India Political Map with State Capitals
Complete political map of India - 28 states, 8 union territories and the national capital New Delhi. Each state is colour-coded, capitals are marked, and a full reference table covers area, population, official language and formation year for every state and UT.
Political Map of India
States and capitals of India (28 states)
| # | State | Capital | Formation | Official language | Area (sq km) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andhra Pradesh | Amaravati (de jure) / Visakhapatnam (executive proposal) | 1 Nov 1956 | Telugu | 162,968 |
| 2 | Arunachal Pradesh | Itanagar | 20 Feb 1987 | English | 83,743 |
| 3 | Assam | Dispur (Guwahati) | 26 Jan 1950 | Assamese | 78,438 |
| 4 | Bihar | Patna | 26 Jan 1950 | Hindi | 94,163 |
| 5 | Chhattisgarh | Raipur | 1 Nov 2000 | Hindi | 135,192 |
| 6 | Goa | Panaji | 30 May 1987 | Konkani | 3,702 |
| 7 | Gujarat | Gandhinagar | 1 May 1960 | Gujarati | 196,244 |
| 8 | Haryana | Chandigarh | 1 Nov 1966 | Hindi | 44,212 |
| 9 | Himachal Pradesh | Shimla / Dharamshala (winter) | 25 Jan 1971 | Hindi | 55,673 |
| 10 | Jharkhand | Ranchi | 15 Nov 2000 | Hindi | 79,716 |
| 11 | Karnataka | Bengaluru | 1 Nov 1956 | Kannada | 191,791 |
| 12 | Kerala | Thiruvananthapuram | 1 Nov 1956 | Malayalam | 38,852 |
| 13 | Madhya Pradesh | Bhopal | 1 Nov 1956 | Hindi | 308,252 |
| 14 | Maharashtra | Mumbai / Nagpur (winter) | 1 May 1960 | Marathi | 307,713 |
| 15 | Manipur | Imphal | 21 Jan 1972 | Meitei (Manipuri) | 22,327 |
| 16 | Meghalaya | Shillong | 21 Jan 1972 | English | 22,429 |
| 17 | Mizoram | Aizawl | 20 Feb 1987 | Mizo, English | 21,081 |
| 18 | Nagaland | Kohima | 1 Dec 1963 | English | 16,579 |
| 19 | Odisha | Bhubaneswar | 1 Apr 1936 | Odia | 155,707 |
| 20 | Punjab | Chandigarh | 1 Nov 1966 | Punjabi | 50,362 |
| 21 | Rajasthan | Jaipur | 1 Nov 1956 | Hindi | 342,239 |
| 22 | Sikkim | Gangtok | 16 May 1975 | Nepali, English | 7,096 |
| 23 | Tamil Nadu | Chennai | 26 Jan 1950 | Tamil | 130,058 |
| 24 | Telangana | Hyderabad | 2 Jun 2014 | Telugu, Urdu | 112,077 |
| 25 | Tripura | Agartala | 21 Jan 1972 | Bengali, Kokborok | 10,486 |
| 26 | Uttar Pradesh | Lucknow | 26 Jan 1950 | Hindi | 240,928 |
| 27 | Uttarakhand | Dehradun (Gairsain - summer) | 9 Nov 2000 | Hindi, Sanskrit | 53,483 |
| 28 | West Bengal | Kolkata | 26 Jan 1950 | Bengali | 88,752 |
Union territories and their capitals (8 UTs)
| # | Union Territory | Capital | Status since | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Andaman & Nicobar Islands | Port Blair | 1 Nov 1956 | Bay of Bengal archipelago; Lt. Governor |
| 2 | Chandigarh | Chandigarh | 1 Nov 1966 | Joint capital of Punjab and Haryana |
| 3 | Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu | Daman (HQ) / Silvassa | 26 Jan 2020 (merged) | Two former UTs combined |
| 4 | Delhi (NCT) | New Delhi | 1 Nov 1956 | National capital, has its own Legislative Assembly |
| 5 | Jammu & Kashmir | Srinagar (summer) / Jammu (winter) | 31 Oct 2019 | Reorganised from former state |
| 6 | Ladakh | Leh / Kargil (joint) | 31 Oct 2019 | Largest UT by area |
| 7 | Lakshadweep | Kavaratti | 1 Nov 1956 | Smallest UT in Arabian Sea |
| 8 | Puducherry | Puducherry | 1 Jul 1963 | Has its own Legislative Assembly |
How India is organised
India is a Union of States. Article 1 of the Constitution describes the country as "Bharat, that is, India" - a Union of 28 States and 8 Union Territories. States have their own elected Legislative Assemblies and a Council of Ministers headed by a Chief Minister, while the Governor is the constitutional head appointed by the President. Union territories are administered by the President through Lt. Governors or Administrators - except Delhi, Puducherry and J&K, which have their own elected Legislative Assemblies with limited powers.
The States Reorganisation Act of 1956 redrew Indian states on a linguistic basis and created 14 states and 6 union territories. Bombay was bifurcated into Maharashtra and Gujarat in 1960. Punjab was reorganised in 1966 to create Haryana and the union territory of Chandigarh. Northeastern states (Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura - 1972; Arunachal, Mizoram - 1987) were carved out one after another. Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Uttarakhand were created in 2000. Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh in 2014. Most recently, Jammu and Kashmir was reorganised into two UTs (J&K and Ladakh) in 2019, and Daman & Diu was merged with Dadra & Nagar Haveli in 2020.
Quick reference
Largest by area
- Rajasthan - 342,239 sq km
- Madhya Pradesh - 308,252
- Maharashtra - 307,713
- Uttar Pradesh - 240,928
- Gujarat - 196,244
Smallest by area
- Goa - 3,702 sq km
- Sikkim - 7,096
- Tripura - 10,486
- Nagaland - 16,579
- (UTs: Lakshadweep - 32 sq km is smallest)
Largest by population
- Uttar Pradesh (~240 million)
- Maharashtra (~125 million)
- Bihar (~125 million)
- West Bengal (~99 million)
- Madhya Pradesh (~85 million)
States with two capitals
- Maharashtra: Mumbai + Nagpur (winter)
- Himachal: Shimla + Dharamshala
- J&K UT: Srinagar + Jammu
- Uttarakhand: Dehradun + Gairsain
- Ladakh: Leh + Kargil (joint)
Coastal states (9)
- Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka
- Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh
- Odisha, West Bengal
- (plus 4 coastal UTs)
Landlocked states (19)
- All northern states (HP, UK, UP, Bihar, etc.)
- All NE states except those touching coast
- Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, MP, CG
- Jharkhand, Telangana
States bordering Pakistan
- J&K UT, Ladakh UT
- Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat
States bordering China
- Ladakh UT, HP, Uttarakhand
- Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh
States bordering Bangladesh
- West Bengal, Assam
- Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram
FAQs
How many states and UTs are there in India?
28 states and 8 union territories. The most recent changes were the 2019 reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir into two UTs (J&K and Ladakh), and the 2020 merger of Daman & Diu with Dadra & Nagar Haveli.
What is the capital of India?
New Delhi is the national capital. It lies inside the National Capital Territory of Delhi, which is a union territory with its own elected Legislative Assembly.
Which states share the same capital?
Punjab and Haryana share Chandigarh as their joint capital. Chandigarh itself is a separate union territory and houses both state high courts.
Which Indian state was formed most recently?
Telangana was carved out of Andhra Pradesh on 2 June 2014 and became India's 29th state. After J&K was reorganised into two UTs in 2019, India has 28 states.
Are the boundaries on this map exact?
No. This is a simplified educational political map. State outlines are approximations - use Survey of India maps for survey-grade accuracy.
What is the difference between a state and a union territory?
States have their own Legislative Assembly, government and Chief Minister with shared powers under the Constitution. UTs are directly administered by the central government through a Lt. Governor or Administrator (with three exceptions - Delhi, Puducherry and J&K - which have elected assemblies).