Belagavi district, formerly also known as Belgaum district, is a district in the state of Karnataka, India. The district is known as the sugar bowl of Karnataka with 150,000 hectares being used for commercial production. It has overtaken Mandya district in sugarcane production over the last decade. The city of Belgaum (Belagavi) is the district headquarters in Belagavi district. It houses the Second legislative building, where the Karnataka Legislature hold session once a year. The district is famous for its native sweet, Kunda. According to the 2011 Census of India, it has a population of 4,779,661, of which 24.03% live in urban areas, making it the second most populous district in Karnataka, after Bangalore Urban. The district has an area of 13,415 km2 (5,180 sq mi) making it the largest district in Karnataka, and is bounded by Kolhapur District and Sangli district of Maharashtra state on the west and north, on the northeast by Bijapur district, on the east by Bagalkot district, on the southeast by Gadag district, on the south by Dharwad and Uttara Kannada districts, and on the southwest by the state of Goa.

Karnataka, also known colloquially as Karunāḍu, is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, and renamed Karnataka in 1973. The state is bordered by the Lakshadweep Sea to the west, Goa to the northwest, Maharashtra to the north, Telangana to the northeast, Andhra Pradesh to the east, Tamil Nadu to the southeast, and Kerala to the southwest. With 61,130,704 inhabitants at the 2011 census, Karnataka is the eighth-largest state by population, comprising 31 districts. The state was part of the Carnatic region in British terminology. With 15,257,000 residents, the state capital Bangalore is the fourth-most populated city in India.