States and union territories of India

States and union territories of India

India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions. The Indian subcontinent has been ruled by many different ethnic groups throughout its history, each instituting their own policies of administrative division in the region.

About States and union territories of India in brief

Summary States and union territories of IndiaIndia is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, for a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions. The Indian subcontinent has been ruled by many different ethnic groups throughout its history, each instituting their own policies of administrative division in the region. During the British Raj, the preceding Mughal administrative structure was mostly kept. India was divided into provinces that were directly governed by the British and princely states which were nominally controlled by a local prince or raja loyal to the British Empire.

Between 1947 and 1950 the territories of the Princely states were politically integrated into the Indian Union. Most were merged into existing provinces; others were organised into new provinces, such as Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Bharat, and Vindhya Pradesh. A few, including Mysore, Hyderabad, Bhopal, and Bilaspur, became separate provinces. Andhra State was created on 1 October 1953 from the Telugu-speaking northern districts of Madras State. Pondicherry, comprising the previous French enclaves of Pondichéry, Karikal, Yanaon and Mahé, became a union territory in 1962.