5 unknown facts about Indian geography

Is Mount Everest the highest peak of India? No. Is the lowest region of our country the Ganga delta? No again. And finally, do we share borders with another country apart from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, China and Myanmar? Well, yes.  

Indian geography has some surprising facts that we think we know, but we actually don’t. We have rounded up 5 of them below.  

Which is the highest point of India? 
Everest, as we often forget, is not in India, but in Nepal! The highest point in India is Mount  
Kanchenjunga, rising up 8, 598 metres above sea level. It’s on our border with Nepal and can be viewed from popular tourist spots such as Darjeeling. The second highest hill top is Nanda Devi at a height of around 7800 meters.  

Which is the lowest point of India? 
Kuttanad of Kerala is well known as a tourist centre, and a prime rice growing region. But as most of us don’t know, this district is 2.2 metres below sea level, the lowest point of the nation.  This makes it one of those rare places in the world where farming is done 4 to 10 feet below sea level!  

Which is the longest river of India? 
On Googling this apparently simple query, a flurry of confused answers appear. It’s because Indus and Brahmaputra, two of the longest rivers of the world, also flow through our country. But only a part of them is in India. So though their entire lengths are more, the mighty Ganga is the longest river at 2525 km through Indian terrain.  
 
Are parts of India actually naturally prone to floods? 
Yes, given the peninsular nature of our country with its many rivers draining downhill into the sea. We also receive massive rainfall in several regions. As per the G. S. I. (Geological Survey of India) data for 2021, 12.5 % of the country's area is prone to flood! 

Does India share borders with Afghanistan?  
Though many of us would be surprised at this, Afghanistan is not so far away. India legally shares a 106 km border with Afghanistan along north western Kashmir. This is true if we accept the government claim that all of Kashmir is in India. Delhi is actually closer to Kabul (1006 km) than to Mumbai (1396 km)!