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Home to over 1.2 billion people, India comprises 28 states and 8 union territories. Although India is a fast-developing nation and has nearly 300 cities, majority of the populace resides in rural areas.
Delhi, the national capital, is the largest city by area and population in North India. Mumbai, the financial capital, is the most populous and also the wealthiest city in India. Bengaluru, formerly known as Bangalore, and Chennai, formerly known as Madras, are the largest cities in South India. Kolkata, the cultural capital, and Guwahati are the largest cities in East and Northeast India respectively.
City | Population (Census 2011) | Area (sq kms) | Interesting Facts about Indian Cities |
Mumbai | 18414288 | 603 | Financial capital of the country. |
Delhi | 11007835 | 1484 | Political capital through antiquity, medieval and modern India. |
Kolkata | 14617882 | 1886 | Port city on the east coast of India is one of the most densely populated areas. |
Chennai | 4681087 | 1189 | Hub of the Indian automobile industry. |
| 8,474, 970 | 742 | Also known as India's Silicon Valley for its IT industry. |
Hyderabad | 6809970 | 650 | Known for its old world nawabi culture and biotechnology industry. |
Jaipur | 3073350 | 11117 | Known as the Pink City for its palaces and royal culture. One of India's top tourist destinations. |
Jabalpur | 1054336 | 5211 | Army Headquarters for five central Indian states located here. |
Agra | 1727275 | 188 | India's top tourist destination and home to the Taj Mahal. |
Varanasi | 1201815 | 1550 | The oldest Indian city and Hindu pilgrim spot. |
Lucknow | 2815601 | 850 | Former cultural capital of north India. Known for its silk fabric and nawabi cuisine. |
Kanpur | 2767031 | 1640 | Important center for heavy industry, technology and food processing in north India. |
Allahabad | 1117094 | 5424 | Former name was "Prayag", one of the oldest Indian cities. Today also known as city of prime ministers as half of Indian Prime minister either belonged to the city or got elected from here. |
Ahmedabad | 5570585 | 464 | Textile city in Gujarat, also known as the "Manchester of the East." |
Chandigarh | 960787 | 114 | City with the highest per capita income in the country. |
Amritsar | 1132761 | | Home to the Golden Temple and a top Sikh pilgrimage. |
Aizawl | 291822 | 457 | Largest city in Mizoram with a literacy rate of 88%. |
Bhopal | 1795648 | 698 | One of India's greenest industrial cities. |
Bhubaneshwar | 837737 | 419 | City of temples in east India is situated at the site of the ancient Kalinga. |
Bhilai | 625697 | 119 | India's steel city. Has a literacy rate of 87%. |
Coimbatore | 1061447 | 246 | Known as 'Manchester of India" Hub of cotton textile industry. |
Darjeeling | 132016 | 11 | Himalayan city in north West Bengal. Famous for its tea plantations. |
Dehradun | 578420 | ------ | Capital of Uttarakhand and has an average literacy rate of 89%. |
Faridabad | 1404653 | 2151 | Largest city in Haryana. Known for its industries. |
Ghaziabad | 1636068 | 2590 (area of Ghaziabad district) | With a literacy rate of 93%, it is UP's most industrialized city. |
Noida | 642381 | 203 | One of the planned industrial cities in UP. |
Guwahati | 963429 | 556 | Largest city in Assam and the largest metro area in north-east India. |
Gwalior | 1053505 | 362 | Historic city in central India, known for its strategic location and now a hub of education in the region. |
Gurgaon | 876824 | 1253 (area of Gurgaon district) | Haryana's Millennial city ranks very high on per capita income. |
Haridwar | 225235 | 13 | Pilgrim city in Uttarakhand. Famous as the venue of the Kumbh Mela. |
Imphal | 264986 | 29.57 | Capital of Manipur. Has a literacy rate of 91% which is higher than the national average. |
Jalandhar | 862196 | 3401 | Hub of sports goods manufacture in the country |
Jammu | 503690 | | Winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir and home to the popular Vaishno Devi pilgrimage. |
Jamshedpur | 629659 | 149 | India's first planned industrial city. Famous for its iron and steel industry. |
Jhansi | 507293 | 167 | Gateway to the Bundelkhand region in central India. |
Kochi | 601574 | 95 | Port city on the west coast of India and the most densely populated city of Kerala. |
Kozhikode | 432097 | 128 | Ancient city of Spices and now one of the best residential cities in India |
Ludhiana | 1613878 | 310 | Largest city in Punjab and a major industrial city in north India. |
Madurai | 1016885 | 148 | One of the oldest cities in the world. An important cultural and education hub in south Tamil Nadu. |
Meerut | 1309023 | 272 | The city has the second largest army cantonment and is an educational hub in western Uttar Pradesh. |
Mysore | 887446 | 129 | Cultural capital of Karnataka. Known for its silk and paintings. |
Nagpur | 2405421 | 217 | One of the cleanest cities in the country. Known as a trade center for oranges. |
Nashik | 1486973 | 264 | City on the Western Ghats , known for its pleasant climate and wine industry. |
Nellore | 505258 | 13076 (area of the Nellore district) | One of the fastest developing cities in Andhra Pradesh and is known for its agricultural products such as rice and jowar. |
Patna | 1683200 | 210 | Ancient seat of learning and the modern capital of Bihar. |
Pune | 3115431 | 244 | Largest city in the western Ghats. An educational hub of the area and a growing industrial city. |
Raipur | 1010087 | 226 | Capital of Chhattisgarh. Has a literacy rate of 87%. |
Rajahmundry | 343903 | 212 | On the banks of the river Godavari, it is one of the biggest cloth and bullion markets of the country. |
Rajkot | 1286995 | 170 | With an average literacy of 80%, it is one of the fastest growing cities of Gujarat. |
Ranchi | 1073440 | 175 | Capital of Jharkhand and with a literacy rate of 77%, one of the industrialized cities of the country. |
Ratlam | 264810 | 39 | One of the best cities to buy gold in the country. |
Solapur | 951118 | 149 | Top industrial city of Maharastra |
Srinagar | 1192792 | 294 | Capital of J&K, on the banks of the river Jhelum, and famous for its natural Himalayan beauty. |
Surat | 4462002 | 326 | Fastest growing city in the country known for its diamond business. |
Siliguri | 509709 | 42 | Biggest city in north Bengal and an important transit hub for north east India. |
Thiruvanthapuram | 752490 | 214 | Largest city in Kerala. Known educational hub and IT destination in the country. |
Vishakhapatnam | 1730320 | 544 | Important port city on the southeast coast of the country. |
Thane | 1818872 | 147 | Mumbai's most populated suburb. |