2. Introduction
India is part of the Asian continent. As a country, it has a
vast geographical expanse. There are lofty Himalayas in
the north, the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean in the
south, the Bay of Bengal in the east and the Arabian Sea
in the west. The total area of India is about 3.28 million
sq.km. From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, the north-south
extent is about 3,214 km. And from Arunachal Pradesh to
Rann of Kachchh, the east-west extent is about 2,933 km.
The diversity of its landforms is evident by the presence
of the Northern Mountains, the Northern Plains, the
Great Indian Desert, the Peninsular Plateau, the East and
West Coastal regions and the Islands. The climate,
vegetation and wildlife also has a great variety. There are
many languages and cultures that thrive in this diverse
land.
3. Location & Extent
India lies in the Northern Hemisphere.
The Tropic of Cancer (23°30' N) passes through the country.
India extends between 8°4' N and 37°6' N latitudes and between 68°7'E and 97°25'E
longitudes.
The longitudinal extent of India is about 29° from east to west.
The difference between these two points is estimated to be about two hours.
It is already known to us that the local time changes by four minutes for every one
degree of longitude.
Thus the sun rises two hours earlier in Arunachal Pradesh (the eastern state) than in
Gujarat (the western state).
The local time of longitude of 82°30' E has been taken as the Indian Standard Time for
the whole country.
4. Neighboring
Countries
There are seven countries that share
land boundaries with India. These
countries are:
1. China
2. Nepal
3. Pakistan
4. Afghanistan
5. Myanmar
6. Bhutan
7. Bangladesh
Maldives and Sri Lanka are the island
neighbors of India in the south. The
Palk Strait separates Sri Lanka from
India.
6. Political and
Administrative
Divisions
India is a vast country divided into many small and big states
and union territories for administrative purposes.
The country is divided into 28 States and 8 Union Territories.
Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir and the Union Territory
of Ladakh in India came into existence on 31 October, 2019.
Delhi is the national capital.
In terms of land area, Rajasthan is the largest state and Goa
is the smallest state.
The states are further divided into districts.
7. Physical
Divisions
India has essentially all major physical
features of the earth. They can be
categorized as follows:
i. The Northern Mountains
ii. The Northern Plains
iii. The Peninsular Plateau
iv. The Indian Desert
v. The Coastal Plains
vi. The Islands
8. 1. The Northern Mountains
• The Himalayas, stretches over the northern borders of India and they are young
fold mountains.
• They lie in a west-east direction from the Indus to the Brahmaputra.
• These ranges form an arc, which covers a distance of about 2,400 Kilometers.
• Himalayas have higher altitude in the east as compared to the west.
• The Himalaya consists of three parallel ranges in its longitudinal extent.
1. The northern most range is known as the Great or Inner Himalayas or the
'Himadri'.
2. The range lying to the south of the Himadri is most uneven and is known as
Himachal or lesser Himalaya.
3. The outer most range of the Himalayas is called the Shiwaliks.
9. 2. The Northern Plains
• The Northern Plains have been formed by the three major
river systems, namely-the Indus, the Ganga and the
Brahmaputra along with their tributaries. These plains are
formed of alluvial soil and are densely populated.
• The Northern Plains are largely divided into three sections
- the Punjab Plains, the Ganga Plains and the Brahmaputra
Plains.
• The Ganga and the Brahmaputra rivers join in Bangladesh
where they flow as one river called Padma. Together, they
make the largest delta of the world namely the Ganga
Brahmaputra Delta.
10. 3. The Peninsular Plateau
• The Peninsular Plateau is a table land composed of the
old crystalline, metamorphic and igneous rocks.
• The plateau has rounded hills, broad and shallow valleys.
• The plateau is triangular in shape.
• Narmada River flowing through this plateau divides it into
two broad divisions, namely, the Central Highlands and
the Deccan Plateau.
• The Eastern Ghats and the Western Ghats mark the
eastern and the western edges of the Deccan Plateau
respectively.
11. 4. The Coastal Plains
• On either side of the Peninsular Plateau lies the coastal
plains.
• Coastal plains are narrow strips, running parallel to the
Arabian Sea in the west and the Bay of Bengal in the east.
• Thus they are divided into eastern and western coastal
plains.
• The Eastern Coastal Plains stretch from the Bay of Bengal
to the Tamil Nadu Coast whereas the Western Coastal
Plains stretch from the Gujrat Coast to the Kerela Coast.
• These coastal plains are fertile lands where coconut palms
and paddy fields are in abundance.
12. 5. The Indian Desert
• This vast, sandy low-lying area with sand dunes lies towards the western margins of the
Aravali Hills.
• It is also known as the Thar Desert.
• The state of Rajasthan primarily is covered by this desert in its northwest part.
• This region receives scanty rainfall below 150 mm per year.
• It experiences dry climate with low vegetation cover.
• Seasonal streams appear during the rainy season but later disappear in the sand.
• This happens because they do not get enough water to reach the sea and also excessive
heat dries up the water in these streams.
• River Luni is the only major river draining through this desert.
• Barchans (crescent shaped dunes) cover larger areas of the Indian desert.
13. 6. The Islands
The Lakshadweep Islands:
• Lakshadweep Island groups are close to the Malabar
Coast of Kerala.
• These are composed of small coral islands.
• The administrative headquarters of Lakshadweep is the
Kavaratti Island.
• Lakshadweep has rich variety of flora and fauna.
• Lakshadweep islands is the smallest union territory of
India.
14. 6. The Islands
The Andaman & Nicobar Islands:
• The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are located in the Bay of
Bengal extending from north to south.
• These islands are divided into two broad categories- the
Andaman in the north and the Nicobar in the south. These
islands are separated by a wide channel called Ten
Degree Channel.
• These islands are raised portion of submerged mountains of
volcanic origin. The only active volcano of India is located on
one of the island called Barren Island.
• These islands experience Equatorial type of climate because
they are located near the Equator.
• They have thick forest cover and great variety of flora and fauna.
