India shares border to many countries from every side. India has a land frontier of 15,200 km. A total distance of the coastline of the mainland, Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands is 7,516.6 km. It shares its border with nine countries which are as follows:
1. Pakistan in the North West Portion: Also known as Islamic Republic of Pakistan, or Islam-i Jamhuriya-e Pakistan, is bordered in the west & north by Afghanistan, south-west by Iran, and east by India. Pakistan shares a small border with China. Its capital is Islamabad.
2. China in the North Region: Also known as The People’s Republic of China, or Zhonghua Renmin Gonghe Guo, is the most populous country in the world and the third largest in the area. Beijing is the capital city and the country is ruled by the Communist Party.
3. Nepal is just above the Central Region: The kingdom of Nepal, or Nepal Adhirajya, is a landlocked country in the Himalayan mountain range. It is bounded on the north by Tibet and India on other sides. Kathmandu is the capital city of Nepal.
4. Bhutan in the North East Region: The kingdom of Bhutan, or Druk-Yul, ‘the land of the thunder dragon’ lies in the eastern Himalayas, bordered north by China and on all other sides by India. It has high mountains, rich valleys and dense forests. Bhutan has a Democratic Monarchy form of Government and the country’s capital city is Thimphu.
5. Bangladesh near the Eastern Side: Also known as The People’s Republic of Bangladesh, or Gana Prajatantri Bangladesh, is surrounded by India, Myanmar and the Bay of Bengal. Bangladesh was earlier known as East Pakistan, one of the five provinces into which Pakistan was divided at the time of its creation in August 1947. Bangladesh has a Parliamentary form of Government, which is located at its capital, Dhaka.
6. Myanmar (Burma) in the far Eastern Side: Union of Myanmar, (formerly Burma) or Pyeidaungzu Myanmar Niangangandaw, is located in East Asia, with a coastline along the Bay of Bengal. It is bordered by India and Bangladesh to its west, Laos and Thailand to its east, China to its north. The capital city of this country is Naypyidaw, and its largest city and former capital is Yangon (Rangoon).
7. Afghanistan in the Northern Region: It shares a small boundary with India. Also known as the Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan, or Jamhouri Afghanistan is a landlocked country, located in Central Asia. It is boarded with Pakistan is to its east and south, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan to its north, Iran and Turkmenistan to its west. The country has a small border with India and China to the north-east. Kabul is the capital of the country.
8. Sri Lanka in the Southern Region: The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, or Sri Lanka Prajathanthrika Samajavadi Janarajaya, is an island in the Indian Ocean around 80 km east of the southern end of India, separated by the Palk Strait. The capital city is Colombo and there is a Republic form of government.
9. Maldives in the South-Southwest portion of India: The Republic of the Maldives, or Divedhi Raajjeyge Jumburiya, is about 675 km south-west of Sri Lanka, consists of more than 1200 small coral islands (199 inhabited), in the northern Indian Ocean. The capital city of Maldives has the capital named Male.