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Geography of India

Location:Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan
Geographic coordinates:20 00 N, 77 00 E
Map references:Asia
Area:total: 3,287,590 sq km
land: 2,973,190 sq km
water: 314,400 sq km
Area - comparative:slightly more than one-third the size of the US
Land boundaries:total: 14,103 km
border countries: Bangladesh 4,053 km, Bhutan 605 km, Burma 1,463 km, China 3,380 km, Nepal 1,690 km, Pakistan 2,912 km
Coastline:7,000 km
Maritime claims:territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate:varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north
Terrain:upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling plain along the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Kanchenjunga 8,598 m
Natural resources:coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum, limestone, arable land
Land use:arable land: 48.83%
permanent crops: 2.8%
other: 48.37% (2005)
Irrigated land:558,080 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:droughts; flash floods, as well as widespread and destructive flooding from monsoonal rains; severe thunderstorms; earthquakes
Environment - current issues:deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; desertification; air pollution from industrial effluents and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage and runoff of agricultural pesticides; tap water is not potable throughout the country; huge and growing population is overstraining natural resources
Environment - international agreements:party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:dominates South Asian subcontinent; near important Indian Ocean trade routes; Kanchenjunga, third tallest mountain in the world, lies on the border with Nepal

India Quickstats

  • Population: 1,129,866,154 (July 2007 est.)
  • Area: 3,287,590 sq km
  • Density: 329 /km² (31st)
  • GDP (total): 4,156 trillion[6] (4th)
  • GDP (per capita): 3,737 (118th)
  • Literacy: 61%

Languages of India

Useful to know

  • Currency: Indian Rupee (₨) (INR)
  • Dial code: +91

International Trade

External sites

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India Internet

  • Usage: 39,200,000
  • Penetration: 3.6 %
  • Top Domain: .in

WT eBusiness info:

  • Success Ranking: 100
  • Market testing: Untested
  • Overall risk: High
  • Overall reward: Low

e-maturity:

  • Tourism: 10%
  • eCommerce: 10%
  • Gaming: 10%
  • eLearning: 10%

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