The district lies high in the Himalaya range, and the district contains the source of both the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, which attract thousands of Hindu pilgrims to the district. Uttarkashi town lies on the main route to Gangotri. Uttarkashi is mentioned in the epic Mahabharata as a holy region. Uttarkashi was ruled by different rulers during different times. After India got its independence in 1947, Uttarkashi emerged as a separate district in 1960.

Jaspal Rana, an illustrious Indian shooter was born on 28^th June, 1976 in Uttarkashi. He won gold medals in 1994 Asian Games,1998 Commonwealth Games, 2002 Commonwealth Games, 2006 Commonwealth Games and 2006 Asian Games.

Geographically, the district lies at 30°73'N latitude, 78°44'E longitude and 2620 m altitude. In the year 2021, there was a total 37.88% forest area of total geographical area. The district has a geographical area of 8,016 sq km. and it is bounded by Himachal Pradesh on the north, Tibet on the northeast, Chamoli District on the east, Rudraprayag District on the southeast, Tehri Garhwal District on the south, and Dehradun District on the west. The climate of the district remains pleasant almost throughout the year. Most of its rainfall occurs in the monsoon season. The actual rainfall in the district was 1637.8 mm in the year of 2021-2022.

Administrative wise, the district has six tehsils includes Rajgarhi, Bhatwadi, Chinyalisaur, Dunda, Purola and Mori. The administrative headquarters of the district is located at Uttarkashi town. The administrative language in the district is Hindi.

According to 2011 census the district has a population of 3,30,086 out of which 1,68,597 are males and 1,61,489 are females. The district has a sex ratio of 958 (females for every 1000 males). During the year 2001-2011 the population growth of the district was 11.89% including 10.91% were males and 12.93% were females. As per 2011 census the major religion of the district is Hindu with 98.42% of the total population. The population density in the district is 41 (persons per sq. km.). According to 2011 census the principal language in the district is Hindi with 92.85%. In the year 2020 the number of live births in the district was 6,396 out of which 3,049 were males and 3,347 were females. In the same year the number of deaths in the district was 1,155 out of which 708 were males and 447 were females.

A huge chunk of revenue of the district comes from agriculture, forest products, animal husbandry, sheep rearing and cottage industries. Agriculture is not flourishing much in the district since most of the land being covered by either forest or uncultivated land. The most important cottage industry is the production of wool and woollen goods. Other cottage industries include basket-making, mat weaving and wood craft. Tourism industry also contributes to the economy of the district. In the year 2017-18 the gross domestic product in the district was Rs. 4,04,901 lakhs at current price and Rs. 3,25,050 lakhs at constant prices in the year 2011-2012. The net domestic product in the district during the period 2017-18 was Rs. 3,56,743 lakh at current price and Rs. 2,87,699 lakh at constant prices in the year 2011-2012. The Per Capita Income or NDDP, At Factor Cost during the period 2017-18 was Rs. 98,100 At Current Price and during the period was Rs. 71,935 at constant prices in the year 2011-2012.

This district has many schools, junior colleges for both boys and girls and one degree college affiliated to Garhwal University. The Government Polytechnic Uttarkashi, situated in Joshiyara provides higher education in technology. As per 2011 census the literacy rate of the district is 75.81% out of which 88.79% are males and 62.35% are females. The total number of literates in the district is 2,15,126 out of which 1,28,237 are males and 86,889 are females.

The district has many beautiful tourist destinations which draws numerous travellers every year. The place is known for its stunning natural sceneries, and is also called as Devbhumi means ‘Land of the Gods’. Dodital is the renowned fresh water lake of the district which is 21 kms from Sangamchatti. Gangnani is located 39 kms from Gangotri. There is a temple dedicated to Sage Parashar. Travellers take bath at Rishikund near the temple in a hot water spring. Sat Tal or 'seven lakes', a group of lakes amidst scenic surroundings is located just above Dharali, 2 kms from Harsil. Ujeli (constellation of sages) is a neighbourhood on the north of the town, where many ashrams are located. The two old suburbs of Uttarkashi town are Gyansoo and Palla Gyansoo. Nachiketa Tal is a magnificent lake of the district and a small temple is located on the banks of the lake. Gangotri is the spiritual source of Ganga River and is one of the 'Char Dhams' of Uttaranchal. The Gangotri temple is situated at an altitude of 3048 metres, about 99 kms from Uttarkashi. Some of the prominent temples of the district are namely Kandar Devta Mandir, Vishwanath Temple and Kuteti Devi temple. Maneri Dam and Bhali Dam are the well known dams of the district. Magh Mela is one of the prime attraction and distinguished festival in Uttarkashi which takes place on the sacred occasion of Makar Sankranti (January) every year. The natives of the district celebrate the festivals with full enthusiasm includes Makar Sankranti, Ramnavami, Janmashtami, Nag Panchami, Raksha Bandhan, Dussehra, Diwali, Shivaratri, Holi, Baisakhi, Lohri, and some regional festivals.