India States & Capitals Explorer
Tap any state or union territory on the tile map to see its capital, languages, population, area and what it is famous for — then test yourself with three kinds of map quiz.
India has 28 states and 8 union territories. A state has its own elected government led by a Chief Minister, while a union territory is run by the Union Government through a Lieutenant Governor or Administrator — though Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir also have elected legislatures. The present count dates from 2019 and 2020.
States and Union Territories of India
All states & union territories
Click a column heading to sort. Click a row to open it on the map. Population: Census 2011.
| # | State / UT | Type | Capital | Largest city | Official language(s) | Formed | Population | Area (km²) | Region | Famous for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
* J&K and Ladakh areas are for the parts administered by India; the official map of India also includes the areas occupied by Pakistan and China.
Set up your quiz
Pick a quiz type, how many questions and which part of India.
How the quiz works
- Find on map — a name appears; click the matching tile on a blank map.
- Capitals — choose the correct capital for the highlighted state or UT.
- Languages — pick an official language of the highlighted state or UT.
- Use keys 1–4 to answer and Enter for the next question.
- Every answer is reviewed at the end, and your best score is saved on this device.
Well done!
Review your answers
Learn India’s states & UTs the visual way
Every tile sits roughly where the state or UT lies on the real map, so you learn the names, capitals and locations together.
Tap a tile
Open a fact card with capital, languages, population, area and what the place is famous for.
Search & filter
Type a capital, language, dance or food, or pick a region to light up matching tiles.
Use the table
Sort all 36 by population, area or formation date and print a clean list for your notebook.
Play the quiz
Find states on a blank map, then try the capital and language rounds.
State vs Union Territory
A state has its own elected government led by a Chief Minister. A union territory is governed directly by the Union Government through a Lieutenant Governor or Administrator. Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu & Kashmir are UTs that also have their own elected legislatures.
How the map changed
- 1956 – States Reorganisation Act redraws states mostly on language lines.
- 2000 – Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand are formed.
- 2014 – Telangana becomes the 29th state.
- 2019 – Jammu & Kashmir becomes two UTs: J&K and Ladakh (28 states).
- 2020 – Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu merge (8 UTs).
Records to remember
- Largest state by area: Rajasthan; smallest: Goa.
- Most populous state: Uttar Pradesh; least: Sikkim.
- Largest UT: Ladakh; smallest UT: Lakshadweep.
- Youngest state: Telangana (2 June 2014).
Regions on this map
Tiles are coloured by the Zonal Councils set up under the States Reorganisation Act, 1956 — North, Central, East, West and South — plus the North-East (North Eastern Council) and the island UTs.
India States & Capitals Explorer — your questions
How many states and union territories does India have?
India has 28 states and 8 union territories, making 36 in all. The number changed in 2019 when Jammu and Kashmir was reorganised into two union territories, taking the states from 29 to 28, and again in 2020 when Dadra and Nagar Haveli merged with Daman and Diu, taking the UTs from 9 to 8.
What is the difference between a state and a union territory?
A state has its own elected government headed by a Chief Minister and shares power with the Centre. A union territory is administered directly by the Union Government through a Lieutenant Governor or an Administrator. Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir are union territories that also have their own elected legislatures.
Which state is the largest and which is the smallest in India?
Rajasthan is the largest state by area and Goa the smallest. By population, Uttar Pradesh is the largest and Sikkim the smallest. Among the union territories, Ladakh is the largest by area and Lakshadweep the smallest. Telangana, formed on 2 June 2014, is India's youngest state.
Which capital city serves two states?
Chandigarh is the capital of both Punjab and Haryana, and is itself a union territory — the only arrangement of its kind in India. Jammu and Kashmir is unusual in another way: it has two capitals, Srinagar in the summer and Jammu in the winter, with the government moving between them.
How were Indian states formed on language lines?
The States Reorganisation Act of 1956 redrew state boundaries mostly along language lines, replacing the older British provinces and the princely-state groupings that India inherited in 1947. The map has kept changing since: Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Jharkhand were created in 2000, Telangana in 2014, and Jammu and Kashmir was reorganised into two union territories in 2019.
How can I learn all the states and capitals quickly?
Learn them region by region rather than alphabetically — North, Central, East, West, South, North-East and the island UTs — because a group of six or seven is far easier to hold than a list of 36. Then use the Find on map quiz, which forces you to link the name to its position as well as its capital.
What are the seven sister states?
The seven sister states are the north-eastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. Sikkim, which joined India in 1975 and is often called the brother state, is grouped with them under the North Eastern Council rather than one of the zonal councils.