Uttar Pradesh abbreviated as UP, is the most populous state in the Republic of India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. The densely populated state, located in the northern region of the Indian subcontinent, has over 200 million inhabitants. It was created on 1 April 1937 as the United Provinces during British rule and was renamed Uttar Pradesh in 1950. Lucknow is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh. The main ethnic group is the Hindi people, forming the demographic plurality. On 9 November 2000, a new state, Uttarakhand, was carved out from the Himalayan hill region of Uttar Pradesh.