Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta is said to have stayed for a time in the district under the protection of Nawayath Sultan Jamal Al-Din at Hunnur.

The renowned Bengali poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, who visited Uttara Kannada in 1882, dedicated an entire chapter of his memoirs to this town.

The creek at the mouth of the Kali River was a trading center which came into great prominence after Sadashivgad was built and the Portuguese realized the advantages of its sheltered harbour.

In 1638, a rival English trading body, the Courteen Association, established a factory at Uttara Kannada (actually the village named Kadwad, situated 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) eastwards on the banks of the Kali river).

Muslin was the chief commodity purchased but Uttara Kannada was also a source for pepper, cardamom, cassia and coarse blue cotton cloth.

Situated on India's west coast, 50 miles south-east of Goa, Uttara Kannada was noted for its safe harbour.

In the Treaty of Mangalore signed in 1784, between Tipu Sultan and the East India Company, one finds reference to Uttara Kannada and Sadashivgad written as Karwar and Sadasewgude respectively.

Between the Sahyadris and the sea is a narrow coastal strip, known as the Payanghat, which varies from 8 to 24 kilometres (5.0 to 14.9 mi) in width.

Four major rivers drain westwards from the crest of the Sahyadris to the sea; from north to south, they are the Kali, Gangawali, Aghanashini, Sharavati.

The Malabar Coast moist forests ecoregion lies in a narrow strip between the Arabian Sea and the foothills of the Western Ghats up to 250 meters elevation.

Above 1000 meters elevation lie the evergreen North Western Ghats montane rain forests.

Anshi National Park near Dandeli, preserves approximately 250 square kilometres (97 sq mi) of semi-evergreen forest, which is home to the tiger, black panther, leopard cat, gaur, Asian elephant, sambar and a range of birds and reptiles.

Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary protects 834 square kilometres (322 sq mi) of semi-evergreen and bamboo forest in the watershed of the Kali river and its tributaries, the Kaneri and Nagajhari.

The district is also home to patches of savanna and degraded scrub jungles, which are often the result of overuse for logging or grazing.

Mangrove forests can be found in the river estuaries, and the sandy beaches are home to groves of Calophyllum inophyllum, coconut and screw pine (Pandanus).

The rocky beaches at Binaga, Arga, Belekeri, Tadadi, Gokarna, Ankola, Kumta, Dhareshwar, Kasarkod, Murdeshwara, Bhatkal and Belke of the district are rich with marine fauna diversity.

The rocky beaches of Uttara Kannada District harbor the invertebrates belonging to the phyla Porifera, Coelenterata, Annelida, Arthropoda, Mollusca and Echinodermata.

Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary is famous for the elusive black panther among other animals like gaur, tiger and leopards.

High natural Shiva linga, Synthery rocks is a 500 feet (150 m) high rock flanked by natural caves and waterfalls, Vincholi rapids, Sykes point which offers a view of Kali river, and a suspension bridge are places worth visiting in this sanctuary.

According to the 2011 census, Uttara Kannada has a population of 1,437,169,[10] roughly equal to the nation of Eswatini[11] or the US state of Hawaii.

where the native people do not understand Kannada as Konkani is dominant due to the close proximity of Goa.

This theater art involves music, songs, dance, acting, dialogue, story and unique costumes.

In spite of competition from modern movie industry and TV, these troops are arranging ticketed shows and making profit.

Apart from this individuals arrange shows in their village inviting well known professional artists like Sri Chittani Ramachandra Hegde, Kondadakuli Ramachandra Hegde, Gopal Achari Theerthahalli and Ramesh Bhandari Murur, providing an opportunity for local talents to act with legends.

Kumta, Bhatkal and Sirsi are the main hubs for public transport which provides services to intra-district and intrastate round the clock.

The NH-66 which passes through the district which connects Panvel near Mumbai to Kerala state, many private buses are plying on this Highway which provides inter-intra state services to places like Bombay, Poona, Kolhapore, Belgaum, Panaji, Margao, Udupi, Mangalore, Bangalore, Mysore, Bhatkal, Kasaragod, Cannanore, Calicut etc.

The backwaters of dams built across river Kali at Kadra, Thattihalla, Kodasalli, Supa and Bommanahalli provide splendid views in rainy season.

There are many waterfalls in Uttar Kannada district Sathodi, Devkar, Emme shirle, Arebail, Benne Hole, U nchalli, Burude, Balepatte to name a few.