District
Map
Category	Second-level administrative division
Location	States and union territories of India
Number	740 (as of 2020)
Populations	Greatest: Thane, Maharashtra—11,060,148 (2011 census) Least: Dibang Valley, Arunachal Pradesh—8,004 (2011 census)
Areas	Largest: Kutch, Gujarat—45,652 km2 (17,626 sq mi) Smallest: Mahé, Puducherry—8.69 km2 (3.36 sq mi)
Government	District Administration
Subdivisions	Tehsil, Taluka, Mandal Blocks

A district (zilā) is an administrative division of an Indian state or territory. In some cases districts are further subdivided into sub-divisions, and in others directly into tehsils or talukas. As of 2020^[update] there are a total of 739 districts,^[1] up from the 640 in the 2011 Census of India and the 593 recorded in the 2001 Census of India.^[2]

District officials include:

• District Magistrate or Deputy Commissioner or District Collector, an officer of the Indian Administrative Service, in charge of administration and revenue collection
• Superintendent of Police or Senior Superintendent of Police or Deputy Commissioner of Police, an officer belonging to the Indian Police Service, responsible for maintaining law and order
• Deputy Conservator of Forests, an officer belonging to the Indian Forest Service, entrusted with the management of the forests, environment and wildlife of the district

Each of these officials is aided by officers from the appropriate branch of the state government.

Most districts have a distinct headquarters; but the districts of Mumbai City, in Maharashtra,^[3] Hyderabad in Telangana and Chennai, in Tamil Nadu, are examples where there is no distinct district headquarters, although there are district collectors.