| Districts of Tamil Nadu | |
|---|---|
 Districts of Tamil Nadu | |
| Category | Districts |
| Location | Tamil Nadu |
| Number | 38 districts |
| Populations | Perambalur – 565,223 (lowest); Chennai – 7,139,630 (highest) |
| Areas | Chennai – 426 km2 (164 sq mi) (smallest); Dindigul – 6,266.64 km2 (2,419.56 sq mi) (largest) |
| Government | |
| Subdivisions | |
The Indian state of Tamil Nadu is divided into 38 districts. Districts are the major administrative divisions of a state and are further sub-divided into smaller taluks.
During the British Raj, 12 districts of the erstwhile Madras Presidency had their boundaries within the present-day Tamil Nadu. Post the Indian Independence in 1947 and the political intergration, the Madras Province inherited parts of the earlier Madras Presidency. Following the adoption of the Constitution of India in 1950, the Madras State was formed, which was further reorganized in 1953 and 1956. After the reorganization of Indian states in 1956, the state had 13 re-organized districts, which were further divided later over the years.
Between 1960 and 1980, three additional districts were formed. In the late eighties, five more districts were bifurcated from existing districts. Ten more districts were formed in the nineties, taking the total count to 30. Three new districts were bifurcated in the 2000s. In 2019-20, five more districts were formed for a total of 38 districts.