Quick answerNew Delhi is the capital of India, with 249,998 people inside the city limits in 2011. The wider metropolitan area had about 16.3 million people in 2011. It is best known for Seat of India's government, the India Gate and the Lutyens' Delhi. Its official language is Hindi and English, and its currency is the Indian rupee.
New Delhi is the capital of India and the seat of its government, with 249,998 residents in the small New Delhi municipality in 2011. It sits inside the Delhi megacity, whose urban area had about 16.3 million people in 2011, and is home to the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House and India Gate.
Key facts
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| Population (city) | 249,998 (2011) |
| Population (metro) | 16,349,831 (2011) · Delhi urban agglomeration, Census of India 2011 |
| Elevation | 230 m above sea level |
| Time zone | Asia/Kolkata |
| Language | Hindi, English |
| Currency | Indian rupee (INR, ₹) |
| Coordinates | 28.6139° N, 77.2089° E |
Overview
New Delhi is the capital of India and the seat of all three branches of its government: the Rashtrapati Bhavan (the President's residence), Parliament House and the Supreme Court all stand here. It is a municipality of just 42.7 square kilometres, run by the New Delhi Municipal Council, with 249,998 residents in the 2011 census. That makes it a small city inside a very large one: the Delhi urban area around it had 16,349,831 people in 2011.
Delhi and New Delhi are often used as if they meant the same place, but they do not. Delhi is the National Capital Territory, a megacity of about 16.8 million people in 2011, and New Delhi is the small district within it that holds the government. The wider National Capital Region takes in satellite cities such as Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad, and its urban area has an estimated population of over 28 million.
New Delhi was built as the capital of British India: its foundation stone was laid in 1911 and the city was inaugurated in 1931. The British architects Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker laid out its wide avenues, roundabouts and government buildings — ‘Lutyens’ Delhi’ — around the India Gate war memorial and the great vista of Rajpath. Today the city is a leafy, low-rise district of embassies, ministries and gardens at the centre of one of the world's largest cities.
What New Delhi is known for
- Seat of India's government
- India Gate
- Lutyens' Delhi
- Rashtrapati Bhavan
Landmarks
- India Gate
- Rashtrapati Bhavan
- Parliament House (Sansad Bhavan)
- National Museum
- Lodhi Gardens
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of New Delhi?
New Delhi had 249,998 residents in the 2011 census — a small municipality inside the Delhi megacity. The Delhi urban area around it had 16,349,831 people in 2011, and the National Capital Territory had about 16.8 million. Newer estimates put the wider Delhi area at over 28 million people.
What is New Delhi famous for?
New Delhi is famous as the seat of India's government: the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House and the Supreme Court all stand here. It is known for Lutyens' Delhi — wide avenues, roundabouts and colonial-era government buildings — and for the India Gate war memorial and the gardens of Lodhi.
Where is New Delhi located?
New Delhi is in northern India, on the Yamuna River, inside the National Capital Territory of Delhi. It is a small district at the centre of the Delhi megacity, south of the old city of Delhi and west of the Yamuna floodplain. Its coordinates are 28.61° N, 77.21° E, in the Indian Standard Time zone.
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Keep exploring
- India — the country New Delhi is in
- Mumbai — another city in India
- Bengaluru — another city in India
- Chennai — another city in India
- Mahatma Gandhi — Indian politics figure
- All cities in India
- All countries — the full list
Sources & last updated
Last updated: . Figures are shown with their year; where sources disagree, the value is left out rather than estimated.