Indian Geography

Measuring real progress by people's well-being — health, education and living standards — and the regional differences across India.

India is a large country of the Northern Hemisphere, lying between the Himalayas and the Indian Ocean, with the Tropic of Cancer dividing it almost in half.

Transport, communication and trade tie the country together and link it to the world, acting as the lifelines that keep the economy moving.

Manufacturing turns raw materials into finished goods; it is the backbone of development, classified in several ways and led by industries like iron and steel and textiles.

Minerals and sources of energy power industry and daily life; they are unevenly spread, exhaustible, and must be used with care and conservation.

India faces many natural hazards — earthquakes, floods, droughts, cyclones and landslides — and managing these disasters is vital to protecting lives and property.

India's varied climate and soils support five major types of natural vegetation and a rich wildlife that the country works to conserve.

India's relief falls into six divisions — the Himalayas, the Northern Plains, the Peninsular Plateau, the Indian Desert, the Coastal Plains and the Islands.

India's people — how many there are, where they live, how the population is growing, and what its make-up tells us.