India Size and Location

Introduction:

India is one of the oldest civilizations in the world. Over the past 5 decades, it has progressed politically, geographically, socially, and economically. he economy of India is the 6th largest in the world when measured by nominal GDP.

Location

• India lies entirely in the Northern hemisphere.
• The main land extends between latitudes 8°4’N and 37°6’N and longitudes 68°7’E and 97°25’E.
• The Tropic of Cancer (23° 30’N) divides the country into almost two equal parts.

Size

• The land mass of India has an area of 3.28 million square km which accounts for about 2.4 per cent of the total geographical area of the world.
• India is the seventh largest country of the world.
• The land boundary is about 15,200 km and the coastline is 7,516.6 km long.
• India is bounded by the young fold mountains in the northwest, north and northeast.
• The Standard Meridian of India, 82°30’E passes through Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh.

India and the world

• The Trans Indian Ocean routes connect the countries of Europe in the West and the countries of East Asia.
• The Deccan Peninsula helps India establish close contact with West Asia, Africa and Europe from the western coast and with Southeast and East Asia from the eastern coast.
• The various passes across the mountains in the north have provided passages to the ancient travellers, while the oceans restricted such interaction for a long time.

India’s neighbours

• Pakistan and Afghanistan lie in the northwest, China (Tibet), Nepal and Bhutan lie in the north and Myanmar and Bangladesh are in the east.
• In the south we have Sri Lanka and Maldives. Sri Lanka is separated from India by a narrow channel of sea formed by the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar, while Maldives Islands are situated to the south of the Lakshadweep Islands.