India: Location and Size

Learning Objectives

• Describe India's location on the world map.
• Understand and describe India's latitudinal and longitudinal extent.
• Define the east-west time lag in India.
• Describe the benefits of India's strategic location in the sea.
• Describe the number and locations of India's neighbors.
• Summarize the cultural, religious, and artistic exchange between India and the world.

Location

• Hemisphere: Entirely in the Northern Hemisphere.
• Position in Asia: Lies in South Asia.
• Latitudes: Between 8°4'N and 37°6'N.
• Longitudes: Between 68°7'E and 97°25'E.
• Tropic of Cancer: 23°30'N, divides India into almost two equal parts.
• Island Groups:
  • Andaman and Nicobar (Southeast)
  • Lakshadweep (Southwest)

Size

• Total Area: 3,287,263 square kilometers.
• North to South Distance: 3,214 kilometers.
• East to West Distance: 2,933 kilometers.
• Land Boundary: 15,106.7 km.
• Coastline: 7,517 km.
• World Ranking: Seventh largest country by area.

India and the World

• Central Location: In south of Asia, tapering into the Indian Ocean.
• Trade Routes: All trans-Indian Ocean routes connecting Europe and East Asia pass by India.
• Trade and Cultural Exchange:
  • Facilitated trade contacts with Africa, West Asia, and Southeast Asia.
  • Enabled cultural, religious, and artistic exchanges, like the spread of Upanishads, Ramayana, Panchatantra, and the Indian numeral and decimal system.

India’s Neighbors

• Total Neighbors: Nine countries.
• Northwest: Pakistan and Afghanistan.
• North: Nepal and Bhutan.
• East: Bangladesh and Myanmar.
• South:
  • Island nations: Sri Lanka and Maldives, in the Indian Ocean.

Summary

• India is one of the world's most ancient civilizations.
• Entirely located in South Asia, Northern Hemisphere.
• Strategic location facilitated cultural, religious, and artistic exchange globally.