it is bounded on the north by kurnool district, on the east by kadapa district, on the southeast by chittoor district, and on the southwest and west by karnataka state. it is part of rayalaseema region on the state. its northern and central portions are a high plateau, generally undulating, with large granite rocks or low hill ranges rising occasionally above its surface. in the southern portion of the district the surface is more hilly, the plateau there rising to . above the sea.