India

India is a large country in southern Asia. It is the second
largest country in the world in population. The river
valleys of northeastern India are among the most
densely populated places in the world. India ranks
seventh in the world in area.
India occupies a strategic position in Asia, looking
across the seas to Arabia and Africa on the west and
Burma , Malaysia and the Indonesian archipelago on the
east. Geographically, the Himalayan range keeps India
apart from the rest of Asia.
India has great varieties and differences in both its land
and its people. The land includes desert, jungles, and
one of the world's rainiest areas. India also has broad
plains, mighty rivers, the tallest mountain system in the world, and tropical lowlands. The people of
India belong to many different ethnic groups and religions. They speak 14 major languages and more
than 1,000 minor languages and dialects.
Location India lies to the north of the equator between 8 degree 4 minutes and 37 degree 6 minutes
north latitude and 68 degree 7 minutes and 97 degree 25 minutes east longitude. It is bounded on
the south-west by the Arabian sea and on the south-east by the Bay of Bengal. On the north, northeast
and north-west lie the Himalayan ranges. Kanyakumari constitutes the southern tip of the Indian
peninsula where it gets narrower and narrower, loses itself into the Indian Ocean.
Extent India measures 3214 Kms from north to south and 2933 Kms from east to west with a total
land area of 3,287,263 sq kms. It has aland frontier of 15,200 kms and a coast line of 7516.5 kms.
Andaman and Nicobar islands in the Bay of Bengal and Lakshadweep in the Arabian sea are parts of
India.
Neighbours India shares its political borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan on the west and
Bangladesh and Burma on the east. The northern boundary is made up of the Sinkiang province of
China, Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan. India is separated from Sri Lanka by anarrow channel of sea formed
by the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar.
Physiographic regions The mainland comprises seven regions.
1. Northern mountains including the Himalayas and the north-eastern mountain ranges,
2. The Indo-Gangetic plain,
3. The desert,
4. Central Highlands and Peninsular plateau,
5. East coast,
6. West coast,
7. Bordering seas and islands.
Mountain ranges They are seven :
1. The Himalayas,
2. The Patkai and other ranges bordering India in the north and north-east,
3. The Vindhyas which separates the Indo-Gangetic plain from the deccan plateau,
3. The Vindhyas which separates the Indo-Gangetic plain from the deccan plateau,
4. The Satpura,
5. The Arravali,
6. The Sahyadri which covers the eastern fringe of the west coast plains and
7. The Eastern Ghats, irregularly scattered on the east coast and forming the boundary on the
east coast plain.