Puducherry's four scattered former French establishments and the states around them

Background

The Union Territory of Puducherry comprises the former French establishments of Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam, which lie scattered in South India. Puducherry, the capital of the Territory, is situated on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal and is bounded on the east by the Bay of Bengal and on the three sides by Tamil Nadu. About 130 kms. south of Puducherry on the East Coast lies Karaikal. Mahe is situated on the Malabar coast, surrounded by Kerala, and is about 70 kms. from Calicut Airport. Yanam is situated adjoining the East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh and is about 200 kms. from Visakhapatnam Airport. Because the four regions sit beside three different states, the main languages spoken in the Territory are Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, English and French. The Union Territory with legislature extends over an area of 479 Sq. Kms. Total population of the Union Territory is 12,44,464, with a literacy rate of 86.55, as per 2011 Census (Provisional).