|
India is set apart from
the rest of Asia by the Himalayas, the highest, youngest and still
evolving mountain chain on the planet. The subcontinent as it is
rightly called, touches three large water bodies and is immediately
recognizable on any world map. This thick, roughly triangular
peninsula defines the Bay of Bengal to the east, the Arabian sea to
the west, and the India Ocean to the south.
India holds virtually every kind of landscape imaginable. An
abundance of mountain ranges and national parks provide ample
opportunity for eco-tourism and trekking, and its sheer size
promises something for everyone. From north to south India extends a
good 2000 miles (3200 km), where the island nation of Sri Lanka
seems to be squeezed out of India like a great tear, the synapse
forming the Gulf of Mannar.
Himalayas, the world's highest mountain chain and Nepal as its Neighboring
country dominate India's northern border. Following the
sweeping mountains to the northeast, its borders narrow to a small
channel that passes between Nepal, Tibet, Bangladesh, and Bhutan,
then spreads out again to meet Burma in the "eastern triangle."
Apart from the Arabian Sea, its western border is defined
exclusively by Pakistan.
North India is the country's largest region begins with Jammu and
Kashmir, with terrain varying from arid mountains in the far north
to the lake country and forests near Srinagar and Jammu. Moving
south along the Indus river, the North becomes flatter and more
hospitable, widening into the fertile plains of Punjab to the west
and the Himalayan foothills of Uttar Pradesh and the Ganges river
valley to the East. Cramped between these two states is the capital
city, Delhi.
The states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, and part of the massive,
central state of Madhya Pradesh constitute West India. Extending
from the Gujarat peninsula down to Goa, the west coast is lined with
some of India's best beaches. The land along the coast is typically
lush with rainforests. The Western Ghats separate the verdant coast
from the Vindya Mountains and the dry Deccan plateau further inland.
India is the home of the sacred River Ganges and the majority of
Himalayan foothills, East India begins with the states of Madhya
Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, which comprise the westernmost part of the
region. East India also contains an area known as the eastern
triangle, which is entirely distinct. This is the last gulp of land
that extends beyond Bangladesh, culminating in the Naga Hills along
the Burmese border.
India reaches its peninsular tip with South India, which begins with
the Deccan in the north and ends with Cape Comorin. The states in
South India are Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, a
favourite leisure destination. The southeast coast, mirroring the
west, also rests snugly beneath a mountain range---the Eastern Ghats.
|
|
