India and Her Neighbours | CBSE Class 7 Geography Notes

This note covers India’s land and maritime neighbours, geographical connections, shared cultural traditions, trade, cross-border movement, environmental challenges, disaster response and regional cooperation.

How does geography shape India’s neighbourhood?

A land neighbour shares a land boundary with another country. India’s neighbours in the northwest include Pakistan and Afghanistan; in the north are China’s region of Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan; Bangladesh and Myanmar lie to the east. These connections cross varied physical landscapes.

India’s land boundary extends over 15,100 kilometres. A kilometre, abbreviated as km, is a unit of distance. The boundary passes through deserts, plains, forests, mountains, marshes and river valleys. A neighbourhood therefore involves different environments as well as different countries.

Definition: A maritime neighbour is a country linked to another through a shared sea or ocean, even when the countries have no direct land border. Maritime means connected with the sea.

India has sea on three sides. Sri Lanka and the Maldives are immediate maritime neighbours. The wider maritime neighbourhood also includes Iran, Oman, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Sea routes have supported trading, cultural exchanges and historical connections for centuries.

Why is India’s position important?

India’s peninsular shape, with land extending into the sea, reaches deep into the Indian Ocean. This gives access to important shipping routes connecting Southeast Asia, West Asia and Africa. Ports provide entry and exit points for goods and help India deliver timely disaster relief.

Imports are goods brought into a country, while exports are goods sent out to other countries. India’s ports support both. Regionalism means countries working together for the benefit of their region, including peace, stability and shared progress.

The Indian Ocean carries half of the world’s container ships, one third of bulk cargo and two-thirds of the world’s oil. Bulk cargo means goods transported in large quantities. These movements help explain the importance of maritime links to the region.

India is highlighted between the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean. Red lines mark land routes; pale lines mark maritime routes linking surrounding regions. These routes are approximate and fluctuated in time.

See Fig. 2.2 in your NCERT textbook

What connects India and China?

India and China have had a relationship shaped by geography, history, culture, politics and trade since 1950. The Himalayas separate the countries. From east to west, their border follows Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and the Union Territory of Ladakh. A Union Territory is an administrative area governed by the Union government.

Buddhism, the religious tradition based on the Buddha’s teachings, provides an important cultural connection. It travelled from India to China around the 1st century of the Common Era, abbreviated as CE, through trade routes and journeys to religious places, called pilgrimages.

A few centuries later, Chinese monks such as Faxian and Xuanzang travelled to Indian centres of learning. Indian monks, including Bodhidharma, Dharmakshema and Kumarajiva, carried Buddhist teachings to China. These journeys moved knowledge and religious ideas across the same wider region as commercial exchanges.

How do trade and disagreements coexist?

During 2024-2025, India’s chief exports to China included iron ore, chemicals and cotton yarn. Imports included electronic goods, such as mobile phones and computer hardware, and industrial equipment. Several companies from each country have established operations in the other.

The balance of trade compares the value of goods exported and imported. It is much in China’s favour: Chinese exports to India are worth about eight times more than Indian exports to China. Large trade connections therefore coexist with a substantial difference in export values.

Recent periods of increased tension have been mostly related to shared borders, with a few serious conflicts. Efforts to resolve disputes continue through trade, dialogue and arrangements for addressing border disagreements. Cultural connections and commerce do not mean that political differences have disappeared.

Older commercial links also carried religious traditions. Hindu merchants built temples in the Chinese port city of Quanzhou in the 13th century. This example connects maritime trade with the movement of cultural practices, rather than treating trade as the movement of goods alone.

How do shared heritage and conflict shape ties with Pakistan?

Pakistan was part of India before the Partition of 1947, the division associated with the end of colonial rule. Pakistan was founded on a religious basis, unlike India. Their relationship combines a shared past with deep political difficulties and continuing tensions.

The border touches Gujarat, Rajasthan and Punjab, along with the Union Territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Wars in 1948, 1965 and 1971, and the Kargil War in 1999, are major parts of the history of conflict.

Frequent terrorist attacks against India supported by the Pakistan army have prevented normal relations. Yet there have also been efforts towards peace, including periods of trade and the opening of routes for Hindu and Sikh pilgrims. Languages, food, music and festivals preserve connections across the border.

What does the Kartarpur Corridor illustrate?

The Kartarpur Corridor is a border crossing enabling Indian pilgrims to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan. A gurdwara is a Sikh place of worship. Guru Nanak Dev, Sikhism’s founder, spent his final 18 years there; it is also his final resting place.

The corridor was proposed in the 1990s and opened in 2019, marking Guru Nanak’s 550th birth anniversary. Previously, devotees at Dera Baba Nanak in Punjab could view the site from a distance through binoculars.

Note: A visa authorises entry to a country; a permit is permission for a particular activity or journey. Visa-free does not mean permission-free. Pilgrims using the Kartarpur Corridor need a permit, although they do not need a visa. Its religious purpose provides an example for considering the possible progress of peace and dialogue.

Why are India and Bangladesh closely interconnected?

Bangladesh, formerly East Pakistan, emerged in 1971 following a war between India and Pakistan. Common history, culture and language shape its relationship with India. Bangla is shared by Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal.

India’s land border with Bangladesh is longer than its border with China. It follows West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. These geographical connections are accompanied by diplomatic, economic, cultural and strategic cooperation between the two countries.

How do rivers and the coastal environment connect them?

Transboundary rivers are rivers whose systems cross national boundaries. India and Bangladesh share several river systems originating from the Ganga and Brahmaputra. They support farming, fishing, transport and the livelihoods, or means of earning a living, of millions of people.

The neighbours also share a coastline and maritime environment. Protection and management of the Sundarban environment involve cooperation. Its mangrove forest, a forest associated with coastal waters, provides a home for the Bengal tiger and many other species.

Biodiversity means the variety of living organisms. The Sundarban matters for biodiversity and for climate resilience, the ability to withstand climate-related threats: it forms a barrier against cyclones, powerful rotating storms. About two-thirds of the forest lies in Bangladesh and the rest in India.

Global warming is a rise in Earth’s average temperature; climate change means long-term changes in climate. Experts predict that these changes will expose Bangladesh to rising seas and increasingly intense cyclones in coming years. Many people are likely to lose homes or have their livelihoods affected. This predicted risk makes the shared environment an important area of cooperation.

How do Nepal and Bhutan show the importance of Himalayan connections?

Nepal’s long border with India runs along Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim. Geographical closeness has supported movement, cooperation and shared traditions over centuries. Pilgrims cross the border, including Indian visitors to the Pashupatinatha temple in Kathmandu.

Case study: How does Nepal’s open border connect everyday lives?

An open border allows people from the two countries to cross without a passport or visa. A passport is an official identity document for international travel. India and Nepal’s relations are largely shaped by the 1950 Treaty of Peace and Friendship. A treaty is an agreement between countries.

The arrangement supports visits to relatives, education, healthcare, employment, religious journeys and trade. Border towns have active markets reflecting this interdependence, or mutual reliance. Both countries cooperate to keep the border safe and prevent its misuse.

India is Nepal’s largest trading partner. It supplies petroleum, medicines, food and manufactured goods; Nepal exports agricultural produce, handicrafts and garments. Shared festivals include Dashain, also called Dashahara, Tihar, also called Dipavali, and Holi.

How does Bhutan cooperate with India?

Bhutan, called Drukyul or the Land of the Thunder Dragon, lies between India and China. It is landlocked, meaning it has no direct access to the sea. Its Indian border touches Sikkim, West Bengal, Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.

Rivers originating in Bhutan flow into India. They support agriculture and hydroelectric power, electricity generated using flowing water. Major power projects contribute to Bhutan’s economic growth and supply renewable energy to India. Renewable energy comes from sources that can be replenished.

Bilateral cooperation means cooperation between two countries. Hydroelectricity is a significant part of India-Bhutan bilateral cooperation, alongside deep Buddhist connections. Bhutanese pilgrims frequently visit Bodh Gaya, Rajgir, Nalanda, Udayagiri and Sikkim.

Guru Padmasambhava, also called Guru Rinpoche, introduced Vajrayana, a school of Buddhism also generally called Tantric Buddhism, to Bhutan in the 8th century CE. Bhutan’s dragon is said to represent the thunderous voice of the Buddha’s teachings.

Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness Index assesses national progress through a wider view including sustainability, good governance and culture. Sustainability means maintaining resources and wellbeing over time. This approach brings environmental, cultural and social concerns into the assessment of progress.

How did different schools of Buddhism connect the region?

Three major schools of Buddhism, meaning traditions of Buddhist teaching and practice, developed in ancient India and spread to neighbouring regions. Their histories show that cultural exchange could involve several forms of the same religious tradition.

Where did the three schools spread?

Theravada, or the School of the Elders, developed around the 3rd century BCE, meaning Before the Common Era. It is considered closest to the Buddha’s original teachings. Its followers are found mainly in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia, especially Thailand and Myanmar.

Mahayana, or the Great Vehicle, emerged around the 1st century BCE. It included new ideas and practices, including belief in the Buddha’s divine nature and ability to guide people in many forms. It spread to China, Japan and Korea, with several further traditions developing along the way.

Vajrayana, or the Diamond Vehicle, arose around the 6th century CE as an extension of Mahayana. It is also generally called Tantric Buddhism. It emphasised special techniques and secret teachings. Tibetan Buddhism developed from this school around the 7th century CE.

These three schools are still followed in some parts of India, especially Himalayan states. Their spread connects India with several neighbours, while pilgrimages and journeys for learning continued to strengthen religious and intellectual relationships across the region.

What links India with Myanmar and Afghanistan?

Myanmar, earlier called Burma, connects India with Southeast Asia. It shares land borders with Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram, and a maritime boundary with India in the Bay of Bengal. Historical and cultural ties have continued despite periods of political turmoil.

India’s importance as Buddhism’s birthplace draws many pilgrims from Myanmar. Cultural cooperation includes India’s help in restoring the earthquake-damaged Ananda temple at Bagan. India also presented a replica of the Sarnath Buddha statue to the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon.

How has cross-border movement changed?

The Land Border Crossing Agreement of 2018 eased movement for people in border areas, strengthened trade and improved connections. Some restrictions have since been placed on free movement because of conflicts in these areas. The agreement should therefore not be confused with an entirely unrestricted border.

Myanmar also lies on the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway route. Trilateral means involving three countries. The route connects Manipur through Myanmar with Thailand and represents an effort to strengthen overland trade and regional cooperation.

Why does Afghanistan remain important?

Afghanistan is a landlocked country in south-central Asia containing several ethnic communities. It once shared a direct land border with India; Pakistan’s creation in 1947 complicated access. Despite these challenges, relations have, by and large, remained close and friendly.

The ancient Uttarapatha trade route linked the Ganga plains to Central Asia through Afghanistan. Goods, religions, artistic ideas and philosophy moved along these connections. Before Islam spread there in the 7th century CE, Afghanistan was an important centre of Buddhist and Hindu culture.

The large Buddhas carved into cliffs at Bamiyan represented the spread of Buddhist culture from India. They were destroyed in 2001. Their history shows that ancient cultural connections can remain significant even when monuments themselves have been lost.

India has supported Afghan education, healthcare and infrastructure, meaning facilities such as roads and public buildings. Examples include the Afghan Parliament building and the Zaranj-Delaram highway. Despite ups and downs, these efforts express a wish to build on longstanding friendship.

How are Sri Lanka and the Maldives connected with India?

Sri Lanka lies southeast of India. The Palk Strait, a narrow stretch of sea between the countries, separates them. At the nearest point they are only about 32 km apart. Geography has supported a long history of cultural contact, commerce and cooperation.

Mahendra and Sanghamitra, Emperor Ashoka’s son and daughter, introduced Buddhism to Sri Lanka in the 3rd century BCE. Hindu traditions also travelled there, notably through the two great Indian epics, the Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Relations have not always been smooth. Sri Lanka’s civil war, an armed conflict within a country, lasted from the mid-1980s to around 2010. Fighting mainly involved the Sinhalese majority and Tamil minority. Many Tamil families fled to south India, especially Tamil Nadu.

What makes the Maldives a close maritime neighbour?

The Maldives consists of over 1,100 islets, meaning small islands. It lies only about 130 km from Minicoy, an Indian island in Lakshadweep. Its position makes it important to trade and security in the Indian Ocean.

Dhivehi is the Maldives’ official language. It shows Indian linguistic influences, while Maldivian food, dance and boat-building also reflect connections with south India. Archaeological remains of Buddhist temples and inscriptions show that Buddhism reached the islands early on.

A tsunami is a series of large sea waves that can be triggered by an earthquake beneath the ocean.

India was one of the first countries to recognise Maldivian independence in 1965. It provided quick assistance during the 2004 tsunami, the 2014 water crisis in Malé and the COVID-19 pandemic, the worldwide outbreak of coronavirus disease.

Climate change makes these islands highly vulnerable. Sea level could rise by 1 metre by the century’s end, partly submerging many islands. The Maldives belongs to the International Solar Alliance, an Indian initiative sharing research technology on energy from the Sun.

How do India’s cultural and transport links extend to Thailand?

India and Thailand share a maritime boundary. Indian traders and scholars sailed to what is now Thailand as early as the 3rd century BCE. Their voyages carried spices, textiles and religious and cultural ideas, connecting commercial activity with long-lasting cultural influence.

The Dvaravati culture flourished from the 6th to the 11th centuries CE. Its name means “that which has gates” and refers to Dvaraka, Krishna’s city in the Mahabharata. The Ayutthaya Kingdom, founded in 1351, took its name from Ayodhya, associated with Rama in the Ramayana.

What traditions and routes connect the region?

Theravada Buddhism is widely practised in Thailand. Hindu deities and epic stories also appear in royal ceremonies, dances and literature. Monks, scholars and religious texts helped shape these connections.

The India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway is a modern effort to strengthen older links. Its route runs from Manipur through Myanmar into Thailand. Land transport connections join a relationship already shaped by sea routes, trade and cultural exchange.

The map labels India, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. It marks the Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean. Indonesia is shown across several islands; Myanmar adjoins India’s northeast.

See Fig. 2.20 in your NCERT textbook

The map brings land and maritime relationships together. Myanmar provides a land connection towards Southeast Asia, while the surrounding waters link India with the region’s peninsulas and islands. Geography helps explain why cooperation includes both overland transport and maritime routes.

What links India with Malaysia and Singapore?

Sea routes across the Bay of Bengal linked India with the Malay Peninsula over two millennia ago, meaning over two thousand years ago. Hindu and Buddhist influences developed early. Around the 4th century CE, the region adopted a writing system based on India’s Brahmi script.

Indian influences remain visible particularly in Malaysian art and literature, although Islam became the predominant religion by the 15th century. During the 19th and 20th centuries, many workers, mainly from south India, migrated to rubber plantations in Malaysia.

People of Indian origin make up 9 per cent of Malaysia’s population. Per cent means out of every hundred. India is one of Malaysia’s largest trading partners, with cooperation in palm oil, energy, infrastructure and information technology, the use of computers to handle information.

Why is Singapore called the Lion City?

Singapore takes its name from Singapuram, meaning Lion City. Buddhist monks and traders visited the region a few centuries BCE. After British colonial rule and a period within Malaysia, Singapore became a separate country in 1965.

Tamil is one of Singapore’s official languages. About 9 per cent of its residents are of Indian origin, many living in Little India. Indian connections remain visible in food, art and religion, alongside business, tourism and higher education.

Singapore has become one of the largest foreign investors in India, especially in infrastructure and technology. Many Indian companies have offices there. Its parks, walkways and terrace gardens also demonstrate an approach to urban wellbeing and sustainability.

Residents contribute to clean streets. Heavy fines discourage littering, traffic violations and jaywalking, meaning walking or crossing roads without observing traffic rules. These practices connect the physical design of a city with the behaviour of people using its public spaces.

How does Indonesia combine ancient connections with present cooperation?

Indonesia is an archipelago, an extensive group of islands. It includes several large islands and over 17,000 smaller ones. India and Indonesia are maritime neighbours separated by the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, with cultural and trading links over 2,000 years old.

Indian kingdoms traded with Java and Sumatra. Connections between Nalanda, an ancient Indian centre of learning, and Indonesia’s Muara Jambi temple complex strengthened intellectual and cultural ties. Islam later reached Indonesia from the shores of India.

How do religious heritage and maritime interests connect them?

A stupa is a Buddhist shrine holding sacred relics, or remains associated with revered religious figures. It is often dome-shaped. Indonesia’s Borobudur Stupa was built in stone in the 8th and 9th centuries CE and contains over 500 Buddha statues and many smaller stupas.

Its design resembles a mandala, a geometric symbol used in Hindu, Buddhist and Jaina rituals, generally representing the whole universe. Such monuments show the lasting importance of religious and artistic exchanges across the sea.

India and Indonesia cooperate through regional groups to support peace, commerce and sustainable development. Both have extensive coastlines. Their shared concerns include climate change, protection of shipping routes and piracy, meaning attacks or robbery at sea.

Cooperation in maritime security, defence and disaster relief therefore builds on both geographical needs and historical connections. Indonesia’s frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions also make regional disaster preparedness, or readiness to respond to disasters, especially important.

Why are Iran and Oman part of India’s wider neighbourhood?

India and Iran have ancient connections through land routes crossing present-day Pakistan and Afghanistan. These routes gradually became part of the Silk Route, a network carrying people, goods and ideas. Sea travel also connected Iranian ports with India’s western coast.

Exchanges linked languages, literature, architecture, art and food. Persian and Sanskrit belong to the same language family. Persian served as a court language under the Mughals and other Indian rulers, while India’s Parsis preserve a living connection with ancient Persian culture.

Cooperation now includes energy, transport and commerce. India is helping develop Chabahar Port in Iran, improving access to Afghanistan and Central Asia. Both countries continue to engage despite international challenges.

How do trade and defence connect India with Oman?

Oman lies on the southeastern Arabian Peninsula where the Persian Gulf meets the Arabian Sea. It shares maritime boundaries with India. Contacts between their people go back over 5,000 years to the Harappan civilisation.

Oman has rich copper resources. It is thought that Harappan traders carried copper ingots back to craftspeople in their cities. An ingot is a block of metal shaped for convenient transport and further working. Copper thus provides an example of a possible trading connection between Oman and Harappan craftspeople.

Over 10 per cent of Oman’s population is of Indian origin. Merchant communities from northwestern India settled there over past centuries. The Hindu community received permission to build a Shiva temple in the early 20th century.

Oman is India’s closest defence partner in the Gulf. It was the first country in that region where India held joint exercises involving all three armed forces. Cooperation on Indian Ocean maritime security adds a modern defence connection to the older commercial and cultural relationship.

How can shared challenges encourage regional cooperation?

Neighbours share environmental risks as well as opportunities. Rivers, coastlines and oceans connect the consequences of natural disasters across national boundaries. The same connections make cooperation useful, whether through emergency assistance, shared knowledge or systems that warn people of approaching danger.

Case study: How did the 2004 tsunami lead to cooperation?

On 26 December 2004, an undersea earthquake near Indonesia produced waves that damaged coasts across the Indian Ocean.

Sensors are instruments that detect changes; satellites operate in space and support observation and communication. Warning networks combine these tools to alert countries.

1. A powerful earthquake beneath the Indian Ocean near Indonesia triggered the tsunami.
2. Giant waves spread across the ocean and struck several countries, exposing a shared danger.
3. The destruction revealed an urgent need for better systems to give early warnings.
4. India worked with Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and other Indian Ocean countries to create a network of sensors, satellites and communication links.
5. The Indian Tsunami Early Warning Centre in Hyderabad helps alert India and neighbouring countries, potentially saving many lives.

Warning systems help countries respond to a shared risk. The Hyderabad centre’s alerts potentially save lives when earthquakes strike the ocean floor; they do not prevent the earthquakes themselves.

What is SAARC intended to achieve?

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, abbreviated as SAARC, was formed in 1985. Its members are Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It aims to advance common interests and social, cultural and economic progress.

SAARC supports sharing resources for science, education, health and other development needs. Political tensions among some members have often disrupted its functioning. Regional cooperation is therefore an aim requiring continuing effort, rather than a guarantee that all disagreements have ended.

Across the neighbourhood, trade, pilgrimage, culture and transport have connected people over centuries. Indian films, music and television often help sustain these bonds today. Shared challenges add practical reasons to cooperate alongside these longstanding human connections.

Glossary

• Maritime neighbour — A country connected to another through a shared sea or ocean, even without a direct land border.
• Regionalism — Cooperation among countries in a region to support shared progress, stability and peace.
• Exports — Goods sent out of one country for sale in another country.
• Imports — Goods brought into a country from another country for use or sale.
• Balance of trade — A comparison between the value of a country’s exports and its imports.
• Open border — An arrangement permitting people of two countries to cross their border without passports or visas.
• Landlocked — Describes a country surrounded by land with no direct access to the sea.
• Hydroelectric power — Electricity generated using flowing water, an important area of India-Bhutan cooperation.
• Transboundary river — A river belonging to a system that crosses the boundaries between countries.
• Archipelago — An extensive group of islands, such as the islands making up Indonesia.
• Stupa — A Buddhist shrine keeping sacred relics of revered figures, often built in a dome shape.
• Mandala — A geometric symbol used in Hindu, Buddhist and Jaina rituals, generally representing the entire universe.
• Ingot — A metal block shaped to make it convenient to transport and work again.
• Trilateral — Involving three countries, as in the highway linking India, Myanmar and Thailand.
• SAARC — The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, formed to advance shared interests and regional development.

Common errors and misconceptions

• Misconception: Countries must share a land border to be neighbours. Correct: A shared sea or ocean can connect maritime neighbours, including India with Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
• Misconception: Visa-free travel through Kartarpur requires no permission. Correct: Indian pilgrims using the corridor do not need a visa, but they do need a permit.
• Misconception: An open India-Nepal border means security is ignored. Correct: The two countries cooperate to keep the border safe and prevent misuse while allowing movement without passports or visas.
• Misconception: Strong trade proves that India and China have no disputes. Correct: Large commercial exchanges coexist with tensions mostly connected with the shared border and efforts towards dialogue.
• Misconception: Indonesia is one continuous landmass. Correct: It is an archipelago containing several large islands and over 17,000 smaller islands across the maritime region.
• Misconception: A one-metre sea-level rise affecting the Maldives is certain. Correct: The projection is that sea level could rise by that amount by the century’s end.
• Misconception: SAARC’s existence means regional political tensions have ended. Correct: Political tensions among some members have often disrupted its work despite its goals of shared development.

Exam-style questions with model answers

Q1. A maritime neighbour is linked to another country by a shared sea or ocean, even without a direct land boundary. Sri Lanka and the Maldives are India’s immediate neighbours across the sea. Using these facts, explain maritime neighbourhood and name the two examples. [2 marks]

1. A maritime neighbour is connected by a shared sea or ocean; a direct land border is not required.
2. Sri Lanka and the Maldives are two immediate maritime neighbours of India.

Q2. In 2024-2025, India’s chief exports to China were iron ore, chemicals and cotton yarn. Imports included electronic items and industrial equipment. Chinese exports to India were worth about eight times more than Indian exports to China. Tensions were mostly border-related, with efforts towards trade and dialogue. Explain three features of this relationship using these facts. [3 marks]

1. The countries trade different goods: India supplies iron ore, chemicals and cotton yarn, while receiving electronic items and industrial equipment from China.
2. The value of trade is unequal. Chinese exports to India are worth about eight times more, so the balance favours China.
3. Commercial links coexist with tensions mostly related to the border. Efforts involving trade and dialogue seek to address disagreements rather than showing that disputes have already ended.

Q3. India and Nepal allow citizens to cross their shared border without passports or visas. This helps people maintain family connections and access employment, education and healthcare. The countries also cooperate to prevent misuse and keep the border safe. Explain four benefits of this arrangement from the information given. [4 marks]

1. Families living on different sides of the border can maintain connections through easier visits, without needing passports or visas.
2. People can cross the border for employment, helping them access work across the two countries.
3. Students and other residents can travel across the border to obtain education and healthcare.
4. Joint attention to safety and preventing misuse helps sustain the arrangement alongside the freedom of movement it provides.

Q4. India supports hydroelectric projects in Bhutan that contribute to Bhutan’s growth and supply renewable energy to India. In Afghanistan, it has supported education, healthcare, the Parliament building and the Zaranj-Delaram highway. It helped restore Myanmar’s earthquake-damaged Ananda temple and assisted the Maldives during the 2014 water crisis in Malé. Using only these facts, explain five forms of neighbourhood cooperation. [5 marks]

1. Energy cooperation benefits both India and Bhutan. Hydroelectric projects contribute to Bhutan’s economic growth and provide renewable electricity to India.
2. India supports education and healthcare in Afghanistan. These forms of assistance address learning and health needs within the neighbouring country.
3. Support for the Afghan Parliament building and the Zaranj-Delaram highway illustrates cooperation in infrastructure, including public buildings and transport connections.
4. India’s help in restoring Myanmar’s earthquake-damaged Ananda temple illustrates cooperation in protecting cultural heritage after damage caused by a natural disaster.
5. Assistance to the Maldives during the 2014 water crisis in Malé illustrates emergency relief, another practical way of helping a neighbour.

Q5. On 26 December 2004, an earthquake beneath the Indian Ocean near Indonesia triggered a tsunami. Giant waves damaged several countries’ coasts, exposing the need for better warnings. India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and other Indian Ocean countries created a network of sensors, satellites and communication links. The warning centre in Hyderabad alerts India and neighbours, potentially saving lives. Trace the movement from shared danger to cooperation in five points. [5 marks]

1. The initial event was the undersea earthquake near Indonesia on 26 December 2004, which triggered the tsunami in the Indian Ocean.
2. Giant waves travelled across the ocean and damaged coasts in several countries. The danger therefore affected a wider region.
3. The destruction showed that countries needed better early warnings. It revealed a shared need rather than a problem affecting one country alone.
4. India worked with Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and other Indian Ocean countries to establish linked sensors, satellites and communication facilities.
5. The centre in Hyderabad helps alert India and neighbouring countries. These warnings can potentially save lives, illustrating cooperation in response to shared danger.

Q6. Buddhism reached China from India around the 1st century CE through trade and pilgrimage routes; Chinese monks later visited Indian learning centres. Mahendra and Sanghamitra introduced Buddhism to Sri Lanka in the 3rd century BCE. Guru Padmasambhava introduced Vajrayana Buddhism to Bhutan in the 8th century CE, and Bhutanese pilgrims frequently visit sacred sites in India. Explain four cultural connections using these facts. [4 marks]

1. India and China were connected by the movement of Buddhism around the 1st century CE through trading routes and pilgrimages.
2. Chinese monks visiting Indian learning centres created intellectual connections, showing that religious exchanges also involved journeys for knowledge.
3. Mahendra and Sanghamitra’s introduction of Buddhism to Sri Lanka in the 3rd century BCE established a lasting religious connection.
4. Bhutan’s ties include Guru Padmasambhava’s introduction of Vajrayana in the 8th century CE and frequent Bhutanese pilgrimages to sacred Indian sites.

Key takeaways

• India’s neighbourhood includes land neighbours and countries connected through seas, with geography supporting commerce, cultural exchange and regional cooperation.
• India’s peninsular position and approximately 11,100 km coastline provide access to important sea routes between surrounding regions.
• Buddhist teachings, pilgrims, scholars and traders built connections between India and several neighbours over many centuries.
• Nepal’s open border supports family visits, education, healthcare and employment, while both countries cooperate to keep the border safe.
• Shared rivers connect India and Bangladesh, while rivers from Bhutan support agriculture and cooperation in hydroelectric power generation.
• India’s smaller neighbours have received assistance involving development projects, cultural restoration and emergency relief, reflecting several forms of cooperation.
• The 2004 tsunami encouraged Indian Ocean countries to cooperate on early warnings using sensors, satellites and communication links.
• Political tensions and environmental challenges persist alongside regional partnerships, making dialogue and sustained cooperation important parts of neighbourhood relations.

Test yourself

Which countries belong to India’s wider maritime neighbourhood besides Sri Lanka and the Maldives?

Iran, Oman, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia also belong to this wider neighbourhood connected through seas and historical maritime routes.

What does regionalism mean?

Regionalism means countries working together for the benefit of their region, supporting peace, stability and shared progress through cooperation.

How does Kartarpur’s crossing differ from a journey requiring a visa?

Pilgrims using the Kartarpur Corridor need a permit but no visa to visit Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, Pakistan.

What is Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness Index intended to assess?

It assesses national progress through a wider view that includes sustainability, good governance and the promotion of culture, among other concerns.

Why is Myanmar important for India’s connections with Southeast Asia?

Myanmar shares land and maritime boundaries with India and forms part of the highway route from Manipur to Thailand through Myanmar.

How does Chabahar Port connect India’s regional interests?

India is helping develop the Iranian port because it improves access to Afghanistan and Central Asia, alongside cooperation in trade, energy and transport.

What limitation has affected SAARC?

Political tensions among some members have often disrupted its functioning, even though the association aims to promote shared interests and regional development.

Why should the Maldives’ projected sea-level rise retain the word “could”?

“Could” expresses a possible future outcome. Removing it would incorrectly turn a qualified projection into a statement that the rise is certain.