Uttar Pradesh

Capital

Lucknow

Official Language

Hindi, Urdu

Area

240,927.56 km²

Districts

75

Largest City

Lucknow

Geography & Nature

The Ganga–Yamuna plains and Himalayan-fed rivers contrast with the southern Vindhyan and Bundelkhand uplands.

• Reported area: 240,927.56 km². Survey of India — Administrative Boundary Data.
• Forest and tree cover: 23,996.72 km²; India State of Forest Report 2023.

Districts & Cities

75 districts listed by the NIC directory on 2026-10-14.

• Major urban centres: Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi, Agra, Prayagraj, Noida.
• Largest city/town: Lucknow. Lucknow is largest by 2011 municipal-city population; Kanpur is larger on the urban-agglomeration basis.

State Administration

Uttar Pradesh has a Governor and an elected government led by a Chief Minister. Its legislature has a Legislative Assembly and a Legislative Council. The capital is Lucknow.

• Administrative capital: Lucknow.
• Principal official language(s): Hindi, Urdu. The government language reference provides the administrative language context.

Government Institutions

Government institutions in Uttar Pradesh include executive departments, district administration, public agencies and local bodies. The official directory provides routes to their published websites.

• The Legislative Assembly provides the elected legislative institution.
• District administrations and municipal or village institutions provide local public services.

People & Demographics

The official MoEFCC profile reports approximately 19.98 crore people on a Census 2011 basis. This is a historical, rounded population figure rather than a current population estimate.

• Principal official language(s): Hindi, Urdu.
• The Uttar Pradesh profile includes both urban communities and rural or island settlements; language and social patterns vary locally.
• Census tables provide the detailed rural/urban, literacy, age and mother-tongue breakdowns.

Economy & Industries

Agriculture, food processing, textiles, leather, engineering, information technology and services support the economy.

• Economic centres include Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi.
• Use the government's economic surveys and departmental publications for dated output, employment and investment figures.

Infrastructure

Expressways, railway corridors, airports, urban metro systems and irrigation networks connect a large settlement system.

• Transport, electricity, water and digital networks support public services and economic activity.
• Project status and operational details are published by the responsible government departments and operators.

Education & Healthcare

Banaras Hindu University, Aligarh Muslim University and IIT Kanpur are prominent institutions; government medical colleges and public hospitals provide care.

• Schools, universities, government hospitals and primary care facilities serve different parts of the region.
• Check the relevant institution or department for current programmes, admissions and services.

Culture & History

The Taj Mahal, Varanasi, Sarnath, Awadh's traditions and regional crafts connect several historical and religious landscapes.

• Heritage sites, languages, crafts and community traditions vary across districts.
• The official tourism and culture portal provides place-specific information.

Schemes & Public Services

The Uttar Pradesh government and citizen-service portal provide access to applications, certificates, departmental services and scheme information.

• Common service areas include revenue certificates, welfare applications, education, transport and local-government services; availability varies by portal.
• Open the official service listing for the current application process and requirements.