Sonbhadra district

Sonbhadra district
Sonanchal
Sonebhadra
View from Vijaygarh Fort
Location of Sonbhadra district in Uttar Pradesh
Country India
StateUttar Pradesh
DivisionMirzapur
Established4 March 1989
Named afterSon River
HeadquartersRobertsganj
Tehsils
Government
 • District MagistrateBadrinath Singh, IAS
 • Superintendent of PoliceAbhishek Verma , IPS
Area
 • Total
6,788 km2 (2,621 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total
1,862,559
 • Density274.4/km2 (710.7/sq mi)
Language
 • OfficialHindi
 • Additional officialUrdu
 • RegionalBhojpuri
Demographics
 • Literacy64%
 • Sex ratio918/1000
 • Scheduled Castes22.64% (421,661)
 • Scheduled Tribes20.67% (385,018)
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (IST)
Vehicle registrationUP-64
Major highways
Websitesonbhadra.nic.in

Sonbhadra district (also known as Sonebhadra) or Sonanchal is the second largest district by area of Uttar Pradesh after Lakhimpur Kheri. The district headquarters is in the town of Robertsganj. Sonbhadra is also known as the "Energy Capital of India" for hosting multiple power plants.Sonbhadra district is located in south eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Sonbhadra lies between Vindhya and Kaimur hills, and its topology and natural environment prompted the first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru to refer to Sonbhadra as the "Switzerland of India".

In 2018 Uttar Pradesh's chief minister Yogi Adityanath recognised Sonbhadra as a tourist hub in Purvanchal region and further promoted by Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department.

In February 2020, a Press Trust of India (PTI) news report incorrectly claimed that the Geological Survey of India (GSI) had found 3,000 tonnes (3,300 tons) of gold deposits in Sonbhadra district. PTI later stated on Twitter that the GSI had told PTI that there had been no such discovery of large gold deposits in the district.