Bellary is situated in Karnataka state of India. The district is spread from southwest to northeast and is situated on the eastern side of Karnataka state. The district is 15° 30` and 15°50` north latitude and 75° 40` and 77° 11` east longitude. The geographical area is 8447 sq. km. The district is bounded by Raichur district on the north, Koppal district on the west, Chitradurga and Davanagere districts on the south, and Anantapur and Kurnool districts of Andhra Pradesh on the east. The normal rainfall is 639 mm.

Origin of name of Bellary
The city takes its name from the word Balari, which refers to goddess Durugamma as this goddess had manifested herself in the town. Another legend is that the city is named after Indra, the king of Gods, who slayed a Rakshasa named Balla who created trouble for the people in Bellary. The word Bellary means `enemy of Balla`.

Demography of Bellary
As per 2003 census, the population of the district was 22,45,000. The density of population is 196 per sq. km, which is much lower than the state average of 235 per sq.km. The rural population constitutes 70%. The scheduled caste/scheduled tribe population constitutes 28% of the total population. The sex ratio of the state was 965.

Divisions of Bellary
Bellary has 2 revenue sub divisions namely Bellary subdivision and Hospet subdivision, which in all have seven taluks. The Bellary subdivision has 3 taluks, while there are four taluks in Hospet subdivision. There are 27 hoblies, two CMC`s, one town municipality, seven town panchayats, 542 revenue villages, and 436 habitations.

Economy of Bellary
The major occupation of this district is agriculture and 75% total labor force depends on agriculture for their livelihood. The important crops cultivated here are cotton, jowar, groundnut, paddy, sunflower and cereals. The main source of irrigation is Tungabhadra Dam.

This district is endowed with rich mineral resources, both metallic and non-metallic minerals. The metallic minerals include iron ore, manganese ore, redoxide, gold, copper and lead. The non-metallic minerals include andalusite, asbestos, corundum, clay, dolomite, limestone, molding sand, quartz, soapstone, granite and red ochre.

There is a spectacular growth of industries in Bellary. There are small scale and large-scale industries here.

Transportation of Bellary
Bellary is well connected by road and rail to major cities of Karnataka and neighboring states. Bangalore Airport is the nearest Airport to Bellary. Trains pass through Guntakal, which is one of the important junctions near Bellary. Trains to Delhi, Chennai, and Mumbai and to most of the places in India are available from this junction. Bellary city is well connected by road to all major cities, towns and important cities of neighboring states. The city is also served by auto-rickshaws and cycle-rickshaws.