Geography of Pondicherry

Pondicherry consists of four small unconnected districts: Pondicherry, Karaikal, and Yanam on the Bay of Bengal and Mahe on the Arabian Sea. Pondicherry and Karaikal are by far the larger ones, and are both enclaves of Tamil Nadu. Yanam is an enclave of Andhra Pradesh, and Mahe is an enclave of Kerala. The territory has a total area of 492 km²: Pondicherry (city) 293 km², Karaikal 160 km², Mahe 9 km² and Yanam 30 km². It has 900 000 inhabitants (2001).

The Union territory of Pondicherry encompasses an area of only 480 sq km with Pondicherry town and its villages covering 290 sq.km surrounded by the south Arcot District, Karaikal town and its villages covering 161 sq.km surrounded by Tanjavur district, Mahe and its villages covering 9 sq km surrounded by the Kerala state, and Yanam covering 20 sq.km within the East Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh.

While Pondicherry, the head quarters of the union territory, lies 162 km south of Madras and 22 km north of Cuddalore, Karaikal is about 150 km south of Pondicherry and Yanam about 840 km north-east of Pondicherry on the Andhra Coast. Mahe lies almost parallel to Pondicherry, 653 km away on the west coast.