Daman and Diu

Daman and Diu ( English: /dəˈmɑːn...'diːuː/; Hindi: [d̪əmən...d̪iːʋ] ) was a union territory in northwestern India. With an area of 112 km (43 sq mi), it was the smallest administrative subdivision of India on the mainland. The territory comprised two districts, Daman and Diu Island, geographically separated by the Gulf of Khambat. The state of Gujarat and the Arabian Sea bordered the territory. A Portuguese colony since the 1500s, these territories were taken over by India with the Annexation of Goa in 1961. Daman and Diu were administered as part of the union territory of Goa, Daman and Diu between 1961 and 1987. After the Goa Opinion Poll, they became separate union territories. In 2019, a legislation was passed to merge the union territories of Daman and Diu with its neighbouring union territory, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, to form the new union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu with effect from 26 January 2020.

History