Nainital (Kumaoni: Naintal, pronounced) is a city and headquarters of Nainital district in the Kumaon division of Uttarakhand, India. It is the judicial capital of Uttarakhand, home to the state’s High Court, and also the headquarters of a district of the same name. It also houses the Governor of Uttarakhand, who lives in the Raj Bhavan. Nainital was the summer capital of the United Provinces.

Nainital is located in the Kumaon foothills of the Outer Himalayas, 276 km (171 mi) from the state capital Dehradun and 314 km (195 mi) from the Indian capital New Delhi. Situated at an altitude of 1,938 meters (6,358 ft) above sea level, the city lies in a valley that contains an eye-shaped lake, about two miles in circumference, and is surrounded by mountains, the highest of which is Naina. The peak is (2,615 m (8,579 ft)) in the north, Devpath (2,438 m (7,999 ft)) in the west, and Ayarpatha (2,278 m (7,474 ft)) in the south. 

From the tops of the high peaks, “magnificent views can be obtained of the vast plains to the south, or of the intricate ranges to the north, bounded by the great snowy range which forms the central axis of the Himalayas.” This hill station attracts tourists throughout the year.