The state of Uttar Pradesh, sanctified by the holy waters of the Ganga and the Yamuna, is the most populous state of India. The cities of Uttar Pradesh, harbouring a number of pilgrimmage spots, impart a specific spiritual identity to the state. In most of the cities of Uttar Pradesh, Hindi or Urdu is spoken. There are many variations of Hindi like Awadhi, Bagheli, Bhojpuri, Braj, Bundeli.

The important cities are Lucknow (the administrative and legislative capital), Kanpur, Bijnor, Jhansi, Lakhimpur Kheri, Agra, Varanasi, Allahabad, Faizabad,Azamgarh,Bareilly, Meerut, Moradabad, Ghaziabad, Aligarh, Gorakhpur, Saharanpur, Mathura and Noida.