CDS Geography · Indian Geography — Physical Features
Location, States and Borders
Where India sits on the globe, the line that sets its clock, the Tropic of Cancer states, the neighbours each state touches, and the clues CDS uses to name a state.
Why this matters
Sixteen CDS questions from 2016 to 2026: 3 EASY, 8 MODERATE and 5 HARD. The hard ones are counting questions (how many states on the Tropic, how many touch three countries), so learn the lists in a fixed order.
Concept 1 of 4: Extent, standard meridian and coastline
India is a big country in both directions. From south to north it covers about 29 degrees of latitude, and from west to east about 29 degrees of longitude. Because the Sun rises about two hours earlier in Arunachal Pradesh than in Gujarat, India keeps one clock set on a line near the middle of the country.
Definition
The numbers to know:
- The mainland lies between 8°4′N and 37°6′N latitude and 68°7′E and 97°25′E longitude.
- The standard meridian is 82°30′E. It passes through Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh.
- Indian Standard Time is 5 hours 30 minutes ahead of Greenwich Mean Time.
- The mainland coastline is about 6,100 km; with the islands it is about 7,500 km.
- Gujarat has the longest coastline of any state.
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Latitude of the mainland | 8°4′N to 37°6′N |
| Longitude of the mainland | 68°7′E to 97°25′E |
| Standard meridian | 82°30′E, through Mirzapur (Uttar Pradesh) |
| Indian Standard Time | GMT plus 5 hours 30 minutes |
| Sunrise gap, Arunachal Pradesh to Gujarat | About 2 hours |
| Longest coastline | Gujarat, about 1,600 kmQ CDS 2023 (I): Gujarat, not Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra or Andhra Pradesh. |
| A point at 34°N, 77°E | Near Leh, in LadakhQ CDS 2021 (II): the only Union Territory in the options that far north. |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2021 · CDS (I) 2021 — General Knowledge · Q70Easy
Example 1 · Indian Geography — Physical Features · Location, States and Borders
Which one of the following longitudes is the standard meridian of India ?
East, not west
India's standard meridian is 82°30′ EAST. CDS put 82°30′ W in the options; every part of India is east of Greenwich.
The longest coastline is on the west
Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh have long east coasts, but Gujarat, with its two gulfs and the Saurashtra peninsula, has the longest coastline of any state.
Concept 2 of 4: The Tropic of Cancer states
The Tropic of Cancer (23°30′N) cuts India almost in half. Walk along it from the Gulf of Kachchh to the hills of Mizoram and you cross eight states. Learn them west to east as one chain and any counting question becomes easy.
Definition
The eight states, west to east:
- Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura, Mizoram.
- Only Gujarat and West Bengal have a sea coast. The other six are landlocked.
- It does not pass through Odisha, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam or Manipur.
| State, west to east | Sea coast |
|---|---|
| Gujarat | Yes |
| Rajasthan | No |
| Madhya Pradesh | No |
| Chhattisgarh | No |
| Jharkhand | No |
| West Bengal | Yes |
| Tripura | No |
| Mizoram | NoQ CDS 2021 (II): the state on the Tropic that is long north to south and borders both Bangladesh and Myanmar. |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2023 · CDS (I) 2023 — General Knowledge · Q19Hard
Example 2 · Indian Geography — Physical Features · Location, States and Borders
The Tropic of Cancer passes through how many coastal and landlocked States of India, respectively?
Odisha and Bihar are not on the Tropic
The Tropic runs through Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, between Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. Neither Odisha nor Bihar is on the list of eight.
Two coastal states, not three
Of the eight Tropic states only Gujarat and West Bengal touch the sea. Tripura and Mizoram are landlocked even though they are close to the Bay of Bengal.
Concept 3 of 4: Neighbouring countries and border states
India touches seven countries on land. Go round the map clockwise from the west and list the Indian states along each border. A state in the middle of the country, such as Chhattisgarh or Madhya Pradesh, touches no country at all.
Definition
How to use the table:
- Read across to find the states on one country's border.
- Read down to count how many countries one state touches.
- Four units touch three countries: Ladakh, Sikkim, West Bengal and Arunachal Pradesh.
- Inland states with no international border include Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Haryana and Telangana.
| Neighbour | Indian states and UTs on that border |
|---|---|
| Pakistan | Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh |
| Afghanistan | Ladakh |
| China | Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh |
| Nepal | Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Sikkim |
| Bhutan | Sikkim, West Bengal, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh |
| Bangladesh | West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram |
| Myanmar | Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram |
| Three countries | Ladakh, Sikkim, West Bengal, Arunachal PradeshQ CDS 2020 (I): four units of the Union touch more than two countries. |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2019 · CDS (II) 2019 — General Knowledge · Q51Moderate
Example 3 · Indian Geography — Physical Features · Location, States and Borders
Which one of the following Indian States has no international boundary?
Uttarakhand touches only two countries
Uttarakhand borders Nepal and China, so it is not one of the states with three neighbours. The four with three are Ladakh, Sikkim, West Bengal and Arunachal Pradesh.
Meghalaya has a foreign border
Meghalaya is inland in the north-east but its whole southern edge is the border with Bangladesh. An inland state with no foreign border is one like Chhattisgarh.
Concept 4 of 4: Clues that name a state
Many CDS questions give two or three clues and ask you to name the state: a nickname, a place a traveller visited, the states around it, or its shape. Each clue below has been used, so learn the clue with the state.
Definition
Useful clues:
- Shape: Mizoram and Chhattisgarh are long from north to south.
- Neighbours: list the states around it in the order N, E, S, W.
- Places: a pass, a valley or a monastery names its region at once.
- People: a tribe often belongs to one state.
| State or UT | Clue CDS used |
|---|---|
| Telangana | Its neighbours are Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh; it does not touch Odisha or Madhya PradeshQ CDS 2023 (I): pick the set without Odisha and Madhya Pradesh. |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Its only Indian neighbours are Assam and NagalandQ CDS 2026 (II): Mizoram and Tripura lie far to the south. |
| Chhattisgarh | The longest north-south stretch among Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana and Jharkhand (more than 6 degrees of latitude)Q |
| Assam | The land of the red river and blue hills; about 2.39 per cent of India's areaQ |
| Ladakh | Khardung La, the Nubra valley and Buddhist monasteries such as Hemis and Diskit |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Home of the Nyishi, its largest tribeQ |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2021 · CDS (II) 2021 — General Knowledge · Q64Easy
Example 4 · Indian Geography — Physical Features · Location, States and Borders
D had recently visited Khardung La, Nubra Valley and several Buddhist monasteries. Which one of the following States / UT had she visited ?
Telangana is not Odisha's neighbour
Telangana touches Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Odisha and Madhya Pradesh look close on a small map, but Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh lie in between.
Arunachal Pradesh does not touch Mizoram
Arunachal Pradesh meets only Assam and Nagaland among Indian states. Mizoram and Tripura are in the far south of the north-east.
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
Reference tables (4)
Extent, standard meridian and coastline7 rows
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Latitude of the mainland | 8°4′N to 37°6′N |
| Longitude of the mainland | 68°7′E to 97°25′E |
| Standard meridian | 82°30′E, through Mirzapur (Uttar Pradesh) |
| Indian Standard Time | GMT plus 5 hours 30 minutes |
| Sunrise gap, Arunachal Pradesh to Gujarat | About 2 hours |
| Longest coastline | Gujarat, about 1,600 kmQ CDS 2023 (I): Gujarat, not Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra or Andhra Pradesh. |
| A point at 34°N, 77°E | Near Leh, in LadakhQ CDS 2021 (II): the only Union Territory in the options that far north. |
The Tropic of Cancer states8 rows
| State, west to east | Sea coast |
|---|---|
| Gujarat | Yes |
| Rajasthan | No |
| Madhya Pradesh | No |
| Chhattisgarh | No |
| Jharkhand | No |
| West Bengal | Yes |
| Tripura | No |
| Mizoram | NoQ CDS 2021 (II): the state on the Tropic that is long north to south and borders both Bangladesh and Myanmar. |
Neighbouring countries and border states8 rows
| Neighbour | Indian states and UTs on that border |
|---|---|
| Pakistan | Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh |
| Afghanistan | Ladakh |
| China | Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh |
| Nepal | Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Sikkim |
| Bhutan | Sikkim, West Bengal, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh |
| Bangladesh | West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram |
| Myanmar | Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram |
| Three countries | Ladakh, Sikkim, West Bengal, Arunachal PradeshQ CDS 2020 (I): four units of the Union touch more than two countries. |
Clues that name a state6 rows
| State or UT | Clue CDS used |
|---|---|
| Telangana | Its neighbours are Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh; it does not touch Odisha or Madhya PradeshQ CDS 2023 (I): pick the set without Odisha and Madhya Pradesh. |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Its only Indian neighbours are Assam and NagalandQ CDS 2026 (II): Mizoram and Tripura lie far to the south. |
| Chhattisgarh | The longest north-south stretch among Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana and Jharkhand (more than 6 degrees of latitude)Q |
| Assam | The land of the red river and blue hills; about 2.39 per cent of India's areaQ |
| Ladakh | Khardung La, the Nubra valley and Buddhist monasteries such as Hemis and Diskit |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Home of the Nyishi, its largest tribeQ |
Watch out for (8)
- East, not west→ Extent, standard meridian and coastline
- The longest coastline is on the west→ Extent, standard meridian and coastline
- Odisha and Bihar are not on the Tropic→ The Tropic of Cancer states
- Two coastal states, not three→ The Tropic of Cancer states
- Uttarakhand touches only two countries→ Neighbouring countries and border states
- Meghalaya has a foreign border→ Neighbouring countries and border states
- Telangana is not Odisha's neighbour→ Clues that name a state
- Arunachal Pradesh does not touch Mizoram→ Clues that name a state
Test yourself on Indian Geography — Physical Features
20 past CDS questions from this chapter, timed at 20 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.