1. Districts, Coastline, Rivers and Physical Features
Andhra Pradesh lies on the east coast of India along the Bay of Bengal. It has three regions: Uttarandhra (North Andhra), Coastal Andhra and Rayalaseema. This lesson covers districts, the coastline, rivers, projects and hills.
Districts and regions
- Andhra Pradesh had 13 districts until April 2022, when they were reorganised into 26 districts.
- Two more districts, Markapuram and Polavaram, were added at the end of December 2025, taking the total to 28 districts.
- Both took effect on 31 December 2025. Polavaram district has its headquarters at Rampachodavaram; Markapuram district, carved mainly out of Prakasam district, has its headquarters at Markapuram.
- Rayalaseema (the southern-western interior) is drought-prone. Coastal Andhra has the fertile Godavari and Krishna deltas.
- Amaravati, the capital, lies in Guntur district on the banks of the Krishna.
Coastline
- Under the old figures, Andhra Pradesh's coastline was about 974 km, which made it the second longest in India after Gujarat.
- India's coastline was recently re-measured by the National Hydrographic Office with the Survey of India using a more detailed method (figures widely reported in 2024-25). India's total rose to about 11,099 km.
- In the revised figures, Andhra Pradesh has about 1,053 km, third after Gujarat (about 2,341 km) and Tamil Nadu (about 1,069 km).
- In an exam, read the question carefully: older question banks say 'second longest (974 km)', newer ones use the revised figure.
- Twelve of AP's districts touch the sea, from Srikakulam in the north to Tirupati in the south.
Rivers, projects and hills
- The Godavari, the longest river of peninsular India ('Dakshina Ganga'), flows into the Bay of Bengal through a large delta in Andhra Pradesh. Sir Arthur Cotton built the Dowleswaram anicut near Rajahmundry.
- The Polavaram project is a multipurpose dam on the Godavari. It was declared a national project under the AP Reorganisation Act, 2014.
- The Krishna flows past Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar dams and the Prakasam Barrage at Vijayawada before reaching the sea. The Tungabhadra is its main tributary.
- Other rivers: Penna (Pennar) in the south, and Vamsadhara and Nagavali in the north.
- The Eastern Ghats run through the state, with hills such as Nallamala, Seshachalam (Tirumala) and Velikonda. The Araku valley and Borra caves are in the Eastern Ghats near Visakhapatnam.
Quick facts
- Districts (October 2026)
- 28 (26 from April 2022; Markapuram and Polavaram added December 2025)
- Coastline (old)
- About 974 km, second after Gujarat
- Coastline (revised figures)
- About 1,053 km, third after Gujarat and Tamil Nadu
- Polavaram
- On the Godavari; national project under APRA 2014
- Prakasam Barrage
- On the Krishna at Vijayawada
- Dowleswaram anicut
- Godavari; Sir Arthur Cotton
- Araku valley
- Eastern Ghats, near Visakhapatnam
💡 For the coastline, learn both answers and the reason: the recent re-measurement used a more detailed method. If the options include only 'second longest', choose that; if they show 1,053 km or 'third', the question uses the new data.
📝 5-question quiz on this lesson: enrol free to take it and track your score.
