The Southern District is one of Israel's six administrative districts, the largest in terms of land area but the most sparsely populated. It covers most of the Negev desert, as well as the Arava valley. The population of the Southern District is 1,086,240 and its area is 14,185 km2. Its population is 79.66% Jewish and 12.72% Arab, with 7.62% of other origins.

There are six main administrative districts of Israel, known in Hebrew as mekhozot and in Arabic as mintaqah. There are also fifteen subdistricts of Israel, known in Hebrew nafot and in Arabic as qadaa. Each subdistrict is further divided into natural regions, which in turn are further divided into council-level divisions: whether they might be cities, municipalities, or regional councils.