The Town of Ratnagiri is headquarters of Ratnagiri district. It is located in western coast of Maharashtra called the Konkan Region. The region is also an administrative division of the state.

Ratnagiri is located in an undulating terrain the western part is the sea shore and the attitude rises towards the east. The eastern area is at an average height of 75 m above sea level. The eastern part has a good laterite cover. Ratnagiri district population is 1696777 with 89 % people staying in rural villages. Ratnagiri town has the highest population of about 70383 in the district followed by Nachne a Census Town having a population of 9327.

Ratnagiri is the headquarters of Ratnagiri district in south western Maharashtra . This tract is historically famous for its long coastline and convenient harbours, together with it comparative nearness to the Arabian Sea . The region has a long ancient history. This region was under the rule of the Mauryas, the Nalas, the Silaharas, the Chalukyas, the Kadambas, the Portuguese, the Marathas and subsequently the British. In 1731 it came under the control of Satara kings; in 1818 it was surrendered to the British. A fort was built during the rule of the Bijapur dynasty and strengthened in 1670 by the Maratha king Shivaji, it is located on a headland near the harbour. It is one of the minor ports of the Konkan coast used for fishing.

In 1885 King Thibaw , the deposed king of Burma was brought to Ratnagiri by the British. In 1911 a palace was constructed where he was kept under house arrest. The palace known as Thibaw Palace is an important landmark of the town. The Archaeological survey of India is restoring the palace and a garden is proposed to be developed in its complex. The veteran freedom fighter Veer Sawarkar was sent to Ratnagiri by the British to curb its political activities. He stayed here for 13 years and undertook various social reform activities in the town. Ratnagiri is also the birth place of Lokmanya Tilak another important freedom fighter and social reformer.

In 1822 Ratnagiri was declared as the District Headquarter and the Ratnagiri Municipal Council was established in 1876, when the population of the area was 11000 persons.

In 1948 the independent princely state of Sawantwadi was merged with the Indian union and in 1956 with Bombay Province , thus becoming part of Ratnagiri district. In 1960 with the creation of Maharashtra , Ratnagiri became a district of that state. In 1981 Ratnagiri district was bifurcated and the new district of Sindhudurg was created. Ratnagiri has nine tehsils and eight towns.

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