Political Geography: Indian Tribal areas and Union territories

*Delhi

*India's capital territory, is a massive metropolitan area in the country's north.* In an old neighborhood, dating to the 1600s, stands the imposing Mughal-era Red Fort, a symbol of India, and the sprawling Jama Masjid mosque. Nearby is Chandni Chowk, a vibrant bazaar filled with food carts, sweets shops and spice stalls.

Assam

*State and tribal area in northeastern India* known for its wildlife, archeological sites and tea plantations. In the west, Guwahati, the largest city, features silk bazaars and the hilltop Kamakhya Temple.

Meghalaya

*State and tribal area in northeastern India.* The name means "the abode of clouds" in Sanskrit.

*Chandigarh

*Union territory and the capital of the northern Indian states of Punjab and Haryana,* was designed by the Swiss-French modernist architect, Le Corbusier.

Tripura

*a hilly State and tribal area in northeast India, bordered on 3 sides by Bangladesh,* and home to a diverse mix of tribal cultures and religious groups. Its famous for its blends of Hindu and Islamic architectural styles.

Mizoram

*a state and tribal area in northeastern India,* with Aizawl as its capital city. The name is derived from "Mizo", the name of the native inhabitants, and "Ram", which means land, and thus Mizoram means "land of the Mizos".

Manipur

*a state and tribal area in northeastern India,* with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south, and Assam to the west; Myanmar lies to its east.

*Puducherry

*a union territory in India, which was formed out of four territories of former French India,* namely Pondichéry, Karikal, Mahé and Yanaon. It is named after the largest district.

*Daman & Diu

*a union territory in west India, consists of 2 separate areas divided by the Arabian Sea.* The Daman Ganga River flows through the coastal town. The other area is composted of a small island and mainland village.

*Andaman & Nicobar islands

*an Indian union territory and archipelago in the Bay of Bengal.* These roughly 300 islands are known for their palm-lined, white-sand beaches, mangroves and tropical rainforests.

Arunachal Pradesh

*the northeastern-most state of the country.* This state and tribal area borders the states of Assam and Nagaland to the south and shares international borders with Bhutan in the west, Myanmar in the east and is separated from China in the north by the McMahon Line.

*Lakshadweep

*the smallest union territory of India made up of a tropical archipelago in the Laccadive Sea, off the coast of Kerala.* Its name means 'a hundred thousand islands' in Sanskrit.

*Dadar & Nagar Haveli

*union territory in western India. It is composed of two separate geographical entities*: One is wedged between Maharashtra and Gujarat. One km to the northwest is the smaller enclave, which is surrounded by Gujarat.

Nagaland

a mountainous *state and tribal area in northeast India, bordering Myanmar.*

Union territories

administrative division in the Republic of India. Unlike the states of India, which have their own governments, they are *federal territories governed directly by the union government,* hence the name.

Tribal Areas (Indian)

contiguous areas of settlement of tribal people of India, that is, *groups or tribes that remained genetically homogenous as opposed to other population groups that mixed widely* within the Indian subcontinent.