| Location |
: |
Southern
Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between
Burma and Pakistan |
| Area |
: |
Total:
3,287,590 sq km
Land: 2,973,190 sq km
Water: 314,400 sq km |
 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
|
