States of India
States of India: GK about the States of India
In any competitive exam, you may find simple questions related to the States of India, their capital, ministers, monuments etc. It would be a good idea to go through some of these important facts so that you don’t miss out on the opportunity of scoring these easy few marks.
Also, in general, these are some simple and interesting facts that everyone should know. So read our article for a concise overview of the important facts about the States in India.
The First Ranked States of India:
Let’s first have a look at the States of India that rank in important parameters that could be useful from an exam point of view:
# | Statement | State |
---|---|---|
1 | Largest State (area-wise) | Rajasthan |
2 | Smallest state (area-wise) | Goa |
3 | State with the highest population | Uttar Pradesh |
4 | State with the least population | Sikkim |
5 | Most literate state | Kerala |
6 | Least Literate state | Bihar |
7 | The state has its boundaries with seven states and two countries |
Assam |
8 | The state surrounded on three sides by Bangladesh | Tripura |
9 | State surrounded by one state and three countries | Sikkim |
10 | State with the longest coastline | Gujarat |
Details about the States of India and Union Territories of India:
There have been a few changes in the number of states and union territories from what we had before. India now has a total of 28 States and 8 Union Territories (ever since Jammu and Kashmir and Ladak have been named ad Union territories). Now, let’s look at each of these States in detail with respect to what is their capital, the language spoken, the current Chief Minister, and what is the state known for.
1) Andhra Pradesh:
Capital: Amaravati, Hyderabad
Language: Telugu, Urdu
Chief minister: Y. S. Jaganmohan Reddy
Known for:
- Tirupathi, the Spiritual capital of Andhra Pradesh
- Art form Kuchipudi
- Massive rivers like Godavari, Krishna, etc.
- Rice production
- A huge population of Indian snakes
Kuchipudi is a classical dance and drama art form of Andhra Pradesh
2) Arunachal Pradesh:
Capital: Itanagar
Language: English
Chief minister: Pema Khandu
Known for:
- Tibetian culture
- The world’s second-largest Buddhist monastery called the Tawang Gompa
The 18th-century Buddhist Monastery, Tawang Gompa
3) Assam:
Capital: Dispur
Language: Assamese
Chief Minister: Sarbananda Sonowal
Known for:
- Tea
- India’s first Oil fields and Asia’s first Oil refinery in Digboi
- One-horned Rhinos in Kaziranga
- Kamkhya temple
- Highest tiger density
- Majuli, the world’s largest river island, and Umananda the world’s smallest river island
- The Oldest ampitheatre in Asia called Rang Ghar
4) Bihar:
Capital: Patna
Language: Hindu, Urdu
Chief minister: Nitish Kumar
Known for:
- Bodhgaya, the place where Lord Buddha attained enlightenment
- The inception of the Maurya and Gupta dynasties
- Buddhist Pilgrimages
- Historic sites
5) Chhattisgarh
Capital: Raipur
Language: Hindi, Chattisgharhi
Chief minister: Bhupesh Baghel
Known for:
- Bhilai steel plant and other such heavy-duty industries
- India’s Niagara falls, the Chitrakoot falls
One of the largest waterfalls in India, the Chitrakoot falls
6) Goa
Capital: Panaji
Language: Konka, Marathi, English
Chief minister: Pramod Sawant
Known for:
- Beaches, forts
7) Gujarat
Capital: Gandhinagar
Language: Gujrati
Chief minister: Vijay Rupani
Known for:
- Birthplace of Iconic leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhai Patel & Jinnah
- World’s only reserve for Asiatic Lions in the Gir forest
- Business-friendly, industrial infrastructure
8) Haryana
Capital: Chandigarh
Language: Hindi, Punjabi
Chief minister: Manohar Lal Khattar
Known for:
- The origin place of Mahabharata; Indraprastha and Kurukshetra are located here
- Automobile factories and refineries
- Dairy production
9) Himachal Pradesh
Capital: Shimla
Language: Hindi, English
Chief minister: Jai Ram Thakur
Known for:
- Snow leopards, one of the dying breeds of Central Asian Leopard
The rare Snow leopards of Himachal Pradesh
10) Jharkhand
Capital: Ranchi
Language: Santali, Oriya Bengali
Chief minister: Hemant Soren
Known for:
- Steel state of India
- Bokaro, Jamshedpur, and Ranchi where the main steel factories are located
- Rich with National parks and Wildlife sanctuaries, especially Betla National park and Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary
Also read: List of National parks in India
11) Karnataka
Capital: Bengaluru
Language: Kannad
Chief minister: B. S. Yediyurappa
Known for:
- Beautiful architecture
- Nature safaris, forests
- Mysore culture
- Technology park in Banglore (IT Hub)
12) Kerala
Capital: Thiruvananthapuram
Language: Malayalam
Chief minister: Pinarayi Vijayan
Known for:
- God’s own country
- Ayurveda
- Backwaters, boat race
- Rubber plantation, coconut
The beautiful backwaters of Kerala
13) Madhya Pradesh
Capital: Bhopal
Language: Hindi
Chief minister: Shivraj Singh Chouhan
Known for:
- Khajuraho and ancient history (including Ujjain, Sanchi and Mandu)
14) Maharashtra
Capital: Mumbai
Language: Marathi
Chief minister: Uddhav Thackeray
Known for:
- Financial center Mumbai
- Cotton and sugarcane
- Bollywood
- Ajantha/ Ellora caves
- Konkan region, Western Ghats
The Ajanta and Ellora caves in Maharashtra
15) Manipur
Capital: Imphal
Language: Manipuri
Chief minister: N. Biren Singh
Known for:
- Home to Sangai deer
- Famous for the Manipuri dance form called Jagoi, and the culture
16) Meghalaya
Capital: Shillong
Language: English, Garo, Khasi
Chief minister: Conrad Sangma
Known for:
- Receives the largest amounts of rainfall in the world in Cherrapunji and Mawsyndrum
- Endangered animal, Clouded Leopard
17) Mizoram
Capital: Aizawl
Language: Mizo
Chief minister: Zoramthanga
Known for:
- Almost complete literacy
- Friendly tribals
- Rare Wild Water Buffalos.
18) Nagaland
Capital: Kohima
Language: English
Chief minister: Neiphiu Rio
Known for:
- Naga tribals
- Hornbill festival
- Great Tribal dance forms
Hornbill festival of Nagaland
19) Odisha
Capital: Bhubaneswar
Language: Oriya
Chief minister: Naveen Patnaik
Known for:
- Dance forms like Odissi, Chhau, Danda, and Sambapuri to name a few
- Temples like Jagannath temple, Konark sun temple, Maa Samaleswari temple
- Mahanadi river
- The English word Juggernaut has been derived from the Jagannath chariot procession
20) Punjab
Capital: Chandigarh
Language: Punjabi
Chief minister: Amarinder Singh
Known for:
- The largest producer of Wheat
- Gurudwaras, the golden temple
- Culture, Bhangra dance
21) Rajasthan
Capital: Jaipur
Language: Rajasthani
Chief minister: Ashok Gehlot
Known for:
- Palaces in Udaipur and Jaipur
- Tiger reserves like the Sariska Tiger reserve (total of 28 reserves)
- World famous red Chillies also known as ‘Mathania Mirchi’
- Weaving and marbles
- Camels and sand dunes
The world-famous Rajasthani Mathania Mirchi
22) Sikkim
Capital: Gangtok
Language: Nepali
Chief minister: Prem Singh Tamang
Known for:
- Red Pandas, which are also the state animal of Sikkim
- Kanjenjunga which is India’s tallest peak
- Natula pass One of the highest roads in the world is called the ‘Natula pass’.
- It is also the only open land border with China
- Rumtek monastery which is the second biggest seat of Tibetan Buddhism
23) Tamil Nadu
Capital: Chennai
Language: Tamil, English
Chief minister: Edappadi K. Palaniswami
Known for:
- Four UNESCO world heritage sites namely Great Living Chola Temples (group of three), and Group of Monuments at Mahabalipuram (remaining one)
- Carnatic music,
- Art form Bharatanatyam
- automobile factories
- Nilgiris tea
One of the UNESCO world heritage sites in Tamil Nadu, the Brihadeeswarar Temple at Thanjavur
24) Telangana
Capital: Hyderabad
Language: Telugu, Urdu
Chief minister: K. Chandrashekar Rao
Known for:
- India’s youngest state
- Charminar in Hyderabad
- A mix of ancient Islamic as well as an ancient Indian heritage
25) Tripura
Capital: Agartala
Language: Bengali, Kokborok
Chief minister: Biplab Kumar Deb
Known for:
- Has an ethnic mix of tribals and Bengalis
- Famous for Leaf monkeys
- Tripureshwari temple
26) Uttar Pradesh
Capital: Lucknow
Language: Hindi
Chief minister: Yogi Adityanath
Known for:
- Taj Mahal
- Kashi pilgrimage
- Heart of Indian politics
- Leather goods and refineries
27) Uttarakhand
Capital: Dehradun
Language: Hindi
Chief minister: Trivendra Singh Rawat
Known for:
- Jim Corbett national park.
- White water rapids, trekking & camping and Skiing in Auli
- Hindu religious pilgrimages like Badrinath, Kedarnath etc.
28) West Bengal
Capital: Kolkata
Language: Bengali, English
Chief minister: Mamata Banerjee
Known for:
- Birthplace of Literary legends like Vivekananda and Tagore
- Jute cloth
- teas of Darjeeling
- The Royal Bengal tigers of the Sunderban
The famous Royal Bengal tiger found in the Sunderban Forests
Details about the Union Territories:
1) Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Capital: Port Blair
Lt. Governor & Administrator: Admiral D K Joshi (Lieutenant Governor)
Known for:
- Known as India’s Hawaii
- Known for its history during the British raj
- Extremely isolated tribals.
2) Chandigarh
Capital: Chandigarh
Lt. Governor & Administrator: V.P. Singh Badnore (Administrator)
Known for:
3) Dadar and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu
Dadar and Nagar Haveli:
Capital: Silvassa
Lt. Governor & Administrator: Praful Patel (Administrator)
Daman and Diu:
Capital: Daman
Lt. Governor & Administrator: Shri Praful Patel (Administrator)
4) Delhi
Capital: Delhi
Lt. Governor & Administrator: Shri Anil Baijal (Lieutenant Governor)
Chief Minister : Arvind Kejriwal
Known for:
- Capital of India
- Historic architecture
- Rashtrapati Bhavan
5) Lakshadweep
Capital: Kavaratti
Lt. Governor & Administrator: Shri Dineshwar Sharma, IPS, (Administrator)
6) Puducherry
Capital: Pondicherry
Lt. Governor & Administrator: Dr. Kiran Bedi, IPS, (Retd.) (Lieutenant Governor)
7) Jammu and Kashmir
Capital: Srinagar (Summer) and Jammu (winter)
Lt. Governor & Administrator: Shri Girish Chandra Murmu (Lieutenant Governor)
Known for:
- Known as India’s Switzerland
- Cashmere fine wool
- Valleys, rivers, and caves.
- Bes is known for sapphire, saffron, apples, houseboats,
- Pilgrimage sites namely Amarnath & Vaishnodevi
Houseboats of Dal Lake
8) Ladakh:
Capital: Leh
Lt. Governor & Administrator: Shri Radha Krishna Mathur (Lieutenant Governor)
Hope you found this article on the details of the State of India useful.
Happy Preparation!
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