Photographs: Adnan Abidi/Reuters
How big is Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state? One way of answering the question is to take its total area: 95,000 square miles, says The Economist.
Another way is to think of it as a country. If Uttar Pradesh were to declare independence, it would be the world's fifth most populous country, it says.
Yet its economy would only be the size of Qatar, a tiny oil-rich state of fewer than two million people. That makes it poor on a per person basis. Despite India's two decades of rapid growth, Uttar Pradesh's GDP per head is close to that of Kenya, says The Economist.
Let's take a look at some of the Indian states and see how they compare to countries.
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How Indian states compare with countries
Image: A woman looks at the products on display at a Gucci showroom in Mumbai.Photographs: Arko Datta/Reuters
Maharashtra
GDP (2009): $175.3 billion
Nearest equivalent:
Singapore
GDP (2009): $183.3 billion
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How Indian states compare with countries
Image: Visitors walk inside the compund of Asafi Imambara, also known as Bara Imambara, in Lucknow.Photographs: Fayaz Kabli/Reuters
Uttar Pradesh
GDP (2009): $103.5 billion
Nearest equivalent:
Qatar
GDP (2009): $98.3 billion
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How Indian states compare with countries
Image: A woman celebrates Holi in Hyderabad.Photographs: Krishnendu Halder/Reuters
Andhra Pradesh
GDP (2009): $85.7 billion
Nearest equivalent:
Slovakia
GDP (2009): $87.8 billion
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How Indian states compare with countries
Image: Mobile cranes prepare to stack containers at Thar Dry Port in Sanand in Gujarat.Photographs: Amit Dave/Reuters
Gujarat
GDP (2009): $80.1 billion
Nearest equivalent:
Angola
GDP (2009): $80.6 billion
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How Indian states compare with countries
Image: Boy bathes a cow at Marina beach in Chennai.Photographs: Babu Babu/Reuters
Tamil Nadu
GDP (2009): $80.0 billion
Nearest equivalent:
Angola
GDP (2009): $80.6 billion
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How Indian states compare with countries
Image: A horse-cart passes in front of the Queen Victoria Memorial in Kolkata.Photographs: Jayanta Shaw/Reuters
West Bengal
GDP (2009): $76.9 billion
Nearest equivalent:
Angola
GDP (2009): $80.6 billion
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How Indian states compare with countries
Image: Commuters disembark from a Metro at an elevated station in the Indira Nagar area of Bangalore.Photographs: Vivek Prakash/Reuters
Karnataka
GDP (2009): $62.9 billion
Nearest equivalent:
Croatia
GDP (2009): $63.2 billion
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How Indian states compare with countries
Image: A view of Hawa Mahal in Jaipur.Photographs: Vijay Mathur/Reuters
Rajasthan
GDP (2009): $46.3 billion
Nearest equivalent:
Dominican Republic
GDP (2009): $46.6 billion
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How Indian states compare with countries
Image: Labourers sit near a stall of sculptures at Surajkund Crafts Fair in Haryana.Photographs: Vijay Mathur/Reuters
Haryana
GDP (2009): $44.2 billion
Nearest equivalent:
Serbia
GDP (2009): $44.7 billion
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How Indian states compare with countries
Image: People attend a procession of decorated elephants in Trichur district, Kerala.Photographs: Stringer/Reuters
Kerala
GDP (2009): $41.2 billion
Nearest equivalent:
Tunisia
GDP (2009): $40.9 billion
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How Indian states compare with countries
Image: Lights illuminate the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar in Punjab.Photographs: Stringer/Reuters
Punjab
GDP (2009): $40.2 billion
Nearest equivalent:
Tunisia
GDP (2009): $40.9 billion
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How Indian states compare with countries
Image: A tourist takes pictures of Khajuraho in Madhya Pradesh.Photographs: Kamal Kishore/Reuters
Madhya Pradesh
GDP (2008): $37.3 billion
Nearest equivalent:
Guatemala
GDP (2008): $39.1 billion
...
How Indian states compare with countries
Image: A view of the Parliament building in New Delhi.Photographs: B Mathur/Reuters
Delhi
GDP (2009): $36.1 billion
Nearest equivalent:
Latvia
GDP (2009): $33.9 billion
...
How Indian states compare with countries
Image: Women dry their saris after taking a dip Gaya in Bihar.Photographs: Ravi S Sahani/Reuters
Bihar
GDP (2009): $32.7 billion
Nearest equivalent:
Uzbekistan
GDP (2009): $32.8 billion
...
How Indian states compare with countries
Image: Tribal farmers work in a field in the Koraput district, Orissa.Photographs: Desmond Boylan/Reuters
Orissa
GDP (2009): $31.8 billion
Nearest equivalent:
Uruguay
GDP (2009): $31.5 billion
...
How Indian states compare with countries
Image: Villagers and their cows attend a weekly animal market in Jashpur in Chattisgarh.Photographs: Kamal Kishore/Reuters
Chattisgarh
GDP (2009): $22.7 billion
Nearest equivalent:
Ivory Coast
GDP (2009): $22.9 billion
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How Indian states compare with countries
Image: A one-horned rhinoceros walks in Kaziranga National Park in Assam.Photographs: Kamal Kishore/Reuters
Assam
GDP (2009): $18.6 billion
Nearest equivalent:
Bolivia
GDP (2009): $18.2 billion
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How Indian states compare with countries
Image: Women belonging to the primitive Oraon tribe hold livestock after hunting in a forest in Ranchi, Jharkand.Photographs: Stringer/Reuters
Jharkhand
GDP (2009): $17.5 billion
Nearest equivalent:
Bosnia
GDP (2009): $16.9 billion
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How Indian states compare with countries
Image: Dancers from Uttarakhand perform in Allahabad.Photographs: Jitendra Prakash/Reuters
Uttrakhand
GDP (2009): $9.9 billion
Nearest equivalent:
Mozambique
GDP (2009): $9.6 billion
...
How Indian states compare with countries
Image: A truck moves on a road after it was cleared of snow near Gulaba village in Himachal Pradesh.Photographs: Stringer/Reuters
Himachal Pradesh
GDP (2009): $8.9 billion
Nearest equivalent:
Mauritius
GDP (2009): $8.9 billion
...
How Indian states compare with countries
Image: A man snow boards down a slope in Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir.Photographs: Fayaz Kabli/Reuters
Jammu and Kashmir
GDP (2009): $7.6 billion
Nearest equivalent:
Bahamas
GDP (2009): $8.9 billion
...
How Indian states compare with countries
Image: A tourist paraglides on Baga beach in Goa.Photographs: Punit Paranjpe/Reuters
Goa
GDP (2008): $4.2 billion
Nearest equivalent:
Malawi
GDP (2008): $4.0 billion
...
How Indian states compare with countries
Image: Tourists take a boat ride amid heavy fog at Sukhana Lake on a cold day in Chandigarh.Photographs: Ajay Verma/Reuters
Chandigarh
GDP (2009): $4.1 billion
Nearest equivalent:
Guinea
GDP (2009): $4.0 billion
...
How Indian states compare with countries
Image: A giant leather bag is displayed in Pondicherry. A file photo.Photographs: Handout/Reuters
Pondicherry
GDP (2009): $2.8 billion
Nearest equivalent:
Somalia
GDP (2009): $2.6 billion
...
How Indian states compare with countries
Image: Oarsmen row their boat during an annual boat race festival at Rudrasagar lake, about 55km from Agartala, Tripura.Photographs: Stringer/Reuters
Tripura
GDP (2009): $2.6 billion
Nearest equivalent:
Somalia
GDP (2009): $2.6 billion
...
How Indian states compare with countries
Image: An Australian street performer participates in a drum ensemble in Shillong, Meghalaya.Photographs: Utpal Baruah/Reuters
Meghalaya
GDP (2009): $2.1 billion
Nearest equivalent:
Central African Republic
GDP (2009): $2.1 billion
...
How Indian states compare with countries
Image: A woman carries her daughter in Khonoma village, on the outskirts of Kohima, capital of Nagaland.Photographs: Adnan Abidi/Reuters
Nagaland
GDP (2009): $1.5 billion
Nearest equivalent:
Zimbabwe
GDP (2009): $1.5 billion
...
How Indian states compare with countries
Image: Folk dancers from Manipur in traditional attire perform in Ahmedabad.Photographs: Amit Dave/Reuters
Manipur
GDP (2009): $1.4 billion
Nearest equivalent:
Belize
GDP (2009): $1.4 billion
...
How Indian states compare with countries
Image: An elderly lady of the Manpa tribe spins prayer wheels at a monastery in Tawang, in Arunachal Pradesh, near the border with China.Photographs: Utpal Baruah/Reuters
Arunachal Pradesh
GDP (2009): $1.0 billion
Nearest equivalent:
St Lucia
GDP (2009): $1.0 billion
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