The district is named for the Korwa tribe that inhabits the northern part of Chhattisgarh.

Various parts of the district were controlled by small zamindars belonging to a variety of communities such as Gond and Kanwar.

The Korwas managed to overthrow the rulers of Gourigarh and ruled the region until being displaced by the Rajputs under Ratan Singh.

The district is situated in the Northern part of the state, at the point where the Chhattisgarh plain meets the Surguja plateau.

In the west, these plains meet an extension of the Maikal Hills that separate the lowlands from the plateau.

According to the 2011 census, Korba district has a population of 1,206,640,[3] roughly equal to the nation of Bahrain[4] or the US state of New Hampshire out of which 612,915 are male and 593,725 are female.

The largest tribes are the Gonds and Kawars, with smaller numbers of Kurukh, Binjhwar, Dhanwar and Majhwar.

The main tribal festival are Dev Uthani, Pola, Chherchhera, Karma, and Hareli.