Welcome to one of the longest-awaited additions to Street View: India! This incredibly diverse country is a whole new world all on its own; read on to learn more about it!
Subdivisions
India is comprised of 28 states:
- Andhra Pradesh AP
- Arunachal Pradesh AR
- Assam AS
- Bihar BR
- Chhatisgarh CG
- Goa GA
- Gujarat GJ
- Haryana HR
- Himachal Pradesh HP
- Jharkhand JH
- Karnataka KA
- Kerala KL
- Madhya Pradesh MP
- Maharashtra MH
- Manipur MN
- Meghalaya ML
- Mizoram MZ
- Nagaland NL
- Odisha OR/OD
- Punjab PB
- Rajasthan RJ
- Sikkim SK
- Tamil Nadu TN
- Telangana TS
- Tripura TR
- Uttar Pradesh UP
- Uttarakhand UA/UK
- West Bengal WB
and 8 Union Territories:
- Andaman and Nicobar Islands AN
- Chandigarh CH
- Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu DN/DD
- Delhi DL
- Jammu and Kashmir JK
- Ladakh LA
- Lakshadweep LD
- Puducherry/Pondicherry PY
Odisha and Uttarakhand were renamed from Orissa and Uttaranchal, respectively, which is why two state codes are provided. Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu were previously two separate Union Territories, and codes for both are provided above, although today only the latter (DD) continues on. Telangana split off from Andhra Pradesh, so AP can still be found on signs in the area.
License Plates
License plate designs in India are not strictly regulated, although there are primarily two types of license plates. Private vehicles carry white-backed license plates with black text: AB 12 CD 3456, while commercial vehicles (taxis, trucks, government vehicles, etc.) carry yellow-backed license plates with black text: AB 12 CD 3456. Occasionally these colors can be inverted, most commonly on luxury cars and higher-ranking government vehicles, or can be found using the local script (see Language).
Indian license plates follow a simple format that can make it easy to narrow down your location if you find an unblurred plate:
- The first two characters correspond to the state code (see Subdivisions)
- The next two characters correspond to the region the car was registered in, numbered by state
- The exception to this rule is Delhi, where only the first character corresponds to this. The second character corresponds to the vehicle's class
- The next three to six characters are the vehicle's registered serial number, comprised of two letters and up to four numbers.
While most license plates will be blurred, the sheer density of vehicles in urban areas means some are likely to be missed, or only partially blurred. In addition, auto rickshaws and taxis often have their license plate printed on the side of the vehicle as well, which is often not blurred. Thus this makes it easier to narrow down your location.
Western MH & Vadodara/Baroda
As the most densely covered area on Street View (as of early August 2022), knowing the registration codes for MH vehicles can help narrow down which city you are in. Vadodara/Baroda is the only covered city in this region not in Maharashtra state – it will predominantly have GJ plates, from Gujarat. Here are the registration codes for the other cities (all prefixed with MH on license plates):
- Mumbai: 01-05, 46-48, 55, 56
- Pune: 12, 14, 53, 54
- Nashik: 15
- Ahmednagar: 16, 17
Phone Codes
India uses different systems for mobile and telephone numbers. Mobile phone numbers are organized by carrier, and thus are not particularly useful in narrowing down your location. However, telephone codes, while slightly harder to find, can help you narrow down your location. These numbers are sometimes prefixed with a zero (0).
- North (JK, HP, CH, PB, HR, UA, DL, northern RJ)
- West (GJ, DD, western MH, western RJ)
- Northeast (WB, SK, AS, ML, AR, AS, NL, MN, TR, MZ, AN)
- South (KL, TN, PY, LA, Hyderabad TS)
- North (UP)
- East (OR, JH, BR)
- Central (MP, CG, eastern MH, southern RJ, Ahmedabad GJ)
- South (AP, TS, GA, KA)
Roads, Markings, and Signage
Roads in India aren't marked very consistently – while they typically sport white lines, they are often missing altogether. However, main roads often have planted dividers in the middle, mainly in or near cities. These are particularly distinctive, as they feature alternating yellow and black stripes, as do the curbs.
Road signs in India often feature English text in addition to the local language/script, although the English text can vary from being a transliteration to an old name. Shops almost always have their address written on the sign (like in Sri Lanka or Bangladesh), but aren't always written in English. Try comparing the scripts (see Language) to figure out the region, and match the characters to a city.
Mumbai in particular uses a directional system to neighborhood names, which are suffixed with East (पूर्व) or West (पश्चिम) corresponding to whether you are east or west of the nearest railway line. Look out for these indicators (typically just the first character) to figure out where to look!
Highways & Road Numbering Schemes
Architecture
Language
India is home to a variety of languages, being home to about six independent language families, and 23 official languages. Many have their own scripts, especially those in the south of the country. The following are the most prominent languages, and the ones most likely to be encountered in GeoGuessr. Where otherwise noted, the script for each language is known by the same name as the language itself.
- English (Latin)
- Hindi (Devanagari)
- RJ, HR, UK, HP, UP, MP, CG, JH, BR, DL, CH
- Marathi (Devanagari)
- MH
- Bengali
- WB, AN, TR
- Telugu
- TS, AP
- Tamil
- TN, PY
- Gujarati
- GJ, DD
- Kannada
- KA
- Malayalam
- KL
- Odia
- OD
- Punjabi
- PB
All of these languages except English are written in abugida scripts, and can have in excess of 500 individual character combinations of consonants and vowel diacritics. See Samples to see how these scripts look.
Samples
English
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
Hindi
सभी मनुष्यों को गौरव और अधिकारों के मामले में जन्मजात स्वतन्त्रता और समानता प्राप्त है। उन्हें बुद्धि और अन्तरात्मा की देन प्राप्त है और परस्पर उन्हें भाईचारे के भाव से बर्ताव करना चाहिए।
Marathi (Maharashtra)
सर्व मनुष्यजात जन्मतःच स्वतंत्र आहे व सर्वजणांना समान प्रतिष्ठा व समान अधिकार आहेत. त्यांना विचारशक्ती व सदसद्विवेकबुद्धी लाभलेली आहे व त्यांनी एकमेकांशी बंधुत्वाच्या भावनेने आचरण करावे.
Bengali (West Bengal)
সমস্ত মানুষ স্বাধীনভাবে সমান মর্যাদা এবং অধিকার নিয়ে জন্মগ্রহণ করে | তাঁদের বিবেক এবং বুদ্ধি আছে সুতরাং সকলেরই একে অপরের প্রতি ভ্রাতৃত্বসুলভ মনোভাব নিয়ে আচরণ করা উচিত্ |
Gujarati (Gujarat)
પ્રતિષ્ઠા અને અધિકારોની દૃષ્ટિએ સર્વ માનવો જન્મથી સવતંત્ર અને સમાન હોય છે. તેમનામાં વિચારશકતિ અને અંતઃકરણ હોય છે અને તેમણે પરસ્પર બંધુત્વની ભાવનાથી વર્તવું જોઇએ.
Punjabi (Punjab)
ਸਾਰਾ ਮਨੁੱਖੀ ਪਰਿਵਾਰ ਆਪਣੀ ਮਹਿਮਾ, ਸ਼ਾਨ ਅਤੇ ਹੱਕਾਂ ਦੇ ਪੱਖੋਂ ਜਨਮ ਤੋਂ ਹੀ ਆਜ਼ਾਦ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਸੁਤੇ ਸਿੱਧ ਸਾਰੇ ਲੋਕ ਬਰਾਬਰ ਹਨ । ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਸਭਨਾ ਨੂੰ ਤਰਕ ਅਤੇ ਜ਼ਮੀਰ ਦੀ ਸੌਗਾਤ ਮਿਲੀ ਹੋਈ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਭਰਾਤਰੀਭਾਵ ਦੀ ਭਾਵਨਾ ਰਖਦਿਆਂ ਆਪਸ ਵਿਚ ਵਿਚਰਣਾ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ ।
Odia (Odisha)
ସବୁ ମନୁଷ୍ୟ ଜନ୍ମକାଳରୁ ସ୍ୱାଧୀନ. ସେମାନଙ୍କର ମର୍ଯ୍ୟାଦା ଓ ଅଧିକାର ସମାନ. ସେମାନଙ୍କଠାରେ ପ୍ରଜ୍ଞା ଓ ବିବେକ ନିହିତ ଅଛି. ସେମାନେ ପରସ୍ପର ପ୍ରତି ଭାତୃଭାବ ପୋଷଣ କରି କାର୍ଯ୍ୟ କରିବା ଦରକାର.
Telugu (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana)
ప్రతిపత్తిస్వత్వముల విషయమున మానవులెల్లరును జన్మతః స్వతంత్రులును సమానులును నగుదురు. వారు వివేదనాంతఃకరణ సంపన్నులగుటచే పరస్పరము భ్రాతృభావముతో వర్తింపవలయును.
Tamil (Tamil Nadu)
மனிதப் பிறவியினர் சகலரும் சுதந்திரமாகவே பிறக்கின்றனர்; அவர்கள் மதிப்பிலும் உரிமைகளிலும் சமமானவர்கள். அவர்கள் நியாயத்தையும் மனசாட்சியையும் இயற்பண்பாகப் பெற்றவர்கள். அவர்கள் ஒருவருடனொருவர் சகோதர உணர்வுப் பாங்கில் நடந்துகொள்ளல் வேண்டும்.
Kannada (Karnataka)
ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಮಾನವರೂ ಸ್ವತಂತ್ರರಾಗಿಯೇ ಜನಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಹಾಗೂ ಘನತೆ ಮತ್ತು ಹಕ್ಕು ಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ಸಮಾನರಾಗಿದ್ದರೆ. ವಿವೇಕ ಮತ್ತು ಅಂತಃಕರಣ ಗಳನ್ನು ಪಡೆದವರಾದ್ದರಿಂದ ಅವರು ಪರಸ್ಪರ ಸಹೋದರ ಭಾವದಿಂದ ವರ್ತಿಸಬೇಕು.
Malayalam (Kerala)
മനുഷ്യരെല്ലാവരും തുല്യാവകാശങ്ങളോടും അന്തസ്സോടും സ്വാതന്ത്ര്യത്തോടുംകൂടി ജനിച്ചവരാണ്. അന്യോന്യം ഭ്രാതൃഭാവത്തോടെ പെരുമാറുവാനാണ് മനുഷ്യന്നു വിവേകബുദ്ധിയും മനസ്സാക്ഷിയും സിദ്ധമായിരിക്കുന്നത്.
Meta-gaming
Street View in India has been a bit of a roller coaster ride, if we’re being honest. But in late July 2022, Google officially rolled out official street view coverage in partnership with various local companies. Due to government regulations, Google was required to use imagery captured by local companies, resulting in a lower resolution than you’re used to seeing in other South Asian countries, like Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Sri Lanka. This can help you tell India apart from those two countries, especially in the cities of Chennai and Kolkata, which each use the same script as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, respectively (see Language).
As of late August 2022, coverage in India is limited to about 32 cities (not including cities within the Mumbai and Delhi metropolitan areas):
West
- Ahmedabad GJ
- Anand GJ
- Bharuch GJ
- Mumbai Metro
- Mumbai MH
- Navi Mumbai MH
- Thane MH
- Kalyan MH
- Bhiwandi MH
- Dombivli MH
- Nashik MH
- Pune MH
- Surat GJ
- Vadodara GJ
Central
- Ahmednagar MH
- Aurangabad MH
- Chandrapur MH
- Malegaon MH
- Nagpur MH
- Nanded MH
- Solapur MH
South
- Bengaluru KA
- Chennai TN
- Hyderabad TS
- Srikakulam AP
- Visakhapatnam AP
North
- Amritsar PB
- Chandigarh CH
- Dehradun UA
- Delhi Metro
- New Delhi DL
- Gurugram HR
- Faridabad HR
- Noida UP
- Ghaziabad UP
- Jalandhar PB
- Ludhiana PB
- Meerut UP
East
- Gorakhpur UP
- Kanpur UP
- Lucknow UP
- Prayagraj UP
- Varanasi UP
This means most coverage is concentrated in two places: on the west coast between Pune and Ahmedabad, and northwards from Delhi.
Most Similar
Bangladesh
Bangladesh's official language is Bengali – the same as WB, AN, and TR. This means they can feature the same script. To tell them apart, pay attention to the car – the Bangladeshi Google car often has bars and red side-view mirrors, and with newer Generation 4 coverage has much higher-resolution coverage than India.
Sri Lanka
Tamil is one of the official languages of Sri Lanka, predominantly spoken in the Northern and Eastern provinces, as well as the southern portion of Central province. Tamil is also spoken in Tamil Nadu, and with the introduction of coverage in Chennai this can make identifying the region difficult. In Sri Lanka, be on the lookout for Sinhalese, as it is only found in Sri Lanka. India also has white license plates, while both countries have yellow ones as well – so a white plate is a surefire indicator that you are in India.