Spread over 307,713 km 2 (118,809 sq mi), Maharashtra is the third-largest state by area in India.
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The state is divided into 6 divisions and 36 districts, with the state capital being Mumbai, the most populous urban area in India, and Nagpur serving as the winter capital, which also hosts the winter session of the state legislature. Maharashtra is home to the Marathi people, the predominant ethno-linguistic group, who speak the Marathi language, the official language of the state.
![dada kondke with bala saheb thackeray dada kondke with bala saheb thackeray](https://c.ndtvimg.com/2019-01/2sfk5a28_thackeray-instagram_625x300_25_January_19.jpg)
It was formed on by splitting the bilingual Bombay State, which had existed since 1956, into majority Marathi-speaking Maharashtra and Gujarati-speaking Gujarat. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdivision globally. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau.
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Maharashtra ( / m ə h ɑː ˈ r ɑː ʃ t r ə/ Marathi: ( listen ), abbr. Maharashtra and Gujarat by the Bombay Reorganisation Act 1960 †† Common high court ^The State of Bombay was split into two States i.e. " Jai Jai Maharashtra Maza" by Raja Badhe