Map of Orissa
Orissa is a first-level division of India. Its largest mapped city is Bhubaneshwar, with about 844,000 people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on Orissa, and the tables list its 6 mapped cities along with the mountains, dams, lakes, ports, World Heritage Sites nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 6
- Largest City
- Bhubaneshwar
- Country
- India
- Highest Point Mapped
- 1,501 m
Interactive Map of Orissa
About Orissa
Orissa Province was a province of British India created in April 1936 by the partitioning of the Bihar and Orissa Province and adding parts of Madras Presidency and Central Provinces. Its territory corresponds with the present-day state of Odisha.
On 22 March 1912, both Bihar and Orissa divisions were separated from the Bengal Presidency as Bihar and Orissa Province. On 1 April 1936, Bihar and Orissa Province was split to form Bihar Province and Orissa Province. Parts of the Ganjam district and the Vizagapatam district of Madras Presidency were transferred to Orissa Province along with portions of the Vizagapatam Hill Tracts Agency and Ganjam Hill Tracts Agency and Khariar region of Central Provinces and Berar.
Odisha today still retains these exact borders, making it the only Indian state to keep its pre-independence borders.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Orissa Province (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Orissa in Depth
History
In 1803 Orissa was occupied by forces of the British East India Company during the Second Anglo-Maratha War, coming in 1858 under direct administration by the British government along with the company's other territories. Under the British Raj, it was a division of the Bengal Presidency with its capital in Cuttack. It had an area of 35,664 km2 and 5,003,121 inhabitants in 1901. The province included the Orissa Tributary States. On 1 April 1912, the province of Bihar and Orissa was detached from Bengal, and the Orissa Tributary States were placed under the authority of the governor of Bihar and Orissa. In 1936, Orissa became a separate province with five districts, comprising an area of 83,392 km2.
8 December 1938 – 1 April 1941 Sir John Austen Hubback (2nd time) (s.a.)
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Orissa Province (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Orissa: Key Facts
| Capital | Cuttack |
|---|---|
| Established | 1936 |
Facts from Wikidata Q7102849 (CC0).
History of Orissa: Empires and States
The atlas records 16 polities whose mapped territory included part of Orissa, from Kalinga in 318 BCE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here |
|---|---|
| Kalinga | 318–171 BCE |
| The Maurya Empire | 291–171 BCE |
| Mahameghavahana Dynasty | 170–165 BCE |
| Shunga Empire | 164–67 BCE |
| Satavahana Dynasty | 164–32 BCE |
| Kanva Dynasty | 66–28 BCE |
| The Gupta Empire | 347–554 CE |
| Pala Empire | 825–839 CE |
| Eastern Ganga Kingdom | 1056–1351 CE |
| Sultanate of Bengal | 1512–1533 CE |
| Sur Empire | 1572–1594 CE |
| The Mughal Empire | 1595–1743 CE |
| The Maratha Empire | 1752–1819 CE |
| The British Empire | 1803–1946 CE |
| British Raj | 1859–1946 CE |
| Republic of India | 1947–2024 CE |
Historical Maps of Orissa
Orissa on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Largest Cities in Orissa
6 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bhubaneshwar | 844,000 | Orissa | Admin-1 capital |
| 2 | Raurkela | 625,831 | Orissa | Populated place |
| 3 | Cuttack | 580,000 | Orissa | Populated place |
| 4 | Brahmapur | 324,726 | Orissa | Populated place |
| 5 | Sambalpur | 310,852 | Orissa | Populated place |
| 6 | Puri | 201,026 | Orissa | Populated place |
Highest Mountains in Orissa
1 mountain mapped. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mahendra Giri | 1,501 m | 4,925 ft | Asia |
Major Dams in Orissa
1 dam mapped. Ranked by structural height. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Height | River | Capacity | Completed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hirakud Dam | 61 m | Mahanadi | 347 MW | 1957 |
Largest Lakes in Orissa
2 lakes mapped. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Surface Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hinakud Dam | 729 km² | Reservoir |
| 2 | Chilika Lake | 70 km² | Coastal Lagoon |
Ports in Orissa
2 ports mapped. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Orissa
1 World Heritage Site mapped. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Konark Sun Temple | 1984 | Cultural | (i) (iii) (vi) |
Orissa: Quick Answers
- Where is Orissa?
- Orissa is a first-level division of India, in Asia. Its mapped cities centre on 20.5973° N, 85.2026° E.
- What is the largest city in Orissa?
- Bhubaneshwar is the largest city mapped in Orissa, with a metropolitan population of about 844,000.
- How many cities are in Orissa?
- YearMaps maps 6 cities and towns in Orissa, with a combined metropolitan population of about 2.89 million. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.
- What is the highest mountain in Orissa?
- The highest summit mapped in Orissa is Mahendra Giri at 1,501 m.
- What is the largest lake in Orissa?
- The largest lake mapped in or beside Orissa is Hinakud Dam, at about 729 km².