Amreli district is an administrative district in the Saurashtra region of the state of Gujarat, India. The district takes its name from its headquarters town of Amreli, which serves as the administrative, commercial and educational hub. The district is largely agrarian, with cotton, groundnut and other oilseeds forming the backbone of its rural economy.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Region | Saurashtra, Gujarat |
| State | Gujarat |
| Country | India |
| Headquarters | Amreli |
| Type | District |
| Language | Gujarati (official) |
Amreli district lies in the southern part of the Saurashtra peninsula. It is bordered by Rajkot district to the north, Bhavnagar district to the east, Junagadh district and Gir Somnath district to the west, and the Arabian Sea (Gulf of Khambhat) to the south. The terrain is mostly an undulating plain with low hills, and the Shetrunji and Dhatarvadi are among the rivers that drain the district.
The coastal stretch around Jafrabad and Pipavav gives the district access to the sea, with Pipavav developing as one of India's significant private commercial ports.
The district is divided into several talukas for revenue and administrative purposes, including Amreli, Bagasara, Babra, Dhari, Khambha, Kunkavav, Lathi, Lilia, Rajula, Savarkundla and Jafrabad. The district is administered by a District Collector, while local self-government in rural areas is exercised through the Amreli Zilla Panchayat and taluka panchayats. Urban areas are governed by municipalities.
Agriculture is the principal occupation. Major crops include cotton, groundnut, sesame, wheat, bajra, and pulses. The district is also known for cattle rearing and dairy activities linked to the Saurashtra cooperative dairy network. Industrial activity is concentrated around ginning and oil milling, cement manufacturing in the Kovaya–Rajula belt, shipbreaking and port-related activity at Jafrabad, and the Pipavav port and shipyard complex.
Gujarati is the predominant language, and Hinduism is the largest religion, with notable Muslim and Jain communities. The district is associated with traditional Saurashtrian folk culture, including dayro, bhajan and folk music traditions. Several towns in the district, such as Lathi and Savarkundla, have historic literary and cultural associations; the Gujarati poet Kalapi (Surasinhji Gohil), ruler of the princely state of Lathi, is among the figures connected with the region.
Before the integration of princely states into the Indian Union after 1947, much of present-day Amreli district was held by the Gaekwad rulers of Baroda State, who governed Amreli as a prant (province) of their territory, alongside numerous smaller princely estates. After Independence, these areas were merged into the state of Saurashtra, then into Bombay State in 1956, and finally became part of the new state of Gujarat on its formation on 1 May 1960.
Amreli is connected to other parts of Gujarat by state highways and a metre/broad-gauge rail network linking it to towns such as Rajkot, Junagadh and Bhavnagar. Pipavav port, in the district's coastal belt, is connected to the Indian Railways network and serves as an important logistics gateway for western India.