RAS question
Which state in India has the highest number of Ramsar Sites?
Correct answer: (D) Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu has the highest number of Ramsar Sites in India, with 20 sites listed by the Tamil Nadu State Wetland Authority as on 10.03.2026.
Explanation
Tamil Nadu is the answer because the official Tamil Nadu State Wetland Authority table, titled “Ramsar Sites of India (as on 10.03.2026),” lists Tamil Nadu with 20 Ramsar Sites, more than Rajasthan, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh. The Tamil Nadu State Wetland Authority also lists Tamil Nadu sites such as Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary, Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve, Karikili Bird Sanctuary, Pallikaranai Marsh Reserve Forest, Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary, Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary, Sakkarakottai Bird Sanctuary and Therthangal Bird Sanctuary. Tamil Nadu had already led India with 16-plus sites after several 2022 designations, and the updated official count now places the state at 20.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Rajasthan is not the leading state because the Tamil Nadu State Wetland Authority table lists it with 5 Ramsar Sites, well below Tamil Nadu’s 20.
- (B) Kerala is wrong because the Tamil Nadu State Wetland Authority table lists only 3 Ramsar Sites for Kerala, far fewer than Tamil Nadu.
- (C) Uttar Pradesh has many Ramsar Sites, but the Tamil Nadu State Wetland Authority table lists 11 for Uttar Pradesh against 20 for Tamil Nadu.
Concept
This tests Ramsar Convention and wetland-conservation mapping under Environment and Ecology. It recurs in RAS because Ramsar additions are current-affairs-linked facts that connect biodiversity, protected areas and state-wise environmental governance.