Madhya Pradesh Has the Largest Forest Area In India, But This Tiny Northeast State Is 83% Covered in Trees

Pragati hai toh prakriti hai (“If there is nature, there is progress.”) Forests are like the "lungs of our planet". They help keep the Earth healthy by absorbing vast amounts of carbon dioxide, keeping our water fresh, and stopping soil from washing away.

Plus, they are home to more than 80% of land animals and plants. According to the PIB, the total global forest cover is about 4.14 billion hectares, which means that 32% of Earth's land is covered by forests.

However, do you know which country has the largest forest cover in the world? The answer is simple: Russia. This country has 20% of its land covered in forests. But let's come to the main point: where does India stand?

India sits at #9 on the list of countries with the most forest cover. If you put all of India's forests together, they would cover 715,343 square kilometres. To picture how big that is, imagine breaking India's land into five equal pieces. Forests would take up about one of those pieces.

India has 28 states and 8 union territories, with Rajasthan being the largest state by area, followed by Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. Since half of Rajasthan is surrounded by deserts, Madhya Pradesh is crowned the Indian state with the largest forest area, covering 77,073 sq km.

But here's a catch: Madhya Pradesh is an undisputable leader among the Indian states with the largest forest cover by area, but there's another state in India which, though small in size, has more forests and trees than Madhya Pradesh.

And it's not located in the Western, Southern or Eastern part of India. It's in the northeastern part of India. Is it Tripura? Nagaland? Arunachal Pradesh? Manipur? To uncover the name, read till the end to know the name of this forested state.

What is the Difference b/w Forest Cover by Total Area vs Forest Percentage by Geographic Area?

Whenever we compare mountains, deserts, and forests, we mostly divide them into 2 parameters: total area and total percentage. In this article, we're discussing both parameters: Forest Cover by Total Area and Forest Cover by Percentage.

Both are different things. One includes an area, while the other includes %. Madhya Pradesh has a total forest cover of 77,073 sq km. This means 25% of the state land is covered with forests. However, the rest, ~75%, is an urban area. On the other hand, Mizoram is completely covered with forest and trees, which gives it a higher forest density than MP.

Understand it this way: MP has a large area, so the forest cover is higher, but that doesn't mean the entire state is covered with forests.

Now, Mizoram, the 24th smallest state with an area of 21,081 sq km, has the highest forest percentage of 100%, as the entire state is forested. Even the urban areas are also covered with forests.

Which Indian State Has The Largest Forest Cover By Total Area?

If we are talking about an Indian state with the largest forest cover, then Madhya Pradesh will take the crown. The state has a forest cover of 77,073 sq km. Here's the list of the top 5 Indian states with the most forest area. MP is followed by Arunachal Pradesh, which covers a forest area of 65,882 sq km (79%), and Chhattisgarh, which has a total forest area of 55,812 sq km (41%).

Which Indian State Has The Largest Forest Percentage By Geographic Area?

In terms of forest cover percentage in India, Mizoram stands as the eminent leader, with 85.34% of the state covered by forests. This means that if we divide Mizoram into 4 parts, at least 3 of them are covered by forests.

Mizoram is followed by another incredible union territory, i.e., the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which has a total forest cover percentage of 81.62%.

Note: Lakshadweep, a UT of India, has the highest at 91.33%. Even though the union territory spans around 32.62 km², it has this high percentage because the whole UT is covered with forests and trees. Complete 100%.