India's Geographic Location: Coordinates, Neighbors, and Strategic Position

India occupies a dominant peninsular position in South Asia, projecting into the Indian Ocean and anchoring the region's geography, climate, and geopolitics.

Absolute Coordinates

• Latitude: 8°4′ N (Indira Point, Great Nicobar) to 37°6′ N (Indira Col, Siachen Glacier)
• Longitude: 68°7′ E (Gujarat) to 97°25′ E (Arunachal Pradesh)
• Extent: ~3,214 km N–S; ~2,933 km E–W

Subcontinental Context

India forms the core of the Indian Subcontinent, bounded by:

• North: Himalayas (barrier to Central Asia; source of perennial rivers)
• South: Indian Ocean (Arabian Sea west, Bay of Bengal east)
• West: Pakistan; Thar Desert
• East: Bangladesh, Myanmar; Purvanchal hills
• Northeast: China, Nepal, Bhutan (Himalayan arc)

Maritime Boundaries

Coastline: 7,517 km (mainland 5,423 km + islands 2,094 km). Exclusive Economic Zone: 2.37M km². Maritime neighbors: Sri Lanka (Palk Strait), Maldives, Indonesia (Andaman Sea), Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Pakistan.

Land Borders (Total: 15,106 km)

Key Geographic Markers

• Tropic of Cancer (23°27′ N) bisects India through 8 states (Gujarat to Mizoram)
• Geographic center: Near Nagpur, Maharashtra (Zero Mile Stone)
• Standard Meridian: 82°30′ E (Indian Standard Time, UTC+5:30)

Strategic Importance

India's location commands Indian Ocean trade routes (Strait of Hormuz, Malacca Strait, Cape of Good Hope), connects West and Southeast Asia, and provides depth against northern land powers. Its peninsular projection makes it a natural maritime power and regional pivot.