Administrative Divisions of India – Regional Administration
By Balaji
Updated on: February 17th, 2023
The Administrative Divisions of India are composed of a nested social hierarchy of divisions. Villages include smaller subdivisions in rural areas, whereas local bodies are present in urban areas instead of these rural subdivisions. India is a vast country with a massive population. The first article of our Constitution mentions the administrative composition of India, and the Administrative Divisions of India are said to be subnational administrative units.
Administrative Divisions of India have been created for various reasons, such as to ensure the development in specific areas, administrative convenience, and protection of tribal population rights as mentioned in the constitution. We have covered more facts and related information on the Administrative Divisions of India in this article.
Table of content
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1. Concept of Administrative Divisions of India
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2. Administrative Divisions of India List
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3. Zones Wise Administrative Divisions of India
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4. States Wise Administrative Divisions of India
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5. Divisions of States and Union Territories in India
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6. Union Territories Wise Administrative Divisions of India
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7. Districts Wise Administrative Divisions of India
Concept of Administrative Divisions of India
There are 28 states and 8 Union territories in India, and they are further divided into various districts. As per Census 2011, there are 640 districts in India.
The states and the UTs are mainly divided based on administrative convenience, spoken languages, etc. These states are further divided into various districts for convenience. Mainly the classification of the districts due to the geographical aspects of the state.
At the root level, the Administrative Divisions of India are villages in rural areas. As per the Constitution of India, the states need to form Panchayats in three tiers and districts where a population of fewer than 20 lakhs.
Administrative Divisions of India List
India has states and union territories (UTs) clubbed into zones, while each state is further divided into districts. The districts have sub-divisions that are further classified into various blocks and villages.
Creating Administrative divisions in India serves many purposes like it offers convenience to the administrative services, focusing on the development of particular regions of India, and preserving the rights of the tribal people as required in the constitution.
Zones Wise Administrative Divisions of India
The states and UTs of India are categorised into five zones. The motive behind this is to develop the habit of corporate working among these states. These zonal councils came into existence with the State Recognition Act of 1956. The zonal Administrative Divisions of India are
Zones of India |
Location |
The Northern Zone |
Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, National Capital Territory of Delhi and Chandigarh (UT). |
The Central Zone |
Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, and Madhya Pradesh. |
The Eastern Zone |
Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, Sikkim and West Bengal. |
The Western Zone. |
Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Daman & Diu, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli (UT). |
The Southern Zone |
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry (UT). |
Cultural zones of India
Each zone in parts of India has a zonal headquarters where a cultural centre has been accepted. Each zone of India is responsible for cross-promoting and creating exposure to other cultural zones of India by organising functions and inviting artists from different zones. Have a look at the cultural zones of India below.
Zone |
Centre of Zone |
Stretch |
North East Culture Zone |
North East Zone Cultural Centre, Dimapur, Nagaland |
Sikkim, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Mizoram, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland |
North Central Culture Zone |
North-Central Zone Cultural Centre, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh |
Bihar, Delhi, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand |
South Culture Zone |
South Zone Cultural Centre, Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu |
Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Karnataka, Lakshadweep, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, Telangana |
North Culture Zone |
North Zone Cultural Centre, Patiala, Punjab |
Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Chandigarh, Haryana, Ladakh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand |
East Culture Zone |
East Zone Cultural Centre, Kolkata, West Bengal |
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Manipur, Odisha, Sikkim, Tripura, West Bengal |
South Central Culture Zone |
South-Central Zone Cultural Centre, Nagpur, Maharashtra |
Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Maharashtra, Telangana |
West Culture Zone |
West Zone Cultural Centre, Udaipur, Rajasthan |
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan |
States Wise Administrative Divisions of India
India is a union of states where the supreme law of the land is the Constitution. In 1956, The States Reorganisation Act was enacted, reorganising the states according to languages and culture.
According to the Administrative Divisions of India, we have 28 states. These are mentioned in the table below.
S.No. |
Regions of India |
Capital |
1 |
Andhra Pradesh |
Amaravati |
2 |
Arunachal Pradesh |
Itanagar |
3 |
Assam |
Dispur |
4 |
Bihar |
Patna |
5 |
Chhattisgarh |
Raipur |
6 |
Goa |
Panaji |
7 |
Gujarat |
Gandhinagar |
8 |
Haryana |
Chandigarh |
9 |
Himachal Pradesh |
Shimla |
10 |
Jharkhand |
Ranchi |
11 |
Karnataka |
Bengaluru |
12 |
Kerala |
Thiruvananthapuram |
13 |
Madhya Pradesh |
Bhopal |
14 |
Maharashtra |
Mumbai |
15 |
Manipur |
Imphal |
16 |
Meghalaya |
Shillong |
17 |
Mizoram |
Aizawl |
18 |
Nagaland |
Kohima |
19 |
Odisha |
Bhubaneswar |
20 |
Punjab |
Chandigarh |
21 |
Rajasthan |
Jaipur |
22 |
Sikkim |
Gangtok |
23 |
Tamil Nadu |
Chennai |
24 |
Telangana |
Hyderabad |
25 |
Tripura |
Agartala |
26 |
Uttar Pradesh |
Lucknow |
27 |
Uttarakhand |
Dehradun |
28 |
West Bengal |
Kolkata |
Divisions of States and Union Territories in India
The table represents the number of divisions in each state or Union Territory. There are 102 Divisions in India. Also, some regions of India in any form have no official administrative governmental status. For instance, the Regions of Assam and Gujarat.
Name of State or Union Territory |
Number of Divisions |
Andhra Pradesh |
– |
Arunachal Pradesh |
2 |
Assam |
5 |
Bihar |
9 |
Chhattisgarh |
5 |
Goa |
– |
Gujarat |
– |
Haryana |
6 |
Himachal Pradesh |
3 |
Telangana |
– |
Jharkhand |
5 |
Karnataka |
4 |
Kerala |
– |
Madhya Pradesh |
10 |
Maharashtra |
6 |
Manipur |
– |
Meghalaya |
2 |
Mizoram |
– |
Nagaland |
1 |
Odisha |
3 |
Punjab |
5 |
Rajasthan |
7 |
Sikkim |
– |
Tamil Nadu |
– |
Tripura |
– |
Uttar Pradesh |
18 |
Uttarakhand |
2 |
West Bengal |
5 |
Andaman and Nicobar Islands |
– |
Chandigarh |
– |
Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu |
– |
Jammu and Kashmir |
2 |
Lakshadweep |
– |
Delhi |
1 |
Puducherry |
– |
Ladakh |
1 |
Total |
102 |
Union Territories Wise Administrative Divisions of India
For a long time, India had 7 UTs. With the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act, 2019, the state of Jammu and Kashmir was bifurcated into two UTs – Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
On 26th January 2020, Daman and Diu, Dadra, and Nagar Haveli were recognised as 1 UT. According to the Administrative Divisions of India, there are 8 UTs.
S.NO. |
Union Territories |
Capital |
1 |
Andaman and Nicobar Island |
Port Blair |
2 |
Chandigarh |
Chandigarh |
3 |
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu |
Daman |
4 |
NCT of Delhi |
Delhi |
5 |
Ladakh |
Leh |
6 |
Lakshadweep |
Kavaratti |
7 |
Jammu and Kashmir |
Jammu(winter), Srinagar(summer) |
8 |
Puducherry |
Puducherry |
Districts Wise Administrative Divisions of India
- States are divided into various districts, and to have administrative convenience; these districts are grouped to form zones.
- Each state has a different number of zones/divisions. E.g., Maharashtra has 6 divisions, while Odisha has 3.
- According to the Administrative Divisions of India, currently, there are 742 districts in India.
- Each district is further divided into sub-districts, which are named differently in different parts of India. These administrative sections may be known as Taluka, Tehsil, Block etc.
- The smallest administration unit is a village in a rural area and a town in an urban area.
- States with a population of more than 20 lakhs are required to create Panchayats at three levels – village, intermediate and district levels.
The Administrative Divisions of India pave the way for institutions to reach out to every corner of the country. This systematic federal system makes the administration of this country run smoothly, ensuring justice and equality for its citizens.