India covers an area of 3,287,263 sq. km, extending from the snow-covered Himalayas in the north to the tropical rainforests in the south. Bounded by the Great Himalayas in the north, the country stretches southward and tapers into the Indian Ocean at the Tropic of Cancer, flanked by the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west.
Lying entirely in the Northern Hemisphere, India’s mainland spans latitudes 8°4' to 37°6' N and longitudes 68°7' to 97°25' E. It measures about 3,214 km from north to south and approximately 2,933 km from east to west. The land frontier is about 15,200 km long, and the total coastline; including the mainland, Lakshadweep, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands is 7,516.6 km.
India shares borders with Pakistan to the northwest; China, Bhutan, and Nepal to the north; Myanmar to the east; and Bangladesh to the east of West Bengal. Sri Lanka lies to the south, separated by the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar.
Based on these macro variations, India can be divided into the following physiographic divisions:
The Northern and North-eastern Mountains - The North and Northeastern Mountains consist of the Himalayas and the Northeastern hills. Some important ranges are Great Himalayan Range(includes Greater Himalayas, Himadri; the Lesser Himalayas, Himachal and the Outer Himalayas, Shiwalik),Karakoram ranges and the northeast mountain ranges.
The Northern Plain - Located south of the Himalayas, thenorthern plains are formed by the deposition of sediments from Himalayan rivers Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra. It is further divided intro Babhar, Tarai, Alluvial plains further dividing into Khadar & Bhangar.
The Peninsular Plateau - Rising from the height of 150 m above the river plains up to an elevation of 600-900 m is the irregular triangle known as the Peninsular plateau. It is one of the oldest and the most stable landmass of India. Delhi ridge in the northwest, (extension of Aravalis), the Rajmahal hills in the east, Gir range in the west and the Cardamom hills in the south constitute the outer extent of the Peninsular plateau. However, an extension of this is also seen in the northeast, in the form of Shillong and Karbi-Anglong plateau. It is made up of series of patland plateaus such as the Hazaribagh plateau, the Palamu plateau, the Ranchi plateau, the Malwa plateau, the Coimbatore plateau and the Karnataka plateau, etc. On the basis of the prominent relief features, the Peninsular plateau can be divided into three broad groups: (i) The Deccan Plateau (ii) The Central Highlands (iii) The Northeastern Plateau.
The Indian Desert - To the northwest of the Aravali hills lies the Great Indian desert also known asThar Desert.
The Islands - There are two majorisland groups in India; one in the Bay of Bengal named Andaman & Nicobar Islands and the other in the Arabian Sea named Lakshadweep.
Socialist – this implies social and economic equality for all Indian citizens. This guarantees equal opportunity and equal social status. The government attempts to reduce economic inequality by reducing concentration of wealth.
Secular – practices separation of religion and state. This implies freedom to choose one's religion. The state gives every citizen the right to practice and propagate a religion of his choice, and also right to reject all religions. The state treats all religions as equal and there is no official state religion.
Democratic – this means the government is democratically elected, and the head of the government (prime minister) is elected by the people.
Republic – this means the head of the state (president) is not a hereditarymonarch but indirectly elected by the people.[1]
.svg)
Bangladesh 4,053 km
China 3,380 km including the territorial disputes along its border;McMahon Line
Pakistan including theLine of Control 2,912 km
Nepal 1,690 km
Myanmar 1,463 km
Bhutan 605 km
.jpg)
.svg)
Definitions from Wiktionary
Media from Commons
News from Wikinews
Quotations from Wikiquote
Texts from Wikisource
Textbooks from Wikibooks
Resources from Wikiversity
India travel guide from Wikivoyage
.svg)
