Why Is India Called a Subcontinent?

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India is referred to as a subcontinent owing to three important factors. 1. Vastness 2. Diversity 3. Importance Vastness: India is a very large distinct land mass not just a country. It has all the features of a continent, but it is smaller than a continent. Hence it is referred to as a subcontinent. India is encompassed between the latitudes 8 Degrees 7 Minutes North & 37 Degrees 6 Minutes North & longitudes 68 Degrees 7 Minutes East & 97 Degrees 25 Minutes East. India has an area of 32,87,000 sq kilometres. India is the 7th largest country in the world. The land area of India is about 2.4% of the total surface area of the world. India is nearly 20 times larger than Great Britain; many states of India are larger than many countries of the world. The distance between the north-most point, in the snow covered Himalayas and the southern tip in Kanyakumari is about 3214 km and is about 1/12 of earth's circumference. The east-west extent of India is about 2933 kms. The land frontiers of India covers a length of 15,106 kms. The northern borders with China lies along with the lofty Himalayan ranges. Bhutan & Nepal borders the Northern plains. Western border with Pakistan passes through the low lands. East of India borders with Bangaladesh, Myanmar. The Deccan plateau of India is surrounded by the Arabian Sea to the west, Bay of Bengal to the East & Indian Ocean and the country of Sri Lanka to the south. The coastline of India runs a length of 6100 kms. India has 247 Islands, of which 43 including Lakshadweep lie in the Arabian Sea & the rest 204 including Andaman & Nicobar Islands lie in the Bay of Bengal. Owing to its enormous size, India is called a Subcontinent. Diversity: India is very diverse in both its Natural formation & its cultural heritage. Natural Diversity: India has many types of land forms. These are radically different from each other &

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