Chhattisgarh (Chhattīsgaṛh, Hindi pronunciation: [/ˈtʃʰət̪ːisgəɽʱ/], translation: Thirty-Six Forts) is one of the 29 states of India, located in the centre-east of the country. It is the ninth-largest state in India, with an area of 135,192 km2 (52,198 sq mi).[4][circular reference] With a 2011 population of 25.5 million, Chhattisgarh is the 16th-most populated state in the country. A resource-rich state, it is a source of electricity and steel for the country, accounting for 15% of the total steel produced.[5] Chhattisgarh is one of the fastest-developing states in India.
The state was formed on 1 November 2000 by partitioning ten Chhattisgarhi and six Gondi speaking southeastern districts of Madhya Pradesh.[7][8] The capital city is Raipur. Chhattisgarh borders the states of Madhya Pradesh in the northwest, Uttar Pradesh in the north, Jharkhand in northeast, Maharashtra in the southwest, Telangana in the south,[9] Odisha in the southeast. Currently the state comprises 27 districts.