Located to the east of Kowsika River, Virudhunagar has an average elevation of 102 m (335 ft) above sea level and is largely flat with no major geological formations.

It has been ruled at various times by Later Pandyas, Vijayanagar Empire, Madurai Nayaks, Chanda Sahib, Carnatic kingdom and the British.

As the administrative headquarters of the district, the town's economy is based on the service sector, which employs 93% of the total workforce.

The remaining 7% is employed in agriculture, mining, quarrying, raising livestock, manufacturing, construction, trade and commerce.

According to a local legend, a warrior who won a number of banners (called virudhu in Tamil) from his conquest of kingdoms, came to the town and challenged the residents.

[3] Nayak rule ended in 1736 and the region was repeatedly captured several times by Chanda Sahib (1740 – 1754), Arcot Nawab and Marudhanayagam Pillai (1725 – 1764) in the middle of 18th century.

[4] In 1801, the region came under the direct control of the British East India Company and was annexed to the Madras Presidency.

It was an important trading centre during the British rule and the merchandise from Virudhunagar was exported overseas through the ports of Kulasekharapatnam, Thoothukudi, Vaippar and Devipattinam.

The town is the birthplace of K. Kamaraj, a freedom fighter, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu from 1954 to 1963 and a recipient of the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award.

The soil types are black and red, which are conducive for crops like cotton, chillies, spices, cardamom and millet.

Virudhungar has a borderline hot semi-arid climate (Köppen BSh) not quite wet enough for tropical savanna (As) classification.

Like the rest of Tamil Nadu, Virudhunagar experiences hot weather between April and June and is relatively cooler in December and January.

[7][6][8][9][10] Lime, locally called Limekankar, is the major mineral available in Virudhunagar, which is utilised by Tamil Nadu Cements, a Government of Tamil Nadu undertaking in Sivakasi and Ramco Cements, a private sector plant in R.R.Nagar in Virudhunagar.

The rest of the workforce is employed in agriculture, mining, quarrying, raising livestock, manufacturing, construction, trade and commerce.

There is little agricultural activity in the town, due to the local geography and unfavorable climate for growing crops and poor irrigation facilities.

[27] The functions of the municipality are devolved into six departments: General Administration/Personnel, Engineering, Revenue, Public Health, City Planning and Information Technology (IT).

[34] The town was a part of Virudhunagar Lok Sabha Constituency during the 1967 elections and was held by the Swatantra Party.

[49] The Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation operates daily services connecting various cities to Virudhunagar.

[50] The State Express Transport Corporation operates long-distance buses connecting the town to important cities like Chennai, Tiruppur and Thoothukudi.

[51] The major inter-city bus routes from the town are to adjacent cities like Madurai, Chennai, Rajapalayam, Tenkasi, Kovilpatti, Tuticorin, Tiruchendur, Nagercoil, Tirunelveli, Aruppukottai and Rameshwaram.

The Southern Railway operates daily express trains to places like Chennai, Tuticorin, Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli, Tenkasi, Guruvayoor, Tirupathi, Mumbai, Trivandrum, Mysuru, Howrah, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Kannur, Mangalore, Madgaon and Nizamuddin.

There are passenger trains connecting the town to Madurai, Tenkasi, Kollam, Tirunelveli, Kumbakonam, Mayiladuthurai, Erode, Nagercoil and Coimbatore.

[56] Water supply is provided to the town by the Virudhunagar municipality from three sources, namely Anaikuttam, Karuseri Kalquarry and Sukkravarpatti Summer Storage Tank.

[60] There are 35 hospitals in the town, one siddha dispensary and two municipal maternity homes that take care of the healthcare needs of the citizens.