Page 277 - New Medley 4 Semester 1

Physical divisions of India Political divisions of India

west, China, Nepal and Bhutan in the north and Bangladesh and Myanmar
in the east. Sri Lanka, the nearest neighbour across the sea, is separated

by Palk Strait. The land boundary of India is about 15,200 kilometres
long.

The southern part of India is a peninsula, which is surrounded by the
Arabian Sea in the west, the Indian Ocean in the south and the Bay of
Bengal in the east. India is the only country in the world after which an

ocean has been named. The total coastal boundary of India, including

islands, is about 7,500 kilometres.

The latitudinal and longitudinal extent of India is about 30 degrees each.
The Tropic of Cancer passes through the middle of India. The north-

south extent of the mainland of India is about 3,200 kilometres, while the
east-west extent is about 2,900 kilometres. The southernmost tip of the

whole country is the Indira Point which is in the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands. The southern tip of the mainland of India is Cape Comorin or

Kanniyakumari in Tamil Nadu. India became an independent country
on 15 August 1947 and a Republic on 26 January 1950. The official name

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