India - Size and Location

• India is a vast country
• Lying entirely in the northern hemisphere the main lands extend between latitudes 8 degree 4 north and 37 degree 6 north and longitudes 68 degree 7east and 97 degree 25 east.
• The Tropic of Cancer - 23 degree 30 north
• The Tropic of Cancer divides the country into almost two equal parts.
• To the southeast and southwest of the mainland is the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep islands in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea respectively.
• The land mass of India has an area of about 2.48 million square km.
• Indias total area accounts for about 2.4 percent of the total geographical area of the world.
• India is the seventh largest country in the world.
• India has a land boundary of 15,200 km and the total length of the coastline including Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep is 7,516.6 km.
• India is bounded by the young fold mountains in the northeast, north and northwest.
• South of about 22-degree north latitude, it begins to taper and extends into the Indian sea dividing it into two seas Arabian sea in the west and Bay of Bengal in the east.
• The latitudinal and longitudinal extent of the mainland is about 30 degree.
• Despite the fact the east west extent appears to be smaller than the north south extent
• From Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh, there is a time lag of two hours. Hence, time along the Standard Meridian of India (82°30'E) passing through Mirzapur (in Uttar Pradesh) is taken as the standard time for the whole country. The latitudinal extent influences the duration of day and night, as one moves from south to north.
• Indian landmass


  • Central location between East and West Asia
  • Southward extension of the Asian continent
• Trans Indian Ocean routes


  • Connect countries of Europe in the West and East Asia
  • Provide a strategic central location to India
• Deccan Peninsula


  • Protrudes into the Indian Ocean
  • Helps India establish close contact with West Asia, Africa and Europe from the western coast
  • Helps India establish close contact with Southeast and East Asia from the eastern coast
• No other country has a long coastline on the Indian Ocean as India has
• India's eminent position in the Indian Ocean justifies the naming of an Ocean after it
• India's contacts with the World


  • Continued through ages
  • Relationships through the land routes are much older than her maritime contacts
• Passage across the mountains in the north

  1. Provided passages to the ancient travellers

  2. Oceans restricted such interaction for a long time
• These routes have contributed in the exchange of ideas and commodities since ancient times
• The influence of Greek sculpture, and the architectural styles of dome and minarets from West Asia can be seen in different parts of our country
• India occupies an important strategic position in South Asia. India has 28 states and Eight Union Territories
• India shares its land boundaries with Pakistan and Afghanistan in the northwest, China (Tibet), Nepal and Bhutan in the north and Myanmar and Bangladesh in the east. Our southern neighbours across the sea consist of the two island countries, namely Sri Lanka and Maldives
• Sri Lanka is separated from India by a narrow channel of sea formed by the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar, while Maldives Islands are situated to the south of the Lakshadweep Islands.
• India has had strong geographical and historical links with her neighbours