Svitavy District incorporates parts of historical lands of Bohemia and Moravia. From a total of 116 municipalities, 44 municipalities (including the town of Svitavy) are situated in Moravia, 67 municipalities in Bohemia, and five municipalities (Brněnec, Březová nad Svitavou, Kamenná Horka, Karle and Radiměř) lie in both lands.
The terrain is undulating to hilly. The territory extends into five geomorphological mesoregions: Svitavy Uplands (most of the territory), Upper Svratka Highlands (southwest), Orlické Foothills (a strip from northeast to southeast), Zábřeh Highlands (east) and Boskovice Furrow (a small part in the southeast). The highest point of the district is the hill Bubnovaný kopec in Pustá Rybná with an elevation of 780 m (2,560 ft), the lowest point is the river bed of the Loučná in Cerekvice nad Loučnou at 278 m (912 ft).
From the total district area of 1,378.7 km2 (532.3 sq mi), agricultural land occupies 828.5 km2 (319.9 sq mi), forests occupy 435.4 km2 (168.1 sq mi), and water area occupies 11.5 km2 (4.4 sq mi). Forests cover 31.6% of the district's area.[1]
The district is divided into drainage basins of the Elbe and the Danube. The main rivers in the district are the Svitava (central part of the district), Svratka (southeastern part), Moravská Sázava (briefly in the northeastern part), Třebůvka (eastern part), Třebovka and Loučná (both in the northwestern part). The first four rivers comprise part of the Danube basin, while the latter two comprise part of the Elbe basin. The largest body of water in the district is the fishpond Hvězda with an area of 82 ha (200 acres).[3]