A district (zila) 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 2016 there are a total of 687 districts, up from the 640 in the 2011 Census of India and the 593 recorded in the 2001 Census of India.
District officials include:
- Deputy Commissioner or District Magistrate or District Collector, an officer of the Indian Administrative Service, in charge of administration and revenue collection
- 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; Mumbai City district (MC) in Maharashtra (MH) is an example which, despite forming a district, does not have a clear headquarters, though it does have a District Collector.
Mahe of Puducherry is the smallest (9 km2) district of India by area while Kutch of Gujarat is the largest (45,652 km2) district of India by area.