India’s Maritime Boundaries, Extents and Key Latitudes | UPSC Geography Revision

When UPSC tests geography, it often mixes static concepts with precise locations. Maritime boundaries, extreme points, important latitudes, and longitudes are classic examples where one factual slip can cost marks.

This blog revises India’s maritime neighbours, east–west and north–south extents, Tropic of Cancer, and Standard Meridian of India, exactly how aspirants should remember them.

India’s Maritime Boundaries: Beyond Sri Lanka and Maldives

Most aspirants remember India’s maritime boundary with Sri Lanka and Maldives, but UPSC often goes beyond the obvious.

India – Indonesia – Thailand Maritime Trijunction

• India shares a maritime boundary with Indonesia
• There exists a maritime trijunction between India, Indonesia, and Thailand
• Great Nicobar Island lies close to this convergence zone
• This makes Great Nicobar strategically very important

India–Thailand Maritime Boundary

• Thailand owns the Similan Islands
• These islands are part of the Similan National Park
• They serve as an important reference point for India–Thailand maritime boundary

India–Myanmar Maritime Boundary

• Landfall Island lies at the eastern edge of India’s island territory
• Beyond Landfall Island begins Myanmar’s maritime zone
• This island is a crucial map-based reference point

Common Mistake to Avoid

• India does NOT share a maritime boundary with African or Middle Eastern countries
• UPSC may test this through elimination-based questions

India and Maldives: 8° Channel

• India and Maldives are separated by the 8° Channel
• The channel lies south of Minicoy Island
• It separates Lakshadweep Islands from Maldives

India and Sri Lanka: Kachativu Island

• Kachativu Island lies between India and Sri Lanka
• It currently belongs to Sri Lanka
• India ceded its rights to Sri Lanka through agreements
• Frequently appears in Polity + Geography crossover questions

Extreme Points of India

Westernmost Point

• Guhar Moti village, Kutch region, Gujarat
• Located close to the India–Pakistan border
• Small population and low development indicators
• Important for India’s longitudinal extent

Easternmost Point

• Kibithu village
• Located in Anjaw district, Arunachal Pradesh
• Marks India’s eastern longitudinal limit

Tropic of Cancer and India (23½° N)

The Tropic of Cancer divides India into tropical and subtropical halves.

States Through Which Tropic of Cancer Passes (West to East)

1. Gujarat
2. Rajasthan
3. Madhya Pradesh
4. Chhattisgarh
5. Jharkhand
6. West Bengal
7. Tripura
8. Mizoram

UPSC often traps aspirants by:

• Missing Rajasthan (cuts only a small part)
• Forgetting Chhattisgarh or Jharkhand

Standard Meridian of India (82½° E Longitude)

• Also called the Indian Standard Time (IST) meridian
• Passes near Mirzapur (Uttar Pradesh)

States It Passes Through

1. Uttar Pradesh
2. Madhya Pradesh
3. Chhattisgarh
4. Odisha
5. Andhra Pradesh

States It Does NOT Pass Through

• Maharashtra
• Telangana
• Jharkhand

This distinction is frequently tested in Prelims MCQs.

Why This Matters for UPSC

What this really means is:

• Maritime boundaries link geography with international relations
• Extreme points test map precision
• Tropic of Cancer and IST longitude are high-frequency prelims topics
• One wrong state or island can flip the answer

If you visualise these points together on the map, half the geography revision becomes automatic.

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FAQs

1. #IndiasMaritimeBoundariesUPSC: Which countries share maritime boundaries with India and where are the key reference points?
2. #TropicOfCancerUPSC: Which Indian states are crossed by the Tropic of Cancer from west to east?
3. #IndianStandardTimeUPSC: Which states are crossed by the 82½° E Standard Meridian of India?
4. #ExtremePointsOfIndiaUPSC: What are the easternmost and westernmost points of India and why are they important?