India - Geography

India, a country which occupies a great portion of South Asia. The 7th largest and 2nd most populous country in the world. It has 29 states and 6 union territories which have substantial control over their own affairs.
Delhi is the capital city of  India.

Boundaries of India
As can be seen in the above image, India shares its borders with numerous countries.

• With Pakistan and Afghanistan to North-West
• China,Nepal and Bhutan to the North
• Bangladesh, Myanmar and Bay Of Bengal to the East
• Also there is Arabian Sea to the West and
• Indian Ocean and Sri Lanka to the South

India is known for its vast geographical diversity. Ranging from the mighty Himalayas in the north to the long coastlines in the south, from some of the wettest places on earth to the dry deserts. India has it all.

• India can be divide into 7 major geographical regions. Listing from north to south, they are as follows-
• Himalayan Mountain Range to North and North-east
• Gangetic Plains 
• The Deccan Plateau in the centre
• The Thar desert to the west
• The Western Ghats
• The Coastal Zone
• The Indian Islands(Andaman and Nicobar islands, Lakshadweep islands) 

Himalayan Mountain Range :-

The Himalayas consists of the youngest and the loftiest mountains in the world. Formed due to the collision of Indian and Eurasian plates which began around 50 million years ago and continues till today. 

The Himalayas have attained a unique personality owing to high altitude, steep gradient and rich temperate flora. These mountain ranges stretch from Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand states in the north to Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Nagaland in North-East.

The forests are very dense with evergreen tall trees. Oak, chestnut, pine, deodar are abundant in Himalayas.

The various interesting animal species are also found here.These include snow leopard, wild sheep,

mountain goat, tapir and ibex.

The Himalayas are also home for many Buddhist monasteries.

Gangetic Plains :-

In the north are the Gangetic plains extending upto the foothills of the Himalayas. This is the largest unit of the Great Plain of India. Ganga is he main river after whose name the plain is named. The aggradational  Great Plains cover about 72.4 mha area with Ganga and Brahmaputra forming the main drainage axes in the major portion.

These plains stretch from Punjab in the west to West Bengal and also Assam in the east.

The palin supports some of the highest population densities depending upon purely agro-based economy in some of these areas. The trees belonging to these forests are teak,sui, shisham, mahua, khair etc. These plains are the major food source for the major part of India. The various crops cultivated here are rice, jowar and wheat. Assam is also famous for its tea cultivation.

The Deccan Plateau Region:-

Beyond the Ghats is Deccan Palteau, a semi-arid region lying in the rain shadow region of the Western Ghats. This is the largest unit of Peninsular Plateau in India. The highlands of the plateau are covered with different types of forests, which provide a variety of forests products

The Deccan plateau is surrounded by the western and eastern ghats. These ghats meet each other at the Nilgiri hills. The western ghats included the Sahyadris, Nilgiri, Anamalai and cardamom hills. Many rivers such as Mahanadi, Godavari. Krishna and Kaveri originate from the western ghats and flow towards the east.

Godavari is the longest tiver in this region.

The Thar Desert :-

This region consists of Rajasthan, Kuttch, Delhi and parts of Gujarat. The climate here is characterized by very hot and dry summers and cold winters. Rainfall is less than 70 cm. The plants are mostly xerophytic.

Babul, Kikar and wood palms grow in areas with moderate rainfall. Indian Bustard, a highly endangered bird is found here. Camels, wild asses, foxes and snakes are found in the arid parts of the desert.

The Western Ghats :-

The mountains along with the peninsular part of India are the Western ghats, which forms one of the unique biological regions of the world. The Western Ghats extend from the southern tip of the peninsula northwards about 1600 km to the mouth of river Tapti.

The mountains rise to an average altitude about 900 m to 1500 m above sea level, intercepting monsoon winds from south-west.

The western ghats are amongst 25 bio-diversity hotspots recognized globally. These hills are known for their high levels of endemism expressed at both highers and lower taxonomic levels. Most of the Western Ghats endemic plants are associated with evergreen forests.

Expansion of traditional agriculture and the spread of particularly rubber, tea and coffee plantations have wiped out large portions of forests from the valleys.


The Coastal Zone :-

India has a long coastline of about 7000 kms. Indian coasts vary in their characteristics and structures.

The western coasts are narrow. The backwaters are the major characteristic feature of this coast. The states with coastal areas here are Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka and Kerala.

The eastern coasts are much broader mainly due to the deposition activities of major east flowing rivers like Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri. The states with coastal areas here are West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Mangrove vegetation is the characteristic of this region.


The Indian Islands :-

The Andaman and Nicobar islands in the Bay of Bengal are one more bio diversity hotspots recognized globally.

The Lakshadweep Islands meaning one lakh islands in Arabian Sea have the best preserved evergreen forests of India. Some of the islands are also fringed with coral reefs.


States and Union Territories Of India and their Capitals:-

Also See :-
India - History
India - culture and festivals