India is the seventh largest
country in the world which makes it obvious for the country to have
vast geographical features.
The country covers an area of 3.28 million sq kilometer. The
mainland of India extends between 8° 4 ' N and 37° 6' North
Latitude and 68° 7 ' and 97° 25 ' East Longitudes. The Tropic of
Cancer 23° 30 ' N divides India almost into two halves. The land
frontier of the country is 15, 200 km and the total length of the
coastline is 7, 517 kilometers. Indian peninsula tapers southward
resulting in the division of the Indian Ocean into two water bodies
- the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. In India, there is a great
diversity of landforms such as lofty mountains, deep valleys,
extensive plains, and a number of islands. Broadly the physical
features of India can be divided into five physical units - The
Great Mountains of the North, The North Indian Plain, The
Peninsular Plateau, The Coastal Plains, and The Islands.
There are as many as 28 states in India, located in the total area
of 3,287,263 km2. The largest of all Indian states is Rajasthan
which covers an area of 342240 sq km. The state of Rajasthan shares
its border with Pakistan on the West, Gujarat on the South West,
Madhya Pradesh on the South East and Punjab to the North.
Goa is the smallest state in India
located merely in 3702 sq km. The state of Goa is located to the
South West of India and is the most prosperous of all the states in
the country. Uttar Pradesh lying to the North East of the country
is the most populous state in India. The state of Gujarat lying on
the extreme west of India is one of the most prosperous of all
Indian states. The awe strikingly beautiful Jammu and Kashmir is
the northernmost state in the country. India's eastern border is
equipped by states of Manipur, Meghalaya, Assam, Mizoram, Nagaland,
Tripura, and Arunachal Pradesh. All these states together are
located in the 7% of the total area in the country. The union
territories in the country are seven in number. Delhi, the capital
of India also falls under the category. The other union territories
of the country include Chandigarh located to the North of the
country, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu located to the
West of the country, Lakshadweep located to the South West of the
country, Puducherry located to the South East of the country and
Andaman and Nicobar Islands located to the South East of the
country.
India has a large reserve of rivers- big and small and all these
rivers are revered in the country other than merely being the
sources of water. The River Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary River.
The river originates in Tibet and enters India in Arunachal Pradesh
and passes through Assam before finally making its way through
Bangladesh. The River Ganga is the longest river in India and is
considered to be the most pious river in the country. The river has
several tributaries including River Yamuna which is the only water
body near the National Capital- New Delhi. River Chambal, a
tributary of Yamuna passes through Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and
Uttar Pradesh. The other major rivers in India include Narmada
River originating at Amarkantak in Madhya Pradesh, River Godavri
originating at Tryambakeshar in Maharashtra, River Krishna
originating at Mahabaleshwar, River Kaveri passing through
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu Mahanadi River flowing through Chattisgarh
and Odisha. The other rivers in the country include Mahi, Betwa,
Penner, Kosi, Tungabhadra and several others.
India shares its international
borders with Pakistan in the west, Nepal, China and Bhutan in the
North West. It is surrounded by Burma and Bangladesh to the East.
Sri Lanka lies to the South of India and India's union territory
Andaman and Nicobar Islands lie close to Thailand and
Indonesia.
