Karnal, with a population of 8,85,000 covers an area of 1967 sq km. District headquarter is situated in Karnal city. Karnal was founded by the Kouravs around the time of the Mahabharat for King Karna. It is 123 km from Delhi on the National Highway NH1, (called the GT Road), and 126 km from Chandigarh . Other towns are Gharaunda, Nilokheri, Assandh, Indri and Taraori.

Karnal is famous for Shoes, agriculture research institutions and Basmati Rice .

Karnal, 'city of Daanvir Karan' has been a walled town as far as it is possible to trace and may have had a citadel one time. In 1739, the Persian King Nadir Shah defeated the Mughal ruler Muhammad Shah in the Battle of Karnal . Karnal was annexed by the Raja of Jind in AD 1763 and was taken from him by George Thomas in 1797. The British established a cantonment in 1811, but abandoned it after thirty years due to the outbreak of malaria.