The past boundaries of the state came into existence with the reorganisation of the states on a linguistic basis in 1956. For administrative purposes, the state was divided into 83 districts, 294 tehsils, and 907 community blocks. There were 112,803 inhabited villages, 710 statutory towns, and 43 census towns. Nearly 19 percent of inhabited villages in India are in UP. As per the 1991 census, about 40 percent of the villages in UP had a population of less than 500 and another 26 percent of the villages had population in the range of 500-999. While the average population per village in UP was only 989. Having a large number of small villages scattered all over the state is a major obstacle to the development of infrastructure facilities and delivery of all types of services related to development sectors. Uttar Pradesh state consists of seventy districts, which are grouped into seventeen divisions: Agra, Azamgarh, Allahabad, Bijnor, Kanpur, Ghaziabad, Gorakhpur, Chitrakoot, Jhansi, Devipatan, Faizabad, Bahraich, Bareilly, Basti, Mirzapur, Moradabad,Mathura, Meerut, Lucknow, Varanasi, Sultanpur, Farrukhabad, Vrindavan, and Saharanpur. It has 403 constituencies. The state has a large number of village councils known as Panchayats just like the other states of India. One of the most developed Panchayats is Shahabad in Maharajganj District of Uttar Pradesh. The largest district in terms of area is Lakhimpur Kheri. The largest district in terms of population is Allahabad followed by Kanpur Nagar (Census 2001).

The state languages of Uttar Pradesh are standard Hindi and Urdu. Uttar Pradesh is famous for its arts and crafts. Specific regions such as Varanasi for its saris and silk, Mirzapur and Bhadohi for its carpets, Agra and Kanpur for their leather craft, Moradabad for its metal ware, Lucknow for its cloth work and embroidery 'chicken work on silk, and the entire state for its pottery are not only famous in India but around the world.

The State of U.P. has made investments over the years in all sectors of education and has achieved some success.

The female literacy situation in Uttar Pradesh is dismal. Only one out of four in the 7+ age group was able to read and write in 1991. This figure goes down to 19% for rural areas, 11% for the scheduled castes, 8% for scheduled castes in rural areas, and 8% for the entire rural population in the most educationally backward districts. In terms of more demanding educational attainment (the completion of primary or secondary education), in 1992-1993 only 50% of literate males and 40% of literate females could complete the cycle of eight years of schooling involved in the primary and middle stages. One other notable feature of the Uttar Pradesh education system is the persistence of high levels of illiteracy in the younger age group.

The problems of education system are exacting. Due to public apathy the schools are in disarray. While privately run schools (including those run by Christian missionaries) are functional, they are beyond the reach of ordinary people. The State government has taken steps to make the population totally literate. Steps are being taken with the help of NGOs and other organizations to raise participation.

As a result, some progress in adult education has been made and the census of 2001 indicates a male literacy rate of 70.23% and a female literacy rate of 42.98%.

Uttar Pradesh is a very fertile region and a major contributor to the national food grain stock. The major economic activity in the state is agriculture, and in 1991, 73 percent of the population in the state was engaged in agriculture and 46 percent of the state income was accounted for by agriculture. UP has retained its pre-eminent position in the country as a food-surplus state. Yet nearly 40 percent of the total population lives below the poverty line. Uttar Pradesh's gross state domestic product for 2004 is $339.5 billion by PPP and $80.9 billion by Nominal. Uttar Pradesh is the second largest economy in India after Maharashtra. 

 

The state languages of Uttar Pradesh are standard Hindi and Urdu. Uttar Pradesh is famous for its arts and crafts. Specific regions such as Varanasi for its saris and silk, Mirzapur and Bhadohi for its carpets, Agra and Kanpur for their leather craft, Moradabad for its metal ware, Lucknow for its cloth work and embroidery 'chicken work on silk, and the entire state for its pottery are not only famous in India but around the world.

The State of U.P. has made investments over the years in all sectors of education and has achieved some success.

The female literacy situation in Uttar Pradesh is dismal. Only one out of four in the 7+ age group was able to read and write in 1991. This figure goes down to 19% for rural areas, 11% for the scheduled castes, 8% for scheduled castes in rural areas, and 8% for the entire rural population in the most educationally backward districts. In terms of more demanding educational attainment (the completion of primary or secondary education), in 1992-1993 only 50% of literate males and 40% of literate females could complete the cycle of eight years of schooling involved in the primary and middle stages. One other notable feature of the Uttar Pradesh education system is the persistence of high levels of illiteracy in the younger age group.

The problems of education system are exacting. Due to public apathy the schools are in disarray. While privately run schools (including those run by Christian missionaries) are functional, they are beyond the reach of ordinary people. The State government has taken steps to make the population totally literate. Steps are being taken with the help of NGOs and other organizations to raise participation.

As a result, some progress in adult education has been made and the census of 2001 indicates a male literacy rate of 70.23% and a female literacy rate of 42.98%.

Uttar Pradesh is a very fertile region and a major contributor to the national food grain stock. The major economic activity in the state is agriculture, and in 1991, 73 percent of the population in the state was engaged in agriculture and 46 percent of the state income was accounted for by agriculture. UP has retained its pre-eminent position in the country as a food-surplus state. Yet nearly 40 percent of the total population lives below the poverty line. Uttar Pradesh's gross state domestic product for 2004 is $339.5 billion by PPP and $80.9 billion by Nominal. Uttar Pradesh is the second largest economy in India after Maharashtra.