Explore the geographical richness of India, from the snowy landscapes of Kashmir to the hot Thar desert, encompassing the Great Indo-Gangetic plain, tropical Peninsular region, and coastal shores.
Learn about India’s location, latitudinal and longitudinal extent, land surface, and area. Delve into the debate on India’s climate and discover the significance of the Tropic of Cancer in shaping its diverse climate zones.
Geographical Extent of India
India as a country possesses a diverse geographical extent. The extent of India comprises the snowy glaciers in Kashmir, the hot Thar desert, the Great Indo-Gangetic plain, the tropical Peninsular region, and coastal shores.
Because of this vastness and diverse features, India is considered a subcontinent as it possesses all the characteristics of a continental entity.
We shall discuss the geographical features of India in detail under the following heads:
Location in the World
- India is located in Asia.
- It lies completely in the Northern Hemisphere.
- The peninsular India extends into the Indian Ocean for about 1500 km and divides the Indian Ocean into two parts – the Arabian Sea in the west and the Bay of Bengal in the east.
Latitudinal and Longitudinal Extent of India
- India is a vast country with a mainland extending between latitudes 8°4’ N and 37°6’ N and longitudes 68°7’ E and 97°25’ E.
- The latitudinal and longitudinal extent of the country is approximately 30°.
Land Surface and Area
- India accounts for about 2.4 percent of the total land surface area of the world. India covers an area of 32,87,263 sq. km. It is the seventh largest country in the world area-wise.
- India spans from the eastern region of Arunachal Pradesh to the western state of Gujarat, and from the northern territory of Kashmir to the southern tip of Kanyakumari.
- The northernmost point is marked by Indira Col in the Siachen Glacier in the eastern Karakoram ranges, while the southernmost point is Indira Point in the Nicobar Islands situated in the Andaman Sea.
- The easternmost point is a small town in Arunachal Pradesh.
- The North-South distance is 3214 km and east-to-west width is 2933 km.
Broad Climate of India
- There is a debate that runs around the status of India as a tropical or temperate country. Going by the division of the country by the Tropic of Cancer it gets divided into the temperate northern part and tropical southern part. According to this, the northern temperate part is twice the tropical southern part and the country should be called temperate. But, the country is regarded as tropical for the following reasons:
- Physical Geographical Reasons: The country is separated from the rest of Asia by the Himalayas making it an insulated compartment. Its climate is dominated by tropical monsoons and the temperate air masses are blocked by the Himalayas. Also, the entire area south of the Himalayas is essentially tropical from a climactic point of view.
- Cultural Geographical Reasons: The culture of India is different from the temperate regions like Europe etc. The kind of settlements, prevalent diseases, food habits, and agricultural and primary economic activities of India are tropical.
Tropic of Cancer in India
- The Tropic of Cancer falls in the middle of the country and divides it into two latitudinal parts of around 15° from the extremities.
- The northern portion is very broad compared to the tapering peninsular India.
- Also, the area of the country lying north of the Tropic of Cancer is nearly twice the area of lying south of the Tropic of Cancer.
- The Tropic of Cancer passes through eight states of India namely: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura, and Mizoram.
Altitude
- India’s average elevation is 160 m with Mumbai High as the reference point.
- The highest point is Kanchenjunga at a height of 8,586 m (28,169 ft) and the lowest elevation point is Kuttanad −2.2 m (−7.2 ft).
India’s Land and Coastal Frontiers
- India possesses a vast land frontier of about 15,200 km.
- The total length of the coastline of the mainland is around 6100 km
- If the coastlines of Lakshadweep Islands and Andaman & Nicobar Islands are also accounted for, the total length of India’s coastline is around 7,516.6 km.
Neighboring Countries
- The neighboring countries of India are Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Maldives.\
- It is to be noted that the countries that are usually considered part of the geographical entity “Indian Subcontinent” are – Pakistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, and India’s mainland
In summary, India’s geographical richness extends from the snowy peaks of the Himalayas to the tropical shores. It is marked by diverse climates, altitudes, and extensive land and coastal frontiers, making it a unique subcontinent with unparalleled diversity.
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