District Profile

Anantapuramu  District is a district in the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh, India. The district headquarters is located atAnantapur city. As of 2011 Census, the district had a population of 4,083,315, of which 28.09% is urban and a literacy rate of 64.28%. It is the largest district in terms of area in Andhra Pradesh and 7th largest district in India respectively.

Area which comes under Ananthapuram district was once a crucial part of the Vijayanagara Empire. After the fall of the Vijayanagara rulers. British India took control. Ananthapuram district created in 1882 with Sir Thomas Munro as its first Collector.

It is the largest district of Andhra Pradesh spanning an area of 19,130 square kilometres (7,390 sq mi), comparatively equivalent to Japan's Shikoku Island.[5] It is bounded on the north by Kurnool District, on the east by Kadapa District, on the southeast byChittoor District, and on the southwest and west by Karnataka state.[6] It is part of Rayalaseema region on the state. Its northern and central portions are a high plateau, generally undulating, with large granite rocks or low hill ranges rising occasionally above its surface. In the southern portion of the district the surface is more hilly, the plateau there rising to 2,000 ft (610 m). above the sea. Six rivers flow within the district: Penna, Chithravathi, Vedavathi, Papagni, Swarnamukhi, and Thadakaleru. The district receives an average annual rainfall of 381 millimeters.
Anantapur city is 354 km from Hyderabad, 200 km from the neighboring state capital of Bangalore. Anantapur connects Hyderabad and Bangalore through National Highway 7. There is an airport in the district located in Puttaparthi, known as Sri Sathya Sai Airport; however this airport currently has no scheduled service. Bangalore International Airport is nearest commercial airport to Anantapur District.

As of 2011 census of India, Anantapur district has a population of 4,081,148 with 9,68,160 households, ranking it as the 7th most populous district in the state. It is the largest district in the state with an area of 19,130 km2 (7,390 sq mi).Anantapur has a sex ratio of 977 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 63.57%.

Anantapur has a major potential for development of industry due to its strategic location between Bangalore - Chennai andBangalore - Hyderabad routes and availability of vast tracts of land. In 2006 the Indian government named Anantapur one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640).It is one of the thirteen districts in Andhra Pradesh currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).
Minerals Anantapur is a major producer of Dolomite and Iron Ore minerals.
Power plants Solar thermal power plant of 50 MW was commissioned at this village under Jawaharlal Nehru National Solar Missionwhich was named as Megha Solar Plant. It is one of the 7 solar thermal plants in the country.

Silk Sarees
Dharmavaram region in Anantapur is world famous for the handmade pure silk sarees. Its a major hub for Silk trade with end to end silk related industries situated in the region supporting a major portion of population. Tadipatri region in Anantapur is an industrialized down famous for Granite and Cement production. Ultra Tech Cements a unit of Industrial major Larsen & Toubro has a major Cement production unit near the town.

The economy is principally agrarian with a developing industrial sector. Anantapur receives very less rainfall due to its location in the rain shadow area of Indian Peninsula. Prominent crops include groundnut, sunflower, rice, cotton, maize, chillies, sesame, and sugarcane. Silktrade, limestone quarrying, iron and diamond mining. Anantapur town is known as Groundnut City in reference to the neighboring Bangalore being called as Garden City.
Religious tourism
Puttaparthi region in Anantapur is home to the Ashram of Sathya Sai Baba, one of the most popular spiritual gurus of India. Puttaparthi has developed into a major tourist destination due to vast infrastructure created by the ashram he founded, known as Prasanthi Nilayam.