Puducherry formerly, Pondicherry (helpinfo) (Tamil: , Telugu: , Malayalam: ), is a Union Territory of India. It is a former French colony, consisting of four non-contiguous enclaves, or districts, and named for the largest, Pondicherry. In September 2006, the territory changed its official name from Pondicherry to Puducherry, which means "New village" in the Tamil language. The territory is called (Putuccri) or (Piccri) in Tamil, or Pondichry in French. It is also known as "The French Riviera of the East" (La Cte d'Azur de l'Est). Pondicherry consists of four small unconnected districts: Pondicherry, Karaikal and Yanam on the Bay of Bengal and Mah on the Arabian Sea. Pondicherry and Karaikal are by far the larger ones and are both enclaves of Tamil Nadu. Yanam and Mah are enclaves of Andhra Pradesh and Kerala respectively. The territory has a total area of 492km: Pondicherry (city) 293km, Karaikal 160km, Mah 9...
