Basti was originally known as villege. The origin of name Vaishishthi is attributed to the fact that this area was the Ashram of Rishi (sage) Vashistha in ancient period.lord rama with his younger brother laxman had been here for some time with rishi vasistha.

Basti Railway Station, Uttar Pradesh.

The district lies between the parallels of 26° 23′ and 27° 30′ North and Latitude and 82° 17′ and 83° 20′ East longitude. Its maximum length from north to south is about 75 km. and breadth from east to west about 70 km. The district lies between newly created district Sant Kabir Nagar on the east and Gonda on the west On the south, the Ghaghra river separates it from the Faizabad and newly created district named Ambedkar Nagar. While on the North it is bounded by district Sidharth Nagar.

According to the 2011 census Basti district has a population of 2,461,056, roughly equal to the nation of Kuwait or the US state of Nevada. This gives it a ranking of 179th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 916 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,370 /sq mi) . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 18.05 %. Basti has a sex ratio of 959 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 69.69 %.

The district is noted for its cotton textiles and sugar industries. Cottage industries and small-scale industries including the manufacturing units of brassware, iron and carpentry goods, agricultural implements, bricks, agro-products, foot-wear, soaps, candles, and pottery are present here. Basti is also known for its bamboo, eucalyptus (Eucalyptus teritrornis), mango and shisham (Dalbergia sissoo) populations. Three sugar factories are housed in the district. Sugarcane, maize, paddy, pulses, wheat, barley, and potato are commonly cultivated. Most of the population depends for their livelihood on agricultural practices. The district is well-connected through NH 28 which reflects on its good economy. The city is well-connected through railways also.

Horticulture R&D Training Centre, Basti, Uttar Pradesh.

In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Basti one of the country's 250 most backward districts. It is one of the 34 districts in Uttar Pradesh currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF). City is also known for nationwide youth organization National Association of Youth founded by Bhavesh Kumar Pandey and run from Basti. The organization organizes Basti Mini Marathon every year since 2012.

Bhadeshwar Nath, Basti, Uttar Pradesh.