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The state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India is divided into 30 districts.

Districts of Tamil Nadu

After Indian independence in 1947, the former British province of Madras Presidency became Madras State, renamed Tamil Nadu in 1968. The three princely states of Sandur, Banganapalle, and Pudukkottai were merged into Bellary, Kurnool, and Tiruchirapalli districts, respectively. In 1953 the eleven northern districts of Madras State became the new state of Andhra Pradesh, and Bellary District was divided between Andhra Pradesh and Mysore State (present-day Karnataka). Tamil Nadu acquired its present boundaries on 1 November 1956, when Dakshina Kannada and Malabar districts were ceded to Mysore and Kerala states, respectively, and Kanyakumari District of erstwhile Travancore-Cochin state was ceded to Madras State.

In 1956, Madras State was made up of 13 districts: Chengalpattu, Coimbatore, Kanyakumari, Madras, Madurai, The Nilgiris, North Arcot, Ramanthapuram, Salem, South Arcot, Thanjavur, Tiruchirappallli, and Tirunelveli.

• 1966: Dharmapuri District split from Salem.
• 14 January 1974: Pudukkottai formed from parts of Tiruchirappalli and Thanjavur.
• 31 August 1979: Periyar District (present-day Erode) split from Coimbatore.
• 8 March 1985: Kamarajar (present-day Virudhunagar) and Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar (present-day Sivaganga) districts split from Ramanathapuram.
• 15 September 1985: Dindigul District split from Madurai.
• 1986: Tirunelveli District split into Chidambaranar (present-day Thoothukudi) and Nellai-Kattabomman (later Tirunelveli-Kattabomman, present-day Tirunelveli) districts.
• 30 September 1989: North Arcot district split into Tiruvannamalai-Sambuvarayar (present-day Tiruvannamalai) and North Arcot Ambedkar (present-day Vellore) districts.
• 30 September 1993: South Arcot District split into Cuddalore and Villupuram districts.
• 1 November 1995: Karur and Perambalur districts split from Tiruchirappalli District.
• 1996: Names of districts changed:
  • Kamarajar became Virudhunagar;
  • Madras became Chennai;
  • Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar became Sivaganga;
  • Periyar became Erode;
  • Tirunelveli-Kattabomman became Tirunelveli;
  • Tiruvannamalai-Sambuvarayar became Tiruvannamalai;
  • Chidambaranar became Tuticorin, later Thoothukudi;
  • North Arcot Ambedkar became Vellore.
• 1 January 1997:
  • Namakkal District split from Salem District;
  • Theni District split from Madurai District;
  • Nagapattinam and Thiruvarur districts split from Thanjavur District.
• 1999: Chengalpattu District split into Kanchipuram and Thiruvallur districts.
• 2000: Ariyalur District split from Perambalur District.
• 2003: Ariyalur District merged with Perambalur District.
• 2004: Krishnagiri District split from Dharmapuri District.