List of Union Territories in India

What is Union Territory?

Union territories are part of India which unlike the states controlled by the Central Government of India.

Number of Union Territories in India

After the new act of 2020, there are eight (8) union territories in India, namely Delhi, Chandigarh, Pondicherry, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Andaman and Nicobar Island, Lakshadweep, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

List of union territories with population, area and region

Let's discuss about each Union Territory in detail.

1. Delhi

Delhi is the capital of our country. As a Union Territory, its capital is New Delhi. The formation date of Delhi was 1st November 1956. Hindi and English is its official language. Some additional languages are Punjabi and Urdu. However, as a Union Territory, it is controlled by the central government of India, but its own legislature also controls Delhi. As the capital of India, it has many significances and drawbacks.

Significances

• Being the capital of the country, it is the hub of political powers as it is the home for the president as well as the prime minister of our country.
• Delhi University (DU) is one of the renowned Universities, as it is the hub of the best quality education.
• It is the meeting point of all the cultures as well as cousins.
• Here we can get hundred percent job opportunities.
• It has the biggest and the best quality marketplace as we get all the varieties here.
• It has many important historical places as well as tourist places like; Qutub Minar, Lotus temple, red fort,
• Red Fort is the most important as on every Independence Day or Republic Day, the flag is hosted here.
• It is also famous for its verities of food, specially Chandani Chowk, which is famous for its various kinds of delicious or street food.

Drawbacks

• It is one of the most polluted cities in the country.
• Despite being the capital of the country, the crime rate is very high.
• It is one of the populated cities in India.

2. Chandigarh

Chandigarh is the capital of Haryana as well as Punjab, but as a Union Territory, its capital is Chandigarh. It was formed on 1st November 1966. Its official language is English. It is one of the cleanest cities in the country as it was the first planned city in our country. The name Chandigarh came from the temple of goddess Chandi. It has many tourist places like; Fun City, Sukhana Lake, etc. The city is also known for its architecture like; High Court, Capitol Complex, etc.

3. Pondicherry

The capital of Pondicherry is Pondicherry. Its formation date is 16th August 1962. Due to the domination of French colonies, its official language is French as well as English, and Tamil is also its official language. The other additional languages are Malayalam and Telugu. In south India, it is situated in Tamilnadu. It is the center of attraction for tourism as it has beautiful natural places. Some places of attraction are; paradise beach, water sports, etc. It is also famous for Aurobindo Ashram. It is consists of French colonies as well as their culture and cousin.

4. Jammu and Kashmir

If there is heaven on the earth, then it is Kashmir, as it is a dream place for us. It has two capitals for summer, Srinagar is the capital, and Jammu is the capital for winter. As a union territory, it was formed on 31st October 2019. Its official language is Kashmiri and Urdu. Two other additional languages are Dogri and Hindi. However, this place is always being disturbed due to terrorism, but its beauty pulls tourists towards this place. It is situated in the lap of mountains, and this panorama made it the center of attraction for the tourists. It is famous for its lakes, especially the Dal Lake, and also for its valleys. Religious places like Vaishno Devi and Amaranth are important pilgrimages for the people. In winter people used to come here to see the snowfall as well as for ice skating. It is also famous for its handicrafts. It produced the best quality of woolen cloth, especially the pashmina shawl.

5. Ladakh

Like Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh is also called the heaven on the earth. Earlier it was the part of Jammu & Kashmir, but on 31^st October 2019, it became a Union Territory of India. It has only two districts Kargil and Leh, which are also the border of our country. In the summer season, Leh becomes its capital, while in winter, Kargil is the capital. Its official language is Hindi and English. It is home to the coolest desert in the world. Due to connect with Tibet, it is influenced by their religion as well as their culture. It is the home of ice that is the center of attraction for the tourist.

6. Andaman and Nicobar Island

It is the first U.T. of India as it was formed after the independence on 1^st November 1956. Its capital is Port Blair, and the official language is Hindi. However, English is also its additional language. It is famous for its beach as well as for its jail. The island has consisted of lagoons, and the place is famous for water sports and scuba diving. The island has various islands, about 572, in which Havelock is the biggest as well as the most popular one. Being an island, it possessed some best resorts and beautiful beaches.

7. Lakshadweep

Lakshadweep is the smallest U.T. of India. It was also formed on 1st November 1956. The capital of Lakshadweep is Kavaratti, and its official language is Malayalam and English. It also has so many islands, some of which are the most beautiful. Earlier it was the part of Chennai but later formed as a U.T.

8. Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu

Earlier, these were two separate Union Territories, one was Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and another was Daman and Diu. On 26^th January 2020, both were combined as one U.T., and Daman became its capital. Its official language is Gujarati and Hindi. Konkani and Marathi are also the additional languages of this region. It is famous for its historic heritages. It touches the two states Gujarat and Maharashtra as well as its some part are also in these states.

Former Union Territories

Earlier, there were some more Union Territories, but by the time they became the states of India.

• Arunachal Pradesh was formed as Union Territory on 21^st January 1972 but deformed on 20th February 1987.
• Goa was formed as a Union Territory on 19th December 1961 but deformed on 30th May
• Himachal Pradesh was formed on 1st November 1956 as a Union Territory and deformed on 25th January 1971.
• Manipur was formed as Union Territory on 1^st November 1956 and deformed on 21st January 1972.
• Mizoram was formed as Union Territory on 21st January 1972 and deformed on 20^th February 1987.
• Nagaland was formed as Union Territory on 29^th November 1957 and deformed on 1^st December 1963.
• Tripura was formed on 1st November 1957 as a Union Territory and deformed on 21^st January 1972.

Why these Territories came into existence?

The Union Territories were formed after the independence due to their small size in the area. The financial conditions of these areas were not good due to political instability. Moreover, the culture and geography of these areas were also different. So these were the main reasons that they are neither included in a state nor, they are independent like other states. However, from all eight territories, three territories Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, and Pondicherry hold power like a state as these have also the Parliament Houses like Rajya Sabha as well as their own elected government like the states.

Proposed territories

Since the Union Territories are usually created due to the financial or political drawbacks of a particular region, so its formation never ended as it is a continuous process. Now two more places are proposed for making as a Union Territory. Mahe is one of the districts of Pondicherry. But as it is not developed like the other districts of Pondicherry, it is proposed for being a Union Territories. Another place is Panun Kashmir. Earlier, this place was the homeland of Kashmiri Pundits. But due to riots and violence, they were forced to leave that place. Now they want to go back to their homeland, so they demanded this place as a separate Union Territory.