INDIAN GEOGRAPHY

FACTS ABOUT INDIAN GEOGRAPHY

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 32,87,590  SQUARE KILOMETERS. INDIA OCCUPIES 73.2 % OF SOUTH ASIA BY AREA

THE MAIN LAND OF INDIA EXTENDS BETWEEN 8° 4 'N &37° 6  '  NORTH LATITUDE AND 68° 7 ' & 97° 25  ' EAST LONGITUDES.

THE TROPIC OF CANCER 23° 30 ' N DIVIDES INDIA ALMOST INTO TWO HAVES

LAND FRONTIER OF THE COUNTRY IS 15,200 KILOMETERS AND THE TOTAL LENGTH OF THE COASTLINE IS 7,517 KILOMETERS

THE PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA CAN BE DIVIDED INTO FIVE PHYSIOGRAPHIC REGIONS 

• THE NORTHERN  MOUNTAINS 

                 GREAT ARC OF MOUNTAINS CONSISTING OF THE HIMALAYAS , HINDU KUSH AND PATKAI RANGES DEFINE THE NORTHERN INDIAN SUBCONTINENT. THESE WERE FORMED BY THE ONGOING TECTONIC COLLISION OF THE INDIAN AND EURASIAN PLATES

• INDO GANGETIC PLAINS

LARGE ALLUVIAL PLAINS DOMINATED BY THREE MAIN RIVERS, THE INDUS , GANGES , AND BRAHMAPUTRA. ALSO CALLED AS GREAT PLAINS. THEY RUN PARALLEL TO THE HIMALAYAS, FROM JAMMU AND KASHMIR IN THE WEST TO ASSAM IN THE EAST.

• THE PENINSULAR PLATEAU

ITS BIGGEST PART IS KNOWN AS THE  DECCAN PLATEAU, COMPRISING THE MOST PART OF SOUTHERN PORTION OF THE NATION. THE PLATEAU ASCENDS 100 METERS IN THE NORTH , ASCENDING FURTHER TO OVER 1,000 METERS TO SOUTH , CREATING AN ELEVATED TRIANGLE SITUATED IN THE WELL-KNOWN DOWNHILL-MOVING TRIANGLE OF THE SEASHORE OF THE INDIAN SUBCONTINENT.

• THAR DESERT

THE THAR DESERT IS BY SOME CALCULATIONS THE WORLD'S SEVENTH LARGEST DESERT , BY OTHERS THE TENTH. IT FORMS A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF WESTERN INDIA AND COVERS AN AREA OF 200,000 TO 238,700 km2

• THE COASTAL PLAINS

CONSIST OF EASTERN AND WESTERN COASTAL PLAINS

INDIA FACTS
TOTAL AREA	3,287,263 Km2
NUMBER OF STATES	29
LARGEST STATE	RAJASTHAN (342240 sq Km)
SMALLEST STATE	GOA (3702 sq Km)
TERRITORIAL SEA	12 nm (nautical miles)
CONTIGUOUS ZONE	24 nm
EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE	200 nm
CONTINENTAL SHELF	200 nm
LONGEST RIVER	GANGA
LARGEST LAKE	LAKE CHILKA
HIGHEST POINT	Mt.K² (8611)
HIGHEST POINT OF HIMALAYA	KANCHAN JUNGA (8,598 m)
LOWEST POINT	KUTTANAD (-2.2 m)
NORTHERNMOST POINT	SIACHIN GLACIER NEAR KARAKORAM
SOUTHERNMOST POINT	INDIRA POINT, GREAT NICOBAR,ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS
SOUTHERNMOST POINT (MAINLAND)	CAPE COMORIN ( KANYA KUMARI)
WESTERNMOST POINT	WEST OF GHUAR MOTA , GUJARAT
EASTERNMOST POINT	KIBITHU , ARUNACHAL PRADESH
HIGHEST ALTITUDE	KANCHENJUNGA , SIKKIM
LOWEST ALTITUDE	KUTTANAD (KERALA)