Uttara Kannada is a district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is a major coastal district of Karnataka, and is the third largest district in Karnataka. It is bordered by the state of Goa and Belagavi districts to the north, Dharwad District and Haveri District to the east, Shivamogga District, and Udupi District to the south, and the Arabian Sea to the west.
Karwar is the district headquarters, Kumta and Sirsi are the major commercial centers in the district.
The district's agroclimatic divisions include the coastal plain (consisting of Karwar, Ankola, Kumta, Honnavar and Bhatkal taluks) and Malenadu (consisting of Sirsi, Siddapur, Yellapur, Haliyal, Joida, and Mundgod taluks).
The first known dynasty from Uttar Kannada District are Chutus of Banavasi. Uttara Kannada was the home of the Kadamba kingdom from the 350 to 525. They ruled from Banavasi. After the subjugation of the Kadambas by the Chalukyas, the district came under successive rule of empires like Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Hoysalas and Vijayanagar empire. Moroccan traveler Ibn Battuta is said to have stayed for a time in the district under the protection of Nawayath Sultan Jamal Al-Din at Hunnur. This place is presently known as Hosapattana and is located in the town of Honnavar. Ruins of an old mosque and its minaret can still be seen in the village. The district came under the rule of Maratha Empire in the 1750s and later part of Mysore Kingdom, who ceded it to the British at the conclusion of the Fourth Mysore War in 1799. It was initially part of Kanara district in Madras Presidency. The district was divided to North and South Kanara districts in 1859. The British finally transferred Uttara Kannada district to Bombay Presidency in 1862.
After India's independence in 1947, Bombay Presidency was reconstituted as Bombay State. In 1956, the southern portion of Bombay State was added to Mysore State, which was renamed Karnataka in 1972.
Significant and picturesque, the Sadashivgad fort of historical importance is now a tourist destination located by the Kali river bridge, which has been built at the confluence of the river and the Arabian Sea.