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India's
Geography
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Location:
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Southern Asia, bordering the
Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma
and Pakistan
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Geographic coordinates:
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20 00 N, 77 00 E
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Map references:
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Asia
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Area:
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total: 3,287,263
sq km
country
comparison to the world: 7
land: 2,973,193
sq km
water: 314,070
sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly more than one-third
the size of the US
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Land boundaries:
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total: 14,103
km
border countries: Bangladesh
4,053 km, Bhutan 605 km, Burma 1,463 km, China
3,380 km, Nepal 1,690 km, Pakistan 2,912 km
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Coastline:
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7,000 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12
nm
contiguous zone: 24
nm
exclusive economic zone: 200
nm
continental shelf: 200
nm or to the edge of the continental margin
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Climate:
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Weather
varies from tropical monsoon in
south to temperate in north
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Terrain:
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upland plain (Deccan Plateau)
in south, flat to rolling plain along the Ganges,
deserts in west, Himalayas in north
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Indian
Ocean 0 m
highest point: Kanchenjunga
8,598 m
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Natural resources:
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coal (fourth-largest reserves
in the world), iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite,
rare earth elements, titanium ore, chromite,
natural gas, diamonds, petroleum, limestone,
arable land
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Land use:
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arable land: 48.83%
permanent crops: 2.8%
other: 48.37%
(2005)
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Irrigated land:
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558,080 sq km (2003)
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Total renewable water
resources:
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1,907.8 cu km (1999)
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Freshwater withdrawal
(domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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total: 645.84
cu km/yr (8%/5%/86%)
per capita: 585
cu m/yr (2000)
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Natural hazards:
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droughts; flash floods, as well
as widespread and destructive flooding from
monsoonal rains; severe thunderstorms; earthquakes
volcanism: Barren
Island (elev. 354 m, 1,161 ft) in the Andaman Sea
has been active in recent years
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Environment - current issues:
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deforestation; soil erosion;
overgrazing; desertification; air pollution from
industrial effluents and vehicle emissions; water
pollution from raw sewage and runoff of
agricultural pesticides; tap water is not potable
throughout the country; huge and growing
population is overstraining natural resources
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Environment - international
agreements:
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party to: Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none
of the selected agreements
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Geography - note:
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dominates South Asian
subcontinent; near important Indian Ocean trade
routes; Kanchenjunga, third tallest mountain in
the world, lies on the border with Nepal
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India covers 3,287,263 sq km, which extends from the Himalayas, the world's highest
mountains, to the southern tropical rain forests. It is the seventh
largest country in the world and the mountains and sea that surround India
separate it from other parts of Asia. In the shape of a triangle,
India's topography is greatly varied in that there although there are deserts
and rain forests, much of it's land is comprised of fertile river plains and
high plateaus. Some of the main rivers that flow through India are the
Ganges, Brahmaputra and the Indus. These rivers start in the high
mountains and carry down rich alluvial soil to the plains below, thus creating
the fertile river plains.
Four
distinct regions can be found in India - mountains, plains, the desert and the
southern peninsula. The mountainous region is comprised of the Himalayas,
a mountain range that has some of the highest peaks in the world. They
have rivers that increase and decrease in amount with the snowfall. During
the monsoon season, the heavy water coming out of them causes frequent
flooding. On one side of India, the heights make them impassable, whereas
in the east the ranges are considerably lower. The plains are made up of
basins by three main rivers in India - the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra.
Flat alluvium (rich soil deposited by rivers) is abundant and this area is
considered to be one of the largest areas of it in the world. In addition
to that international distinction, this area is also considered to be one of the
most heavily populated areas in the world. The desert areas in India are
split by land that is rocky and comprised of limestone ridges. The last
region, the peninsula, has mountains surrounding it, with coastal areas on the
other side of the mountains.
The
climate in India is characterized as tropical-monsoon. Seasonal winds
determine the climate. There is a north-east monsoon that is known as the winter
monsoon and it goes across the land to the sea. The south-west monsoon is
called the summer monsoon as it comes from the sea and blows across the
land. This monsoon brings the highest amount of rainfall to the country.
India is the seventh largest
country in the world. It has the world's second
largest population. Located entirely in the
northern hemisphere it is bound by Pakistan,
Afghanistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and
Bangladesh. The Arabian sea, the Indian Ocean
and the Bay of Bengal border it's coastline.
The mainland has three
well-defined geographical regions, the mountain
zone of the Himalayas, the Indo-gangetic plain,
( formed by the basins of three great rivers
Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra) and the southern
peninsula of the Deccan Plateau.
The main river systems are
the Himalayan rivers like Ganga and Brahmaputra
which are snow-fed; the peninsular rivers like
Godavari, Krishna and Mahanadi; and the coastal
rivers.
India has a rich variety of
vegetation and animal life, with special types
of flora and fauna.
The climate of the country
varies from region to region. In some places,
including the coastal areas, the climate is
almost uniform throughout the year. There are
quite a few places in the country which have a
moderate climate, such as towns in the North of
the country or Bangalore in the South. On the
other hand most areas are very hot in summer.
The Indian seasons can be
divided as follows:
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