Uttar Pradesh: Location, area and physical divisions

Uttar Pradesh is the most populous state in India and lies in the fertile Gangetic plains. It stretches from the Himalayan foothills in the north to the Vindhya ranges in the south, is landlocked, and shares an international border with Nepal. Official sources differ slightly on its area and rank, so each figure below is tied to its source.

Location and Area

• Latitude: 23°52'N to 31°28'N (climate plan; the 2023 forest report gives the same).
• Longitude: 77°51'E to 84°38'E in the climate plan; the 2023 forest report gives 77°30' E to 84°39' E.
• Area: the climate plan gives 243,286 km2 and calls UP the fourth largest state.
• The state tourism department, the state portal and the 2023 forest report give 2,40,928 sq km. The state portal puts UP in 5th position by area, after Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, with 7.3% of India's land.

Neighbours

• Borders nine other states: Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttarakhand.
• Nepal lies along the north.
• Capital: Lucknow; the High Court is at Prayagraj, with a Bench at Lucknow.

Physical Regions

• The climate plan divides the state into three main regions: the Sub-mountainous region, the Ganga Plain region and the Trans-Yamuna region.
• In terms of physiography it has two broad units: the Central Ganga Plain and the Bundelkhand and Vindhyan Plateau.
• The state has fertile soils, and the Himalayan rivers Ganga and Yamuna flow through it.

Drainage

• The state forms part of the Ganga basin; the Ganga and its tributaries are the master drainage.
• Main left-bank tributaries: Ramganga, Ghagra and Gomti.
• Main right-bank tributary: Yamuna.
• Other rivers listed by the tourism department: Saryu, Betwa and Ken.

Population (Census 2011)

• Total: 199,812,341 (104,480,510 males and 95,331,831 females); the climate plan rounds it to 19.98 crore.
• Share: nearly 17% of India's population (state portal).
• Density: 829 per km2 (2023 forest report).
• Urban: 44.50 million (22.27 %); Rural: 155.31 million (77.73 %); Tribal: 1.13 million (0.57 %).
• Literacy: 67.68 % overall; male 77.28 %, female 57.18 %.

Administrative Units (state portal)

• 18 divisions and 75 districts.
• 915 urban bodies, including 17 Municipal corporations and 200 municipal boards.
• 822 development blocks (the tourism key facts list 820), 8135 Nyaya Panchayats, 59163 gram sabhas and 97941 populated villages.
• Representation: 80 Lok Sabha members, 31 Rajya Sabha members, 403 Legislative Assembly members and 100 Legislative Council members.

Forests and Wildlife

• The Vindhyan forests are mostly scrub.
• Jaunpur, Ghazipur and Ballia have no forest land, and 31 other districts have little forest.
• The elephant is confined to the terai and foothills; chinkara and sandgrouse live in the dry Vindhyan forests.
• Parks and sanctuaries shelter the endangered Bengal Florican and the reintroduced one-horned Rhinoceros; the state also has Dudhwa National Park.