Puducherry (), also known as Pondicherry (), is one of the 8 union territories of India It was formed out of four territories of former French India, namely Pondichéry (Pondicherry; now Puducherry), Karikal (Karaikal), Mahé and Yanaon (Yanam), excluding Chandannagar It is named after the largest district, Puducherry Historically known as Pondicherry (Pāṇṭiccēri), the territory changed its official name to Puducherry on 20 September 2006The Union Territory of Puducherry lies in the southern part of the Indian Peninsula.
The areas of Puducherry district and Karaikal district are bound by the state of Tamil Nadu, while Yanam district and Mahé district are enclosed by the states of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala, respectively Puducherry is the 29th most populous and the third most densely populated of the states and union territories of India It has a gross domestic product (GDP) of ₹210 billion (US$29 billion) and ranks 25th in India