Hubli officially known as Hubballi is the second largest populated city in Karnataka, located about 85 Kilometres south of Maharashtra-Karnataka border.

The name Hubballi literally means "Flowering creeper" in Kannada. The twin cities of Hubli and Dharwad, collectively referred to as "Hubli-Dharwad", is the second largest populated city in Karnataka after Bengaluru. While Dharwad is the administrative headquarters, the city of Hubli, situated about 20 km south-east of Dharwad, is the commercial center and business hub of North Karnataka region. Crops including cotton, chilly and peanuts are grown aplenty in the surrounding rural agricultural areas, and Hubli is a major trading center for these commodities. It is also an important city for the Indian Railways, as it is the headquarters for South Western Railway Zone and the Hubli Railway Division. Hubli is a major railway junction in North Karnataka. It is also the headquarters of North Western Karnataka Road Transport Corporation. Hubli also houses the largest number of government offices outside Bangalore.