Our country India is the most populous country and 7th largest country in the world by area. India has 28 states and 8 union territories. India is known as the union of states. New Delhi is the national capital of India. Here are given the list of the top 10 largest states in India by area wise.
Table of Contents
1. Rajasthan
Rajasthan is India’s largest state by area and the state is located on the north-western side of the country. Rajasthan covers 342,239 km square of land area. Rajasthan is known as the “Land of Kings” is the seventh-largest state by population. Thar desert which is known as the Great Indian Desert shares the border with Pakistan and the Province of Punjab. Rajasthan is bordered by five Indian states: Punjab to the north, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to the northeast, Madhya Pradesh to southeast, and Gujarat to the south west. The state was formed in 1949 when Rajputana merged into the dominion of India. Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan. Some important cities include Jodhpur, Kota, Bikaner, Ajmer, Udaipur, and Bharatpur. Based on the economy, the state ranks seventh in India with 10.20 lakhs Cr is gross domestic product and per capita GDP of US$1,700.
2. Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh is the second-largest country in India and is nicknames as the heart of our country. Madhya Pradesh covers 308, 245 km square of land area. Bhopal is the capital of the state and Indore is the largest city. Madhya Pradesh is the fifth-largest state by population with more than 75 million residents. The state borders Uttar Pradesh to the northeast, Chhattisgarh to the southeast, Maharashtra to the south, Gujarat to the west, and Rajasthan to the northeast. The state is rich in mineral resources and they have the largest reserve of diamond and copper in India. Based on the economy, Madhya Pradesh is the 10th largest state with 8.09 lakh Cr in gross domestic product. Around 30% of the state is covered by forest and the state promotes tourism a lot.
3. Maharashtra
Maharashtra is the second most populous state and the state lies in the western peninsular region of India. It is the third-largest state by area in India spread over 307,713 km square of land area. Maharashtra is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west, Karnataka and Goa to the south, Telangana to the southeast, Chhattisgarh to the east, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh to the North. Maharashtra was formed in 1960 and the state has more than 112 million inhabitants becoming the most populous urban area in India. The most developed state is also the wealthiest state by GDP. Pune is known as “Oxford of East” and Nashik as the “Wine Capital of India”. The Godavari and Krishna are the two major rivers in the state. The state capital of Mumbai is India’s biggest financial and commercial capital. Maharashtra is the largest contributor to our country’s economy with a share of 15% in the country’s GDP.
4. Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh is the fourth largest state in India spread over 240,928 km square. The most populous state is the second-largest Indian state by the economy. UP has 200 million inhabitants and the capital of the state is Lucknow. The state has two major rivers, Gangs and Yamuna and other prominent rivers are Gomti and Saryu. UP is bordered by Rajasthan to the west, Haryana, Himachal, and Delhi to the northwest, Uttarakhand and Nepal to the north, Bihar to the east, Madhya Pradesh to the south and states Jharkhand and Chattisgarh to the southeast. The state is quite popular for sugar production, also they earn revenue through service sectors. The state has two International airports, Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport in Lucknow and Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport in Varanasi. The economy of UP is the fifth largest economy in India with 17.94 lakh Cr in gross domestic product.
5. Gujarat
Gujarat lies the western coast of India and it is the fifth-largest state in India with a coastline of 1,600 km. The area covered is 196,244 km square. The population of the state is 60.4 million, the ninth-largest state by population. Gujarat is bordered by Rajasthan to the northeast, Maharashtra to the southeast, Madhya Pradesh to the east, and Pakistan province to the Sindh to the west. The capital city of Gujarat is Gandhinagar and the largest city is Ahmedabad. The economy of Gujarat stands third largest with a GDP of 15.02 Lakh Cr. The country has 11th highest GDP per capita. The state has low unemployment and it is considered as one of the most industrially developed states. Gujarat is considered to be a manufacturing hub and Lothal is one of the world’s first seaports. The state is a home for popular Asiatic lions in the world and they are found in and around Gir National Park.
6. Karnataka
Karnataka is the southwest region of India and the state covers an area of 191,976 sq km. It is the largest state in South India and the seventh-largest in India. Originally, Karnataka known as the state of Mysore, it was renamed in 1973. Bangalore is the capital city and the largest too. Karnataka border includes the Arabian sea to the west, Goa to the northwest, Maharashtra to the north, Telangana to the northeast, Andhra Pradesh to the east, Tamil Nadu to the southeast, and Kerala to the south. Karnataka is the 6th largest Indian state by area and eighth-largest state by population. Kannada is the classic language of India and there are few villages in the state where Sanskrit is spoken. The state has been contributed towards Indian classical music, the Carnatic and Hindustani. Based on the economy, the state is fourth-largest with 13.35 trillion in GDP and per capita GDP of US$2,900.
7. Ladakh
Ladakh is a union territory and constitutes the largest part of the Kashmir region. The area covered by the union territory is 174,852 km square. Ladakh is bordered by Tibet by the east, Himachal Pradesh to the south, J&K to the west, and the southwest corner comprises Xinjiang. Until August 2019, Ladakh was a part of J&K and by 31 October 2019, the parliament of India passed Ladakh as a union territory. Our government encourages tourism in Ladakh and you will find a strong presence of the Indian military in many regions of Ladakh. The largest town is Leh and it consists of Indus, Shyok, and Nubra River valleys. Ladakh is the most sparsely populated region in India and people living there follow the culture and history of Tibet. Ladakh is the largest and second least populous union territory of India.
8. Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh is in the southeastern coastal region of India and it is the seventh-largest state by area. The state covers an area of 162,975 km sq and the tenth most populous state with inhabitants. Andhra Pradesh is bordered by Telangana to the northwest, Chhattisgarh to the north, Tamil Nadu to the south, and Karnataka to the west. Andhra Pradesh is the second-largest coastline in India after Gujarat. The state used to be once a popular Buddhist pilgrimage state in India and there are Buddhist learning centers in the form of ruins and stupas. It is the land of world-famous diamond Kohi-noor and known as the rice bowl of India. Telugu is the official spoken language and the fourth most spoken language in India. Vishakhapatnam is the capital and the commercial hub of the state. The economy of AP is seventh largest in India with 9.33 lakh Cr in GDP and per capita GDP of US$2,300.
9. Odisha
Odisha formerly known as Orissa is located in eastern India and it is the 8th largest state by area covering 155,707 sq km. The neighboring states comprise west Bengal and Jharkhand to the north, Chhattisgarh to the west, and Andhra Pradesh to the south. Odisha coastline lies along the Bay of Bengal and the state holds the third-largest population of scheduled tribes in India. Cuttack was the capital of the state during the British era until 1948 and thereafter changed to Bhubaneswar as the capital city of Odisha. The economy of Odisha is 16th largest in India with 4.16 lakh Cr in GDP and per capita GDP US$1,300. Odisha is a state abundant in natural resources and has a large coastline. The state is the most preferred destination for overseas investors.
10. Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh is located in east-central India and the state was formed on 1 November 2000. Earlier the state belonged to Madhya Pradesh. The state is rich in source of electricity and steel producing 15% of the total city of our country. The ninth-largest state covers an area of 135,192 km square and holds a population of 32.2 million as of 2020. The capital city is Raipur and the state comprises 28 districts. The fastest developing state of India has GDP 3.63 lakh Cr. They are the largest contributor to coal and Chhattisgarh is the cleanest state as per Swachh Survekshan 2020.