Neighbouring Countries of India: Key Details with PDF Map

India, located in South Asia, is known for its extensive borders and shares land boundaries with seven neighbouring countries: Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, China, Pakistan, Myanmar, and Afghanistan.

Additionally, India has two island neighbours that share maritime borders with it: Sri Lanka and the Maldives. So, in total, India shares its borders with nine neighbouring countries.

This article provides a comprehensive overview of key details regarding the neighbouring countries of India, including their capitals, shared border lengths, bordering Indian states, a PDF map, and more.

Key Details about the Neighbouring Countries of India

Here is a table showing the list of neighboring countries of India, along with their shared border lengths with India, their capital cities, and the bordering Indian states and union territories:

Important Points to Remember for UPSC Aspirants

• India has a total international land boundary of 15,106.7 km.
• India shares its land border with 7 countries: Bangladesh (4,096.7 km) [Longest] > China (3,488 km) > Pakistan (3,323 km) > Nepal (1,751 km) > Myanmar (1,643 km) > Bhutan (699 km) > Afghanistan (106 km) [Shortest].
• The land border of 4,096.7 km between India and Bangladesh is the fifth-longest in the world after 1. USA-Canada, 2. Kazakhstan-Russia, 3. Chile-Argentina, 4. China-Mongolia.
• You should know all the Indian States/UTs that share international borders, along with some important facts. For example, West Bengal is the state that shares the longest international border, while Nagaland has the shortest international border.
• Nepal, Bangladesh, China, and Pakistan share land boundaries with five Indian states/UTs.
•  Ladakh, Sikkim, West Bengal, and Arunachal Pradesh are four Indian states/UTs that share land boundaries with three different countries.
  • Ladakh: China, Pakistan, and Afghanistan
  • Sikkim: Nepal, China, and Bhutan
  • West Bengal: Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh
  • Arunachal Pradesh: Bhutan, China, and Myanmar

Important lines demarcating India’s international borders:

• India-Pakistan: Radcliffe Line
• India-Bangladesh: Radcliffe Line
• India-China: McMahon Line (for the North-Eastern part of India)
• India-Afghanistan: Durand Line

Please Note:

• The military control line between the Indian and Pakistani controlled parts of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh is called the Line of Control (LoC). It does not constitute a legally recognized international boundary but serves as the de facto border after the Karachi Agreement of 1949.
• Similarly, the de facto border between India and China is called the Line of Actual Control (LAC) and it separates Indian-controlled territory from Chinese-controlled territory.

Border guarding forces of India

• India-Nepal: Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)
• India-Bhutan: Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)
• India-Pakistan: Border Security Force (BSF)
• India-Bangladesh: Border Security Force (BSF)
• India-Myanmar: Assam Rifles (AR)
• India-China: Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP)