General Awareness: Union Territories of India

The Union Territories are those areas which are under the direct control and administration of the Union Government. Today, in this article we will try to make you familiar with the Union Territories of India for competitive exams so that you leave no stone unturned for your success.

A glance of Union Territories via the Indian Map:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Source: mapsofindia

There are 8 Union Territories of India: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, National Capital Territory of Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep, Ladakh, and Puducherry.

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Union Territories of India for competitive exams: Key Points

• Article 239 to 241 provided in Part VIII of the Constitution deal with the Union Territories.
• Union Territories are administered by the President through an Administrator appointed by him/her.

The Union Territories:

Andaman & Nicobar Islands:

• Situated between 6° and 14° North Latitude and 92° and 94° East Longitude.
• Andaman in the north and the Nicobar in the south are separated by a water body called the Ten-degree channel.
• Main food crop: Paddy
• There are 96 Wildlife Sanctuaries, 9 National Parks, and 1 Biosphere Reserve on these Islands.
• Capital: Port Blair.
• Principal Languages: Hindi, Nicobarese, Bengali, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu.

Chandigarh:

• Planned and Designed by Le Corbusier (French Architect).
• Constituted as a Union Territory on 1 November 1966.
• Serves as the joint capital of both Punjab and Haryana.
• Capital: Chandigarh.
• Principal Languages: Hindi, Punjabi, English.

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Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu:

• Combined into a single union territory from January 26, 2020.
• Dadra and Nagar Haveli was a Portuguese ruled territory till 1954.
• Dadra and Nagar Haveli is administered by the Union Government as a Union Territory from 11 August 1961.
• Famous Spots of Dadra and Nagar Haveli: Tadekeshwar Shiva Mandir, Bindrabin, Vanganga Lake and Island Garden, Vanvihar Udhyan Mini Zoo, and Hirvavan Garden at Silvassa.
• Important Festivals: Diwaso, Bhawada, Gram Devi, and Tarpa Dance.
• Daman and Diu was a Portuguese colony.
• Daman and Diu was made an integral part of India in 1961.
• Famous Spots of Daman and Diu: Bom Jesus Church, Jampore and Devka Beaches, Pargola Garden, Satya Sagar Udyan, Mirasol Garden.
• Capital:
• Principal Languages: Gujarati, Hindi.

Delhi:

• Delhi became the capital in 1911.
• The 69^th Constitutional Amendment Act of 1991 provided a special status to the UT of Delhi, and redesignated it the NCT of Delhi.
• Most populous UT.
• Famous Spots of Delhi: Lal Quila (Red Fort), Jama Masjid, Qutab Minar, India Gate, Agrasen ki Baoli, Humayun’s tomb, Lotus Temple, Lodhi Gardens, Tughlaqabad Fort, Tomb of Safdarjang, Purana Qila.
• Capital: Delhi.
• Principal Languages: Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu & English.

Jammu & Kashmir:

• Jammu and Kashmir became a UT on 31^st October 2019.
• Second largest, and Second most populous UT.
• Famous Spots of Jammu & Kashmir: Mughal Gardens, Gulmarg, Pahalgam, Patnitop, Vaishno Devi and Amarnath.
• Capital: Jammu(winter), Srinagar(summer).

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Ladakh:

• Ladakh became a Union Territory on the 31st of October 2019.
• Capital: Leh.

Lakshadweep:

• It lies between Latitude 8° and 12° 3′ North and longitude 71° and 74° East.
• In 1973, the Laccadives, Minicoy, and Amindivi group of islands were renamed Lakshadweep.
• It stands first in coconut production.
• Important Places: Agatti, Bangaram, Kalpeni, Kadmat, Kavaratti, and Minicoy.
• Principal Languages: Malayalam, Jeseri (Dweep Bhasha), and Mahal.
• Capital: Kavaratti.

Puducherry:

• UT of Puducherry comprises the establishment of Puducherry (Tamil Nadu), Karaikal (Tamil Nadu), Mahe (Kerala) and Yanam (Andhra Pradesh).
• It was under French rule.
• Merged with the Indian Union on 1st November 1954.
• Capital: Puducherry.
• Principal Languages: Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, English, and French.

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Union Territories of India for competitive exams: List of Governors

Union Territory	Name of Lt.   Governor/ Administrator (as of 20th November 2020)
Andaman   and Nicobar Island	Admiral   D K Joshi
Chandigarh	V.P.   Singh Badnore
Dadra   and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu	Praful   Patel
NCT   of Delhi	Anil   Baijal
Jammu   and Kashmir	Manoj   Sinha
Lakshadweep	Dineshwar   Sharma
Puducherry	Dr.   Kiran Bedi
Ladakh	Radha   Krishna Mathur

We hope the information provided in this post about the Union Territories of India for competitive exams helps you in your preparations. We wish you all the best for upcoming exams and may you pass them with flying colours.

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