Discover the 8 Union Territories of India: A Comprehensive Guide

8 Union Territories of India: A union territory is a constituent part of the central government that it controls and oversees. India is located in Southeast Asia and is the 7th largest country on the planet. Aside from this, India is also the second most populous country. The official name of India is the Republic of India. In terms of administration, India is divided into 28 states and eight Union Territories. In contrast to states, Union Territories are subject to the Union’s authority.

Students need to gain a thorough understanding of the Union Territories of India in 2024. This will allow you to score well on different competitive examinations in the future.

List of Union Territories of India

Here is a list of eight Indian Union Territories along with other useful information.

An overview of all Indian Union Territories

KBC 14: Which of these lies within a Union Territory of India?

1. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands

• Date of establishment: November 1, 1956
• The largest city is  Port Blair
• The number of districts is three
• There are 8,241 acres in the area
• Hindi and English are the official languages
• There are 572 islands in the Andaman and Nicobar Union Territories. Only 38 of these are inhabited. UT’s capital is Port Blair. The Sentinelese people, a tribe that has never been in contact with outside forces, also reside in the Andaman Islands.

2. Chandigarh

• Date of establishment: November 1, 1966
• Chandigarh is the largest city in the country
• The number of districts is one
• The area is 114 square kilometers.
• English is the official language
• In addition to serving as the capital of Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh is an important part of the Union Territory. As one of the earliest planned cities in post-independence India, Chandigarh is internationally renowned for its architecture. It has one of the highest per capita incomes in the nation.

3. Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu

• Date of establishment: January 26, 2020
• The largest city is Silvassa (the capital is Daman).
• There are three districts
• The area of the country is 603 square kilometers.
• The official languages of the country are Gujarati, Hindi, Konkani, Marathi, and English
• A brief overview of the union territory consists of the following four separate geographical entities: Dadra, Nagar Haveli, Daman, and Diu. The regions of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu merged to form the union territory.

4. Delhi

• It was founded in 1956
• Delhi is the largest city in the country
• There are 11 districts in the province
• The area is 1484 square kilometers.
• Hindi and English are the official languages
• This territory includes New Delhi, India’s capital, and is officially known as the National Capital Territory (NCT). As of 2011, Delhi’s city proper population is over 11 million, while the NCT population is approximately 16.8 million. Delhi is India’s busiest retail center. Apart from this, Delhi has the second-highest GDP per capita in India after Goa.

5. Jammu and Kashmir

• Date of establishment: October 31, 2019
• The most populous city – Jammu (capital, Srinagar)
• There are 20 districts
• The area of the country is 42,241 square kilometers.
• The official languages of the country are Kashmiri, Dogri, Urdu, Hindi, and English
• The state of Jammu and Kashmir comprises the Jammu region and the Kashmir Valley. The BJP-led government created this union territory in 2019 by passing a resolution repealing Article 370.

6. Ladakh

• The company was established on October 31st, 2019
• Leh is the largest city in the country
• There are two districts
• The area is 59,146 square kilometers
• Hindi and English are the official languages
• A brief overview of Ladakh: Ladakh is part of the Indian Union Territory (UT), created after the repeal of Article 370 by the Indian government. Leh is the largest city in this UT, followed by Kargil. The Indian military maintains a strong presence in this region due to its strategic importance.

7. The Lakshadweep Islands

• Date of establishment: November 1, 1956
• Andrott is the largest city
• The number of districts is one
• The area is 32.63 square kilometers.
• Malayalam and English are the official languages
• UT Lakshadweep, also known as Laccadives, consists of 36 islands in the Arabian Sea. The UT contains only ten inhabited islands. The population of Lakshadweep is 64, 473 according to the 2011 census. The UT also has an airport on Agatti Island. Among the main occupations of the inhabitants are fishing and coconut cultivation.

8. Puducherry

• They founded it on November 1, 1954.
• Pondicherry is the largest city
• There are four districts
• The area is 483 square kilometers
• Tamil, English, and French are the official languages
• UT Puducherry has its own legislature and is one of the three union territories in India. The most widely spoken language in Puducherry is Tamil. Puducherry was formed by combining four former French territories.