Largest & Smallest States in India

Largest and smallest state of India by area

India  is the seventh largest country in the world in terms of area  . The area of ​​India  is 32,87,263 sq km which is 2.42%  of the total area of ​​the world  .  From this you can guess that India is a very big country in terms of area. 

At present   there are total 28 states in India. Some states of India are very large in area. You will be surprised to know that the top 10 states cover 67.16% of the total land area of ​​India. 

The largest state in India in terms of area is Rajasthan (342,239 sq km) followed by Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The smallest state of India in terms of area is Goa (3,700 sq km).

Largest state of India by area

• Rajasthan is the largest state of India in terms of area.

Some important facts about Rajasthan, the largest state of India

• Its total area is 342,239 square kilometers (132,139 sq mi) which is 10.4 percent of the total geographical area of ​​India.
• Rajasthan is the largest northern state of India.
• The state   was formed on 30 March 1949 . The old name of Rajasthan   was Rajputana .
• The word Rajputana was first used by George Thomas in 1800 AD.
•  The name of this state was approved as Rajasthan on 26 January 1950 .
• Rajasthan literally means  "Land of Kings".
• Rajasthan is the seventh largest  state  of India in terms of  population .
• The total population of Rajasthan   is 68,548,437 .
• Its geographical location is 23.3 to 30.12 north latitude and 69.30 to 78.17 east longitude.
• Rajasthan   shares a 1070 kilometer long border  with  the neighboring country Pakistan to the west. Which   is known as Red Clip Line .
• Four districts of Rajasthan share border with Pakistan. These districts are -  Sriganganagar (210 km), Bikaner (168 km), Jaisalmer (464), and Barmer (228 km).
• It also shares borders with five other Indian states: Punjab to the north; Haryana and Uttar Pradesh in the northeast; Madhya Pradesh in the southeast; and Gujarat in the southwest.
• The Tropic of Cancer  also passes through this state.
•  Tropic of Cancer passes through Dungarpur district  and  Banswara districts of Rajasthan  .
• Keoladeo National Park,  a World Heritage Site, is located in Bharatpur, Rajasthan.
• Jaipur  is the capital and largest city of Rajasthan.
• Rajasthan   is divided into 33 districts .
• Hindi  is the official language of Rajasthan.
• The current Chief Minister of Rajasthan   is Ashok Gehlot (INC) .
• The present Governor of Rajasthan   is Kalraj Mishra .
• The total number of assembly seats in Rajasthan   is 200 .
• The number of Rajya Sabha seats   is 10 .
• The number of Lok Sabha seats   is 25 .
• The regional languages ​​of Rajasthan are Bagri, Marwari Rajasthani and Mewati.
• The literacy (2011) rate of Rajasthan   is 66.1% .
• The sex ratio of Rajasthan   is 928 .
• Jaisalmer (38,401 sq km)  is the largest district of Rajasthan in terms of area.
• Dholpur  (3,084 sq km) is the smallest district of Rajasthan in terms of area.
• Jaipur  (6,626,178) is the largest district of Rajasthan in terms of population.
• Jaisalmer  (669,919) is the smallest district of Rajasthan in terms of population.
• The state animal of Rajasthan   is the Chinkara (Gazella bennettii) .
• The Indian Bustard (Ardiotis nigriceps)  is the state bird of Rajasthan  .
• The state flower of Rajasthan   is Rohida (Tecomela undulata) .
• The state plant of Rajasthan   is Cactus .
• Khejri (Prosopis cineraria)  is the state tree of Rajasthan  .
• The economy of Rajasthan is the seventh largest state economy in India with ₹10.20 lakh crore (US$130 billion) in gross domestic product and a per capita GDP of ₹118,000 (US$1,500).
• Rajasthan   ranks 29th  among Indian states on  Human Development Index .
• Ghoomar, Gair, Jhoomar and Kalbeliya are the famous folk dances  of Rajasthan .
• Meena, Bhil, Garasia, Sahariya and Kalbelia are the major tribes  of Rajasthan .
• Luni, Banas, Kalisindh and Chambal are the main rivers  of Rajasthan .
• Due to the longitudinal expansion of Rajasthan, there is a difference of 36 minutes in the time from the eastern border to the western border, that is, the sunrise in Jaisalmer occurs about 36 minutes after the sunrise in Dhaulpur.

Smallest state of India by area

• Goa is the smallest state of India in terms of area.

Some important facts about India's smallest state Goa

• Its total area is 3,700 square kilometers (1,400 sq mi). 
• It is bounded by Maharashtra to the north, Karnataka to the east and south as well as the Arabian Sea to the west.
• Goa is situated on the south-west coast of India.
• Goa was earlier a colony of Portugal. The Portuguese   ruled Goa for  about 450 years and it  was handed over to the Indian administration on 19 December 1961 .
• On 19 December 1961  , the Indian Army launched a military operation with Operation Vijay to merge Goa, Daman and Diu into the Indian Union, and as a result, Goa, Daman and Diu became a centrally administered territory of India. The union territory   was bifurcated on 30 May 1987 , and Goa became the 25th state of India.
•  Goa is the fourth smallest state in India in terms of population after  Sikkim, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh .
• The population of Goa   is 1,458,545 .
• The latitude and longitude of Goa  are 14°53'54" and 73°40'33" respectively.
• Panaji  is the capital of Goa.
• Vasco da Gama  is the largest city of Goa.
• Goa  has 2 districts  -  North Goa and South Goa.
• The official language of Goa   is Konkani .
• Dekheni, Fugdi, Corridinho, Mando, Dulpod and Fado  are the famous folk dances of Goa.
• The current Chief Minister of Goa   is Pramod Sawant (BJP) .
• The current Governor of Goa   is PS Sreedharan Pillai .
• The total number of assembly seats in Goa   is 40 .
• The number of Rajya Sabha seats   is 1 .
• The number of Lok Sabha seats   is 2 .
• The literacy rate of Goa   is 88.70% .
• The sex ratio in Goa   is 973 .
• The state bird of Goa   is the Flame Throated Bulbul .
• The state fish of Goa   is the gray mullet .
• The state flower of Goa   is the red jasmine .
• Cashew  is the state fruit of Goa  .
• The state animal of Goa   is the Gaur .
• The state tree of Goa   is Matti Terminalia crenulata .
• Goa is the richest Indian state with the highest GDP per capita - two and a half times that of the country.
• The population density of Goa  is 394 per sq km  which   is higher than the national average of 382 per sq km .
• 'Bom Jesus Basilica' in Goa   is a World Heritage Site.
• Goa  ranks third  among Indian states on  the Human Development Index .
• The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of Goa in 2022-23 was ₹914.17 billion (US$11.09 billion). 

Largest state of India in terms of area

Largest union territory of India by area

India's largest state by population

According to the 2011 census, the largest state in India by population is Uttar Pradesh with 199,812,341. On the other hand, Sikkim is the least populous state in India. The population of Uttar Pradesh is more than that of Brazil. Below is the list of states on the basis of population:

Note: In 2011, Telangana did not have separate statehood and was a part of Andhra Pradesh.

India's largest union territory by population

The national capital Delhi is the most populous union territory with a population of over 16 million. Lakshadweep is the least populous union territory with a population of 64,473.