Prakasam district | |
|---|---|
  Clockwise from top-left:Ongolu breed of cattle, Beach inPakala | |
.svg) Location of Prakasam district in Andhra Pradesh | |
 Interactive map of Prakasam district | |
| Coordinates (Ongolu):15°30′N80°03′E / 15.500°N 80.050°E /15.500; 80.050 | |
| Country |  India |
| State |  Andhra Pradesh |
| Region | Coastal Andhra |
| Established | 2 February 1970 |
| 1st Reorganized | 4 April 2022 |
| 2nd Reorganized | 31 December 2025 |
| Named after | Tanguturi Prakasam |
| Headquarters | Ongolu |
| Mandalas | 27 |
| Government | |
| • Collector | P.Raja babu, IAS[3] |
| • Superintendent of Police | V.Harshavardhan Raju, IPS |
| • Parliament constituencies | Ongolu,Bapatla,Nellore |
| • Assembly constituencies | 06 |
| Area | |
• Total | 14,322 km2 (5,530 sq mi) |
| Population | |
• Total | 2,288,026 |
| • Density | 159.76/km2 (413.77/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 19.44% |
| Vehicle registration | AP-27 (former) AP–39 (from 30 January 2019)[4] |
| Major highways | NH-16 |
| Website | prakasam |
Prakasam district named in honour ofTanguturi Prakasam is in thecoastal Andhra region of theIndian state ofAndhra Pradesh. It was reorganised on 4 April 2022 and 31 December 2025. The headquarters of the district isOngole. It is bounded byBapatla,Palnadu,Markapuram,Sri Potti Sriramulu Nellore districts andBay of Bengal.
The district was named afterTanguturi Prakasam, also known as 'Andhra Kesari', an Indian freedom fighter who served as the firstchief minister ofAndhra State, who was born in the village ofVinodarayunipalem. It was accordingly renamed as Prakasam District in 1972.[5]
Prakasam district was originally constituted on 2 February 1970, carved out ofGuntur,Nellore andKurnool districts ofAndhra Pradesh.[6] It was carved out of three taluks of Guntur district, i.e.Addanki,Chirala, andOngole, four taluks of Nellore district, i.e.Kandukur,Kanigiri,Darsi andPodili and three taluks of Kurnool district i.e.Markapur, Yarragondapalem andGiddaluru. It is one of the nine districts in theCoastal Andhra region of undividedAndhra Pradesh. It was restructured in 2022, where few mandals were merged intoBapatla district andSPSR Nellore district, some of which were restored in the restructure effected on 31 December 2025. In the second restructure Markapuram district was carved out.[7][8]
Naxalite activity in Prakasam district used to be high during 2000s.[9]
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 975,037 | — |
| 1911 | 1,068,743 | +0.92% |
| 1921 | 1,117,701 | +0.45% |
| 1931 | 1,205,223 | +0.76% |
| 1941 | 1,343,883 | +1.09% |
| 1951 | 1,463,737 | +0.86% |
| 1961 | 1,671,726 | +1.34% |
| 1971 | 1,919,995 | +1.39% |
| 1981 | 2,329,571 | +1.95% |
| 1991 | 2,759,166 | +1.71% |
| 2001 | 3,059,423 | +1.04% |
| 2011 | 3,397,448 | +1.05% |
| source:[10] | ||
Prakasam district following 2022 district restructure occupied an area of 14,322 square kilometres (5,530 sq mi).[11][12] After 2025 district reorganisation, it is bounded byMarkapuram district in the west,SPSR Nellore district in the south west,Palnadu in the north,Bapatla district in the north east, andBay of Bengal in the south.
The district has 50 kilometres of coastline.Kothapatnam of Kothapatnam Mandal andPakala of Singarayakonda Mandal are prominent beaches. Gundlakamma,Musi andPaleru are the major rivers in the district. Smaller rivers such as the Thammileru, Sagileru and Gudisileru and streams like Ogeruvagu, Nallavagu and Vedimangala Vagu also flow in the district.[13]
Before the district restructure effective on 30th December 2025, the district has a moderate climate in the coastal areas and a hot climate in the non-coastal areas. The normal maximum and minimum temperatures recorded in the district are 40.20 C and 20.30 C respectively. The maximum temperature is usually recorded in the months of April - June. The district receives its rainfall mostly from South West and North-East monsoon. The normal rainfall is 366.2 mm and 384.7 mm respectively.[1]
Orchids, casuarinas and cashew plantations are common in the coastal areas.[1]
Nagarjuna Sagar Project and Krishna Western Delta are major irrigation projects. Mopadu Reservoir, Paleru-Bitragunta Anicut, and Cumbum Tank are major sources of medium irrigation.[1]
Chimakurthi is known for itsgranite reserves.The minerals found in the district areBaryte,iron ore,quartz, andsilica sand.[14]
Based on 2011census of India, the undivided district before 2022 had a population of 3,397,448 with a density of 193 persons per sq.km. The total population constitute 17,14,764 males and 16,82,684 females –a ratio of 981 females per 1000 males. The total urban population is 664,582 (19.56%).[15]: 20 There are 19,04,435 literates with a literacy rate of 63.08%.[15]: 21 The district had a sex ratio of 971 females per 1000 males. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 537,159 (23.48%) and 88,209 (3.86%) of the population respectively.[2]: 77–81
Based on 2011 census numbers updated for restructure in 2022, the district had a population of 22,88,026, of which 444,865 (19.44%) lived in urban areas.93.88% of the population spokeTelugu and 5.05%Urdu as their first language in the undivided district.[16] Hinduism is the major religion.
| Religion | Percent | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinduism | 92.96% | |||
| Islam | 6.30% | |||
| Christianity | 0.52% | |||
| Other or not stated | 0.22% | |||
| Distribution of religions | ||||
The Gross district domestic product (GDDP) of the undivided district is₹35,962 crore (US$4.3 billion) and it contributes 6.9% to theGross state domestic product (GSDP). For the FY 2013–14, theper capita income at current prices was₹85,765 (US$1,000). Theprimary,secondary andtertiary sectors of the district contribute₹12,875 crore (US$1.5 billion),₹7,897 crore (US$930 million) and₹15,190 crore (US$1.8 billion), respectively.[18] The major products contributing to theGVA of the district from agriculture and allied services are,tobacco,paddy,chillies, batavia,milk,meat andfisheries. TheGVA to the industrial and service sector is contributed fromconstruction, minor minerals, unorganised trade and ownership ofdwellings.[18]
The district has many service industries such as industrial testing, electrical appliance repair, clinical laboratories, servicing of computer hardware, tourism, and hospitality. Major exports from the district include seafood, processed tobacco, granite blocks, granite monuments and yarn.[19] There are many industries of food and agriculture, mineral, chemical, leather, plastic and rubber, engineering, cotton and textiles, electronic products. All these industries deal with prawn and fish processing and canning, dairy products, the granite industry, pharmaceuticals, tanning, fishing nets, surgical cotton, etc. Forest-based industries produce Ayurvedic medicines, essential oil (Palm Rose Oil), wooden furniture, wooden toys, bamboo products, etc.[14]
The district leads in granite mining in the state.Galaxy Granite is found in the Chimakurthy area of the district.[14]
The district is part ofOngole,Bapatla, andNellore Lok Sabha constituencies.[20]
| Constituency number | Name | Reserved for (SC/ST/None) | Parliament |
|---|---|---|---|
| 103 | Darsi | None | Ongole |
| 105 | Addanki | None | Bapatla |
| 107 | Santhanuthalapadu | SC | |
| 108 | Ongole | None | Ongole |
| 109 | Kandukur | None | Nellore |
| 110 | Kondapi | SC | Ongole |
The district comprises three revenue divisions viz.,Addanki, Kandukur and Ongole. There are a total of 27 mandals, with 10 in Addanki division, 7 in Kandukur division, and 11 in Ongole division.[8] Urban administrative divisions of Panchayatraj include Ongole (Municipal Corporation), Addanki (Municipality), Kandukur (Municipality) and 2 Nagar panchayats for Chimakurthy and Darsi.[21] The rural administrative divisions of Panchayatraj include 715 Gram Panchayats. There are about 769 Inhabited Revenue villages in the district.[1]
The list of 28 mandals in Prakasam district under three revenue divisions are listed in the following table:
| Ciy/Town | Civil status | Revenue Division | Population (2011) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ongole | Municipal corporation | Ongole | 2,08,344 |
| Addanki | Municipality | Addanki | 60,022 |
| Darsi | Municipality | Addanki | 33,418 |
| Kandukur | Municipality | Kandukur | 57,315 |
| Chimakurthy | Nagara Panchayathi | Ongole | 30,279 |
The total road length ofstate highways in the undivided district is 1,184 km (736 mi).[22] The district is well connected bynational highways, state highways and district roads as well. TheNH 16 passes throughOngole which is the major highway connecting the cities ofHowrah andChennai, a part ofAsian Highway NetworkAH45.
The district has a rail network of 406 km (252 mi). The entire rail network is under theSouth Central Railway zone.Ongole is one of the main stations of this district and most of the stations are underVijayawada railway division.
The primary and secondary school education is imparted by government, aided and private schools, under the state's School Education Department.[23][24] As per the school information report for the academic year 2015–16, there are a total of 4,311 schools. They include, 33 government, 2,949 mandal and zilla parishads, 1 residential, 1079 private, 10 model, 37 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV), 50 municipal and 152 other types of schools.[25] The total number of students enrolled in primary, upper primary and high schools of the district are 562,510.[26] The total number of students enrolled in primary, upper primary and high schools of the district are 461,065.[26]
Rajeev Gandhi University of Knowledge Technologies, Ongole campus is atSanthanuthalapadu.[27]Andhra Kesari University was approved in 2021.[28]
CPO (2022).District Handbook of Statistics -2020 (Updated for district reorganisation in 2022)(PDF). Ongole.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Places adjacent to Prakasam district | |
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