India and Her Neighbours

1. Chapter at a Glance

Who is a neighbour? Countries sharing a land border — Pakistan, Afghanistan, China (Tibet region), Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Myanmar — are the obvious answer. But India is also a maritime nation, with sea on three sides, so countries linked to us across the water — Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Iran and Oman — are neighbours too. This chapter explores how geography and history shape India's ties with each of them and how these countries are connected today.

2. India's Place in the Region

• India's land border is over 15,100 km long and crosses deserts, plains, forests, mountains, marshes and river valleys.
• India's coastline, as measured by the government's revised method, is about 11,100 km. The peninsula juts into the Indian Ocean, linking West Asia, Africa and Southeast Asia.
• The Indian Ocean is the world's third-largest ocean and one of its busiest trade routes, carrying a large share of the world's container ships and oil.
• A maritime neighbour is a country connected by a shared sea or ocean even without a land border.
• Working with neighbours for shared peace and progress is called regionalism. India's location lets it send quick disaster relief across the region.

*Figures as published by India's Ministry of Home Affairs.

3. Land Neighbours

China — the largest neighbour

The two countries are separated by the Himalaya, and China's area is roughly three times India's. Buddhism reached China around the 1st century CE. Chinese monks Faxian and Xuanzang came to study in India, while Indian monks such as Kumārajīva, Dharmakṣhema and Bodhidharma took the teachings to China. In the 13th century, Indian merchants built temples at the port of Quanzhou; pillars of its Kaiyuan temple show Viṣhṇu and Rāmāyaṇa scenes. Trade today is heavily one-sided: in 2024–25 China's exports to India were worth about eight times India's exports to China (India sells iron ore, chemicals and cotton yarn; it buys electronics and machinery). Border tensions continue alongside dialogue.

Pakistan

Pakistan was part of India until the Partition of 1947 and was founded on a religious basis, unlike India. The countries have fought wars in 1947–48, 1965 and 1971, and the Kargil War (1999). Repeated terrorist attacks on India from across the border have prevented normal relations. Yet a shared past lives on in language, food, music and sacred sites such as the Katas Raj temples (Punjab, Pakistan) and Hinglaj Mata (Balochistan). The visa-free Kartarpur Corridor, opened in 2019 for Guru Nānak's 550th birth anniversary, lets Indian pilgrims visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, where Guru Nānak spent his last 18 years.

Bangladesh — a “newborn” neighbour

Formerly East Pakistan, Bangladesh was born in 1971 after a war between India and Pakistan. It shares the Bangla language with West Bengal, and India's longest land border. The two share rivers of the Ganga–Brahmaputra system and the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest (a UNESCO World Heritage Site; most of it lies in Bangladesh), home of the Bengal tiger and a natural shield against cyclones. Rising seas and stronger cyclones threaten its people.

Nepal

Under the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship, India and Nepal keep an open border — citizens cross without passport or visa for work, study, healthcare, trade and family visits. Pilgrims visit the Paśhupatinātha temple in Kathmandu; festivals like Daśhain, Tihar and Holi are common. India is Nepal's largest trading partner (petroleum, medicines, food, manufactured goods).

Bhutan — “Land of the Thunder Dragon” (Druk Yul)

A small landlocked Himalayan kingdom between India and China. Its rivers flow into India and power hydroelectric projects built with Indian help, such as Tala (dedicated in 2008), which sell clean electricity to India. Guru Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) took Vajrayāna Buddhism to Bhutan in the 8th century; Bhutanese pilgrims visit Bodh Gaya, Rajgir and Nalanda. Bhutan measures progress through Gross National Happiness rather than GDP alone.

Myanmar — gateway to Southeast Asia

Linked by land and the Bay of Bengal, Myanmar has deep Buddhist ties with India. The 2018 Land Border Crossing Agreement eased movement and trade, though recent conflict has led to restrictions. India helped restore the earthquake-damaged Ananda temple at Bagan. The India–Myanmar–Thailand Trilateral Highway will run from Manipur to Thailand.

Afghanistan

The ancient Uttarāpatha route ran from the Ganga plains through Takṣhaśhilā and Gandhāra to Central Asia, carrying goods, Buddhism, Hinduism and art. The giant Bamiyan Buddhas showed this link until they were destroyed in 2001. India built Afghanistan's Parliament building and the Zaranj–Delaram highway.

4. Maritime Neighbours

Ancient Indian traders sailed to Java, Sumatra and Malaya — lands they called Suvarṇabhūmi (golden land) or Suvarṇadvīpa (golden island).

SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation), formed in 1985, has eight members: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Political tensions have often slowed its work.

5. Master Table: Key Terms

6. Master Summary Table

Chart — India's land border length by neighbour (MHA figures, km):

7. Mind Map

8. Tips and Tricks

9. Important One-liners

• India shares its longest land border with Bangladesh.
• The Kartarpur Corridor opened in 2019.
• India and Nepal have an open border under the 1950 treaty.
• Bhutan is called Druk Yul, the Land of the Thunder Dragon.
• Guru Padmasambhava took Vajrayāna Buddhism to Bhutan.
• Mahendra and Sanghamitrā took Buddhism to Sri Lanka.
• The Maldives has over 1,100 islets.
• Borobudur in Indonesia is the world's largest Buddhist monument.
• India is developing Chabahar Port in Iran.
• SAARC was formed in 1985 with eight members.
• Oman was a source of copper for the Harappans.

10. Exam-pattern Questions with Detailed Answers

11. Quick Revision Summary