"National Capital Territory" redirects here. For the generic term, see Capital districts and territories.
This article is about the National Capital Territory of Delhi in India. For other uses, see Delhi (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with New Delhi, the municipality and the capital city of India, located entirely within Delhi.
Delhi, Hindustani pronunciation: officially the National Capital Territory of Delhi, is the capital territory of India. During the British Raj, Delhi was part of the Punjab Province and is still historically and culturally connected to the Punjab region and the Doab. It has a population of about 16.3 million, making it the second most populous city and second most populous urban agglomeration in India and 4th-largest urban area in the world. Such is the nature of urban expansion in Delhi that its growth has expanded beyond the NCT to incorporate towns in neighbouring states and at its largest extent can count a population of about 25 million residents as of 2014.
Delhi features an a typical version of the humid subtropical climate (Koppen Cwa). The warm season lasts from 9 April to 8 July with an average daily high temperature above 36 °C (97 °F). The hottest day of the year is 22 May, with an average high of 38 °C (100 °F) and low of 25 °C (77 °F). The cold season lasts from 11 December to 11 February with an average daily high temperature below 18 °C (64 °F). The coldest day of the year is 4 January, with an average low of 2 °C (36 °F) and high of 15 °C (59 °F). In early March, the wind direction changes from north-westerly to south-westerly. From April to October the weather is hot. The monsoon arrives at the end of June, along with an increase in humidity. The brief, mild winter starts in late November, peaks in January and heavy fog often occurs.
Temperatures in Delhi usually range from 5 to 40 °C (41.0 to 104.0 °F), with the lowest and highest temperatures ever recorded being −6.7 and 47.8 °C (19.9 and 118.0 °F) respectively. The annual mean temperature is 25 °C (77 °F) monthly mean temperatures range from 13 to 32 °C (55 to 90 °F). The highest temperature recorded in July was 45 °C (113 °F) in 1931. The average annual rainfall is approximately 714 mm (28.1 in), most of which falls during the monsoon in July and August. The average date of the advent of monsoon winds in Delhi is 29 June.
