In this article, I have represented the basic information about India with the help of maps and charts, Beside this, I have also covered the famous cities of India and their sobriquets. Before starting the preparation of any competitive exam like UPSC or Bpsc, students must know the basic information of India, physiographic division, drainage system, etc.
Table of Contents
Part-1 Basic information about India
| Country’s Name | India or Bharat |
| Other names | Hindustan, Aryavarta, Baharat Varsha, Jambudweep |
| National Capital | New Delhi |
| Geographical location | North-east Hemisphere |
| Latitudinal extension | 8⁰4ꞌN to 37⁰6ꞌN |
| Longitudinal extension | 68⁰7ꞌE and 92⁰25ꞌE |
| The standard time of India | 82⁰30 E, 5 hours 30 minutes ahead of Green Wich |
| North-south extension | 3214km |
| East-west extension | 2933km |
| Land boundary | 15106.7km |
| Water boundary | 7516.6km |
| Climate of India | Monsoon type |
| Geographical area | 32,87,263km2 |
| Position in terms of Area | seventh in the world |
| Share in the world’s total area | 2.42% |
| World’s position in terms of population | second |
| Number of states | 28 states |
| Number of Union Territories | Nine |
| The geometrical shape of India | Quadrilateral |
| Number of states situated on Tropic of Cancer | Eight states i.e. Gujarat Rajasthan Madhya Pradesh Chhattisgarh Jharkhand West Bengal Tripura Mizoram |
| Number of states with International boundaries | Seventeen states |
| Number of Major ports in India | Thirteen |
| Coastal States and Union Territories of India | Andaman & Nicobar (U.T) Andhra Pradesh Maharashtra Odisha West Bengal Goa Daman & Diu (U.T) Gujarat Tamil Nadu Kerala Karnataka Lakshadweep (U.T) Puducherry (U.T) |
| Physiographic Divison of India | Northern and North-Eastern Mountains The Northern Plains The Peninsular Plateau The Indian Desert The Coastal Plains The Islands |
| Types of soils in India | Alluvial soil Black soil Red & Yellow soil Laterite soil Arid soil Saline soil Peaty soil Forest soil |
Part-2 Basic information about India
| The National animal of India | Tiger |
| The National Heritage Animal of India | Elephant |
| National aquatic animal of India | Gangetic Dolphin |
| The national bird of India | Peacock |
| The National Tree of India | Banyan Tree |
| The National Flower of India | Lotus |
| The National flag of India | Tricolour |
| The National Anthem of India | Jana Gana Mana (written by Rabindranath Tagore) |
| The National Song of India | Vande Matram (by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay) |
| Official languages of India | Hindi and English |
| National Script of India | Devnagri |
| National Quote of India | Satyamev Jayate |
Part-3 Basic information of India
| Major Rivers of India | The major rivers of Ganga Drainage System Ganga (from Gangotri Glacier) Yamuna (Yamunotri Glacier) Chambal (Madhya Pradesh) Ramganga (Garhwal district of Uttarakhand) Ghaghara (south of Mansarovar) Gandak (Tibet-Nepal) Kosi (Himalayas of Tibet) The major rivers of Indus drainage System Indus (Near Mansarovar) Jhelum (Verinag) Chenab (Bara Lacha La) Ravi (Near Rohtang Pass) Beas (Near Rohtang Pass) Satluj (near Mansarovar lakes) The major rivers of Peninsular India Mahanadi (Dandkaryana of Chhattisgarh) Godavari (Trimbak Plateau in Maharashtra) Kaveri (Western Ghats) Narmada (Amarkantak Plateau) Tapi (Betul district of Madhya Pradesh) |
| Top five longest rivers of India | Ganga (2525km) Godavari (1465km) Sutlej (1440km) Krishna (1401km) Yamuna (1376km) |
The climatic regions of India
Famous cities of India and their sobriquets
| The city of Golden temple | Amritsar |
| The Blue Mountains of India | Nilgiri Hills |
| The Gateway of India | Mumbai |
| The city of Palaces in India | Kolkata |
| The Venice of the east | Udaipur |
| The Spice Garden of India | Kerela |
| The Diamond Harbour of India | Kolkata |
| The city of Lakes of India | Srinagar |
| The Sorrow of Bihar | Kosi river |
| The Hollywood of India | Mumbai |
| The Queen of Mountains | Mussoorie |
| The Land of five rivers | Punjab |
| The Sorrow of Bengal | Damodar river |
| The Garden City of India | Bangalore |
| The Queen of Arabian Sea | Kochi |
| The Pink City of India | Jaipur |
| The Switzerland of India | Kashmir |
| The city of seven Islands of India | Mumbai |
| The city of Nawabs | Lucknow |
| The Scotland of Eastern India | Meghalaya |
| The Kashmir of southern India | Kerala |
| The Paris of India | Jaipur |
| The Adobe of God in India | Allahabad |
| The City of Festivals | Madurai |
| The Pearl of Karnataka | Mysore |
| The Pride of Rajasthan | Chittorgarh |
| The Fruit Basket of India | Himachal Pradesh |
| The City of Temples and Ghats of India | Varanasi |
| The Manchester of India | Allahabad |
| The Pittsburg of India | Jamshedpur |
| The Heart of India | Delhi |
| The Southern Ganga of India | Godavari river |
| The Gateway of Rajasthan | Bharatpur |
| The Manchester of Southern India | Coimbatore |
| The Manchester of Northern India | Kanpur |
| The City of Festival | Madurai |
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