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New Delhi

Capital of IndiaNew Delhi lies in northern India, on the floodplains of the Yamuna River, as part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi.

Why it's the capital

At the Delhi Durbar on 12 December 1911, King George V declared that the capital of British India would move from Calcutta to Delhi. A new city, planned mostly by the British architects Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker, was inaugurated in 1931.

Fun facts

  1. India Gate, a 42 m arch designed by Lutyens, honours 74,187 soldiers of the Indian Army who died between 1914 and 1921.
  2. Rashtrapati Bhavan, the President's palace, stands on Raisina Hill; it was built as the Viceroy's House.
  3. The Delhi Ridge, all that is left of the old Aravalli mountains here, is nicknamed the 'Lungs of Delhi'.

Finding it on the globe

Look in the north of India, south-east of Islamabad and roughly west of Kathmandu. New Delhi is inland, far from any coast.

Easy to mix up

People often use Delhi and New Delhi to mean the same place, but New Delhi is only a small part of the larger city of Delhi.

Sources: Wikipedia: New Delhi, Wikipedia: India Gate