(Source: VI NCERT Geography Chapter 7)
- The
peninsula is a piece of land that is surrounded by water on three sides.
- India
has an area of about 3.28 million sq. km.
- The
north-south extent from Kashmir to Kanyakumari is about 3,200 km. And the
east-west extent from Arunachal Pradesh to Kuchchh is about 2,900 km.
- India
is located in the northern hemisphere.
- The
Tropic of Cancer (23°30'N) passes almost halfway through the country.
- From
south to north, main land of India extends between 8°4'N and 37°6'N latitudes.
- From
west to east, India extends between 68°7'E and 97°25'E longitudes.
- There
are seven countries that share land boundaries with India. They are:
1.Afghanistan
2.Pakistan
3.China
4.Bangladesh
5.Bhutan
6.Myanmar
7.Nepal
- Sri
Lanka does not share boundary with India. It is a neighbouring country.
- Sri
Lanka is separated from India by the Palk Strait.
- Rajasthan
is the largest state and Goa is the smallest state in terms of area.
- The
Himalayan Mountains are divided into three main parallel ranges. The
northernmost is the Great Himalaya or Himadri. The world’s highest peaks are located
in this range.
- Middle
Himalaya or Himachal lies to the south of Himadri. Many popular hill stations are
situated here.
- The Shiwalik is the southernmost range.
- The
Northern Indian plains lie to the south of the Himalayas. They are generally
level and flat. These are formed by the alluvial deposits laid down by the rivers–
the Indus, the Ganga, the Brahmaputra and their tributaries. These river
plains provide fertile land for cultivation. That is the reason for high
concentration of population in these plains.
- In
the western part of India lies the Great Indian desert. It is a dry, hot
and sandy stretch of land.
- To
the south of northern plains lies the Peninsular plateau. It is triangular in
shape. -The relief is highly uneven. This is a region with numerous hill ranges and
valleys. -Aravali hills, one of the oldest ranges of the world, border it on the
north-west side. -The Vindhyas and the Satpuras are the important ranges.
-The
rivers Narmada and Tapi flow through these ranges. These are west-flowing
rivers that drain into the Arabian Sea.
-The
Western Ghats or Sahyadris border the plateau in the west and the Eastern Ghats
provide the eastern boundary.
-While
the Western Ghats are almost continuous, the Eastern Ghats are broken
and
uneven.
-The
plateau is rich in minerals like coal and iron-ore.
-To
the West of the Western Ghats and the East of Eastern Ghats lie the Coastal
plains.
-The western coastal plains are very narrow.
The eastern Coastal plains are much broader.
-There
are a number of east flowing rivers.
-The
rivers Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri drain into the Bay of Bengal.
-These rivers have formed fertile deltas at their mouth.
-The
Sunderban delta is formed where the Ganga and Brahmaputra flow into the Bay of
Bengal.
-Two
groups of islands also form part of India - Lakshadweep and Andaman & nicobar
-Lakshadweep
Islands are located in the Arabian Sea. These are coral islands located
off the coast of Kerala. Corals are skeletons of tiny marine animals called Polyps.
When
the living polyps die, their skeletons are left. Other poplyps grow on top of
the hard skeleton which grows higher and higher, thus forming the coral
islands.
-The Andaman and the Nicobar Islands lie to the southeast
of the Indian mainland in the Bay of Bengal.