Geography of India

India is the seventh largest country on earth, with a total land are of 3.29 million square kilometers. It is 3214 km north to south and 2993 km east to west. It is flanked by the Arabian Sea to the west and the Bay of Bengal to the east. To the south is the Indian Ocean, and all three seas meet at Kanyakumari at the tip of the Indian peninsula. The northern parts of India are protected by the Himalayas.

The Deccan Plateau occupies most of southern India, while the northern, central, and eastern regions of India are occupied by the fertile Indo-Gangetic Plain. To the west of the country is the Thar Desert, consisting of a mix of rocky and sandy desert. India's east and northeastern region consists of the high Himalayan range. Climate ranges from equatorial in the far south, to Alpine in the upper reaches of the Himalayas. The highest point in India is K2, which is also the second tallest mountain in the world, at 8598 m.

Indian Political Geography

India today is made up of 28 states and seven union territories. The political divisions generally follow linguistic and ethnic boundaries rather than geographic transitions. The larger states in the Deccan plateau and the Indo-Gangetic Plain are relatively prosperous while the smaller states in the easternmost part of the country are poorer and devoid of natural resources. The major cities of India are Delhi, Bombay, Calcutta, Chennai and Bangalore.