There are 28 states and 8 union territories in India. Each state is unique and has a rich and diverse culture, heritage, language, resources, flora and fauna, dress, demography, festivals, etc. Each state contributes to the development of India in various ways. This article will provide brief information about India’s various states and union territories.

States and Capitals – Complete List

The list of states and their respective capitals are given in the below table.

Union Territories of India – Complete List

The President of India administers the union territories of India through an administrator appointed by the President of India.

The 8 union territories of India and their respective capitals are given in the below table.

States of India – A Brief Overview of Different States

A brief snippet of different states of India are given below:

Karnataka

• The state of Karnataka was formed on 1st November 1956, after the implementation of the “States Reorganisation Act.”
• Originally, Karnataka was known as the state of Mysore. In 1973, the state of Mysore was renamed Karnataka.

Visit the given link for more information on the state of Karnataka.

Kerala

• Kerala was formed by combining the Malayalam-speaking regions of Travancore, South Canara, Malabar, and Cochin.
• Kerala is ranked very high on many of the social and development indexes.

Visit the given link for more information on the state of Kerala.

Jharkhand

• The Jharkhand state was formed on 15 November 2000.
• Jharkhand means “land of forests.”
• More than 40% of India’s mineral resources are in the state of Jharkhand.

Visit the given link for more information on the state of Jharkhand.

Himachal Pradesh

Himachal Pradesh

• Himachal Pradesh is known as “Dev Bhoomi” meaning “Land of God”.
• Himachal Pradesh has major hill stations like Shimla, Kullu, Manali, Dharamshala, Chamba, Dalhousie, etc. It attracts tourists from across the globe.

Visit the given link for more information on the state of Himachal Pradesh.

Haryana

• Based on language, Haryana was carved out of Punjab on 1st November 1966.
• The state of Haryana is the 13th largest economy in India.
• Haryana is rich in tourism, flora and fauna, heritage, monuments, and history.

Learn more about the capital of Haryana and the state of Haryana in the given link.

Gujarat

• From the former state of Bombay, 17 northern districts were carved out to form the state of Gujarat.
• The state of Gujarat has the longest coastline in India.
• Gujarat has seen immense economic development in the past two decades.

Learn more about the capital of Gujarat and the state of Gujarat in the given link.

Tamil Nadu

• Chennai is the capital of Tamil Nadu.
• Chennai has earned the nickname, “Detroit of India”.

Learn more about the capital city of Tamil Nadu in the given link.

Arunachal Pradesh

• Arunachal Pradesh is home to 26 major tribes of India and 100 sub-tribes.
• Arunachal Pradesh was carved out of the erstwhile North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) region.
• Arunachal Pradesh is the largest state among the Seven Sister States of Northeast India.

Learn more about the capital city of Arunachal Pradesh and the state of Arunachal Pradesh in the given link.

Bihar

• Bihar is home to many pilgrimage centres of Buddhists, Hindus, and Jains.
• Bhojpuris, Maithilis, and Magahis are the major ethnolinguistic groups of Bihar.
• Patna is the capital of Bihar.

Learn more about the capital city of Bihar and the state of Bihar in the given link.

Goa – The smallest state in India

• Among all the Indian states, Goa has the highest GDP per capita.
• Mining is the second largest industry in Goa. Goa is rich in minerals and ores.
• Goa attracts a large number of domestic and international tourists every year due to its white-sand beaches, world heritage listed architecture, places of worship, north western ghats, rainforests and an active nightlife.

Learn more about the capital city of Goa and the state of Goa in the given link.

Chhattisgarh

• Chhattisgarh is a landlocked state located in Central India.
• Among all the Indian states, Chhattisgarh has the 3rd largest forest cover.
• The 3rd largest coal reserves of India are found in Chhattisgarh.

Learn more about the capital city of Chhattisgarh and the state of Chhattisgarh in the given link.

Assam

• Dispur is the capital of Assam.
• The first site where oil drilling took place in Asia was Assam.
• The economy of Assam is dependent on wildlife tourism to Kaziranga and Manas National Parks. These two wildlife parks are World Heritage Sites.

Learn more about the capital city of Assam and the state of Assam in the given link.

Madhya Pradesh

• Area-wise, the second-largest state in India is Madhya Pradesh.
• For many years, Madhya Pradesh was the largest state in India. After Chhattisgarh was carved out of Madhya Pradesh, it slipped down to the second position.
• Bhopal is the capital of Madhya Pradesh.

Maharashtra

• In India, Maharashtra is the third largest state by area.
• Mumbai is the capital of Maharashtra.
• As per the 2011 census of India, Mumbai is the most populous city in India.
• Mumbai is the financial capital of India.

Manipur

• The economy of Manipur is primarily dependent on agriculture.
• The majority of the population of Manipur is the Meitei. They constitute around 53% of the population.
• Imphal is the capital of Manipur.

Meghalaya

• Shillong is the capital of Meghalaya.
• Meghalaya means “Abode of the Clouds”.

Mizoram

• The name Mizoram is derived from the words “Mizo” and “ram’’. Mizos are the native inhabitants of Mizoram. In the Mizo language, “ram” means land.
• Mizoram is an important transit point between Myanmar and Bangladesh.
• Mizoram is the 2nd least populated state in India.

Nagaland

• The states bordering Nagaland are Manipur, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh.
• Kohima is the capital of Nagaland.
• The battle of Kohima which took place during the 2nd World War gave it the epithet ‘Stalingrad of the East.’

Odisha

• The state of Odisha has the third-largest population of Scheduled Tribes in India.
• Bhubaneswar is the capital of Odisha.
• Bhubaneswar is famously known as the “temple city” as this city had around 700 temples at one point of time in its history.

Punjab

• The Indian states bordering the state of Punjab are Rajasthan, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh.
• Chandigarh is the capital of Punjab.
• The official language of Punjab is Punjabi.

Rajasthan

• The word Rajasthan means ‘Land of Kings’.
• By area, Rajasthan is the largest state in India.
• Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan.

Telangana

• Telangana is the eleventh largest state in India.
• The seventh-largest economy in India is the state of Telangana.
• Hyderabad is the capital of Telangana.