Uttar Pradesh famously called as UP is the most populous state situated in northern part of India. Under the British Rule, the state was called as United province but after independence, the state was renamed as Uttar Pradesh (UP). A new state was carved on 9^th November 2000,Uttaranchal now popularly known as Uttarakhand. 

UP is India’s fourth largest state in terms of land area and is roughly of same size as United kingdom. The state sends the biggest number of legislators to the Parliament. The state contributes 80 seats to Lok Sabha and 31 seats to Rajya Sabha in the Indian Parliament. The state has provided eight prime ministers to the country.

Uttar Pradesh has multicultural, multiracial, fabulous wealth of nature-hills, valleys, rivers, forests, and vast plains.

The state also shares its border with Nepal in the Himalayan region.

Districts and Divisions in UP

The state constitutes 18 divisions and 75 districts with Lucknow being the capital city and Allahabad serving as the judicial capital.

Each district is host by a District Magistrate ,who is an Indian Administrative Service officer appointed Government of UP and reports to Divisional Commissioner of the division in which the district falls.

Neighbouring States

Uttar Pradesh is bounded by Rajasthan to the west, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the east, Madhya Pradesh to the south and traces the states of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. Uttar Pradesh has more metropolitan cities than any other state in India.

State Economy

UP has the second-largest economy in India after Maharashtra and contributes roughly 10% to the India’s GDP.

The State GDP of Uttar Pradesh is around INR 21.73 lakh crores as per the data released by MOSPI in March 2021.

Agriculture has been the most important section of the UP’s economy, employing about three-fourths of the work force. As per government of India report, UP contributes 19% to India’s total grain output, while 70-80% of sugarcane production in India comes from Uttar Pradesh.

Uttar Pradesh has the largest production of food grain and oil seeds in India. In addition, UP ranks the first in the production of wheat, maize, barley, gram, sugar cane, and potatoes.

State Tourism

Uttar Pradesh has three World Heritage Sites and is studded with places of tourist attractions across a wide spectrum of interest to people of diverse interests. The state consist of two major rivers, the Ganges and Yamuna, joined at Triveni Sangam in Allahabad. 

Uttar Pradesh has varied tourist attractions, some of them are listed below:

• Taj Mahal
• Agra Fort
• Fatehpur Sikri
• Sikandra
• Almora
• Tapkeshwar Temple
• Bara Imambara
• Chota Imambara
• Krishna Balarama Temple
• Varanasi Ghat

Area : 243290 Sq.Km

GDP : 195120 (Crore Rs)

Per Capita Income : 105000 (Rs)

Population : 1998 (Lakhs)

Uttar Pradesh is one of the states that aesthetically defines India and its rich history that’s as ancient as the time known. This is the place wherein great sages have emerged, religions evolved and two great epic of India:  Ramayana and Mahabharata have been inspired by the state of Uttar Pradesh.

Uttar Pradesh preserved its intellectual excellency even under the British administration. The British combined Agra and Oudh into one province, and called it United Provinces of Agra and Oudh. The name was shortened to the United Provinces in 1935.

In January 1950, the United Provinces was renamed as Uttar Pradesh (UP).

Education and Universities: Uttar Pradesh has more than 45 universities, including:

·       Five central universities

·       Twenty-Eight state universities

·       Eight deemed universities

·       Two IITs in Varanasi and Kanpur

·       Two AIIMS, one IIM in Lucknow

·       National Law University in Lucknow

·       One NIT in Allahabad

Connectivity: The state’s cities and towns are connected by a vast network of roads, including a number of expressways, national highways, and railways. Major cities in Uttar Pradesh are connected by air to Delhi and other large cities of India. The three inland waterways of the Ganges, Yamuna, and Ghaghara rivers also are an integral part of the state’s transportation system.

Roadways Connectivity: Uttar Pradesh state has some of the major expressways along with 48 national highways constituting a total length of 5,599 km. The state has 83 state highways, with a total length of 8,432Km. Due to its wide range of road network the state of Uttar Pradesh is well-connected to the neighbouring nine states of the country.

Some iconic expressways within the state are: 

·     Agra-Lucknow Expressway (302 km)

·     Yamuna Expressway (165 km)

·     Eastern Peripheral Expressway (135 km)

·     Delhi-Meerut Expressway (96 km)

·     Noida-Greater Noida Expressway (24 km)

·     Delhi-Noida Direct Flyway (9.2 km)

Airport Connectivity: 

The state has two international airports located in Varanasi and Lucknow:

·      Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi

·      Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow

The Lucknow Airport is the second-busiest airport in North India after the Delhi Airport. Besides these, there are six domestic airports as well in the state located in:

·      Agra 

·      Allahabad

·      Bareilly

·      Gorakhpur 

·      Kanpur

·      Hindon Airport in Ghaziabad

Metro Connectivity: The Government of Uttar Pradesh is building metro lines in seven major cities of the state:

·      Lucknow Metro (already operational)

·      Noida Metro (already operational)

·      Meerut Metro

·      Prayagraj Metro

·      Gorakhpur Metro

·      Agra Metro

·      Kanpur Metro

·      Varanasi Metro

Rapid Rail (RRTS): 

"Delhi-Meerut-RRTS" is India's first high speed Rapid Rail project which is being built by NCRTC and should be completed by 2024. The average speed of RRTS is three-times that of a metro rail. The project is getting built at a cost of over Rs. 30,000 crores and is expected to cover a distance of 82 kilometers in less than 60 minutes.

The Delhi-Meerut corridor starts from Sarai Kale Khan station in Delhi. The corridor will pass through areas of Delhi, Ghaziabad and Meerut, terminating at Modipuram in Meerut.

Railway Connectivity: 

The state has the largest railway network in the country. Allahabad and Gorakhpur serve as the headquarters of the North Eastern Railway and North Central Railway respectively. Apart from Zonal Headquarters, Lucknow and Moradabad serve as divisional Headquarters of the Northern Railway Division.

UP is attracts foreign direct investment (FDI) in the software and electronics fields, making Noida and Lucknow a major hub for Information Technology industry (IT Industry).