Latehar district is one of the twenty-two districts of Jharkhand and Latehar town is the administrative headquarters of this district. Latehar town is located 105 km north-west of the state capital, Ranchi.

Latehar district was created on 4th April 2001. Previously, it was a subdivision of Palamau district of Jharkhand State. Latehar district is situated between 84deg. 31 min. East latitude 23 deg. 44.4 sec north latitude. The geographical area of the district is 3651.59 square kilometers. There are 7 Development Blocks, namely Latehar, Chandwa, Balumath, Manika, Barwadih, Garu and Mahuad.

LATEHAR has been named after the village of the same name on Ranchi Daltonganj Road. It is 100 k.m. away by road from Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand. Latehar is famous for its rich natural beauty, forest, forest products and mineral deposits. Latehar remained an integral part of Palamau District as a sub division since 1924.