It was formed on 1 June 1979, with some parts carved from the neighbouring districts of Srikakulam and Visakhapatnam.

Vizianagaram district occupies an area of 4,122 square kilometres (1,592 sq mi).

Jhanjavati Project[clarification needed][13] The climate of Vizianagaram district is characterised by high humidity nearly all-round the year with oppressive summer and good seasonal rainfall.

There are twelve towns in the district: Vizianagaram, Cheepurupalli, Gajularega, Kanapaka, Bobbili, Parvathipuram, Salur, Sriramnagar, Nellimarla, Kothavalasa, Chintalavalasa, Jarjapupeta and Gajapathinagaram.

Vizianagaram district had a sex ratio of 1010 females per 1000 males and a literacy rate of 53.21%.

[22] They found that 78.7% had access to electricity, 84.1% had drinking water, 18.5% toilet facilities, and 33.9% lived in a pucca (permanent) home.

[22] 28.6% of girls wed before the legal age of 18 and 87.3% of interviewees carried a BPL card.

[22] In 2006, the Indian government named Vizianagaram one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640).

[24] The major products contributing to the GVA of the district from agriculture and allied services are sugarcane, paddy, mango, tomato, milk, meat and fisheries.

The GVA to the industrial and service sector is contributed from construction, manufacturing, minor minerals, education and ownership of dwellings.

Vizianagaram parliamentary constituency is represented by the former Union Civil Aviation Minister Pusapati Ashok Gajapathi Raju.

The major festivals are Sankranthi, Ugadi and Rama Navami, Maha Shivaratri, Deepavali, Vinayaka Chavithi, Dasara and Vijayadasami.

The nine-day festival celebrations during Rama Navami and Ganesh Chaturthi are very popular in many towns and associated with many cultural events including Stage Dramas, Harikathas, Burra kathas etc.

Festivals of Gramadevatha are held annually at Vizianagaram, Bobbili, Salur, Parvathipuram and Sambara with much fanfare.

The most popular amongst them is Pydithalli Ammavari Jatra, celebrated at Vizianagaram on the next Tuesday of Vijayadasami day.

The cuisine is strikingly South Indian style with rice as the staple food accompanied by dals, rasam or sambar, vegetable curries, pickles and curd.

The total road length of state highways in the district is 777 km (483 mi).

They include 85 government, 2,060 mandal and zilla parishads, 1 residential, 618 private, 16 model, 33 Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV), 112 municipal and 423 other types of schools.