Introduction to Indian Geography

India, which lies in Southern Asia, is the seventh largest and second most populated country in the world. It comprises most of the Indian subcontinent and lies on the Indian Plate, which is the northern part of the Indo-Australian Plate. India is located entirely in the northern hemisphere. The geography of India is extremely diverse, with landscape ranging from snow-capped mountain ranges to deserts, plains, hills and plateaus. Most of India forms a peninsula, which means it is surrounded by water on three sides.

Prepare for General Knowledge Exam! Download Entri App!

Indian Geography

India spreads over an area of about 3.28 million sq. km. It measures 3,214 km from north to south and 2,933 km from east to west. It has a land frontier of 15,200 km and a coastline of 7,516.6 km. The mainland of India is situated north of the equator and lies between 8°4′ and 37°6′ N latitude and 68°7′ and 97°25′ E longitude. The Tropic of Cancer 23°30′ N divides India into almost two halves. India shares its international borders with seven other countries – Pakistan on its West, Nepal, China and Bhutan on its Northeast, Myanmar and Bangladesh on its East and Sri Lanka on the South. The Line of Control (LoC) separates the borders of both India and Pakistan and McMahon Line divides India and China. The Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar separate India from Sri Lanka. India shares a long border with Bangladesh which touches the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh. It is one of the longest borders in the world. India’s borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh were delineated according to the Radcliffe Line, which was created in 1947 during partition of India.

India is surrounded by three water bodies – Indian Ocean in the South, Bay of Bengal in the East and Arabian Sea in the West. These three sea meets in Kanyakumari which is in the state of Tamil Nadu. Indian Standard Time is ahead of Greenwich ($0^{\circ}$ or Prime Meridian) Mean Time by 5 hours and 30 minutes.

Division of Indian Geography

Indian Geography is divided into two parts:

• Political Geography
• Physical Geography

Political Geography

India is a land of 29 states, 6 union territories and 1 national capital territory. It’s borders run a total length of 15,200 km.

Physical Geography

India has great diversity of landforms such as lofty mountains, deep valleys, extensive plains, plateau and coastal ghats, the desert and several islands. Based on physical features, India physical geography is broadly divided into the following sections-

• The great mountain of North
• Northern Plain
• Peninsular Plateau
• Coastal Plains
• Thar Desert
• Islands

The northern frontiers of India are defined largely by the Himalayan mountain range. In its western border lies the Karakoram and Western Himalayan ranges, Punjab Plains, the Thar Desert and the Rann of Kutch salt marshes. India’s border with Bangladesh is largely defined by the Khasi Hills and Mizo Hills, and the watershed region of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. The Deccan Plateau occupies most of southern India.

Click Here to Learn More About the Major Landforms of India

Water Bodies

Apart from the three main seas that surround the country, there are several other water bodies in the form of rivers, canals, gulfs, backwaters, lakes etc. There are 12 major rivers in the country. The rivers of India can be classified into four groups – Himalayan rivers, Deccan rivers, Coastal rivers, and Rivers of the inland drainage basin.

The Himalayan Rivers are formed by melting snow and glaciers and therefore, continuously flow throughout the year.

The Deccan Rivers on are rainfed. Most of these major river systems generally flow in east direction and fall into Bay of Bengal. The major east flowing rivers are Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery, Mahanadi, etc. Narmada and Tapti are major West flowing rivers.

The Coastal streams, especially on the west coast are short in length and have limited catchment areas. Most of them are non-perennial. While only handful of such rivers drain into the sea near the delta of east cost, there are as many as 600 such rivers on the west coast.

A few rivers in Rajasthan do not drain into the sea. They drain into salt lakes and get lost in sand with no outlet to sea. Besides these, there are the Desert Rivers which flow for some distance and are lost in the desert. These are Luni and others such as, Machhu, Rupen, Saraswati, Banas, Ghaggar and others.

Some of the major rivers are:

Brahmaputra –  It is a trans-boundary river. It originates in Tibet and enters India in Arunachal Pradesh. It then passes through Assam and finally making its way through Bangladesh into the Bay of Bengal. The principal tributaries of Brahmaputra in India are the Subansiri, Jia Bhareli, Dhansiri, Puthimari, Pagladiya and the Manas.

Ganga (Ganges) – It is the longest river originating in India. It has several tributaries including the river Yamuna, which is the only water body near the national capital, New Delhi. It is also considered the most pious river in the country.

Yamuna –  It is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India. It merges with the Ganges at Triveni Sangam, Allahabad. It crosses the states of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Delhi. It’s tributaries are Tons, Chambal, Sindh, the Betwa, and Ken.

Indus – It is one of the great rivers of the world, rises near Mansarovar in Tibet and flows through India, and thereafter through Pakistan, and finally falls in the Arabian Sea near Karachi. Its important tributaries flowing in Indian Territory are the Sutlej (originating in Tibet), the Beas, the Ravi, the Chenab, and the Jhelum.

Important lakes in the country include Chilka Lake, the country’s largest salt-water lake in Orissa; Kolleru Lake in Andhra Pradesh; Loktak Lake in Manipur, Dal Lake in Kashmir, Sambhar Lake in Rajasthan, and the Sasthamkotta Lake in Kerala.

There are four coral reefs in India that are located in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Gulf of Mannar, Lakshadweep and Gulf of Kutch.

Attempt Free Mock Tests for General Knowledge! Download Entri App!

Climate of India

India hosts six major climatic subtypes, ranging from arid desert in the west, alpine tundra and glaciers in the north, and humid tropical regions supporting rainforests in the southwest and the island territories.  Some areas in the north have severe summers with extreme winters where temperatures reach freezing points. India’s climate is strongly influenced by the Himalayas and the Thar Desert. The country encounters four different types of seasons namely winter, summer, monsoon, and post-monsoon.

Attempt Free General Knowledge Quiz! Register Here!

Facts About India’s Geography

• India accounts for about 2.4 percent of the total geographical area of the world.
• The Sundarbans delta is the largest mangrove forest in the world. It lies at the mouth of the Ganges.
• The northernmost point which is under Indian administration is Indira Col, Siachen Glacier.
• The southernmost point in India is Indira Point on Great Nicobar Island.
•  Kangchenjunga, in the Indian state of Sikkim, is the highest point in India at 8,586 m (28,169 ft) and the world’s third highest peak.

India strategic position on the globe is highly significant as it helps a great deal in trade, social and cultural interaction. India’s connections with other parts of the world has been heavily influenced by waterways and also the mountain passes. India stands at the head of the Indian Ocean at the very center of the Eastern hemisphere commanding trade routes running in all directions. East and West coast have many natural harbors due to which India had a flourishing sea trade from ancient times.

The key point to clear an exam lies in methodical and planned preparation. If you are a candidate who wants to pursue your dream career and looking for a good start, Entri App has got it covered for you. Entri App provides a great online platform for all those aspiring to appear for various bank exams, government exams and other competitive exams. Our team of experts provide short and precise video classes which helps in learning the concepts. Users get access to flash cards and quizzes and can attempt unlimited mock exams with the same pattern as that of the real exams. We also provide PDFs of previous years’ question papers with solutions.

Prepare for General Knowledge Exam! Download Entri App!