Jamnagar district is an administrative district in the state of Gujarat in western India. Located on the Kathiawar peninsula along the southern coast of the Gulf of Kutch, it takes its name from its headquarters, the city of Jamnagar. The district is part of the Saurashtra region and is known historically as the seat of the princely state of Nawanagar, and in contemporary times as a major centre for petroleum refining, brass parts manufacturing, and the cultivation of pearl millet (bajra) and groundnut.
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| State | Gujarat |
| Region | Saurashtra |
| Headquarters | Jamnagar |
| Predecessor entity | Princely State of Nawanagar |
| Coastline | Gulf of Kutch (Arabian Sea) |
| Successor districts (2013) | Jamnagar and Devbhoomi Dwarka |
The district lies in the north-western part of the Saurashtra peninsula. It is bounded by the Gulf of Kutch to the north, beyond which lies Kutch district. To the east it adjoins Morbi and Rajkot districts, to the south Porbandar, and to the west Devbhoomi Dwarka, which was carved out of the original Jamnagar district in 2013.
The terrain is largely a low, undulating plain with isolated hills, drained by short, seasonal rivers including the Rangmati, Nagmati, Und, and Phulzar. The coast is fringed by mudflats, mangroves, coral reefs, and islands that form part of the Marine National Park, Gulf of Kutch, India's first marine national park, notified in 1982.
The territory now forming Jamnagar district largely corresponds to the former princely state of Nawanagar, founded in 1540 by Jam Rawal of the Jadeja Rajput dynasty. Under British paramountcy, Nawanagar was one of the most prominent salute states of the Kathiawar Agency. Its rulers included Ranjitsinhji, the celebrated Test cricketer who became Maharaja Jam Sahib in 1907, and his nephew Digvijaysinhji, known internationally for sheltering Polish refugee children during the Second World War.
Following India's independence in 1947, Nawanagar acceded to the Indian Union and was merged into the United State of Kathiawar in 1948, later renamed Saurashtra State. With the reorganisation of states in 1956, the area became part of Bombay State, and on the bifurcation of Bombay in 1960, it became part of Gujarat as Jamnagar district.
On 15 August 2013, the Government of Gujarat reorganised the district by carving out Devbhoomi Dwarka district, comprising the talukas of Khambhalia, Bhanvad, Kalyanpur, and Dwarka. The residual Jamnagar district retained the talukas around the city of Jamnagar.
The district is administered by a District Collector and a District Development Officer, and is divided into talukas including Jamnagar, Jodiya, Dhrol, Kalavad, Lalpur, and Jamjodhpur. The Jamnagar Municipal Corporation governs the principal urban area. The district sends representatives to the Gujarat Legislative Assembly and forms part of the Jamnagar Lok Sabha constituency.
Jamnagar district has a diversified economy combining agriculture, industry, and services.