Do you know your country’s geography? While you may remember about the majestic Himalayas and the incredible Thar desert, we often fumble when it comes to remembering all the states.
Indian states and their capitals
Andhra Pradesh (AP)
AP’s main language is Telugu. Andhra Pradesh will have 3 major state capitals – Vishakapatnam, Amaravati, and Kurnool by the next decade.
Arunachal Pradesh
Given statehood in 1987, Arunachal’s capital is Itanagar. Both China and Taiwan claim parts of the state. The states’ indigenous peoples have their own languages.
Assam
Assam’s main language is Assamese. The state is known for its rich diversity of flora and fauna, notably the Indian rhino, Asian elephants, and tigers. The state’s capital is Guwahati.
Bihar
Bihar is the third most populated of the Indian states, and the majority of its population speaks Bihari. Its current capital is Patna. The state is known for being the cradle of the Maurya and Gupta empires.
Chhattisgarh
Created in 2000, the state’s major language is Chattisgarhi. Its capital is Raipur. The state has become noted for being one of the cleanest in India as per the SwacchSurvekshan.
Goa
The smallest of the Indian states, Goa’s capital is the city of Panaji. The population speaks Goan. The state was ranked as the region with the best quality of life in India in 2005.
Gujarat
Created in 1960, the state’s capital is Ahmedabad and the prominent language is Gujarati. The state is noted for having several sites of the Indus Valley civilization, including Lothal, believed to be the first port of the world.
Haryana
The state was created out of Punjab in 1966, and its population mainly speaks Haryanavi. It shares its capital of Chandigarh with Punjab. In recent decades, it has become associated with the National Capital Region.
Himachal Pradesh
The state’s capital is Shimla, and a number of indigenous languages are spoken here. The state’s administrative capital of Dharamshala is noted as the refugee abode of the Dalai Lama.
Jharkhand
Created in 2000, the state’s capital is Ranchi, and Dumka serves as a sub-capital. Hindi is predominately spoken. The state is noted for its abundance of mineral resources, which account for almost 39.1% of India’s stocks.
Karnataka
The state’s capital is Bengaluru, and its predominant language is Kannada. The state also has some villages where Sanskrit is the primary language of the villagers.
Kerala
The primary language of the state is Malayalam, and the capital is Thiruvananthapuram. The region of present-day Kerala has been a spice exporter for over a thousand years.
Madhya Pradesh
The cerebral state of India, the state’s capital is Bhopal and the primary language is Hindi. The state has India’s largest stocks of diamond and copper and is noted for its Buddhist sites.
Maharashtra
The state’s populace mainly speaks Marathi. Mumbai is the main capital, while Nagpur is the winter capital. The Ajanta and Ellora caves, UNESCO World Heritage sites, are just a small example of the state’s rich culture.
Manipur
Bordering Myanmar, the state’s capital is Imphal, and its official language is Meitei. It joined India only in 1972. It is credited with introducing the now-popular game of polo to Europeans.
Meghalaya
The state’s capital is Shillong, and its official language is English, though many native tongues are also spoken. Its population has traditionally followed a matrilineal system.
Mizoram
Given statehood in 1987, its capital is Aizawal and major language is Mizo and English. The state has the highest concentration of tribal populations in the country.
Nagaland
The state’s capital is Dimapur, and its official language is English. Home to great flora and fauna, it became a part of India in 1963.
Odisha
Given statehood in 1936, the country’s capital is Bhubaneswar and its major language is Odia. The region of Kalinga from the Ashokan legends falls on the border of the present-day state.
Punjab
Sharing its capital of Chandigarh with Haryana, the state mainly speaks Punjabi. The area was also the place of the earliest human inhabitation in India – the Indus Valley civilization flourished here.
Rajasthan
The largest state by area, its capital is Jaipur, and the main language is Rajasthani. Known literally as the ‘Land of Kings,’ the state is known for its rich history of Rajputana dynasties.
Sikkim
Bordering Tibet and Bhutan, the state’s capital is Gangtok, and the primary language is Sikkimese, Nepali, and Lepcha. The environmentally conscious state has banned plastic in many forms.
Tamil Nadu
The state’s capital is Chennai, and its major language is Tamil. The state was at different times ruled by the three great empires of the South – the Cholas, Chera, and Pandyas.
Telangana
The latest state of India, it was formed in 2014 with Harayana as the capital. Its major languages are Telugu and Urdu, and its note for the Golconda diamond mines.
Tripura
Given statehood in 1972, the state is bordered by Bangladesh. Its capital is Agartala, and Bengali and Kokborok are its main languages.
Uttarakhand
Created in 200, the state’s capital is Gairsain and Dehradun, and the judicial seat in Nainital. Its main languages are Garhwali and Kumaoni. The state is known for the ‘4 Dhams’.
Uttar Pradesh
The most populated state of the country, its capital is Lucknow. Hindi and Urdu are predominant. The state has been known to be a continuous political hub since the Vedic times.
West Bengal
Bordered by Nepal, Bhutan, and Bangladesh, the state’s capital is Kolkata, and the major language is Bengali. The region has been known to be covered by major empires due to its strategic location.