Kanigiri is a town in Markapuram district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipality and the headquarters of Kanigiri mandal in Kanigiri revenue division. It is known for its Kanigiri hill.
The name is a vernacular transformation of Kanakagiri (Kanaka meaning gold and Giri meaning Hill). In olden times it was said that the town adjoining the hill was called Kanakapatnam.
Kanigiri was under the rule of Vijanagar, Gajapathis, Yadaya, Reddi dynasties and Bahamani Sultans.. The first cases of endemic skeletal fluorosis (and its neurological signs) in the world were recorded in the Podili, Darsi and Kanigiri areas of Andhra Pradesh in 1937.
The town has a maximum elevation of 380 meters which is on Kanigiri Hill located on the Northern edge of the municipality. Excluding the hill, the Kanigiri Municipality's average elevation is 95 meters. The minimum elevation is 70 meters and the maximum elevation is 120 meters. The hill base starts at 120 meters and goes up to 380 meters. The hill is under the ownership of the forest department. There is a temple at the top and at the base of the hill and a water body where the water treatment Plant and water pumping station are located.
Kanigiri has a tropical climate, specifically a tropical wet and dry climate (Aw) under the Köppen climate classification, Kanigiri is located near the coast of the Bay of Bengal. The town is surrounded by the range of Eastern Ghats. It has an average elevation of 101 metres (334 feet), and enjoys a hot climate for most of the year.
Census, the total population of the Kanigiri was , of which male population constitutes and female population of . It has a literacy rate of 77.55 per cent. The population under six years of age are .
Kanigiri is also declared as a municipality during 2013-2014. There are total 20 administrative wards. The total area is around 54.22 km<sup>2</sup>. It is one of the selected ULBs under AMRUT Scheme. Water from the reservoir Nagarjuna Sagar Dam via pump lines reaches the town through a plant near Doruvu.
NH 565 passes through the Municipality which connects Kanigiri to Hyderabad on the Northern side and Nellore on the southern side. Other than that, the Ollapalem-Vemulapadu road (Kandukur-Kanigiri Road) which is a State Highway, connects Kanigiri to Kandukur towards the East and further connects it to NH 16. On the Western side, the State Highway connects Kanigiri to Kurnool. Expressway From Vijaywada to Bangalore under construction passes through the town.
Railway Line from Nadikudi to Sri Kalahasthi Nadikudi-Srikalahasti section under construction passes through Kanigiri Town
Kanigiri is connected by road to all other cities in Andhra Pradesh by Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation. The nearest railway Station is at Donakonda which is exactly 50 km from Kanigiri Municipality. There is a proposed railway line from Nadikudi to Srikalahasti which would pass through Kanigiri. Vijayawada, which has the nearest airport to Kanigiri is at a distance of 200 km.