India is located in the southern peninsula of the Asian continent. Lying entirely in the northern hemisphere, the mainland of India measures about 3,200 kilometers (2,000 miles) from north to south between latitudes 804' and 3706' and about 2,900 kilometers (1,800 miles) from east to west between longitudes 6807' and 97025'. It has land frontier of about 15,000 kilometers (9,320 miles), a coastline of about 6,100 kilometers (3,800 miles) and an area of 3,290,000 square kilometers (1,270,000 square miles). The Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the By of Bengal and Lakshadweep (Laccadive) Islands in the Arabian Sea are also part of the territory of India.

India is the second most populous and seventh largest country in the world. It is bordered on the north by the People's Republic of China, Nepal and Bhutan; the Himalayas from India's northern boundary, except in Nepal region. To the east lie Myanamar (formerly Burma) and Bangladesh, the latter wedged in between the surrounding Indian states. In the northwest, Pakistan and a very small hook of Afghanistan border India and separate it from the former Soviet Union. The southern part of India tapers off into a peninsula, with the Arabian Sea to the west and the Bay of Bengal to the east. The Gulf of Mannar and Palk Strait separate India from Sri Lanka. The mainland comprises four well-defined regions: the great mountain zone in the north; the Indo-Gangetic plains, about 2,4000 kilometers (1,500 miles) long and 240 to 320 kilometers wide (150 to 200 miles); a small desert region in the west; and the southern peninsula, consisting of the fairly high Deccan Plateau, mountains and coastal strips.

While India has great variation of climate, with striking contrasts of meteorological conditions, the climate is mainly monsoon tropical. The contrast between Assam and Meghalaya in the east and Rajasthan in west presents extremes of dampness and dryness. In the Thar desert in Rajasthan the average rainfall is less than 13 centimeters (5 inches) a year, while at Cherrapunji in Meghalaya it can reach as high as 1,100 centimeters (433 inches). The year may be conveniently divided into four seasons as follows.

Cold season ........................... December to February
Hot season ............................ March to May
Rainfall or Southwest
Monsoon season ................... June to September
Post monsoon period ............ October to November