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Eduqo

Indian Geography›Ch 2: Physical Geography of India›States, Capitals and Boundaries

2.2

States, Capitals and Boundaries

5 min

A quick visual guide to India's 28 states, 8 UTs, and international boundary lines.

The Core Boundary Framework

India comprises 28 states and 8 Union Territories sharing land borders with seven nations. The Radcliffe Line marks borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh, while the McMahon Line demarcates China. The Durand Line touches Afghanistan, and Bangladesh shares the longest international land border with India.

Why This Matters for Exams

Boundary lines like Radcliffe and McMahon appear repeatedly in SSC, Railway, and State PSC tests.
Questions on neighbouring countries bordering specific Indian states are standard in Defence exams.
Recent reorganisations of Jammu & Kashmir and Dadra & Nagar Haveli test current political map awareness.

Quick Memory Hooks

BACHPAN MBA: Border length order from longest to shortest (BD, CN, PK, NP, MM, BT, AF).
Rad-Two: Radcliffe divided two nations from India in 1947, both Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Mac-China, Du-Afghan: McMahon line monitors China, Durand line connects Afghanistan.

Major Boundary Lines & Neighbours

Boundary Line	Neighbour Country	Border Length / Touching Units
Radcliffe Line	Bangladesh	4,096.7 km (5 States: WB, AS, ME, TR, MZ)
McMahon Line	China	3,488 km (4 States + Ladakh UT)
Radcliffe Line	Pakistan	3,323 km (3 States + 2 UTs)
Durand Line	Afghanistan	106 km (Ladakh UT - PoK sector)

Visual Boundary Landmarks

RADCLIFFE

(Western & Eastern Border)

Western & Eastern Border

Year[ 1947 ]

Formed in 1947 to partition Punjab and Bengal provinces.

MCMAHON

(Arunachal-China Border)

Arunachal-China Border

Year[ 1914 ]

Agreed in 1914 at the Simla Accord by Sir Henry McMahon.

DURAND

(Shortest Land Border)

Shortest Land Border

Touches Afghanistan along the Wakhan Corridor in Ladakh.

ZERO LINE

(Tripura-Bangladesh Border)

Tripura-Bangladesh Border

Tripura is surrounded by Bangladesh on three complete sides.

Common Exam Traps

Radcliffe Line is only with PakistanRadcliffe applies to Bangladesh too

Bangladesh was East Pakistan in 1947, hence demarcated by the same Radcliffe commission.

India has 29 states and 7 UTsIndia has 28 states and 8 UTs

J&K became two UTs in 2019, and DNH and Daman-Diu merged into one UT in 2020.

China shares the longest borderBangladesh shares the longest border

Bangladesh shares 4,096.7 km, whereas China shares 3,488 km of land border with India.

Boundary Challenge

Q1.Which Indian state shares land borders with three foreign countries: Nepal, Bhutan, and China?

Q2.The Durand Line historically demarcates the boundary between Afghanistan and which Indian territory?

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