•  India is the seventh largest country in the world, after Russia, Canada, China, U.S.A., Brazil and Australia

•  It has an area of 32,87,782 sq. km., thus accounts for about 2.4 Percent of the total surface area of the world

• The tropic of cancer divides India into almost two equal halves

• The Southernmost point of India of the mainland is known as Kanya Kumari
  Andaman and Nicobar group of Islands lies in Bay of Bengal between 6oN and 14oN

• Indira Point is the most southern point of India, situated in Nicobar Island.

• India shares her 15,200 Km. long land frontier with Pakistan in the west and north-west, Afghanistan in the North-west, China, Nepal and Bhutan in the north, Bangladesh and Myanmar in the east.

• India’s longest border is with Bangladesh 4096 Km. while the shortest border of 80 km. is with Afghanistan.

• India shares 3488 km. long border with China, which is one fourth of the total land border of the country

• Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh are the five Indian states that share a border with China. It is very difficult to demarcate this boundary on the ground due to rugged terrain and harsh environment

• Therefore, it was delimited on the maps in a rather imprecise form between British India and independent Tibet. China has never accepted this boundary legally

The boundary with China is generally divided into three sectors namely:

• This 2152 km. long sector of the Sino -India border separates Jammu and Kashmir State from Sinkiang province of China

• Here Kunlun Mountain Range runs near the border. It forms a physical boundary between Gilgit area and Sinkiang, Kara Koram pass is situated on border

• This part has the location of Aksai Chin district, the Changmo Valley, Pangong Tso and the Sponggar Tso area of north -east Ladakh as well as a strip of about 5000 sq. Km. down the entire length of eastern Laddakh

• The Middle Sector is a geographical region that spans approximately 625 km along the watershed from Ladakh to Nepal. It encompasses the states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand which share a border within this region.

• The boundary of Himachal  Pradesh follows the water parting between the spiti and Para Chu rivers and continues along the watershed between the eastern and western tributaries of the Satluj

• The boundary of Uttarakhand is defined by the watershed that separates the Satluj River on one side from the Kali, Alaknanda, and Bhagirathi Rivers on the other.
• This boundary intersects the Satluj River near the Shipki La, situated on the border between Himachal Pradesh and Tibet. From there, the boundary follows the watershed passes of several mountain ranges, including Mana, Niti, Kungri-Bingri, Darma, and Lipu Ladakh.

• This is nearly 1140 km. long

• It runs from Sikkim to Arunachal Pradesh and follows the crest of the Himalayas between Bhutan and Myanmar

• This line is usually referred to as the Mc Mohan line after Henry Mc Mohan. He was a Birtish representative, who signed the 1913 -14 Shimla convention. India has always referred Mc Mohan Line as international boundary between Tibet and India. China has never accepted the validity of this line as international line.

• India has 1751 km. long boundary along Nepal, which follows almost the foothill of the Shiwalik Range, Uttrakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Sikkim and West Bengal states of India do touch, Nepalese border.

• It is 699 km. long. Sikkim on West, Arunachal Pradesh on the east, and West Bengal, Assam on the south touch the border of this landlocked country.

• India has 4096 km. border along Bangladesh, the longest one among the neighbouring countries

• It is 26.95 percent of the total land border of India

• Five Indian states West - Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram Share international boundary with Bangladesh

• This boundary is purely man-made. The entire area is a flat one. It always become very difficult to identify the areas of either side even the people living on both sides have not much difference

• This boundary is determined under Redcliffe award

• West Bengal has longest border, 2272 km. long with Bangladesh, on the border, where Ganga enters into Bangladesh, Farrakka Barrage has been built, which is aimed at rejuvenating the river system of West-Bengal, flood control, efficient distribution of water in different parts of the state and desilting the Kolkata-Haldia harbour

• After Farrakka Barrage, River Ganga in Bangladesh is known with the name of Padma

• River Brahmputra after following along Garo hills enters Bangladesh wher e it is known by the name of Jamuna.

• This boundary is 1643 km. long. It runs from India-China Myanmar trijunction in the north to the Southern tip of Mizoram

• It touches the border of our Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, and Mizoram. This boundary runs roughly along the watershed between the Brahmaputra and Chindwin.

• Boundary starts from the marshy Rann of Kutch in Gujarat and traverse through the sandy deserts of Rajasthan, fertile plain of Punjab, hills and mountains of Jammu and Kashmir and reaches upto the Karakoram Range in its northernmost reach.

• It is purely man-made boundary, and is based on communal considerations.

• This boundary is also known by the name of Radcliff line marked under the chairmanship of Sir Cyril Radcliff.

• Rann of Kutch is a marshy salty lake. It had an area of 20720 sq. km. but now 19813.5sq. km. area is in our possession.

• The boundary along Jammu and Kashmir has been a matter of dispute between both the countries.

• It is an extremely important state from the strategic point of view, because of its contiguity to India, Pakistan, China, Afghanistan and proximity to Tajikistan.

• This state was sought by Pakistan on the basis of its Muslim Majority status on the appeal of Maharaja Hari Singh on October 26, 1947, Jammu and Kashmir became legally and constitutionally an integral part of Indian.

• Pakistan was not agreed on this merger and rushed its own troops in Kashmir. At that time India took the case of aggression from Pakistan to United Nations. United Nation Commission asked both the countries to agree on a ceasefire line

• It was accepted as line of control by both Pakistan and India on January 1, 1949. The ceasefire line left India in possession of two thirds of the state.

• This ceasefire line adjusted under Shimla agreement has crystallized into defacto boundary between areas-controlled by India and Pakistan respectively.

• At present, out of a total area of 2,22,236 sq. km. a territory of 78,114 sq. km. is under illegal occupation of Pakistan and 5180 sq. km. illegally handed over by Pakistan to China and 37,555 sq. km. under illegal occupation of China in Ladakh district.

•  On this boundary Siachen Glacier has been under dispute. It is 75 km. long and 2 to 8 km. wide. It covers an area of 450 sq. km. at an altitude of 5800 metre above sea level in Ladakh region near Kara - Koram Range.

• India occupies about two-third area of the glacier in its south-eastern part.

• Nubra River, which has its origin from Karakoram Glacier proved the way to Indian troops. Nubra joins Shyok river, a tributary of the Indus.

• The glacier has Gasherbrum. Saltore and Vilafondala passes in India.

• Sir Creek forms the boundary between Gujarat state of India and Sind province of Pakistan. This creek is extremely rich in marine life. Pakistan has claimed its possession on the eastern bank of the Creek, as the border between India and Pakistan

• India has 106 km. long border with this country. It is a mountains area. Hindukush mountain area is extended on this line.

• India's coastline spans a length of 7517 km, with 6100 km of the coast belonging to the mainland and the remaining 1417 km consisting of coastlines from Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal and Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea.

• The mainland of India is washed on three sides by the Indian Ocean with its two arms namely the Arabian Sea in the west and the Bay of Bengal in the east

• India is the only country in the world after which an ocean has been named. It has great strategic importance for India. It serves as a great linkage between the countries lying on its coasts and even further beyond. It has made in direct approach with west Asia, Africa and Europe from the west coast and south-east Asia, Far East and Oceania from the eastern coast

• The island like Diego Garcia and the narrow straits like the channels of Maldives, Hormuz, Malacca, and Sunda Command great geostrategic significance.

• The Pak Strait is a shallow sea that separates India from Sri Lanka. It is interesting to note that Dhanush Kodi, located on the Tamil Nadu coast in India, is just 32 km away from Talaimanar in the Jaffna peninsula of Sri Lanka.

• These two points are connected by a series of islets, which are collectively known as Adam's Bridge.