GEOGRAPHY OF INDIA
|
| Location of India | Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan. |
| Geographic Co-ordinates | 20 00 N, 77 00 E |
| Area | |
| Total | 3,287,590 sq km |
| Land | 2,973,190 sq km |
| Water | 314,400 sq km |
| Comparative | Slightly more than one-third the size of the US. |
| Land boundaries (Total) | 14,103 km. |
| Border Shared With Countries | |
| Bangladesh | 4,053 km |
| Bhutan | 605 km |
| Burma | 1,463 km |
| China | 3,380 km |
| Nepal | 1,690 km |
| Pakistan | 2,912 km |
| Coastline: Claims and Boundaries | |
| Coastline | 7,000 km |
| Maritime claims (Contiguous zone) | 24 NM |
| Territorial sea | 12 NM |
| Continental shelf | 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin |
| Exclusive economic zone | 200 NM |
| Climate | Varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north |
| Terrain | Upland Plain (Deccan Plateau) in South, Flat to Rolling Plain along the Ganges, Deserts in West, Himalayas in North. |
| Elevation extremes | |
| Lowest point | Indian Ocean 0 m |
| Highest point | Kanchenjunga 8,598 m |
| Natural resources | Coal, Iron Ore, Manganese, Mica, Bauxite, Titanium Ore, Chromite, Natural Gas, Diamonds, Petroleum, Limestone, Arable Land |
| Land use | |
| Arable land | 54.35% |
| Permanent crops | 2.66% |
| Other’s | 42.99% (1998 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 590,000 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Natural hazards | Droughts, Flash Floods, Widespread and Destructive Flooding from Monsoonal Rains, Severe Thunderstorms, Earthquakes. |
| Environment | |
| Current issues | 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 verstraining natural resources. |
| International agreements | Party To: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, 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 |
