Largest State in Area

India is the 7th largest country in the world by area. India accounts for 2.4 percent of total world surface area. According to Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, area of India is 3,287,469 square km or 1,269,298 square miles. As stated in official source, Area figures of jammu kashmir includes the area under unlawful occupation of Pakistan and China. The area includes 78,114 sq km under illegal occupation of Pakistan, 5,180 sq. km. illegally handed over by Pakistan to China and 37,555 sq km under illegal occupation of China.

Rajasthan (342,239 sq km) is the largest state in India in terms of area. Rajasthan accounts for 10.4 percent of the total country's area. Rajasthan is followed by Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra having area more than 3 lakh sq km. Madhya Pradesh is larger than Maharashtra by a narrow margin of 532 sq km. Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat complete the list of top five. Ladakh (166,698 sq km) is the largest union territory in India in terms of area.

42.45% of the country land is inside top 5 largest states whereas top 10 share 67.16%. 11 states and one union territory have area greater than 1 lakh sq km. 10 smallest states/UTs contribute only 1 % and 18 lowest constitute only 10 % of the total area.

Goa (3,702 sq km) is the smallest state and Lakshadweep (32 sq km) is the smallest union territory in India on the basis of area. Four union territories have area less than 1,000 sq km.

5 largest districts are : kachchh (gujarat - 45652), Leh (Jammu kashmir - 45110), Jaisalmer (Rajasthan - 39313), Bikaner (Rajasthan - 28466), Barmar (Rajasthan - 28393).

Which Are the Top 10 Largest States of India ?

According to the Constitution of India, a country is described as a union of states. Presently, there are 28 States and 8 Union Territories in India. The states vary in their area coverage, population, physical features and climatic conditions and each state has its own significance. States are administered by Chief Ministers and the Union Territories are governed by the Lieutenant Generals. The administrative headquarters are located in the capital cities of the respective states. This article tells us about the top ten largest states of India based on census 2011.

States of India:

The following are the area-wise list of top 10 largest states in India in descending order:

1. Rajasthan

The total area of Rajasthan is 342,239 square km. Its population is 6.85 crore and the capital of the state is Jaipur. Literacy rate of the state is 66.11%.

2. Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh acquires a total of 308,252 square km. The population of the state is 7.25 cr and the capital of the state is Bhopal. Literacy rate of the state is 69.72%.

3. Maharashtra

The total area of Madhya Pradesh is 307,713 square km. Its population is 11.23 crore, and the capital of the state is Mumbai. Literacy rate of the MP is 82.91%.

4. Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh spans a total area of 236,286 square km. The population of the state is 19.95 crore and the capital of the state is Lucknow. Literacy rate of the state is 69.72%.

5. Gujarat

The total area of Gujarat is 196,244 square km. Its population is 6.04 crore and the capital of the state is Gandhinagar. Literacy rate of the state is 78.03%.

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6. Karnataka

Karnataka covers a total area of 191,791 square km. The population of the state is 6.1 crore and the capital of the state is Bangalore. Literacy rate of the state is 75.60%.

7. Andhra Pradesh

The total area of Andhra Pradesh is 191,791 square km. Its population is 8.46 crore and the capital of the state is Hyderabad. Literacy rate of the state is 67.02%.

8. Odisha

Odisha spans a total area of 155,707 square km. The population of the state is 4.19 cr and the capital city is Bhubaneswar. Literacy rate of the state is 73.45%.

9. Chhattisgarh

The total area of Chattisgarh is 136,034 square km. Its population is 2.55 cr and the capital of the state is Raipur. Literacy rate of the state is 71.04%.

10. Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu covers a total of 130,058 square km area. The population of the state is 7.7 crore and the capital of the state is Chennai. Literacy rate of Tamil Nadu is 80.33%.