
** Kakinada Urban
** Pedapudi
** Thallarevu
** Kajuluru
* Peddapuram revenue division
** Peddapuram
** Jaggampeta
** Gandepalle
** Kirlampudi
** Tuni
** Kotananduru
** Prathipadu
** Sankhavaram
** Yeleswaram
** Rowthulapudi
** Thondangi

## Cities and towns

Largest cities or towns in Kakinada district As per the 2011 Census :
| | Rank | | Division | Pop. | |
| Kakinada Tuni | 1 | Kakinada | Kakinada Division | 443,028 | Samalkota |
| Kakinada Tuni | 2 | Tuni | Peddapuram Division | ,53,425 | Samalkota |
| Kakinada Tuni | 3 | Samalkota | Kakinada Division | 56,864 | Samalkota |
| Kakinada Tuni | 4 | Pithapuram | Kakinada Division | 52,360 | Samalkota |
| Kakinada Tuni | 5 | Peddapuram | Peddapuram Division | 49,477 | Samalkota |
| Kakinada Tuni | 6 | Yeleswaram | Peddapuram Division | 32,957 | Samalkota |
| Kakinada Tuni | 7 | [[{{{city_7}}}]] | [[{{{div_7}}}]] | {{{pop_7}}} | Samalkota |
| Kakinada Tuni | 8 | [[{{{city_8}}}]] | [[{{{div_8}}}]] | {{{pop_8}}} | Samalkota |
| Kakinada Tuni | 9 | [[{{{city_9}}}]] | [[{{{div_9}}}]] | {{{pop_9}}} | Samalkota |
| Kakinada Tuni | 10 | [[{{{city_10}}}]] | [[{{{div_10}}}]] | {{{pop_10}}} | Samalkota |
Municipal bodies in district :
| S.No. | City / Town | Municipality formation year | No. of Wards | Civic status of municipal body | 2011 census population | 2001 census population | 1991 census population | 1981 census population | 1971 census population | 1961 census population | 1951 census population |
| 1 | Kakinada | 1866 | 50 | Municipal Corporation | 4,43,028 | 3,76,861 | 3,27,541 | 2,40,973 | 1,64,200 | 1,22,865 | 99,952 |
| 2 | Samalakota | 1955 | 29 | Municipality Grade - 2 | 56,864 | 53,602 | 48,760 | 41,264 | 34,607 | 31,924 | 28,180 |
| 3 | Pithapuram | 1955 | 28 | Municipality Grade - 2 | 54,859 | 50,103 | 44,061 | 36,607 | 31,391 | 27,910 | 22,040 |
| 4 | Tuni | 1950 | 30 | Municipality Grade - 1 | 253,425 | 250,368 | 147,654 | 127,876 | 98,987 | 67,666 | 53,443 |
| 5 | Peddapuram | 1955 | 29 | Municipality Grade - 2 | 49,477 | 45,520 | 42,806 | 34,319 | 28,579 | 24,302 | 23,360 |
| 6 | Yeleswaram | 2011 | 20 | Nagar Panchayat | 32,957 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 7 | Gollaprolu | 2011 | 20 | Nagar Panchayat | 23,882 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Erstwhile talukas in district (non-municipal bodies) :
| S.No. | Town | Civic Status of Town | 2011 Census Population |
| 1 | Prathipadu | nagar panchayat | 40,450 |
Census towns in district :
| S.No. | Town | Civic status of town | 2011 census population |
| 1 | Arempudi [Sankhavaram] | Census town | 5,073 |

## Demographics

Religions in Kakinada district (2011) :
| Religion | Religion | Percent | Percent |
| Hinduism | Hinduism | 96.78% | 96.78% |
| Islam | Islam | 1.47% | 1.47% |
| Christianity | Christianity | 1.40% | 1.40% |
| Other or not stated | Other or not stated | 0.35% | 0.35% |
| Distribution of religions |||||
At the time of the 2011 census, Kakinada district had a population of 20,92,374, of which 662,726 (31.67%) lived in urban areas. The district had a sex ratio of 1007 females per 1000 males. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 3,31,103 (15.82%) and 30,803 (1.47%) of the population respectively.$^{:85–90}$
Languages of Kakinada district (2011)
At the time of the 2011 census, 98.41% of the population spoke Telugu and 1.14% Urdu as their first language.