The Dakhsina Kannada District is also known as South Kanara district. The district is bordered by the other districts of Udupi, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan, Kodagu and Kasargod. The district forms quite a long and intended coastline with the Arabian Sea. The district has its m ain centre for the purpose of administration in the city of Mangalore. The district was formerly a part of the Kanara district which came under the Madras Presidency during the British Rule in India. The present district of Dakshina Kannada came into being in the year 1997. The district covers a land area of 4559 sq km with a population of about 20 lacs approximately. The population density of district is about 457 per sq km. The main occupation of the people of the district is agriculture. Few specific languages spoken by the people of the region are Tulu (a native language), Kannada, Malayalam, Konkani, etc.