Cities in India

Home to over 1.2 billion people, India comprises 29 states and seven union territories. Although India is a fast-developing nation and has nearly 300 cities, most 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.
Bengaluru 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.