India

Twenty-eight states and eight union territories

India's internal map has changed more than almost any other country's in recent decades. Telangana split from Andhra Pradesh in 2014; Jammu and Kashmir became two union territories, with Ladakh carved off, in 2019; and Dadra and Nagar Haveli merged with Daman and Diu in 2020. This map reflects the current 36 — 28 states and 8 union territories — so what you see is what the government currently counts.

First-time visitors usually do the Golden Triangle and come home with Delhi, Uttar Pradesh (Agra), and Rajasthan. Goa and Kerala are the other common early fills. From there the map rewards planning: the seven northeastern states are a distinct region with their own permit rules in places, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are a separate flight from Chennai or Kolkata, and Lakshadweep requires advance permission. Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh draw the mountain crowd; Tamil Nadu and Karnataka the temple and tech crowd; and most people find they've under-visited the middle — Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh — until they go looking for tigers.

A note on borders

The outline here follows Natural Earth's de facto boundaries, which differ from India's official depiction in the Kashmir region. It's a map for marking where you've been, not a statement on the dispute. Click a state to mark it visited; click again for want-to-go.

Practicalities for collecting states

India's rail network is the way to fill this map. A single long route — Delhi to Kolkata on the Rajdhani, say — crosses Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and West Bengal overnight. The Konkan Railway from Mumbai down to Mangalore runs the coast of Maharashtra, Goa, and Karnataka. The northeast is different: Assam is the gateway, and Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Manipur require an Inner Line Permit or a Protected Area Permit, which foreign visitors arrange in advance. Sikkim needs one too. Leave the island territories for a dedicated trip; the Andamans are a week on their own.