This state is one of the oldest on our planet. It keeps a lot of mysteries of earthly civilization in itself. The country of ancient scientists, farmers and fabulous natural we alth was for 200 years the pearl of the former colonial British Empire.
This state is called India. It gained its full independence in 1947. The official name is the Republic of India.
This article provides information about India's neighboring countries. But first, let's look at some general information about the state itself, which for a long time was a rich country. For centuries, European traders sailed here for spices, fabrics, precious stones and metals. Convenient location with access to the ocean contributed to the successful development of trade routes. It should be noted that the lack of the right course of the government to preserve the most unique natural features has led to the current environmental disasters.
General information
First-order neighbor countries of India: Pakistan, China, Nepal, Burma andAfghanistan (disputed territory of Kashmir and Jammu). Majestic India itself occupies the territory of an entire peninsula.
This is an amazing and unique country, through the mountain ranges of which pass caravan routes that have existed since ancient times. They pass through huge passes (altitude over 4500 m). It is important to note one feature - the border between mountainous India and China is not demarcated. There were and are no state treaties establishing the border line. And this is not necessary. The border is majestic mountains that only a few can overcome.
The grandiose Himalayan mountains stretch in length from northwest to southeast for almost 2500 kilometers, and their width is 200-300 km. The area of the mountainous country is 650 thousand square meters. kilometers, which is 2.5 times larger than the territory of Great Britain. The number of neighboring countries of India will be discussed later in the article.
India, like its neighbors, is a state belonging to South Asia. There are 29 states in the country. The capital is Delhi. India has only 2.4% of the world's land area, but is one of the densely populated countries - about 260 people per square kilometer. Below is some information about India's neighboring states.
State borders
India's land borders mostly run along high ridges. The most inaccessible is the border with China, stretching, as noted above, along the mountain ranges of the Karakorum and the Himalayas. The average height of the ridges is 6000meters, but there are many peaks exceeding 8-kilometer height above sea level. Land neighbors of India: China, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan and Myanmar. India has maritime borders with 4 countries: Republic of Maldives, Thailand, Indonesia, Sri Lanka.
The state borders on quite attractive countries in terms of tourism - Nepal, Sri Lanka, China, Maldives, Bhutan, Thailand. Below is a summary of these neighbors of India.
Nepal
Nepal is a small but unique and rather beautiful country. It is the birthplace of Buddha and Gautam Siddhartha. The highest peaks of the Earth are located here, the main of which is Chomolungma (or Everest). There are many caves of Buddhist Masters and the most ancient monasteries, as well as amazingly beautiful national dances and excellent cuisine.
Nepal is India's northern neighbor.
Sri Lanka
The state of Sri Lanka (the island of Ceylon) is located in the south of India. It is separated by the Gulf of Manara and a narrow strait. The island was officially named Sri Lanka in 1972. This state is located at the crossroads of ancient civilizations. The capital of Sri Lanka at that time was Anuradhapura. Today, architectural monuments created in those ancient times have been preserved here. Today's capital is Colombo.
Ceylon is famous for its magnificent beaches, palm trees and tea plantations.
China
Another northern neighbor of India is a country with a long, 5000-year history, as evidenced by the preservedwritten sources.
The existence of 3 main religious and philosophical teachings (Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism) harmoniously affected both the architecture and the culture and art of China.
Maldives
Another closest exotic neighbor of India is the fabulous Maldives, scattered in the middle of the Indian Ocean in the equatorial zone. They represent the perfect embodiment of a tropical paradise with wonderful palm trees, sandy beaches and clear waters with coral reefs, quiet lagoons. These places are rich in diversity of fauna and flora.
The Maldives, which were under Portuguese rule for 15 years (XVI century), are an independent state. Although they were in the years 1887-1695 under the protectorate of Britain, the British did not interfere in the affairs of this country. In 1965, the state achieved full sovereignty. From the form of a sultanate, the state passed into the form of a republic in November 1968.
It should be noted that today there are archaeological data that indicate that people have inhabited the islands for more than 500 years. This is due to the fact that the islands were located on the most important trade routes, and they were inhabited by peoples from various parts of the world.
Bhutan
The Kingdom of Bhutan is an amazing country of mystery. These places are closed from visiting crowds of tourists. Here you can find yourself in the most pristine conditions of the Himalayas. Due to entry restrictions,the state has preserved centuries-old values and an old way of life.
What can you see in Bhutan? Dzongs (fortresses) and gompas (monasteries), stupas (Buddhist structures of a spherical shape), painting schools, traditional medicine centers and a natural history museum.
Thailand
I would especially like to mention this particular country. This state became the country of the Thais in the 18th century. However, during the 1000 years of their establishment, these territories were largely inhabited by Indian settlers. Of the several settlements, not one has been transformed into a powerful state.
The sacred and religious texts of the Indian people, as well as literature and language, had a significant impact on the civilization of Thailand.
A bit about Pakistan
The western neighbor of India is the Islamic Republic of Pakistan (the state of South Asia, translated as “land of the pure”). It arose after the division of the territory of India (a British colony) in 1947.
It is the sixth most populous country in the world (more than 207 million inhabitants according to the 2017 census), and the second largest Muslim population after Indonesia.
In conclusion
An interesting fact is that India's natural borders have never isolated it from the rest of the world. Probably, the inhabitants of India during the Neolithic period moved both by sea and by land to the Indian archipelago and Indochina, and played an important role in the history of Ancient Southeast Asia. It is believed that the prehistoricthe civilization of the Indus Valley with the civilization of Western Asia was in close connection. Even in those very distant times, the state of India had developed trade relations with Syria, Mesopotamia and Egypt.
Today, the situation in India in terms of economic development, compared with the past and with neighboring countries, is much worse. The socio-economic progress of the state is hampered by an extremely high birth rate, which leads to a population explosion. The country has a "family planning" policy. However, the fairly widespread illiteracy of the Indian people, especially among women, and religious beliefs greatly hinder the implementation of such a policy.
