India: Location, Extent and Neighbours
NCERT Class 9 - Contemporary India I, Chapters 1 and 2 • NCERT Class 11 - India Physical Environment
India: Location, Extent and Neighbours
India lies entirely in the northern and eastern hemispheres, occupies a commanding position at the head of the Indian Ocean, and is the only country with an ocean named after it. Its size gives it a remarkable range of relief and climate.
Location and extent
- Latitudinal extent - about 8 degrees 4 minutes north to 37 degrees 6 minutes north.
- Longitudinal extent - about 68 degrees 7 minutes east to 97 degrees 25 minutes east.
- The Tropic of Cancer divides the country almost in the middle, so the south is tropical and the north subtropical.
- Total area is about 3.28 million square kilometres, roughly 2.4 per cent of the world's land area, making India the seventh largest country.
- The north to south and east to west extents are nearly the same in degrees, but the ground distance from north to south is greater, because degrees of longitude shorten away from the equator.
- The total coastline, including the islands, is about 7,517 kilometres, and the land frontier about 15,200 kilometres.
- Because the country spans about thirty degrees of longitude, the sun rises about two hours earlier in Arunachal Pradesh than in Gujarat, which is why a single standard meridian at 82 degrees 30 minutes east was adopted.
Neighbours
| Neighbour | Note |
|---|---|
| Bangladesh | India's longest land boundary is with Bangladesh |
| China | Second longest boundary, along the Himalayan frontier |
| Pakistan | Boundary in the north-west, from the Rann of Kutch northwards |
| Nepal and Bhutan | Himalayan neighbours between India and China |
| Myanmar | Boundary along the eastern hills of the Purvanchal |
| Afghanistan | India's shortest land boundary |
| Sri Lanka and Maldives | Island neighbours across the sea, not sharing a land border |
- Sri Lanka is separated from India by the narrow Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar.
- The Tropic of Cancer passes through eight states - Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura and Mizoram.
- The southernmost point of the mainland is Kanyakumari, while the southernmost point of Indian territory is Indira Point in the Nicobar Islands.
The six physiographic divisions
- The Northern and North-eastern Mountains - the Himalayas and the eastern hills.
- The Northern Plain - the alluvial plains of the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra.
- The Peninsular Plateau - the oldest landmass of India, south of the plains.
- The Indian Desert - the Thar, west of the Aravalli.
- The Coastal Plains - the western and eastern coastal strips.
- The Islands - the Lakshadweep group in the Arabian Sea and the Andaman and Nicobar group in the Bay of Bengal.
हिंदी संकेत: कर्क रेखा आठ राज्यों से गुजरती है - गुजरात, राजस्थान, मध्य प्रदेश, छत्तीसगढ़, झारखंड, पश्चिम बंगाल, त्रिपुरा और मिजोरम। यह सूची लगभग हर परीक्षा में आती है।
Exam me kaise aata hai
Factual questions ask India's latitudinal extent, its area share of the world, and the length of the coastline. Match-the-following links neighbour with a distinguishing fact. Statement-based questions test which states the Tropic of Cancer crosses.
UPSC / State PSC ke liye
Note the strategic value of location - India sits astride the sea routes between West Asia, Africa and Europe on one side and East and South-east Asia on the other, with a long peninsula projecting into the Indian Ocean. This explains both its historic trade contacts and its present maritime interests.
Yahan confuse hote hain
✗ India's longest land boundary is with China | ✓ It is with Bangladesh; China is second
✗ Kanyakumari is the southernmost point of India | ✓ It is the southernmost point of the mainland; Indira Point is the southernmost point of Indian territory
✗ The Tropic of Cancer passes through Maharashtra | ✓ It passes through eight states, and Maharashtra is not among them
Ek nazar me
- Latitudinal extent about 8 degrees 4 minutes to 37 degrees 6 minutes north.
- Longitudinal extent about 68 degrees 7 minutes to 97 degrees 25 minutes east.
- Area about 3.28 million square kilometres, about 2.4 per cent of the world's land area.
- Coastline about 7,517 kilometres including islands; land frontier about 15,200 kilometres.
- Longest land boundary with Bangladesh and the shortest with Afghanistan.
- Tropic of Cancer passes through eight states; Indira Point is the southernmost territory.
- Six physiographic divisions - mountains, plain, plateau, desert, coasts and islands.