How Many States Are In India?
India is the second most populous country in the world and seventh largest by area. The country occupies 1.27 million square miles of the Indian subcontinent that also includes Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan. India is a federal constitutional republic made up of 29 states and 7 union territories. The federal government governs the country while the democratically elected governments govern the states and the two union territories of National Capital Territory of Delhi and Puducherry. Administrators appointed by the federal government govern the other five union territories. The States Reorganization Act of 1956 reorganized the state on a linguistic basis. The 31 self-governing territories have administrative, judicial, and legislative capitals. The administrative capital is where the executive perform its functions while and the state legislatures are located at the legislative capitals. The following are some of the states of India.
The States of India
Rajasthan
Rajasthan is the largest state in India. It covers an area of 132,139 square miles which is approximately 10.4% of the country. Although it is the largest by size, it ranks seventh by population. It is located in the northwestern end of the country most of which is covered by the Thar Desert. Rajasthan was formed in March 1949 when Rajputana; the British Raj in the region merged with the Dominion of India. Jaipur is the administrative and legislative capital of the state while Jodhpur is the judicial capital. The state is known for its wildlife that includes a significant number of the endangered tigers.
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state in India with a population of about 200 million. It covers an area of 93,930 square miles which is about the size of the United Kingdom. The British created it in April 1937 and named it the United Provinces before it was renamed Uttar Pradesh in 1950. Because of its massive population, the state is divided into 75 districts and 18 divisions. In November 2000, the federal government carved the Himalayan hill region of Uttar Pradesh and created the state of Uttarakhand. Lucknow is the administrative and legislative capital while Allahabad is the judicial capital.
Goa
Goa is the smallest state in the country by area and the fourth smallest by population. However, It has the largest GDP per capita of the 29 states and seven territories. Goa is known for better living standards than other states. The capital city is Panaji while the largest is Vasco da Gama. The state receives millions of domestic and international tourists annually for its sandy beaches, archaeological sites, places of worship, nightlife, and its position as a world heritage architecture.
