The historic town of Kannauj, northwest of Kanpur, is the administrative center.

The climate of the district is characterized by a hot dry summer and a pleasant cold season.

The district is bounded by the districts of Farrukhabad to the north, Hardoi to the northeast, Kanpur Nagar to the east, Kanpur Dehat to the southeast, Auraiya to the south, Etawah to the southwest, and Mainpuri to the west.

The district was split from Farrukhabad on 18 September 1997, and is part of Kanpur Division.

According to the 2011 census Kannauj district has a population of 1,656,616,[1] roughly equal to the nation of Guinea-Bissau[4] or the US state of Idaho.

[1] The district has a population density of 792 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,050/sq mi) .

Muslims form a significant minority in urban areas, and the towns Samdhan and Talgram are Muslim-majority.