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Indian Geography
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Indian Geography
Vocabulary
Coastline : The land and water lying next to a shoreline.
Hemisphere : One of the halves into which the earth may be divided.
Physiographic : Another name for physical geography
Plateau : A land area having a level surface raised much higher above nearby
land.
Plain : A large, flat area of land not higher than nearby areas.
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Indian Geography
Some General Facts About India :
Population: 1,173,108,018 (July 2010 estimate)
Capital: New Delhi
Major Cities: Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore and Chennai
Area: 1,269,219 square miles (3,287,263 sq. km)
Bordering Countries: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, China, Nepal and Pakistan
Coastline: 4,350 miles (7,000 km)
Highest Point: Kanchenjunga at 28,208 feet (8,598 m)
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Indian Geography
Following are the Geographical Facts about India.
• The Union of India is the seventh largest country in the world covering an area
of 32,87,590 square kilometers and it is an important country of south Asia.
• India is 4 times larger than Pakistan. It is 12 times larger than UK and 8 times
larger than Japan.
• The southernmost point in Indian Territory, (in Great Nicobar Islands) is the
Indira Point, while Kanyakumari, also known as Cape Comorin, is the
southernmost point of Indian mainland.
• The country thus lies wholly in the northern and eastern hemispheres.
• The country's land is flanked by the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, along
the southeast and along the southwest respectively.
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Indian Geography
• On the western border is situated Pakistan and in the east, Bangladesh and
Burma.
• Along her northern boundary are Bhutan, Nepal, Tibet and Sinkiang region of
China.
• The Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait separate India from Sri Lanka.
• The Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal and Lakshadweep in
the Arabian Sea are parts of the Indian Territory.
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Indian Geography
Physiographic regions :
India can be divided into six physiographic regions. They are :
 The Great Northern Mountains : India comprises the Himalayas in the
North and the Northeastern region, which divides the country from the Tibetan
plateau. The Himalayan range is further divided into different ranges:
a) Pir Panjal Range
b) Ladakh Range
c) Zanskar Range
d) Dhauladhar Range
e) East Karakoram Range
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Indian Geography
 The Peninsular Plateaus : The Peninsular Plateau is a tableland, its
characteristic features include shallow valleys and rounded hills. It is broadly
divided in three different plateaus:
a) The Deccan Plateau
b) The Malwa Plateau
c) The Chota Nagpur Plateau
 Indo Gangetic Plains : The Indo-Gangetic Plain is also known as the Great
Plains and is dominated by three major rivers - the Ganges, the Indus and the
Brahmaputra. It cover a large area of about 7,00,000 sq. km in the Northern
and Eastern India. The plain is divided into four divisions:
a) The Bhabar Belt
b) The Terai Belt
c) The Bangar Belt
d) The Khader Belt
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Indian Geography
 Thar Desert : The Thar Desert is one of the largest deserts of the world. It
extends across Gujarat, Haryana and Punjab and covers over 60% of the
geographical area of Rajasthan.
 The Islands : There are two major groups of islands in India which are also
classified as the union territories- the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and the
Lakshadweep Islands. Lakshadweep is located in the Arabian Sea and has a
total of about 35 islands and islets. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is
larger in size and comprises 572 islands. Andaman is located in the north and
Nicobar is located in the south. Some of the other important islands in India
are Daman and Diu, Majuli, Salsette Island and Sriharikota.
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Indian Geography
 The Coastal Plains : The Coastal India spans Arabian Sea in the West to
the Bay of Bengal in the East. The Eastern Coastal Plains lie between the
Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal; and stretches from Tamil Nadu to West
Bengal.
The Western Coastal Plains is sandwiched between the Western Ghats and
the Arabian Sea and extends from Gujarat in the north and covers the regions
of Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala and Karnataka.
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Indian Geography
Major Mountain Ranges In India :
1. The Himalayan Range
2. Patkai Range
3. Karakoram Range
4. Shivalik Hills
5. Vindhya Range
6. Aravalli Range
7. Satpura Range and 8. Western and Eastern Ghats
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Indian Geography
Climate :
India has a variety of climates, varying from tropical climate in the south to
temperate and alpine climate in the Himalayan north. The climate is altered by
the Thar Desert and the Himalayas. Some areas in the north have severe
summers with extreme winters, with the temperature reaching to freezing point.
The country encounters four different types of seasons - winter, summer,
monsoon, and post-monsoon. In some states, the temperature in summers rise
up to 45°C and minimum temperature decreases to 15°C only. In winters, the
average temperature is about 10-15°C. The highest
temperature recorded in India so far is 50.6°C in Alwar,
Rajasthan. The lowest temperature was recorded in
Kashmir at -45°C.
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Indian Geography
States :
 There are 29 states in India. The largest of all Indian states is Rajasthan. Goa
is the smallest state in India.
 Uttar Pradesh lying to the northeast of the country is the most populous state.
 Gujarat, lying on the extreme west of the country, is one of the most
prosperous of all Indian states.
 The strikingly beautiful Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state in the
country.
 India's eastern border is bordered by states of Manipur, Meghalaya, Assam,
Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh.
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Indian Geography
Union Territories :
 The union territories in India are seven in numbers.
 Delhi, the capital of India, also falls under this category.
 The other union territories of the country include Chandigarh, in the north;
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, in the west; Lakshadweep, in
the southwest; and Pondicherry and Andaman and Nicobar Islands, in the
southeast of the country.
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Indian Geography
General Conversation :
• What images spring to mind when you hear the country India?
• What are the good things about India?
• What is India famous for?
• What do you know about Indian history?
• What do you think of Indian products and companies?
• Would you like to visit India, or live there?
• Who are the most famous Indian people you know?
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