Yanam District is an administrative district of Union Territory of Puducherry. The town of Yanam lies on the spot where the River Coringa (Atreya) branches off from Gauthami into two parts. The entire region, consisting of Yanam town and six villages is treated as Municipality for purposes of local administration. The region, which covers an area of 30 sq kms, has a population of 31,362 according to the 2001 census.

Location of Yanam District
It is a small area situated on the left bank of the eastern branch of the Godavari River in Andhra Pradesh. This district is situated on the East Coast of the Indian Peninsula at 16 degrees 42 minutes northern latitude and in between 82 degree 11 minutes eastern longitude bounded on all sides by the district of East Godavari of Andhra Pradesh. It is situated on a place where the river Coringa and the Godavari meet and is bounded on the east and the south by these rivers. The region is bounded on the east and south by river Godavari, which discharges itself into Bay of Bengal after flowing almost 14 kms towards east from Yanam.

History of Yanam District
Yanam is situated on the East Coast, in the district of East Godavari, Andhra Pradesh. It was occupied by the French in the year 1723. It ranks the third in the antiquity of the five former French settlements namely Chander Nagar 1673, Puducherry 1674, Yanam 1723, Mahe 1725 and Karaikal 1739. Yanam was under the French rule for more than two centuries. It was liberated in the year 1954. It is now one of the component parts of the Puducherry. This tiny town`s history goes back to 1723 when the Compagnie des Indes of France established here a trading post. It was vacated after four years because their commercial operations had not produced the desired results. It was seized again in 1731. Yanam was situated in the province of Peddapur in the jurisdiction of Timma Raja. The French had a modest building here situated a league from the sea, on the river Coringa into which small vessels could enter. Neelapalli, a neighbouring village of Yanam was under the British rule at that time. It is nearly 3 kms away from Yanam. Yanam was restored again to the French in 1785. Mallhendre took possession of it and he was succeeded by Bluter.

Administration of Puducherry District
There are eight villages under the municipal jurisdiction of Yanam namely Kanakalapeta, Jambavanpeta, Agraharam, Mettakur, Kursampeta, Farampeta, Darialtippa and Guerempeta. The soil is fertile for cultivation but the irrigation facilities are scanty in the region. The main crop is paddy beside the seasonal crops of pulses, chillies and ground nuts.

Culture of Yanam District
Yanam District has a mixed culture of French and Dravidian. Telugu language, Tamil language and Malayalam language are the main languages spoken in this district. Several fairs and festivals are organised here and they reflect the rich culture of the region. Like for instance, the Venkanna Festival is celebrated in the month of March every year by the people of Yanam in a grand manner. The festival continues for one month. Lord Venkateswara Kalyanam is the main day of the festival. Ponnavahanam, Radha Yatra and Chakrateertham are the important events of the festival.

Tourism in Yanam District
Alivelu Manga Sametha Shri Venkateswara Temple is one of the most popular tourism spots of Yanam District. It is well known as `Venkanna Babu Temple`, `Chaldikudu Venkanna Temple` and `Meesala Venkanna Temple`. This temple was built by the kings of Rajamahendravaram, now called as `Rajahmundry`. Sculptures of that period can be seen in this temple. Yanam District is known for its wide range of tourist spots that are worth visiting. Thus, tourism in Yanam District gives a memorable and enriching travelling experience.

Due to some relaxation in Tax and other exemptions, lots of business activities are going in Yanam. The major business areas in this region are coconut dwelling, rice mills, fishing and several other traditional occupations.