Geograpy of India

India, with an area of 3.3 million sq. km, is a subcontinent. The peninsula is separated from mainland Asia by the Himalayas. The country lies between 8º4' and 37º6' north of the Equator and is surrounded by the Bay of Bengal in the east, the Arabian Sea in the west and the Indian Ocean to the south. The Himalayas form the highest mountain range in the world, extending 2,500 km over northern India. Bounded by the Indus River in the west and the Brahmaputra in the east, the three parallel ranges, the Himadri, Himachal and Shivaliks have deep canyons gorged by the rivers flowing into the Gangetic plain. The mountains extending between the Pamir Plateau and the Indus river in Kashmir are known as the Karakoram Mountains. Those between the Indus and the Brahmaputra are known as the Himalaya, meaning the 'abode of snow'. The eastern section of these mountains in Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim is known as the Eastern Himalaya

To the south of the Great Mountains of the north lie the plains of Northern India. This region is made up of alluvium and is extremely level. It extends roughly about 2500 km east to west. The Great Plains consists of two river basins, namely, those of the Indus and the Ganga-Brahmaputra. The Indus, the Ganga and the Brahamaputra are the three most important rivers of the Indian sub-continent. The Indus basin is drained by the river Indus and its tributaries-the Jhelum, Chenab, Beas, Ravi and Sutlej. The river Ganga in its lower reaches is joined by the great Brahmaputra. Together they form the world's largest delta before their waters flow into the Bay of Bengal. The northern part of this Great Plateau is bounded by the Aravalli range in the west and the Vindhya to its south. To the north-west of this plateau lies the Desert of Rajasthan. The western edge of the Deccan Plateau is called the Western Ghat. These are formed by the Sahyadri, the Nilgiri, The Annamalai and the Cardmom Hills. Overlooking the Arabian Sea, they run parallel to the coast. With an elevation of 2695 metres about sea level, Anai Mudi in Kerala is the highest peak of peninsular India. The Eastern edge of the plateau is known as Eastern Ghats. Both Western and Eastern Ghats converge at the Nilgiris.

Location and extent India lies to the north of the equator between 8 degree 4 minutes and 37 degree 6 minutes north latitude and 68 degree 7 minutes and 97 degree 25 minutes east longitude. It is the seventh-largest country in the world, with a total land area of 3,287,263 km² (1,269,219 square miles). India measures 3,214 km (1,997 miles) from north to south and 2,933 km (1,822 miles)from east to west. It has a land frontier of 15,200 km (9,445 miles) and a coastline of 7,516.5 km (4,670.5 miles). The Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal and Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea are parts of India. India is bounded on the southwest by the Arabian Sea and on the southeast by the Bay of Bengal. On the north, northeast, and northwest are the Himalayans. Kanyakumari constitutes the southern tip of the Indian peninsula, which narrows before ending into the Indian Ocean.

Political geography India is divided into 28 states (which are further subdivided into districts), six union territories and the National Capital Territory of Delhi. States have their own elected government, while Union Territories are governed by an administrator appointed by the union government. The state of Jammu and Kashmir is claimed by India but disputed by Pakistan and China, who administer part of the territory. The state of Arunachal Pradesh is claimed by China but administered by India.

The Deccan Plateau It is flanked by a narrow coastal plain on the west. It is broadest in the north where it includes the plain of Gujarat. In Bombay & Marmagoa, it possesses two best natural harbours and lagoons and back waters in Kerala. The eastern coastal strip possesses the fertile deltas of the Kaveri, Krishna, Godavari amd Mahanadi rivers. The southern part of the east coast is known as the Coromandel Coast. The coastal strip in the north merges with the delta of the Ganga Brahmaputra.

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