India is one of the most unique countries in the world. It is highly diverse in terms of culture, religion and language, among other things. It is one of the oldest civilisations in the world. In addition, India has one of the largest economies and societies globally. But what makes this country so unique? A large population and fascinating geography - let's take a look at some of India's attributes!
Map of India
The Republic of India is located in southeast Asia. Pakistan and Afghanistan border it to the west, Nepal, Bhutan and China to the north and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. The island nation of Sri Lanka is also located just off India's southeast coast. India consists of 28 states and eight union territories. The Lakshadweep Islands off the southwest coast and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands off the southeast coast are also part of India. Take a look at the map below.
Fig. 1 - Map of India
Capital of India
The capital of India is New Delhi, located along the Yamuna River in the north, in the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is one of the 11 districts of the Delhi metropolitan area. Although it is often referred to as just Delhi, it is crucial to understand that New Delhi makes up only 16,5 sq mi/42.7km2 of the greater Delhi region.
New Delhi was not always the capital of India. It was chosen in 1911 to replace Kolkata as the capital. New Delhi was then built between 1912-1929 and inaugurated as the capital of India on 13 February 1931.
Did you know that Kolkata's official name was once Calcutta? Kolkata (Calcutta) is the capital of the western state of Bengal. While the city was always pronounced Kolkata in Bengali, the British (who ruled India until 1947) pronounced and called it Calcutta. Maintaining the original Bengali pronunciation, the name was officially changed to Kolkata on 1 January 2001.
Fig. 2 - Map of the Delhi metropolitan area showing the location of New Delhi
Population of India
In 2022, India's population has been estimated at 1.42 billion persons, making it the second most populous country behind China. India has a population growth rate of 0.9%.
India's population expanded very rapidly in the 20th century due to high fertility and birth rates. While population growth has slowed, India's population is projected to surpass China's by 2027. It has even been suggested that this may happen before that time.
Geography of India
India is located between 8-38o N latitude and 68-98o E longitude. The country is surrounded by water on three sides, making India a peninsula. The following water surrounds India:
- The Indian Ocean to the south.
- The Bay of Bengal to the east.
- The Arabian Sea to the west.
A peninsula is a piece of land which prominently juts out into an expanse of water, usually an ocean. Peninsulas are surrounded by water on three sides, and the fourth side is connected to the mainland.
With an area of 1,269 million sq mi/3,287 million km2, India is the seventh-largest country in the world in terms of size. At its furthest points, India measures 1,997 miles/3,214 km from north to south and 1,823 miles/2,933 km from east to west. India's coastline, including the Lakshadweep Islands and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, measures 4,671 miles/7,517 km.
India is considered a subcontinent because of its substantial size and the fact that it was once its own continent but joined Asia due to continental drift. The Indian subcontinent also has a distinct identity in terms of politics, geography and culture. The Indian subcontinent includes India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan, the Maldives and Sri Lanka.
Did you know: India used to be part of Gondwana, which in turn was part of the supercontinent Pangea. Gondwana formed about 550 million years ago and started to break up around 180 million years ago. India was located in what was East Gondwana, alongside Antarctica, Australia and Madagascar. At some point, East Gondwana began to separate from Africa between c. 132,5 and 96 million years ago. India moved northwest from Australia-Antarctica.
Topography of India
Perhaps the most iconic topographic feature of the subcontinent of India is the Himalayan Mountain range, which dominates much of the country's far north. The Himalayas is the highest mountain range in the world and consists of more than 100 rugged peaks that are over 23,622 feet/7,200 m tall and whose summits are perpetually covered in snow. The Himalayas separate India from the Tibetan plateau. The third-highest mountain in the world, Mt. Kanchenjunga, which rises to a height of 28,169 feet/8,586 m, is located in the Himalayas along the border of India and Nepal.
Fig. 3 - Mt. Kanchenjunga in the Himalayas
South of the Himalayas lies the Indo-Gangetic Plain, the largest flood plain in the world. It covers an area of 270,000 sq mi/7,00,000 km2 and extends all the way from Pakistan to Bangladesh. The Indo-Gangetic Plain actually includes half of Pakistan and all of Bangladesh.
The Vindhyachal Range is located to the south of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It is a broken line of hills between 1,476 - 3,609 feet/450 - 1,100 m in height. This range is considered the border between northern and southern India.
The Deccan Plateau makes up all the southern Indian peninsular. It is a triangular-shaped high tableland with an average elevation of 1,969 feet/600 m. The Deccan Plateau generally slopes eastwards and is flanked by the Western and Eastern Ghats escarpments on either side.
Fig. 4 - A portion of the Western Ghats, India
Rivers in India
Rivers play a significant role in India as they provide transportation, irrigation, electricity and livelihoods for a large proportion of the population. Many of India's major cities are built along rivers. There are over 200 rivers in India- seven significant rivers and their numerous tributaries.
The most important and largest river in India is the Ganges River, or Ganga, as locals call it. The Ganges is the 3rd largest river in the world, and its basin covers about a quarter of India. The Ganges river basin is the most populated river basin in the world, with more than 400 million persons living there. The Ganges is used for many things, including transportation, bathing and fishing. It also carries sediments that keep the Indo-Gangetic plain fertile. Additionally, the Ganges is considered the most sacred river by Hindus, who lovingly call it Mother Ganga and worship it.
Fig. 5 - Transportation on the Ganges River
Facts about India
Read on to learn some facts about India.
Climate of India
India's climate varies from tropical areas south of the Tropic of Cancer to warm temperate in areas north of the Tropic of Cancer to alpine in the Himalayas.
India has four seasons:
- Winter, which occurs from December to early April
- Summer or Pre-monsoon, which occurs from April to July
- Monsoon or rainy season, which occurs from June to September
- Post Monsoon season, which occurs from October to December
The two seasonal monsoon winds control India's climate. The NE monsoon or winter monsoon occurs from October to December. It blows from the land to the sea and mainly affects the southern peninsula of India. The SW monsoon or the summer monsoon occurs from June to September. It blows from the sea to the land and brings about three-quarters of India's annual rainfall. India is also located within the tropical cyclone belt, and these storms develop in May-June and October-November.
Fig. 6 - Monsoon clouds near Nagercoil, India
India's language and religion
There are about 121 major languages spoken in India, with over 1000 minor dialects. The constitution of India, however, mentions 22 languages. Hindi is the official language of India and the most widely spoken, with almost half of the population speaking it. English is a subsidiary official language. Other important languages spoken in India are Bengali, Punjabi and Tamil, to name a few.
About 80% of India's population are Hindu. Other religions present in India are Islam, Christianity and Sikhism.
Fig. 7 - Hindu celebration of Diwali
India's economy
As of 2022, India had the fifth-largest economy in the world, with an estimated GDP of USD $3.2 trillion. It is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, and it is projected to outgrow all other major world economies within the next 25 years. The service sector contributes over half of India's GDP; however, the majority of the population is employed in agriculture or industrial production.
India owes much of its growth to the economic liberalisation policies implemented in 1991, which led to the country becoming a market-based economy. Rapid economic growth began in the late 1990s and continued into the 21st century. In fact, between 2000-2010, India's economy recorded over 7% in average annual growth. The rapid growth allowed India to be classified with four other newly emerging economies (NEEs) as part of the BRICS group.
The BRICS group included Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
Despite its large and rapidly growing economy, a large proportion of the population in India lives in poverty. Many depend highly on subsidised fuel and housing. There are also issues related to poor infrastructure, low agricultural yields and low productivity.
For more information about India's economy, check out our article on the Economic Development of India.
India - Key takeaways
- India is located in southeast Asia and is the 7th largest country in the world.
- India is also the second most populous country in the world, behind China.
- India is considered a subcontinent because of its size, distinct identity and the fact that it used to be an individual continent before joining Asia.
- Two significant geographical features of India are the Himalayas and the Ganges River.
- India's official language is Hindi, and English is the subsidiary official language.
- India has the 5th largest economy in the world, but it still struggles with poverty and poor infrastructure.
References
- Fig. 2: map of the Delhi metropolitan area showing the location of New Delhi (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dehli_districts.png) by Heinz OSM (https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:Heinz_OSM&action=edit&redlink=1) Licensed by CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en)
- Fig. 6: monsoon clouds near Nagercoil, India (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Monsoon_clouds_near_Nagercoil.jpg) by w:user: PlaneMad (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Planemad) Licensed by CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en)
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