8 Union Territories of India - Complete List

Currently, India has 8 union territories. The state of Jammu & Kashmir lost its statehood and it was converted into a separate union territory. Ladakh was carved out of Jammu & Kashmir and created as a separate union territory. This came into effect on 31st October 2019.

The union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu was established on 26th January 2020 by merging two separate union territories of “Daman & Diu” and “Dadra and Nagar Haveli”. Hence, currently, India has 8 union territories and not 9 union territories.

Union Territories of India – An Overview

The list of 8 union territories of India is given below:

1. Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu
2. Jammu & Kashmir
3. Ladakh
4. Chandigarh
5. Delhi
6. Puducherry
7. Lakshadweep
8. Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Chandigarh – Union Territory of India

• Chandigarh is not only a union territory of India but also the joint capital of the states of Haryana and Punjab.
• English is the official language of Chandigarh. The majority of the people speak Hindi, followed by Punjabi.
• Chandigarh is famously known as “Pensioner’s Paradise”.
• There are many famous schools and top higher educational institutions located in Chandigarh.
• Chandigarh is famous for its urban design and architecture.
• Chandigarh is famous for its green belts and tourist parks.
• In post-independent India, Chandigarh is one of the earliest planned cities.
• It was designed by Le Corbusier, a Swiss-French architect.
• The capitol complex in Chandigarh was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2016.

Delhi

• Delhi is a city and a union territory of India.
• New Delhi is the capital of India.
• Delhi is on the banks of the Yamuna river, which is unfortunately very highly polluted. The actions taken to clean the Yamuna river are highly inadequate.
• It shares boundaries with the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana.
• Delhi has UNESCO world heritage sites.
• In the past, Delhi was the capital of the Mughal empire, Delhi Sultanates, and British India.
• The second-highest number of billionaires in India is in Delhi.
• In the past, Delhi had hosted important sporting events such as the Cricket world cup, Hockey world cup, Commonwealth Games, and Asian Games.

Puducherry – Union Territory of India

• Historically, Puducherry was known as Pondicherry.
• The union territory of Puducherry has former French establishments of Yanam, Karaikal, and Mahe — all scattered in various places in South India.
• 4 small geographically unconnected parts constitute the union territory of Puducherry.
• Mahe district is enclosed by Kerala, Yanam district is enclosed by Andhra Pradesh, and Puducherry and Karaikal are enclosed by the state of Tamil Nadu.
• Puducherry is the third most densely populated union territory.
• The most widely spoken language in Puducherry is Tamil. The other native languages spoken by the people of the union territory of Puducherry are Telugu, Malayalam, and Urdu.
• The popular tourist attractions in Puducherry are churches, parks, beaches, temples, etc.
• Puducherry was the residence of Sri Aurobindo, who was a famous Indian nationalist, poet, philosopher, and yoga guru.

Jammu and Kashmir – Union Territory of India

• On 31st October 2019, Jammu & Kashmir was removed from its status as a state and converted into a union territory.
• Ladakh was separated from Jammu and Kashmir and was designated as a separate union territory.
• The winter capital of Jammu & Kashmir is Jammu.
• The summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir is Srinagar.
• The literacy rate of the union territory is 67.16%.
• The most important languages of the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir are Hindi, English, Dogri, and Kashmiri.
• The economy of Jammu and Kashmir is mainly dependent on agriculture.
• Major agricultural exports from Jammu and Kashmir include apples, pears, cherries, plums, saffron and walnuts.
• Kishtwar in Jammu and Kashmir is known as the ‘land of sapphire and saffron’.

Lakshadweep – Union Territory of India

• Lakshadweep islands are located in the Arabian sea.
• It consists of 36 islands in the Arabian sea.
• The name Lakshadweep in Malayalam and Sanskrit means ‘a hundred thousand islands’.
• Lakshadweep is also known as Laccadives.
• All the islands of Lakshadweep are located at a distance of 220 Km to 440 Km away from Kochi.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands – Union Territory of India

• The total area of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is 8,249 sq. km.
• The union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands has 38 inhabited islands.
• Port Blair is the capital of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
• The union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands is separated from Thailand and Myanmar by the Andaman Sea.
• An uncontacted tribe named Sentinelese people are located in the Andaman Islands.

Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu – Union Territory of India

• The two union territories of “Dadra and Nagar Haveli” and “Daman and Diu” were merged and a single union territory was established on 26th January 2020.
• All these territories were former colonies of the Portuguese.
• The languages spoken in the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu are Gujarati, Marathi, Portuguese, Hindi, Varli, and Konkani.
• Some of the major tourist attractions in Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu are Naida Caves, Diu Fort, Vanganga Lake Garden, BAPS Swaminarayan Temple, Tapovan Tourist Complex, Nakshatra Garden, Vasona Lion Safari, Satmalia Deer Sanctuary and Tribal Museum in Silvassa.

Ladakh – Union Territory of India

• Leh is the capital city of Ladakh.
• The largest town in Ladakh is Leh.
• The second largest town in Ladakh is Kargil.
• The famous Indus, Nubra, and Shyok river valleys are found in Ladakh.
• After the Government of India passed the Jammu and Kashmir reorganisation act in 2019, Ladakh was carved out as a separate union territory.
• Muslims are the majority in Ladakh, they constitute 46% of the population.
• Buddhists are 40% of the population, and Hindus are 12% of the population of Ladakh.
• Ladakh is bordered by the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh to the south, Tibet Autonomous Region to the east.