India's Neighbours

India is commonly counted as having seven land neighbours: Pakistan and Afghanistan in the northwest, China, Nepal, and Bhutan in the north, and Bangladesh and Myanmar in the east. These countries share a land boundary with India. Sri Lanka and the Maldives are maritime neighbours because they are separated from India by sea, so they are not included in this count.

Therefore, option C, seven, is the expected answer in the standard school geography classification. The important step is to count only countries connected by a land boundary and to keep maritime neighbours separate. Although the India–Afghanistan boundary is politically sensitive because of the region administered by Pakistan, school textbooks generally include Afghanistan in the conventional total of seven land neighbours.

Correct answer: A, Pakistan. To solve this, first imagine India on a map and identify the directions around it. Pakistan lies on India’s western side and extends toward the north-west. Myanmar is generally to the east, Bangladesh is to the east, and Sri Lanka is an island country to the south of India across the sea. Therefore, only Pakistan fits the direction asked in the question. B is wrong because Myanmar is an eastern neighbour. C is wrong because Bangladesh lies mainly to India’s east. D is wrong because Sri Lanka is a southern maritime neighbour, not a north-western land neighbour. Memory cue: Pakistan is west or north-west, China is north, and Myanmar and Bangladesh are east.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are mentioned in the north-west. Exam tip: remember north-western neighbours together.

Direct answer: Option A, China, is correct. To solve a direction question, imagine a map of the Indian subcontinent. India has the Himalayan region along its northern side, and China lies beyond much of this northern boundary. Therefore China is a northern neighbour. Option A works because it is the country located to India’s north in this set. Option B, Maldives, is wrong because it is an island country in the Indian Ocean to the south-west or south of India, not to the north. Option C, Sri Lanka, is wrong because it is an island immediately south of India, separated by the Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar. Option D, Myanmar, is wrong for this question because Myanmar is generally placed to India’s east, especially toward the north-east, rather than being the intended northern neighbour. A useful map cue is: China and Nepal lie along the northern side, Bhutan is also in the north, while Sri Lanka and Maldives are in the south. Memory trick: Himalayas above India—China, Nepal and Bhutan.

Correct answer: C, China. India’s northern neighbours include China, Nepal and Bhutan. These countries lie along the Himalayan side of India, although their exact positions and boundary stretches are not identical. A, Maldives, is an island country in the Indian Ocean and is not a northern land neighbour. B, Sri Lanka, is an island country south of India, separated by the sea. D, Bangladesh, lies mainly to the east of India rather than being grouped with the northern neighbours in this question. The important step is to connect the Himalayas with China, Nepal and Bhutan. Memory cue: the northern group is C-N-B—China, Nepal and Bhutan.

Direct answer: Option D, Bangladesh, is correct. Look at India’s eastern side on a map. Bangladesh shares a long boundary with India on the east, especially beside West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. Therefore it is an eastern neighbour. Option A, Pakistan, is wrong because Pakistan lies mainly to India’s west and north-west. Option B, Afghanistan, is wrong because it is far to the north-west and does not represent India’s eastern neighbour in this question. Option C, Maldives, is wrong because it is an island country in the Indian Ocean to the south-west or south of India. Option D works because Bangladesh is clearly located on India’s eastern side and is directly connected to India by land. Do not decide only from memory of names; picture the map and identify the direction from India’s centre. Memory cue: Pakistan west, Bangladesh east, Sri Lanka south, China and Nepal north.

Myanmar and Bangladesh are India's eastern neighbours. Exam tip: remember eastern neighbours together.

Sri Lanka is India's maritime neighbour and an island country. Exam tip: remember island neighbours separately.

Maldives is a maritime neighbour south of Lakshadweep. Exam tip: connect Maldives with Lakshadweep.

The Gulf of Mannar also lies between India and Sri Lanka. Exam tip: remember Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar together.

Sri Lanka and Maldives are India's maritime neighbours. Exam tip: keep them separate from land neighbours.

Nepal is a land neighbour of India because it shares a land boundary with India. It lies along India’s northern side, near the Himalayan region, and there is no sea separating the two countries. This makes the relationship different from that with island or maritime neighbours, which are connected mainly across water.

Option B is therefore correct. Sri Lanka and the Maldives are commonly identified as maritime or island neighbours because they lie across surrounding seas. Nepal is neither an island nor a polar country, and calling it a maritime neighbour would ignore the direct land boundary. The important point is the type of physical boundary: India and Nepal are connected by land.

Bhutan shares a land boundary with India, so it is a land neighbour of India. The India–Bhutan border touches the Indian states of Sikkim, West Bengal, Assam, and Arunachal Pradesh. A maritime neighbour is separated by sea, such as Sri Lanka. Exam tip: Remember Bhutan as one of India’s north-eastern land neighbours.

China is India's northern land neighbour. Exam tip: remember China with Nepal and Bhutan in the north.

Bangladesh is located to the east of India. Exam tip: remember Bangladesh as an eastern neighbour.

Myanmar lies to the east of India. India’s northeastern and eastern side connects with Myanmar, especially through the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, and Mizoram. This location has made Myanmar an important neighbour for movement, cultural contact, and regional trade. Direction questions become easier when the country is placed on a simple mental map of India.

The correct choice is A, East. Pakistan and Afghanistan are associated with India’s north-western side, while Sri Lanka and the Maldives are maritime neighbours to the south. Myanmar is not a western or southern land neighbour in the usual school geography classification. Remembering Myanmar together with Bangladesh as an eastern neighbour can help, although the two countries are located in somewhat different parts of the eastern side. Thus, east is the appropriate direction.

Afghanistan is considered India's neighbour in the north-west. Exam tip: remember it with Pakistan.

Pakistan lies to India's north-west. Exam tip: place Pakistan and Afghanistan in the north-west group.

Sri Lanka is separated from India by Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar. Exam tip: remember the names of these water bodies.

Maldives lies south of the Lakshadweep islands. Exam tip: remember the link between Maldives and Lakshadweep.

Sri Lanka is India's maritime neighbour, not a land neighbour. Exam tip: separate maritime and land neighbours.

Nepal is India's land neighbour, not a maritime neighbour. Exam tip: remember Nepal as a northern land neighbour.

India’s northern side is associated with the Himalayan region and the countries located along or beyond that northern land frontier. China, Nepal, and Bhutan are the standard group of northern neighbours in school geography. All three are connected with India through land boundaries in the northern part of the country, although their exact positions and boundary lengths differ.

Option A is therefore correct. Sri Lanka and the Maldives are island or maritime neighbours, while Myanmar is generally placed to India’s east. Bangladesh is an eastern neighbour, and Afghanistan is associated with the north-western neighbourhood but is not included in this standard three-country northern group. The question asks for the recognised group, which is China, Nepal, and Bhutan.

Myanmar and Bangladesh are neighbours located to India's east. Exam tip: remember the eastern group together.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are considered to India's north-west. Exam tip: remember this directional group.