Andhra Pradesh had 13 districts after the 2014 state bifurcation. The 2022 district reorganisation increased that count to 26 by creating smaller administrative units and changing many headquarters relationships. From 31 December 2025, Markapuram and Polavaram raised the count to 28. Markapuram's headquarters is Markapuram. Polavaram district's headquarters is Rampachodavaram. A former parent district name on an old government page can still be historically accurate, but it is not proof that the current district does not exist.
A district is an administrative boundary, not a physical region. The Godavari delta, for example, crosses modern district labels. Coastal districts are better learnt north to south by major geographic anchors than by an isolated alphabetic list. Start with the Srikakulam-Vizianagaram-Visakhapatnam-Anakapalli side; move through the Godavari districts, Krishna coast, Guntur-Bapatla-Prakasam, and Nellore-Tirupati. Then fill the interior: Alluri Sitharama Raju and Polavaram in the north hill belt, NTR and Palnadu centrally, and the Rayalaseema districts farther south and west.
The district map in this book uses the public APSDMA 28-district boundary layer. Its numbered polygons teach location and regional association; for exact mandal-level edges, use the current Gazette and district administration maps. This matters especially for new districts: district-wide rainfall, area, population and 'largest district' rankings cannot simply be copied from an old 26-district table.
Exam method: date every district-count fact. 'How many in 2022?' and 'How many now?' are different questions. If the examination uses a frozen notification, its prescribed reference date governs the answer. Also distinguish a proposed district from one formally notified and functioning.
Worked map reasoning
On an older 26-district sheet, first identify the date printed on the map. Find the old Prakasam area and the hill belt linked to the former Alluri administration. On the current 28-district sheet, locate Markapuram and Polavaram separately. The river positions remain the anchor across both versions. This method lets you answer a dated exam question without silently importing today's boundaries into a historical map.
Active recall: close the book, place the named river or region on a blank map, and explain one likely exam confusion in your own words.