The district of Visakhapatnam was formed on April 1, 1936. It was then considered to be the biggest district in the country, under the Madras Presidency, and it continued to be the biggest even after Independence, till about 1950. Then the total area of the district was over 20,000 sq km and comprised areas that are now under Srikakulam and Vizianagaram districts.
In 1950, the district of Srikakulam was carved out of it and in 1979 some more areas were separated to create Vizianagaram. Still, Visakhapatnam district remained a huge one with about 11,161 sq km comprising Anakapalle and the the Agency areas of Araku and Paderu.
