The district of Muzaffarpur was created in 1875, by separating itself from the earlier district of Tirhut. It is also known very widely as the ‘The Land Of Lychee’, as it has won national recognition for its its delicious Shahi Lychee and China Lychee. The district of Muzaffarpur is named for Muzaffar Khan, an Amil (Revenue Officer) under the British Rule.
Muzafarpur is flanked by Purbi Champaran and Sitamarhi districts on North, Vaishali and Saran districts on the South, on the East by Darbhanga and Samastipur districts and on the West by Saran and Gopalganj districts.
Muzaffarpur has been historically very significant as its geographical position has been on frontier lines of many spiritual influences, especially Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam. Hence, a number of social institutions and cultural practices, have emerged out of the assimilation of these religious and cultural influences.
According to the 2011 census , it has a population of about 4,800,000 and has a density of about 1,500 inhabitants per kilometre. The sex ratio is about 898 women for every 1000 men, and an overall literacy rate of 84.8%. The area is primarily agricultural and horticultural with lychee and mangoes being a primary crop along with rice, wheat, maize and certain oil seeds. The languages primarily spoken in the district are Vajjika, Hindi, Urdu, and Maithili.