<Tr> <Th> Areas </Th> <Td> 426 km2 (Chennai)--7217 km2 (Viluppuram) </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Subdivisions </Th> <Td> Cities, Towns </Td> </Tr> <P> The state of Tamil Nadu, in southern India is divided into 32 districts . Villupuram is the largest district by area whereas Chennai is the smallest but also the most populated and densely populated . </P> <P> After the Indian independence in August 1947, the former British province of Madras Presidency was renamed Madras State . Following states reorganizations in 1953 and 1956, the present state boundaries emerged . It was officially renamed Tamil Nadu in 1967 . In 1956, Madras State was made up of 13 districts: Chingleput, Coimbatore, Kanyakumari, Madras, Madurai, Nilgiris, North Arcot, Ramanathapuram, Salem, South Arcot, Thanjavur, Tiruchirappalli, and Tirunelveli . Since then, the districts have been divided as follows: </P>

Which is the first largest district in tamilnadu