Introduction: India-Physical Division

6° 44′ and 35° 30′ north latitude^[h] and 68° 7′ and 97° 25′ east longitude.

Republic of India, a country in South Asia which occupies the best part of the Indian subcontinent. The peninsula is bounded by the Laccadive Sea (Indian Ocean) in the south, the Arabian Sea in the west, and the Bay of Bengal in the east.

India borders Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, China, Nepal, and Pakistan, and it shares maritime borders with Thailand, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and the Maldives.

The distance from the country’s northern border to it southern coastline is 2,930 km (1,820 mi), and from the west coast of Gujarat to the border with Bangladesh in the east 2,040 km (1,267 mi).

India covers an area of 3,287,263 km², making it the 7th largest country in the world, compared it is about 45% of the size of Australia, about 40% the size of the contiguous USA, or one third the size of Europe.

Population

India is the most populated country on the planet. 1.44 billion people (in 2019), almost one-fifth of the world’s population, live on the Indian subcontinent.

India’s population is quite diverse with two thousand ethnic groups, four major language families, and more than 120 languages, however, more than 40% of the Indians speak Hindi, besides English, both official languages of the country.

Physical Features

The Himalayas in the north, the buildup of the mountain range with some of the highest peaks on Earth was initiated approximately 50-60 million years ago when India’s landmass collided with the enormous Eurasian Plate.

The impact created a mountain-building assembly line at the collision zone. The northern rim of the Indian-Plate slowly thrust under the Eurasian Plate, crustal rock from the surface of the arriving landmass was sheared off horizontally, this rock retained on the future peninsula and assembled the mountain chain we know now.

The Ganges (Hindi: Ganga), is the 2,500 km (1,560 mi) long holy river of the Hindu people.

The river’s source is in the southern Great Himalayas from where it flows northwest to southeast through the flat and fertile terrain of the Indo-Gangetic Plain in the northern part of India; it empties into the Bay of Bengal.

The Sundarbans, the world’s largest coastal mangrove forest is shared between India and Bangladesh, located in a region at the mouth of the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers.

De facto the most biologically productive natural ecosystems on the planet is considered to be one of the natural wonders of the world, it is since 1987 a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Sundarbans National Park and The Sundarbans).

The mangrove habitat with its forests and its networks of waterways and river islands is home to a wide range of fauna and — the single largest population of tigers in the world.

The Thar Desert. You might never have heard of the fact that there is a vast desert with shifting dunes, sand hillocks, scrub vegetation, camels, and all in India.

Anyway, there is, it is known as the Thar Desert or the Great Indian Desert, located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent just north of the Tropic of Cancer, for the most part in Rajasthan state extending into Pakistan.

The desert is on the same latitude than the Sahara or the Arabian Desert and covers an area about the size of the United Kingdom.

The Andaman Islands (Andaman and Nicobar Islands), a long stretched archipelago whichexpands over 1,000 km north to south in the Andaman Sea south of Myanmar.

Lush tropical forests cover about 90 percent of the islands’ landscape; the island’s jungles preserve a rich biodiversity.

The Andaman Islands to the north consists of four main islands and 200 small, mostly uninhabited islets.

They are separated from the Nicobar Islands by the Ten Degree Channel in the south. The Nicobar islands are the original homeland for two tribal communities (Nicobarese and Shompen).

The Eastern Mountain Range is an arc of mountains and hills that forms a barrier between the Indian subcontinent and Myanmar. The range extends from the northern Himalaya mountains to the southern tip of the Rakhine (Arakan) Peninsula, where they continue under the sea and reappear as the Indian territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The mountain chain was formed as the result of orogenic movement during the Cretaceous and Eocene era, in times long before India became a part of Asia.

The mountains consist of old crystalline rocks embedded in sedimentary rocks.Foreigners are banned from the Nicobar Islands, but tourists are welcomed at the capital of Port Blair on Andaman.

The arched range is known by several different names, as the Rakhine Mountains (Rakhine Yoma), also called Arakan Mountains, the several sections are better known (from north to south) as the Patkai range (Patkai Bum), the Naga Hills, the Chin Hills, the Mizo or Lushai hills, and (again) the Rakhine Mountains (Arakan Mountains).

The highest point is Mount Saramati at 3,826 m (12,552 ft.), located in India at the India-Myanmar border.

Along the Eastern Mountain Range runs the India-Myanmar border. There is a unique feature about the border, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Mizoram, and Manipur have the Free Movement Regime (FMR) which allows the tribes living along both sides of the border and share a common cultural heritage, to travel 16-km across the boundary without visa restrictions. But since years India tries to close its porous 1643 km long border by building a fence (no, not a wall) to curtail insurgency, and the smuggling of goods, arms, drugs, and counterfeit Indian currency.

The situation is made worse by the Rohingya crisis and may be an excuse for India to tighten border control.

State Capital & Language

State Capital & Language

Union Territories & Capital

Importance of agriculture

Agriculture in India contributes to 14% of the GDP and the distribution of income and wealth. It provides essential amenities like food for the people and fodder for the animals.

The vast relief of the country, varied climate and soil conditions cause to the provision of a variety of crops.  All tropical, subtropical and temperate crops are grown in India but predominantly food crops are cultivated in 2/3rd of the total cropped area.It also provides the major source of raw materials to the agro-based industries in India.

There are three chief cropping seasons in India namely Kharif, Rabi and Zaid. The Kharif season spreads from the month of July to the month of October and the Rabi season is from October to the month of March.

The crops cultivated between March and June are called Zaid. In this article, you can read details about the different seasons.

Rice and wheat form the staple food in this country. Good monsoons, especially the southwest monsoons are essential to sow and harvest crops in India.

In order to ensure the availability of food for the country’s growing population, it is imperative that we have a reasonably good Rabi and Kharif season.

Types of crops in India

KHARIF SEASON IN INDIA (kharif means autumn in Arabic)

• July – October
• Harvest – September to October
• A.k.a Monsoon Crops
• Such crops require a lot of water

For Example:

• rice, sorghum, maize, Tea, rubber, coffee, guar, Sesame, cereals such as Arhar Dhal, pearl millet, soybeans, cotton, oilseeds, etc.

 RABI CROPS IN INDIA

• Sowing between October and November
• Harvest – February to April
• A.k.a Winter Season Crops
• Need cold weather for growth
• Need less water

For Example:

• wheat, oats, barley, pulses, cereals, oilseeds, linseed, etc.

 ZAID SEASON

• Sowing between March and June (between Kharif and Rabi)
• Requires warm & dry weather for growth and a longer day-length for flowering

For Example:

• Seasonal fruits and vegetables

List of Major Crops and Producing States in India

List of Indian States in Mineral Wealth

Iron Ore

• The major iron ore producing regions/mines in Odisha are Gurumahisani, Sulaipat, and Badampahar (in Mayurbhanj district); Kiriburu and Bagiaburu (in Keonjhar district); and Bonai (in Sundargarh district).
  
• The major iron ore producing regions/mines in Chhattisgarh are Dhalli Rajhara (in Durg district) and Bailadila (in Bastar district).
  
• The major iron ore producing regions/mines in Karnataka are Donai Malai (in Bellary-Hospet); Bababudan (in Chikmagalur district); Kudremukh (in Chittradurg district); and Arasul (in Shimoga district).
  
• The major iron ore producing regions/mines in Jharkhand are Noamundi, Gua, Budaburu, etc. However, recently one of the largest iron ore reserves has been discovered at Chiria.
  
• The major iron ore producing regions/mines in Goa are Pirna, Sirigao, Kudnem, Baragan etc.

Petroleum in India

• Located in Lakhimpur district of Assam, Digboi is the oldest oil producing region of India.
  
  
• Bappapung and Hunsapung are the two major oil fields of Digboi.
  
  
• Major oil fields of Gujarat are Amkleswar (largest), Cambay, Kosamba, Kalol, Mehsana, Nowgam, Dholka, Sananda, Lunej, Wavel Bakal, and Kathana.
  
  
• Located about 150 km north west of Mumbai City in the Arabian Sea, Bombay High is one of the leading oil producing regions.

List of Nuclear Power Plants in India

Nuclear power is the 5th largest source of electricity in India after coal, gas, hydroelectricity and wind power.

Up to march 2018, India has 7 nuclear power plants and there 22 nuclear reactors are in operation in the country. India has total installed nuclear capacity of 6,780 MW.

India’s and Asia’s first nuclear reactor was the Apsara research reactor at Mumbai . The domestic uranium reserve in India is small and country is dependent on uranium imports from other country to provide fuel to its nuclear power industry.

Since 1990s, Russia has been a major supplier of nuclear fuel to India. Read this full article to know the list of Nuclear Power Plants in India.

Among the under construction reactors Kudankulam has highest capacity of 2000 MW.

Thermal Power Plants in India

• Thermal power is the biggest source of power in India.
• More than 70% of total energy consumed in India is shared by thermal power.
• Following are the major Thermal Power Plants (producing more than 1,500 MW) in India −

Geothermal Power Plants in India

• Geothermal energy is thermal energy, which is generated through the natural hot springs.
• In India, by the time, geothermal energy installed capacity is experimental; however, the potential capacity is more than 10,000 MW.

Following are the six most promising geothermal energy sites in India −

• Tattapani in Chhattisgarh
• Puga in Jammu & Kashmir
• Cambay Graben in Gujarat
• Manikaran in Himachal Pradesh
• Surajkund in Jharkhand
• Chhumathang in Jammu & Kashmir

Following are the six major geothermal provinces in India

• Himalayan Province e.g. Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, etc.
• Areas of Faulted blocks e.g. Aravalli belt, Naga-Lushi, West coast regions and Son-Narmada lineament.
• Volcanic Arc e.g. Andaman and Nicobar Arc (Barren Island).
• Deep sedimentary basin of Tertiary age e.g. Cambay basin in Gujarat.
• Radioactive Province e.g. Surajkund, Hazaribagh, and Jharkhand.
• Cratonic Province e.g. Peninsular India.

Other Energy Sources in India

Solar Energy

• India is one of the leading Solar Energy producing countries in the world.
  
  
• By the time, the total installed grid connected solar power capacity is (about) 7,568 MW; however, the proposed target is 100,000 MW that set to achieve by 2022.
  
  
• With the total production of 1285.932 MW, Rajasthan is ranked first, followed by Tamil Nadu (1267 MW), Gujarat (1120 MW), and Andhra Pradesh (864 MW).

Tidal Energy

• India is estimated to have a potential of 40 to 60 GW of Wave Energy all around its coastal area.
  
  
• Sagar Shakthi is a 1 MW OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion) plant built off the Tuticorn coast.
  
  
• Located at Borya and Budhal villages in the coastal region of Ratnagiri district, are the major tidal energy plants in Maharashtra.

List of Indian Cities on Rivers Banks

Important National Parks And Sanctuaries Of India

• Jim Corbett National Park – India’s first national park was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park, now known as Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand.
  
  
• Madhya Pradesh and Andaman and Nicobar Islands have the largest number of national parks in the country (9 each).

Policy:

• National forest policy -1952, 1988
• Project tiger –1973s
• Project elephant– 1992
• Project crocodile– 1975
• Project dolphin — 2008

Nine of the eighteen biosphere reserves are a part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves, based on the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme list.

Major Monuments of India

Indian Economy Fact Sheet

The following table illustrates the major facts of Indian economy −