India at a Glance

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INDIA AT A GLANCE
Indian Geography

INDIA AT A GLANCE GK

India is one of the oldest civilizations in the world with a kaleidoscopic variety and rich cultural heritage.India has become self-sufficient in agricultural production and is now one of the top industrialized countries in the world and one of the few nations to have gone into outer space to conquer nature for the benefit of the people. It covers an area of 32,87,263 sq. km, extending from the snow-covered Himalayan heights to the tropical rain forests of the south. Bounded by the Great Himalayas in the north, it stretches southwards and at the Tropic of Cancer, tapers off into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal on the east and the Arabian Sea on the west.

IMPORTANT GEOGRAPHICAL TOPICS INDIA – STATIC GK

Classification of Indian soils
Important Forest in India
Important Indian Rivers and their Origin
List of Active, Dormant & Extinct volcanoes in India
List of Dams in India
List of Gardens in India
List of Highest Himalayan peaks in India
List of National Parks in India
List of Tiger Reserves in India
River Side Cities in India
Superlatives in India
Top Indian States in Important Aspects
UNESCO Heritage Sites in India
Particulars Description
Location The Indian peninsula is separated from mainland Asia by the Himalayas. The Country is surrounded by the Bay of Bengal in the east, the Arabian Sea in the west, and the Indian Ocean to the south.
Geographic Coordinates Lying entirely in the Northern Hemisphere, the Country extends between 8° 4′ and 37° 6′ latitudes north of the Equator, and 68° 7′ and 97° 25′ longitudes east of it.
Indian Standard Time GMT + 05:30
Area 3.3 Million sq. km
Telephone Country Code +91
Border Countries
  • Afghanistan and Pakistan to the north-west;
  • China, Bhutan and Nepal to the north;
  • Myanmar to the east;
  • Bangladesh to the east of West Bengal.
  • Sri Lanka is separated from India by a narrow channel of sea, formed by Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar.
Coastline 7,516.6 km encompassing the mainland, Lakshadweep Islands, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
Climate The climate of India can broadly be classified as a tropical monsoon one. But, in spite of much of the northern part of India lying beyond the tropical zone, the entire country has a tropical climate marked by relatively high temperatures and dry winters. There are four seasons:

  1. winter (December-February)
  2. summer (March-June)
  3. south-west monsoon season (June-September)
  4. post monsoon season (October-November)
Terrain The mainland comprises of four regions, namely the great mountain zone, plains of the Ganga and the Indus, the desert region, and the southern peninsula.
Natural Resources Coal, iron ore, manganese ore, mica, bauxite, petroleum, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, magnesite, limestone, arable land, dolomite, barytes, kaolin, gypsum, apatite, phosphorite, steatite, fluorite, etc.
Natural Hazards Monsoon floods, flash floods, earthquakes, droughts, and landslides.
Environment – Current Issues Air pollution control, energy conservation, solid waste management, oil and gas conservation, forest conservation, etc.
Environment – International Agreements
  • Rio Declaration on environment and development,
  • Cartagena Protocol on biosafety,
  • Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on climatic change, World Trade Agreement,
  • Helsinki Protocol to LRTAP on the reduction of sulphur emissions of nitrogen oxides or their transboundary fluxes (Nox Protocol),
  • Geneva Protocol to LRTAP concerning the control of emissions of volatile organic compounds or their transboundary fluxes (VOCs Protocol).