Noida, short for the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority, is a planned city^[3] under the management of the New Okhla Industrial Development Authority (also called NOIDA). It is a satellite city of Delhi and is part of the National Capital Region of India. As per provisional reports of Census of India, the population of Noida in 2011 was 642,381.^[4] Noida is located in Gautam Buddh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh state in close proximity to NCT of Delhi. The district's administrative headquarters are in the nearby town of Greater Noida. However, the district's highest government official, the District Magistrate (DM), has its official camp office in Sector 27, Noida.

The city is a part of the Noida (Vidhan Sabha) constituency and Gautam Buddha Nagar (Lok Sabha) constituency. Minister of State for Culture and Tourism Mahesh Sharma is the present Lok Sabha MP of Gautam Buddha Nagar, while Pankaj Singh is the present MLA of Noida.^[5][6]

Noida was ranked as the Best City in Uttar Pradesh and the Best City in Housing in all of India in "Best City Awards" conducted by ABP News in 2015.^[7][8] Noida replaced Mumbai as the second-best realty destination, according to an analyst report.^[9] Roads in Noida are lined by trees and it is considered to be India's greenest city with nearly 50% green cover, the highest of any city in India.^[10][11]

Noida came into administrative existence on 17 April 1976 and celebrates 17 April as "Noida Day". It was set up as part of an urbanization thrust during the controversial Emergency period (1975–1977). The city was created under the UP Industrial Area Development Act, 1976 by the initiatives of Sanjay Gandhi.^[12] The city has the highest per capita income in the whole National Capital Region. Noida is classified as a special economic zone (SEZ).^[13] The Noida Authority is among the richest civic bodies in the country.^[14]

Noida is located in the Gautam Buddh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh state India. Noida is about 25 kilometres (16 mi) southeast of New Delhi, 20 kilometres (12 mi) northwest of the district headquarters - Greater Noida and 457 kilometres (284 mi) northwest of the state capital, Lucknow. It is bound on the west and southwest by the Yamuna River, on the north and northwest by the city of Delhi, on the northeast by the cities of Delhi and Ghaziabad, India and on the north-east, east and south-east by the Hindon River. Noida falls under the catchment area of the Yamuna River, and is located on the old river bed. The soil is rich and loamy.

As per provisional data of 2011 census, Noida had a population of 642,381 out of which the male population was 352,577 and the female population was 289,804. The literacy rate was 88.58 percent. Male literacy was 92.90% and female literacy was 83.28%.^[4]

There are people of almost all major religions, but the majority practice Hinduism. Many famous Hindu temples are located in the city, some of the more famous ones are the Hanuman temple in Sector 22, the Kalibari Temple in Sector 26, the ISKCON temple in Sector 33, Shree Jagannath Temple in Sector 34, Sai Baba Temple in Sector 61, Shiv Mandir in Sector 31, Shri Ram Mandir in Sector 36 and the Kuti Temple at Sec 163 Mohiyapur. A Shia Jama Masjid in Sector 50 and St. Gregorios Indian Orthodox Church in Sector 51, Mar Thoma Church in Sector 50 and St. Mary's Catholic Church in Sector 34 are also well known.

The city's infrastructure is looked after by the NOIDA Authority, a statutory authority set-up under Uttar Pradesh Industrial Area Development Act, 1976.^[12] Authority's head is its Chairman, who is an IAS officer, the authority's daily matters, however, are looked after by its CEO, who is also an IAS officer. NOIDA Authority comes under the Infrastructure and Industrial Development Department of Uttar Pradesh Government. The Chairman of NOIDA Authority is Alok Tandon and CEO is Ritu Maheshwari.^[16][17]

The Gautam Budh Nagar district is a part of Meerut Division, headed by the Divisional Commissioner, who is an IAS officer of high seniority, the Commissioner is the head of local government institutions (including Municipal Corporations) in the division, is in-charge of infrastructure development in his division, and is also responsible for maintaining law and order in the division.^{[18][19][20][21][22]} The District Magistrate, hence, reports to the Divisional Commissioner of Meerut. The current Commissioner is Aneeta C. Meshram.^[23]

Gautam Budh Nagar district administration is headed by the District Magistrate of Gautam Budh Nagar, who is an IAS officer. The DM is in charge of property records and revenue collection for the central government and oversee the national elections held in the city. The DM is also responsible for maintaining law and order in the city, hence the SSP of Gautam Budh Nagar also reports to the DM of Gautam Budh Nagar.^{[18][24][25][26][27]} The District Magistrate is assisted by one Chief Development Officer, four Additional District Magistrates (Executive, Finance/Revenue, Land Acquisition and Judicial) and one City Magistrate. The district has divided into three Tehsils named Sadar, Dadri and Jewar each headed by a Sub-Divisional Magistrate who reports to the District Magistrate. The current DM is Brajesh Narain Singh.^[28]

Gautam Budh Nagar district comes under Meerut police zone and Meerut police range of Uttar Pradesh Police. Meerut zone is headed by an IPS officer in the rank of Additional Director General of Police (ADG), whereas Meerut range is headed by an IPS officer in the rank of Inspector General of Police (IG). The Current ADG, Meerut Zone is Prashant Kumar,^[29] whereas the current IG, Meerut Range is Alok Singh.^[30]

Police Administration of Gautam Budh Nagar is headed by the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) who is an IPS officer and is accountable to the District Magistrate for Law and Order enforcement. He is assisted by four Superintendents of Police (SP)/Additional Superintendents of Police (Addl. SP) (City, Rural Area, Traffic and Crime). The district is divided into eight police circles, each responsibility of a Circle Officer (CO) in the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police. SP (Traffic) and SP (Crime) are assisted by one Circle Officer in the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police each. Noida city is divided into three police circles viz. City-I, City-II and City-III, each looked after by a CO in the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police. SP (City) is SP in-charge Noida city and its circles.^[31] The current SSP is Vaibhav Krishna and current SP (RA) is Vineet Jaiswal.^[31]

Noida stands at 17th place when it comes to cleanliness among cities in India.^[32] The creation of associated physical infrastructure is higher in Noida and Greater Noida.^[33] Most of the land in Noida is not very fertile and the agricultural output is low. It is in the flood plains of the Yamuna River on one side and the Hindon River on the other. Many villages are visible from the Noida Expressway, beginning from the Mahamaya flyover to Greater Noida on both sides. One end of Taj expressway terminates on Noida Expressway near the Hindon River and the other at Agra. Up until the 1980s, these villages were flooded every 2–3 years, resulting in people temporarily moving to other places in Noida, and even as far as Mehrauli in Delhi. Noida is also famous for its tall buildings and comes 2nd in India after Mumbai in this parameter.

There is always a huge amount of revenue surplus each year as they are unable to spend the entire amount on development or on maintaining civic amenities. Lease rent and interest from builders are the biggest contributors to Noida’s revenue. Besides, the authority gets huge revenues out of water and property transfer charges. "The Noida authority had deposited ₹3,500 crore as fixed deposits in various banks because of surplus funds. Noida has so much surplus funds with it that it can run the city even if it does not take any taxes from its allottees for 5 years in a row."^[34]

A 300 m (980 ft) tall skyscraper named "Spira" is under construction in Noida.^[35]

Noida is the location of Uttar Pradesh Technical University and various other colleges affiliated to it. It is also home to many private colleges, including:

High schools in Noida include:

In the last 10 years, Noida has also become a hub for software and mobile app development companies like HCL, Samsung, Barclay's, Agicent, CSC. These companies are contributing to the city's economy with their software product development and service export in foreign currencies. Samsung recently invested INR 5000 crore in Noida, under make in India initiative.^[36]

Noida is a prominent location for the Indian entertainment industry, with many films, television series, news channels, and other media being filmed here. An example of a music company having its headquarters here is T-Series. The city is fast becoming a favorite among directors who want to show a shot of urban culture or college life. According to film producer Rishabh Arora, "Noida has developed a lot in the last decade and feels like home. And it's a great place for outdoor shoots. Films with urban stories become big hits and Noida lends the perfect flavor for urban-themed movies and song sequences. The city has highways, colleges, wide roads, and a good crowd."^[37][38] Film City, established by Sandeep Marwah, is a hub for major news channels and studios.

News channels such as News Nation, WION, Zee News, NDTV, TV Today group, Network 18, NewsX, and India TV^[39] are situated here and some newspaper company also working in Noida like as Amar Ujala - Noida, Dainik Jagran, Dainik Bhaskar, Rajasthan Patrika, Dainik Prayukti, The Indian Express and TOI. Noida's proximity to Delhi, which is the political hub of the country, makes it an attractive destination for news channels. Commercial activities have also risen in recent years, with a spate of new malls (Mall of India) and multiplexes.

In 2005, the city hosted the Noida Half-Marathon and the city's maiden international exposure, the Queen's Baton Relay for the Commonwealth Games. The cycling competition for 2010 commonwealth games was held at NOIDA-Greater Noida express way. The Noida Golf Course is situated on the southern end of the city, The Noida Golf 18 hole par 72 Course having a length of 6989 yards length has been assessed by Indian Golf Union Technical Committee. In 2011, Greater Noida hosted the inaugural Formula One Indian Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit constructed by Jaypee Group. The circuit is the first of its kind in South Asia.

An international stadium has been built in Sector 21 known as Noida Cricket Stadium with a capacity of around 20,000 spectators, the Noida Stadium Complex houses facilities like dedicated tracks for cycling enthusiasts, golf and football training facilities. The Noida Cricket Stadium Complex consists of Basketball court, Squash court, Table-tennis court, Lawn tennis court, Golf course and Skating rink.^[40]

A 50,000 capacity world-class cricket stadium-cum-sports facility with 125 acres land will be built at Noida expressway in Sector 152, which makes it bigger than Feroz Shah Kotla in capacity and area.^[41][42]

Noida has excellent Metro connectivity. The Metro, which was earlier slated to enter Noida in 2011, opened officially on 12 November 2009, 10 months before the Commonwealth Games. Through Delhi Metro, Noida is now connected to Connaught Place, New Delhi and Dwarka sub city, via the Blue Line touching Akshardham Complex, IP Estate, Barakhambha Road, Karol Bagh, Rajendra Place, Rajouri Garden and Uttam Nagar. The same Blue Line connects NOIDA with Vaishali, through the Yamuna Bank interchange station. A part of this link opened on 11 November 2006. A metro line named the Aqua Line between Sector-51,Noida and GNIDA Office,Greater Noida is already operational.^[43] Delhi Metro's magenta line connects Noida and Janakpuri via Botanical Garden, Noida and Janakpuri West Metro Stations^[44]

Noida has got roads laid in a grid pattern and due to proper planning, all main roads are 6 lanes wide, arrow straight and are well finished. Noida features three main expressways. One is the DND Flyway, which connects Noida and Delhi, runs across the river Yamuna, and receives heavy patronage from office-goers in the city. The second is the Noida-Greater Noida Expressway and the third is the Yamuna Expressway which connects Greater Noida to Agra via Mathura. The Delhi eastern peripheral Road, Delhi-Meerut Expressway, Upper Ganga Canal Expressway and the Ganga Expressway are the four under construction expressways which will be passing the city. The area adjacent to the NGN Expressway has seen heavy residential development in recent years.

A 6 lane double-decker elevated road is over the MP-II which takes only 5 minutes to cross the whole city. This 4.8  km road starts from Flex crossing and ends at Vishwa Bharti school. Another elevated road from sector 12/22 to sector 12/10-21/21A crossing is going to be built on the MP-I road. Three more elevated roads are planned. Along with these five elevated roads, several underpasses are under construction or approval and all these projects will be completed by 2018. Noida will become the city with the highest number of elevated roads and underpasses in India.

UPSRTC, DTC and private buses ply through various routes in the city. Taxi, auto-rickshaws and cycle rickshaws are available for short-distance transport.

The Noida-Greater Noida Expressway is poised to become a self-sustaining urban pocket in Noida with good infrastructure. This 24.5  km long corridor has attracted real estate Noida Extension investors and buyers with its good infrastructure facilities and connectivity to the other regions of NCR.

This area has emerged as a major growth corridor. Sectors abutting this corridor are 44, 45, 92-94, 96-100, 105, 108, 125-137 and 141-168. These sectors lie towards the south and south-east of Noida.

This area is getting Metro connectivity which will make this region easily accessible from other parts of NCR. The proposed Metro line in this corridor will have 22 stations, out of which 15 stations will come up in Noida and 7 in Greater Noida. This line would be an extension of Noida City Centre line in sector 32.

The Noida-Greater Noida Expressway is one of the prime development corridors in the country and is unique as connectivity options are already functional or are making good progress.^[45]

Noida is not connected by railways directly, but there are railway stations nearby reachable by road, including Ghaziabad and Anand Vihar. However, New Delhi Railway Station and Old Delhi Railway station (both accessible through Metro) are the main railway stations ones used most often by commuters to reach Noida. The nearest airport is the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi.

In June 2017, the Union Government sanctioned the construction of an international airport in Greater Noida (Jewar) to reduce the traffic of the one in New Delhi.^[46]

Noida has a bus stand at Morna village in Sector 35. There are regular buses to nearby cities like New Delhi, Dehradun, Ghaziabad, Tappal, Khair, Aligarh Bulandshahr, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Haridwar etc. Uttar Pradesh Parivahan runs local buses in the city. However, there are plannings to shift the Bus Stand from Morna.

In summer, i.e. from March to June, the weather remains hot and the temperature ranges from a maximum of 48 °C to a minimum of 28 °C.

Monsoon season prevails during mid-June to mid-September.

The cold waves from the Himalayan region make the winters in Noida chilly and harsh. Temperatures fall to as low as 3 to 4 °C at the peak of winters. Noida also has fog and smog problems. In January, a dense fog envelops the city, reducing visibility on the streets.

The Okhla Bird Sanctuary (OBS)^[47] is at the entrance of the city at the point where the Yamuna River enters the state of Uttar Pradesh from the state of Delhi. The Okhla Barrage over the Yamuna has created the unique position of the OBS which attract various species of birds. OBS is among the 466 important bird areas in India. About 324 various bird species are seen in the sanctuary, about 50% of which are migratory birds.

Noida's botanical garden was formed with the aim to turn it into a hub of special and endangered plants, representing the entire country. which is located in Sector 38A of the city, started in 2002. Today, it sprawls across 160 acres, There are around 7,500 plants in the garden.

Scientists are giving a new lease of life to endangered and extinct plant species at the Botanical Garden. A look around the green expanse reveals species like Psilotum Nudum, better known as skeleton fork fern. Considered a "primitive" plant — a descendant of possibly the first group of vascular plants from 400 million years ago — that was widespread during the Devonian and Silurian periods — its name means "bare naked" in Latin as it lacks most of the organs found in plants species that evolved later.^[48][49]

Noida's botanical garden is divided into 10 sections. The "medicinal plants" section has an astounding variety of 96 plants and is further divided into eight sections named after the parts of the human body they benefit. For example, the "digestive system" section has aloe vera and Gymnema sylvestre (madhunaashini), which cures diabetes.

The "blood and circulation" section has Withania Somnifera (Ashwagandha) and Aristolochia Indica (Isharmul) - blood purifiers. The "musculo-skeletal" section has Cissus Quadrangularis (Hadjod); "skin disease" section has Plumbago Zeylanica (Chitarak) which cures leucoderma.

Noida's botanical garden has a large fruit section which has many varieties of mango, pomegranate, lemon, pear, plum, mulberry, etc., besides their specialty the black guava (kaala amrud). The woodland section is equally impressive with trees like Sapindus Emarginatus (Reetha), Pterocarpus marsupium (Sandalwood), Dalbergia sissoo (Sheesham wood), and Tectona Grandis (Teakwood).^[50]

Noida originally consisted of around 81 villages, but now comes under the Gautum Buddh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh.^[54]

Still, Noida villages lack in permanent postal and individual address but according to officials, the homes in villages will be soon mapped using aerial imagery captured by drones designed by North East Centre for Technology Application and Reach (NECTAR), an autonomous society set up under the Union government's department of science and technology. These maps will also provide crucial information about rural areas in an emergency. Officials said it will take almost a year to complete mapping and allotting address to all 81 villages.

With houses getting mapped and being allotted a formal address in Noida villages, procuring information on land rights, development plans, etc. will become easier. "Easily available maps will also be helpful in advancing development plans and settling disputes over bordering parcels of land. Mapping will also ease land transfers, by creating reliable maps and title documents."^[54]