28 States & 8 UTs: Capitals, Governors & Key Facts

States and Union Territories questions appear in EVERY government exam — RRB, SSC, Police, Banking, all of them. India currently has 28 States and 8 Union Territories. The tricky part? States keep changing — new ones get carved out, UTs get upgraded, capitals shift. Most students rely on outdated lists. This article gives you the latest, most exam-ready information: every state, every capital, recently formed states, largest/smallest comparisons, and the trick questions examiners love. Bookmark this and revise before every exam.

North & Central India: States and Capitals

NORTH INDIA: Jammu & Kashmir — Srinagar (Summer) / Jammu (Winter) [Note: J&K is now a UT with legislature, not a state since 2019]. Himachal Pradesh — Shimla (Summer) / Dharamshala (Winter). Punjab — Chandigarh (shared with Haryana). Haryana — Chandigarh (shared with Punjab). Uttarakhand — Dehradun (Winter) / Gairsain (Summer, declared in 2020). Uttar Pradesh — Lucknow (India's most populous state — over 20 crore people). Rajasthan — Jaipur (largest state by area). CENTRAL INDIA: Madhya Pradesh — Bhopal (was the largest state by area before Chhattisgarh was carved out in 2000). Chhattisgarh — Raipur (carved from MP in 2000). Trick question: "Which two states share a capital?" — Punjab and Haryana share Chandigarh. And Chandigarh itself is a separate Union Territory!

SOUTH INDIA: Andhra Pradesh — Amaravati (administrative capital, but currently operating from Visakhapatnam as de facto capital) / Kurnool (proposed judicial capital). This is a very frequently asked question because AP has a complex capital situation. Telangana — Hyderabad (India's newest state, formed on 2 June 2014 from Andhra Pradesh — 29th state at the time). Karnataka — Bengaluru. Tamil Nadu — Chennai. Kerala — Thiruvananthapuram. WEST INDIA: Maharashtra — Mumbai (financial capital of India). Goa — Panaji (smallest state by area). Gujarat — Gandhinagar. Trick: Telangana formation date (2 June 2014) is asked almost every year. Hyderabad was shared capital of AP and Telangana for 10 years until 2024.

East India & Seven Sisters of Northeast

EAST INDIA: West Bengal — Kolkata. Bihar — Patna. Jharkhand — Ranchi (carved from Bihar on 15 November 2000). Odisha — Bhubaneswar. NORTHEAST (Seven Sisters + Sikkim): Assam — Dispur (NOT Guwahati — this is one of the most asked trick questions! Dispur is within Guwahati but is the actual capital). Meghalaya — Shillong. Manipur — Imphal. Mizoram — Aizawl. Tripura — Agartala. Nagaland — Kohima. Arunachal Pradesh — Itanagar. Sikkim — Gangtok (Sikkim is NOT one of the Seven Sisters — it's the "Brother" state, joined India in 1975 as the 22nd state). Remember the Seven Sisters mnemonic: "MAMTA N A" — Meghalaya, Assam, Manipur, Tripura, Arunachal, Nagaland, mizoram. Three states carved in 2000: Jharkhand (from Bihar), Chhattisgarh (from MP), Uttarakhand (from UP) — all on 1 or 15 November 2000.

8 Union Territories: Complete List with Key Facts

India has 8 Union Territories: (1) Delhi — New Delhi (has its own legislature and CM, called NCT — National Capital Territory). (2) Chandigarh — Chandigarh (shared capital of Punjab and Haryana). (3) Jammu & Kashmir — Srinagar/Jammu (became UT on 31 October 2019, has legislature). (4) Ladakh — Leh (became UT on 31 October 2019, NO legislature). (5) Puducherry — Puducherry (has its own legislature and CM). (6) Andaman & Nicobar Islands — Port Blair. (7) Lakshadweep — Kavaratti (India's smallest UT by area). (8) Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu — Daman (merged into one UT in January 2020, previously two separate UTs). Only 3 UTs have legislatures: Delhi, Puducherry, and J&K. The rest are directly administered by the President through Lieutenant Governors or Administrators.

Largest and smallest comparisons — these are exam GOLD: Largest state by area: Rajasthan (3,42,239 sq km). Smallest state by area: Goa (3,702 sq km). Most populous state: Uttar Pradesh (20+ crore). Least populous state: Sikkim (about 6.5 lakh). Largest UT by area: Ladakh. Smallest UT by area: Lakshadweep. State with longest coastline: Gujarat (about 1,600 km). State with most districts: Uttar Pradesh (75 districts). State that shares border with most states: Uttar Pradesh (shares border with 8 states plus one UT). State with highest literacy: Kerala (about 94%). Highest population density state: Bihar. These comparisons are asked in almost every exam — revise this list frequently.

Top State Symbols & Trick Questions for Exams

Most asked state symbols: National Animal — Tiger (also state animal of Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, and others). Uttar Pradesh state bird — Sarus Crane. Kerala state animal — Indian Elephant. Sikkim state animal — Red Panda. Manipur state animal — Sangai (dancing deer). Jharkhand state animal — Indian Elephant. Assam state animal — One-horned Rhinoceros. Madhya Pradesh state bird — Indian Paradise Flycatcher (locally called Doodhraj). Trick questions: "Which is the first state formed on a linguistic basis?" — Andhra Pradesh (1953, for Telugu speakers, carved from Madras). "Which state was formerly called NEFA?" — Arunachal Pradesh. "Which state has the highest forest cover?" — Madhya Pradesh (by area). "Which state has highest forest cover percentage?" — Mizoram.

Region-wise memorization is the smartest way to remember all 28 states. NORTH (7): J&K (now UT), HP, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, UP, Rajasthan. CENTRAL (2): MP, Chhattisgarh. SOUTH (5): AP, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala. WEST (3): Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat. EAST (4): West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha. NORTHEAST (7 Sisters + 1): Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim. Open the app and quiz yourself on state capitals — random recall is the best way to make this stick. The students who know every state and capital without hesitation are the ones who never lose easy marks. This is basic preparation, but basic preparation done perfectly is what wins exams.