West Godavari district is a coastal district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh with an administrative headquarters in Bhimavaram. It is bounded by the Krishna district and Bay of Bengal to the south, East Godavari district to the east, and Eluru district, Kolleru Lake and Upputeru Drain to the northwest.
History
The Eastern Chalukyas ruled coastal Andhra Pradesh from 700 to 1200 CE, with their capital in Vengi. Historical evidence of their rule has been found in the nearby villages of Pedavegi and Guntupalli (Jilakarragudem). Eluru then became a part of the Kalinga Empire until 1471 CE before the conquest by the Gajapati Empire. In 1515 CE, Sri Krishna Deva Raya captured it. After the fall of the Vijayanagara Kingdom, it was ruled by the Qutb Shahi Dynasty's Sultans of Golkonda.
During the Madras Presidency in 1823, the District of Rajahmundry was created. It was reorganised in 1859 and bifurcated into the Godavari and Krishna districts. Kakinada became the headquarters of the Godavari district, which was further bifurcated into the East Godavari and West Godavari districts in 1925. Eluru became the headquarter
Before the formation of mandals, the district was administered through a system of talukas. In 1978, the number of talukas in the West Godavari district increased from 8 to 19. In 1985, the 19 talukas were divided into 46 mandals. The Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act of 2014, merged two mandals from Telangana into the West Godavari District for unified governance over the Polavaram Project, increasing the total mandals to 48.
{| class="wikitable"
|+Erstwhile talukas
!S.No.
!Erstwhile Talukas
in 1971
!New Talukas
Formed in 1985
!New Mandals
Formed in 1985
|-
| rowspan="2" |1
| rowspan="2" |Eluru
|Eluru
|Eluru, Pedapadu, Pedavegi,
|-
|Bhimadole [9]
|Bhimadole, Dwaraka Tirumala, Denduluru,
|-
|2
|Chintalapudi
|Chintalapudi
|Chintalapudi, T.Narsapuram, Lingapuram, Kamavarapukota,
|-
|3
|Polavaram
|Polavaram
|Polavaram, Buttayagudem, jeelugumilli, Koyyalagudem [part], Jangareddygudem [part]
|-
| rowspan="2" |4
| rowspan="2" |Kovvur
|Kovvur
|Kovvur, Devarapalli, Chagallu, Nidadavole
|-
|Gopalapuram [10]
|Gopalapuram, Tallapudi, Koyyalagudem [part], Jangareddygudem [part],
|-
| rowspan="2" |5
| rowspan="2" |Tadepalligudem
|Tadepalligudem
|Tadepalligudem, Nallajerla, Unguturu [part]
|-
|Ganapavaram [11]
|Ganapavaram, Unguturu [part], Nidamarru, Pentapadu,
|-
| rowspan="2" |6
| rowspan="2" |Tanuku
|Tanuku
|Tanuku, Undrajavaram, Peravali,
|-
|Penumantra [12]
|Penumantra, Penugonda, Atili, Iragavaram,
|-
| rowspan="2" |7
| rowspan="2" |Narsapuram
|Narsapuram
|Narsapuram, Mogalthooru, Yelamanchili,
|-
|Poduru [13]
|Poduru, Palakollu, Achanta,
|-
| rowspan="2" |8
| rowspan="2" |Bhimavaram
|Bhimavaram
|Bhimavaram, Palakoderu, Veeravasaram,
|-
|Akiveedu [14]
|Akiveedu, Undi, Kalla
|}
As of the 2011 Census of India, the West Godavari district has a population of 3,936,966 with 1,091,525 households, which is the 11th most populous district in the state. The district's population is approximately equal to the population of Croatia and the American state of Oklahoma.
The district was the 19th largest in terms of area with an area of and has a population density of , which is the fourth-most densely populated district in the state. Its population growth rate between 2001–2011 was 3.45%. Ganapavaram mandal was added to West godavari district on 16 February 2023.
<!-- Comment obsolete image as it could lead to confusion, due to its placement following the infobox alt=|thumb|old West Godavari revenue divisions map -->
Geography
The district occupies an area of . The district is bounded by the East Godavari district on the North, Eluru district on the Northwest, Konaseema district on the Southeast, Krishna district on the Southwest. and Bay of Bengal on the south. The Godavari River flows on the east, while the Tammileru River and Kolleru Lake separate it from the Krishna district on the west.
Climate
The region has a tropical climate similar to the rest of the Coastal Andhra region. The summers (March–June) are very hot and dry, while the winters are much cooler. The temperatures in the summers often rise over 40 °C during the day. The rainy season (July–December) is considered the best time for tourist visits, as the fields are bright green with paddy crops, rivers are flowing with monsoon water, and climate is relatively cool. There are several large mensions scattered around the Godavari area that once belonged to zamindars.
Demographics
As of 16th February 2023, the population based on 2011 census is 1,844,898. The male population is 921,771, while the female population is 923,127. The district has a sex ratio of 1001 females to 1000 males. 468,924 (25.42%) of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes made up 302,836 (16.41%) and 16,332 (0.89%) of the population respectively.