Puducherry (union territory)
Puducherry (/ˌpʊdʊˈtʃɛri/ PUU-duu-CHERR-ee), also known as Pondicherry (/ˌpɒndɪˈtʃɛri/ PON-dih-CHERR-ee; French: Pondichéry), 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 (then 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 (Pāṇṭiccēri), the territory changed its official name to Puducherry on 1 October 2006.
Puducherry | |
|---|---|
| Motto(s): Satyameva Jayate (Truth alone triumphs) | |
| Anthem: "Tamil Thai Valthu" | |
Location of Puducherry in India | |
| Coordinates: 11.911082°N 79.812533°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 | Tamilisai Soundararajan |
| • Chief minister | N. Rangaswamy (AINRC) |
| • Chief secretary | Ashwani Kumar, IAS |
| 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 |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 1,394,467 |
| • Rank | 29th |
| • Density | 2,900/km2 (8,000/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$4.9 billion) |
| • Rank | 26th |
| • Per capita | ₹222,000 (US$2,800) (10th) |
| Time zone | UTC+05:30 (IST) |
| ISO 3166 code | IN-PY |
| Vehicle registration | PY 01 - PY 05 |
| HDI (2018) | 0.740 (High) (7th) |
| Literacy (2011) | 86.55% |
| Sex ratio (2011) | 1037♀/1000 ♂ |
| Website | py |
| Symbols of Puducherry | |
| Song | "Tamil Thai Valthu" |
| 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. | |
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$2.6 billion) and ranks 25th in India.