Neighbouring Countries of India — All 9 Countries with Borders Explained

India's Land Neighbours (6 countries — sharing direct land border):

1. Pakistan • Shares the longest western border with India • Border line: Radcliffe Line (drawn 1947 at Partition) • States bordering Pakistan: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir • Capital: Islamabad

2. China • India's longest international land border (overall) • Border line: Line of Actual Control (LAC); McMahon Line in the east • States/UTs bordering China: Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh • Capital: Beijing

3. Nepal • Open border (free movement allowed) • States bordering Nepal: Uttarakhand, UP, Bihar, West Bengal, Sikkim • Capital: Kathmandu

4. Bhutan • Landlocked; India is Bhutan's biggest trade partner • States bordering Bhutan: Sikkim, West Bengal, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh • Capital: Thimphu

5. Bangladesh • Surrounds India on three sides (east, north-east, south of West Bengal) • India has the world's longest fenced international border with Bangladesh • States bordering Bangladesh: West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram • Capital: Dhaka

6. Myanmar (Burma) • India's only land border with a Southeast Asian country • States bordering Myanmar: Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram • Capital: Naypyidaw

India's Sea/Maritime Neighbours (across the sea):

7. Sri Lanka • Separated from India by the Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar • Located south of Tamil Nadu • Capital: Colombo (commercial); Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (legislative)

8. Maldives • Archipelago nation southwest of India (Indian Ocean) • Capital: Malé

Note on Afghanistan: Afghanistan shares a border with the Pakistan-Occupied region of Jammu & Kashmir. Technically, India considers it a neighbour due to this claim, but there is no direct physical land border currently administered by India.

Key Numbers: • Total land border length: ~15,200 km • Total coastline: ~7,516 km • India borders the most countries in South Asia

1. Radcliffe Line — border between India and Pakistan (drawn by Sir Cyril Radcliffe in 1947)
2. McMahon Line — border between India and China in the northeast (1914; China disputes it)
3. Line of Actual Control (LAC) — de facto border between India and China
4. Line of Control (LoC) — military control line separating Indian and Pakistani parts of Jammu & Kashmir
5. Durand Line — border between Pakistan and Afghanistan (not India's direct border)

Trick to Remember India's Land Neighbours (clockwise from northwest): Pakistan → China → Nepal → Bhutan → Bangladesh → Myanmar (Mnemonic: 'Please Call Now, Because Borders Matter')