Begusarai, the district of Bihar derived its name from the two Hindi words-“begum” and “sarai”. The word “begum” means queen and “sarai” means inn. The natives of this district believes that the begum of Bhagalpur used to visit "Simaria Ghat" (holy place on the banks of the Ganges) for a month of pilgrimage, which later took to the slang of “Begusarai”. Begusarai is the part of historic Mithila region. In 1870, Begusarai became a subdivision of the Munger district. In the year 1972, it was given the district status.

Begusarai is the birthplace of famous Hindi poet Rashtrakavi Ramdhari Singh Dinkar, born on 23rd September, 1908 at Simaria village, Munger district. He has been hailed as a Rashtrakavi (National poet) because of his inspiring patriotic compositions. Another well -known person of this district is Balmiki Prasad Singh, the present governor of Sikkim. He was born on 1st January, 1942 in Begusarai. Bahudhaand the Post 9/11 World and The problem of change: A Study of North East India are the two masterpieces of him.

Geographically, the district lies at 25°42'N latitudes, 86°13'E longitudes and 41 m Altitude. In the year 2021, there was a total 4.31% forest area of total geographical area. The district is located on the northern bank of river Ganges and it is bounded by Samastipur in the north, Ganga River and Lakhisarai district in the south, Khagaria and Munger in the east and Patna district in the west. The district occupies an area of 1,918 sq kms. Some important rivers flows through the district are Ganges, Budhi Gandak, Balan, Bainty, Baya and Chandrabhaga. The district experiences three climatic seasons every year the summer season from March to mid June, the monsoon season from mid June to October and the winter season from November to February. The actual rainfall in the district was 1294.3 mm in the year of 2021-22.

Administrative wise, Begusarai district comprises five sub-divisions Begusarai, Manjahaul, Ballia, Bakhari and Teghara. It has one Lok Sabha seat Begusarai (Lok Sabha constituency). Moreover, the district comprises 10 towns and 1,140 villages. The administrative language in the district is Hindi.

As per 2011 census, the district has a population of 29,70,541 including 15,67,660 are males and 14,02,881 are females. The district has a sex ratio of 895 females for every 1000 males. During the year 2001-2011, the population growth rate of the district was 26.44% out of which 27.57% were males and 25.2% were females. As per 2011 census the major religions in the district are Hindu and Muslim with 85.99% and 13.71% of its total population. The population density in the district is 1,549 persons per sq. kms. According to 2011 census the principal languages in the district are Hindi and Maithili with 87.91% and 2.43%. In the year 2020 the number of live births in the district was 86,919 out of which 45,551 were males and 41,360 were females. In the same year the number of deaths in the district was 10,186 out of which 6,366 were males and 3,820 were females.

The district receives funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF) for the reason that in 2006 the Indian government named Begusarai as one of the backward region of India. The economy of the district is mainly based on agriculture. The prime agricultural crops of the district are paddy, wheat, maize, gram, pulses, peas, mustard and sunflower. In the year 2011-12, the gross domestic product of the district was Rs. 8,28,169 lakh at current price and Rs. 4,92,309 lakh at constant prices in the year 2004-2005. In the year 2011-12 the net domestic product in the district was Rs. 7,48,395 lakh at current price and Rs. 4,36,703 lakh at constant prices in the year 2004-2005.

Since 1994, the computer and management institute VPS computers Provides Quality education in IT & Management. The foundation stone of Ramdhari Singh Dinkar Engineering College was laid on 22nd December, 2013 by Nitish Kumar, is the eighth government engineering college in the state. All colleges of the district are affiliated to Lalit Narayan Mithila University, Darbhanga. As per 2011 census, the literacy rate of the district is 63.87% out of which 71.58% are males and 55.21% are females. The number of literates in the district is 15,48,673 out of which 9,18,507 are males and 6,30,166 are females.

Amita Bhushan, an illustrious politician of the district was born on 5th February, 1970 in Begusarai. She represented the Begusarai constituency on a Congress ticket for the first time in the 15th Lok Sabha Election.

There are many tourist places in the district which attracts many travellers from far different place every year. Panch Mandir, a prominent temple of the district, situated in close proximity to the Radhe Shyam Temple, is replete with Pala-era statues of various gods and goddesses of the same period. The Shivalinga in the temple also belongs to the Pala period. Kabar Lake or Kabar Taal Lake in Manjhaul sub-division of Begusarai is the Asia’s largest fresh water oxbow lake. Kanwar Lake bird sanctuary of the district covers an area of approx. 67.5 sq kms. Jai Mangala temple is also a place of interest of Begusarai situated in Jaimangalgarh which lies in the southern flake of Kanwar Lake. Simaria Ghat is also a centre of attraction among tourists which is situated in the north bank of river Ganga. Begusarai museum, established in 1981 is one of the most captivating historical attractions of the district as it has some collection of unique specimens of stone sculptures and coins of the Pala period.