- General knowledge
- Classes 6-8
- 4 min read
States and union territories of India
India has 28 states and 8 union territories. Learn the difference between them and some state capitals.
Let us begin
The big idea
India is a big country, so for government it is divided into smaller parts. These parts are called states and union territories. Knowing them is the first step to knowing the map of India.
India has 28 states and 8 union territories, which makes 36 parts. The capital of India is New Delhi.
The 28 states are Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.
The 8 union territories are Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Lakshadweep and Puducherry.
A state has its own elected government that runs most local matters. A union territory is run mainly by the central government through an administrator, though some, like Delhi, Puducherry and Jammu and Kashmir, also have their own elected assemblies.
These numbers can change if Parliament passes a law to make new states or union territories, so always check a recent school atlas.
Worked examples
See how it works
How many parts in all?
States: 28. Union territories: 8. Total = 28 + 8 = 36 parts.
Some state and capital pairs
Bihar: Patna. Rajasthan: Jaipur. Kerala: Thiruvananthapuram. Tamil Nadu: Chennai. Maharashtra: Mumbai. Karnataka: Bengaluru. Gujarat: Gandhinagar. West Bengal: Kolkata. Uttar Pradesh: Lucknow. Madhya Pradesh: Bhopal.
State or union territory?
Kerala is a state. Lakshadweep, a group of islands, is a union territory. Delhi, our capital region, is also a union territory. Chandigarh is a union territory and is also the capital of both Punjab and Haryana.
Try it at home
State and capital cards
You will need
- 20 paper slips
- pencil
- a school atlas (optional)
What to do
- Write 10 state names on 10 slips and their capitals on 10 other slips. Choose from Bihar, Rajasthan, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
- Mix the slips face down on a table.
- Turn over two slips at a time. If a state and its capital match, keep them.
- Count your pairs. Check any doubts in an atlas.
- Make a second set: write the 8 union territories on one sheet and then sort them from the states.
Ask a grown-up: An adult can check the pairs with an atlas and help with the spellings of the longer names.
Fun fact
Chandigarh is a union territory and is also the capital city of two states, Punjab and Haryana.
Practice sheet
Check what you learned
Practice sheet: States and union territories of India (Classes 6-8, General knowledge)
- How many states does India have?
- How many union territories does India have?
- How many states and union territories are there in all?
- What is the capital of India?
- What is the capital of Rajasthan?
- What is the capital of Tamil Nadu?
- Name any four union territories.
- Chandigarh is a union territory and also the capital of which two states?
- Write the capitals of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Bihar.
- In one line, how is a union territory different from a state?
Answer key
Answers: States and union territories of India
- 28.
- 8.
- 28 + 8 = 36.
- New Delhi.
- Jaipur.
- Chennai.
- Any four of: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Lakshadweep, Puducherry.
- Punjab and Haryana.
- Maharashtra: Mumbai. Karnataka: Bengaluru. Bihar: Patna.
- A state has its own government, while a union territory is run mainly by the central government through an administrator.