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Question

Name the seventh largest country in the world.


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India is the seventh-largest country in the world as per area. Do you know there are many facts of our country to which you are unknown? Let us explore our country by reading this article.

My country – India

Area and how it is spread

India is a country of vast geographical expanse and is bounded by the lofty Himalayas, Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. India occupies an area of about 3.28 million sq. km. The north-south extent from Kashmir to Kanyakumari is about 3,200 km. The east-west extent from Arunachal Pradesh to Kuchchh is about 2,900 km.

Features of India

The lofty and huge snow-covered mountains, the Great Indian Thar desert, the Northern Plains, the uneven surface of the plateau surface and the coasts on the two major seas and islands present a diversity of landforms. The world’s largest delta is also located in India. The country comprises of wide variety in the climate, vegetation, wildlife as well as in the language and culture. India is second largest populated country after China. The country has a population of more than one hundred twenty crores as per the year 2011 census.

Location as per the world and in the globe

India is located in the northern hemisphere of the world. The Tropic of Cancer (23°30’N) passes almost halfway through the country India. From the extends south to north, the mainland of India extends between 8°4’N and 37°6’N latitudes. From the other extends west to east, India extends between 68°7’E and 97°25’E longitudes. Due to the great longitudinal extent and difference of about 29°, ta wide differences in local time of places located at two extreme points of the country. The difference between these two points would be approximately of about two hours.

Neighbours of India

Seven countries share the boundaries with India. In Northwest there lies Afghanistan and Pakistan, In the North, India, is bound with China, Bhutan and Nepal, to the far east India, is surrounded by Myanmar and Bangladesh to the east. In south-east there lies Sri Lanka and Maldives in the south-west. These two countries share the water borders. The northern part of India is referred to as Subcontinent and Southern part of India is referred to as Peninsular region.

Political division: India and its states

India is politically divided into 29 states and 7 Union Territories. National capital of India is Delhi.

Telangana became the 29th state of India on 2 June 2014, which was previously a part of Andhra Pradesh. Language is the basis of the formation of these 29 states.

Geographical division

As discussed earlier, India has a diversity of physical features like mountains, plateaus, plains, coasts and islands. Himalaya. The word Himalaya refers to ‘the abode of snow’. The Himalayan mountains are classified into three main parallel ranges. The northernmost part of Himalaya are called the Great Himalaya or Himadri. The world’s highest peaks are located in this range. The Middle Himalaya is called Himachal and lies to the south of Himadri.

The Northern Indian plains Of India lies to the south of the Himalayas. These Himalayan ranges are generally level and flat. Due to the alluvial deposits laid down by the rivers– the Indus, the Ganga, the Brahmaputra and their tributaries these Himalayan ranges are formed. These two major river plains provide fertile land for cultivation. Due to this reason, one can find high concentration of population in these areas.

In the western part of India lies the Great Indian desert named as Thar desert, dry, hot and sandy stretch of land. To the south of northern plains, we can see the Peninsular plateau. This region comprises of numerous hill ranges and valleys. World’s oldest hills that is Aravali hills, border it on the north-west side. The Vindhyas and the Satpuras are the other two vital ranges. The major rivers of this region are Narmada and Tapi. These are the west-flowing rivers that drain into the Arabian Sea at the end.

The Western Ghats or commonly referred to as Sahyadris hills border the plateau in the west and the Eastern Ghats provide the eastern boundary. This plateau is rich in minerals like coal and iron ore. To the West of the Western Ghats and the East of Eastern Ghats are present in the Coastal Plains. The western coastal plains are very narrow and steep. The eastern Coastal plains are much broader as compared to western ghats. A number of east-flowing rivers are present in these ranges. The rivers Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri drain into the Bay of Bengal finally. These rivers have formed fertile deltas at the mouth of these rivers. The Sunderban Delta which is the world’s largest delta is formed where the Ganga and Brahmaputra flow into the Bay of Bengal.

Island

Lakshadweep Islands with capital Kirvatti is located in the Arabian Sea. These are coral islands located off the coast of the God’s own country Kerala. The Andaman and the Nicobar Islands with capital Port Blair lie to the southeast of the Indian mainland in the Bay of Bengal. India’s final point namely Indira point is located in this Island.


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