In the past, Ntungamo District was part of the Ankole Kingdom, a traditional monarchy that dates back to the 18th century.

[1] The Ankole Kingdom is coterminous with Ankole sub-region, home to an estimated 2.2 million inhabitants in 2002, according to the national census conducted that year.

[3] The district headquarters at Ntungamo, are located about 66 kilometres (41 mi), by road, southwest of Mbarara, the largest city in Ankole sub-region.

The district covers 2,051.4 square kilometres (792.0 sq mi) of which approximately 0.2% is open water, 3.4% is wetland and about 0.01% is forest.

The national census of 2002 estimated the population of Ntungamo District at about 380,000, with an estimated annual population growth rate of 2.4%.