Puducherry (union territory)
Puducherry | |
|---|---|
Top to bottom: Promenade Beach, Pondicherry harbour, Beach in Pondicherry | |
| Motto: | |
| Anthem: Tamil Thai Valthu (Tamil) "Prayer to Mother Tamil" | |
Location of Puducherry in India | |
| Coordinates: 11°54′40″N 79°48′47″E / 11.911°N 79.813°E | |
| Country | India |
| Region | South India |
| Admission to union | 1 November 1954 |
| Formation | 1 July 1963 |
| Capital and largest city | Pondicherry |
| Districts | 4 |
| Government | |
| • Body | Government of Puducherry |
| • Lieutenant Governor | Kuniyil Kailashnathan |
| • Chief Minister | N. Rangaswamy (AINRC) |
| • Chief Secretary | Sharat Chauhan |
| Legislature | Unicameral |
| • Assembly | Puducherry Legislative Assembly (33 seats) |
| National Parliament | Parliament of India |
| • Rajya Sabha | 1 seat |
| • Lok Sabha | 1 seat |
| High Court | Madras High Court |
| Area | |
• Total | 483 km2 (186 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 34th |
| Highest elevation (Unnamed point near Chalakara Village) | 67 m (220 ft) |
| Lowest elevation (Bay of Bengal and Laccadive Sea) | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 1,394,467 |
| • Rank | 29th |
| • Density | 2,900/km2 (7,500/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 68.33% |
| • Rural | 31.67% |
| Language | |
| • Official | Tamil • Malayalam • Telugu |
| • Additional official | English • French |
| GDP | |
| • Total (2023-24) | ₹0.39 trillion (US$4.6 billion) |
| • Rank | 26th |
| • Per capita | ₹302,680 (US$3,600) (10th) |
| Time zone | UTC+05:30 (IST) |
| ISO 3166 code | IN-PY |
| Vehicle registration | PY 01 – PY 05 |
| HDI (2022) | 0.741 (High) (4th) |
| Literacy (2024) | 92.7% (9th) |
| Sex ratio (2011) | 1037♀️/1000 ♂️ |
| Website | py |
| Symbols of Puducherry | |
| Song | Tamil Thai Valthu (Tamil) "Prayer to Mother Tamil" |
| Bird | Koel |
| Flower | Cannonball tree flower |
| Mammal | Indian palm squirrel |
| Tree | Bael fruit tree |
| List of union territory symbols | |
| Territories of French India were completely transferred to the Republic of India de facto. | |
Puducherry, also known as Poudouchéry or Pondicherry, is a union territory of India, consisting of four small geographically unconnected districts. It was formed out of four territories of former French India, namely Pondichéry (now Puducherry), Karikal (Karaikal), Mahé and Yanaon (now Yanam), excluding Chandannagar (Chandernagore), and it is named after the largest district, Puducherry, which was also the capital of French India. Historically known as Pondicherry, the territory changed its official name to Puducherry on 1 October 2006.
The Union Territory of Puducherry lies in the southern part of the Indian Peninsula. The areas of Puducherry district and Karaikal district are bound by the state of Tamil Nadu, while Yanam district and Mahé district are enclosed by the states of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, respectively. Puducherry is the 29th most populous of the 36 states and union territories of India, and the third most densely populated union territory. It has a gross domestic product (GDP) of ₹210 billion (US$2.5 billion) and ranks 25th in India.