Thoothukudi district lies in the Southeastern corner of Tamil Nadu.The District is bounded on the North by Virudhunagar and Ramanathapuram district, by Bay of Bengal in the East, Tirunelveli District in the West and South West.The District lies between 8 º19’00”N and 9º 20’00”N Latitude, 77º 40’00” E and 78º 10’00”E Longitude and has an area extent of 4621 sq.km

Thoothukudi district is one of the coastal Districts of Tamil Nadu. The drainage network in the District is constituted by the rivers originating in Western Ghats and Tamil Nadu uplands and flowing towards the Bay of Bengal. Few streams originate in the hillocks within the district and confluence directly with the sea. Vaippar, Tamiraparani and Karamaniyar are the major rivers draining the area which are ephemeral in nature. Tamiraparani is the major and perennial river in the district with a mature stage of development and on the way receives several important tributaries such as Karaiyar, Servalar, Manimuthar, Kadana, etc.,