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List of Indian States and Capitals, Map of 28 States and 8 UTs

India is one of the oldest civilizations in the world, known for its diverse culture and rich history. Since gaining independence, India has made significant progress in many areas. As the seventh-largest country globally, it is unique in Asia, surrounded by mountains and oceans that give it a special geographical identity. The Great Himalayas are in the north, and as you move south, India narrows down into the Indian Ocean, with the Bay of Bengal on the east and the Arabian Sea on the west.

  • Article 1 of the Indian Constitution declares India as a Union of States.
  • The official name of India is Bharat, combining traditional and modern names.
  • India’s territory includes states, union territories, and any future acquired territories.
  • Parliament can create new states or admit them into the Union under its own terms.

India is a Sovereign, Secular, Democratic Republic with a Parliamentary system. The President is the head of the Union’s Executive, while the Governor is the head of the Executive in the states, representing the President. India has 28 states and 8 Union Territories, which are managed by the President through appointed Administrators. Each State and Union Territory has its own unique demographics, history, culture, clothing, festivals, and languages.

Indian States and Capitals

India currently has 28 states and 8 Union territories. Each state has its own administrative, legislative, and judicial capitals, and some have all three in one city. Each state is led by a Chief Minister. Here is a complete list of Indian states, Union territories, and their capitals.

States and Capitals of India History

India is a republic with a parliamentary form of government that is a sovereign, secular, democratic nation. Both its natural beauty and cultural heritage are plentiful in this country. The linguistic, cultural, and geographic division of India is based on its States and Capitals of India. After becoming independent, it was divided into the British Provinces and the Princely States. The princely states had three alternatives once India and Pakistan were divided:

  • Remaining independent
  • Joining Pakistan
  • Joining India

Out of the 552 princely states that made up India, 549 became part of it, and the other 3 refused. They did, however, eventually integrate. The Indian Constitution was ratified on November 26, 1949, and it went into effect on January 26, 1950. The States Reorganization Act of 1956 altered the state boundaries of India based on linguistic distinctions.

List of Indian States and their Capitals

India has 28 States, which were founded in different years. Here is the List of 28 States of India and Capitals in 2024:

State Capital Founded on
Andhra Pradesh Amaravati 1 November 1956
Arunachal Pradesh Itanagar 20 February 1987
Assam Dispur 26 January 1950
Bihar Patna 22 March 1912
Chhattisgarh Raipur 1 November 2000
Goa Panaji 30 May 1987
Gujarat Gandhinagar 1 May 1960
Haryana Chandigarh 1 November 1966
Himachal Pradesh Shimla 25 January 1971
Jharkhand Ranchi 15 November 2000
Karnataka Bengaluru 1 November 1956
Kerala Thiruvananthapuram 1 November 1956
Madhya Pradesh Bhopal 1 November 1956
Maharashtra Mumbai 1 May 1960
Manipur Imphal 21 January 1972
Meghalaya Shillong 21 January 1972
Mizoram Aizawl 20 February 1987
Nagaland Kohima 1 December 1963
Odisha Bhubaneswar 26 January 1950
Punjab Chandigarh 1 November 1966
Rajasthan Jaipur 1 November 1956
Sikkim Gangtok 16 May 1975
Tamil Nadu Chennai 26 January 1950
Telangana Hyderabad 2 January 2014
Tripura Agartala 21 January 1972
Uttar Pradesh Lucknow 26 January 1950
Uttarakhand Dehradun 9 November 2000
West Bengal Kolkata 1 November 1956

India Map with States and Capitals

Here is an India Map with States and their capital for a better understanding of territories’ location, neighbouring states and many more.

Map of 28 States and 8 UTs

28 States and Capitals of India

Currently, India has a total of 28 States and 8 Union Territories. Three states, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Uttarakhand, have separate capitals for their summer and winter legislative sessions.

According to the Preamble of Indian Constitution, India is a republican, socialist, secular, and independent state. A democratic parliamentary system is used in India. The Indian President is in charge of the Union Territories. The President and the Governors serve as the executive branches of their respective states. State governments resemble the federal government in many ways. Chief Ministers oversee the state governments.

New Developments

  • 2019: The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act was enacted, creating two Union Territories: Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, making it the first time a state was split into two Union Territories. From January 26, 2020, India has 8 Union Territories and 28 states.
  • 2020: On January 26, Daman and Diu merged with Dadra and Nagar Haveli to become one Union Territory.
  • Some states, like Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Uttarakhand, have different capitals for their summer and winter legislative sessions.
  • Ladakh also has two administrative capitals: Leh and Kargil.

States and Capitals of India State Formation

The States Reorganization Act of 1956 was important in changing the borders of Indian states. It combined three types of states Part A, Part B, and Part C into one type of state according to a change in the Indian Constitution.

  • Part A included areas that were formerly British India’s governor regions.
  • Part B included former royal states.
  • Part C included certain princely states and regions governed by chief commissioners.

Even though many state boundaries have changed since 1947, this Act is still seen as a key factor in shaping the current structure of Indian states.

8 Union Territories of India

India had 8 union territories since 26th January 2024 by merging Daman and Diu with Dadra and Nagar Haveli into single union territory. Here we have discuss about the  Union Territories of India in below table:

S.NO Union Territories Capital CM Lt. Governor
1 Andaman and Nicobar Island Port Blair NA Admiral D K Joshi
2 Chandigarh Chandigarh NA Banwarilal Purohit (Administrator)
3 Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu Daman NA Praful Patel (Administrator)
4 Delhi Delhi Arvind Kejriwal Vinai Kumar Saxena
5 Ladakh NA NA Radha Krishna Mathur
6 Lakshadweep Kavaratti NA Praful Patel (Administrator)
7 Jammu and Kashmir NA NA Manoj Sinha
8 Puducherry Pondicherry N. Rangaswamy Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan

Difference between States and Union Territories

Particulars State Union Territories
Administrative Units Own administrative units with the elected government Controlled and administered by the Central Government
Executive Head Governor President
Relationship with Centre Federal Unitary with the Centre (all powers rest with the Union)
Administration Chief Minister, elected by the people Administrator appointed by the President (except Delhi, Puducherry, and Jammu & Kashmir)
Head The Chief Minister is the real head The lieutenant is the real head

States and Capitals of India UPSC

Andhra Pradesh was the first state in India to be created on the basis of a language. It originated from Madras State’s northern Telugu-speaking districts. According to the 1956 States Reorganization Act, new states were created or existing states were reorganized along linguistic grounds. Students can read all the details related to UPSC by visiting the official website of StudyIQ UPSC Online Coaching.

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States and Capitals of India FAQs

Does India have 28 or 29 states?

There are 28 states in India, not 29. The Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh were most recently formed out of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Which is new state in India?

Telangana was divided from Andhra Pradesh on June 2, 2014. So, Telangana is the newly-formed state in India.

Which state is removed from 29 states?

Earlier, there was 29 states in India but Jammu and Kashmir lost its status as a state on October 31, 2019, and it became a union territory. Ladakh was made into a separate Union Territory and split off from Jammu & Kashmir.

How many cities are in India?

India has 48 cities with a population of one million or more, 405 cities with a population of between 100,000 and one million, and 2500 cities with a population of between 10,000 and 100,000. With a population, Mumbai is the biggest city in India.

What is the national language of India?

There is no national language of India as per the constitution, Hindi and English both are considered the official language of India.

Which is the largest state in India?

Rajasthan is the largest state in India in terms of area which covers 342,239 km2 of land area.

Which is the smallest state in India?

Goa is the smallest state of India. Puducherry is smaller than Goa but a Union Territory.

What is the capital of India?

New Delhi, national capital of India.

How many UTs in India?

Union Territories in India India currently has 8 Union Territories (UTs) – Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry.

How many states in India 2024?

There are 28 states in India in 2024.

How many states in india 2024 list with names?

Here is a list of the 28 states in India in 2024, in alphabetical order:

Andhra Pradesh
Arunachal Pradesh
Assam
Bihar
Chhattisgarh
Goa
Gujarat
Haryana
Himachal Pradesh
Jammu and Kashmir
Jharkhand
Karnataka
Kerala
Madhya Pradesh
Maharashtra
Manipur
Meghalaya
Mizoram
Nagaland
Odisha
Punjab
Rajasthan
Sikkim
Tamil Nadu
Telangana
Tripura
Uttar Pradesh
Uttarakhand
West Bengal