Chandigarh is located in the fringes of the Shivalik range at 30° 44' 14 N latitude and 76° 47' 14 E longitude. The area falls under the Indo-Gangetic Plain a few miles south of the Shivalik Hills and between two seasonal hill torrents, the Sukhna Choe and the Patiali Rao. It covers an area of approximately 114 km² and shares common boundaries with the states of
Haryana in the south and east, and
Punjab in the north and west.
There are hardly any forests in this union territory, except for small tracks of forest by acquiring some area on lease from Punjab and Haryana states. The land is a flat, fertile tract of alluvial soils. The subsurface formation comprises of beds of boulders, pebbles, gravel, sand, silt, clays and bricks.
Chandigarh district, at present, comprises of one Tehsil and an equal number of community development blocks. It has 5 towns and 25 villages within its jurisdiction.The surrounding districts are of Mohali, Patiala and Ropar in Punjab and Panchkula and Ambala in Haryana. The boundary of the state of
Himachal Pradesh is not too far from its north.