India — political and administrative divisions

Think about how you would write out your full address. After the house and street come a village or town, then a district, then a state, and finally the country. Each of those names points to a level of government that looks after that place. Knowing these levels explains who decides on the army, who runs the police in your state and who repairs the road outside your home.

India is a vast country with many languages, religions and regions, so it needs a clear way of sharing power. The Constitution names the country a Union of States.

The Constitution never uses the word federation, yet India is built on federal ideas, with power divided between a national government and the states. India also describes itself as a sovereign, secular, democratic republic that is run on a parliamentary system of government.