India has 15,106.7 km of land border running through 92 districts in 17 States and a coastline of 7,516.6 km [6,100 km of mainland coastline + coastline of 1,197 Indian islands] touching 13 States and Union Territories (UTs).
Barring Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Delhi, Haryana, and Telangana, all other States in the country have one or more international borders or a coastline and can be regarded as frontline States from the point of view of border management.
India’s longest border is with Bangladesh, while the shortest border is with Afghanistan.
The length of India’s land borders with neighboring countries varies, with the border with China being the second longest.
This is the second longest border of India, next only to its border with Bangladesh.
Five Indian states, namely Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh touch the Indian boundary with China.
The Sino-Indian border is generally divided into three sectors:
Western Sector:
Separates Jammu and Kashmir (Ladakh) from the Xinjiang province of China.
This sector's boundary is largely the outcome of British policy towards Jammu and Kashmir.
China claims the Aksai Chin district, the Changmo valley, Pangong Tso, and the Sponggar Tso area of north-east Ladakh, as well as a strip of about 5,000 sq km down the entire length of eastern Ladakh.
China also claims part of the Hunza-Gilgit area in North Kashmir (ceded to it in 1963 by Pakistan).
Middle Sector:
Two Indian states, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, touch this border.
India shares about 625 km long boundary with China in this sector, running along the watershed from Ladakh to Nepal.
There is not much disagreement over the border in this area.
Eastern Sector:
The 1,140 km long boundary between India and China runs from the eastern limit of Bhutan to a point near Diphu pass (Talu Pass) at the trijunction of India, Tibet, and Myanmar.
This line is referred to as the McMahon Line, after Sir Henry McMahon, who negotiated the boundary agreement between Great Britain and Tibet at the Shimla Accord in 1913-14.
China considers the McMahon Line illegal and unacceptable, claiming that Tibetan representatives who signed the 1914 Convention held in Shimla had no rights to do so.
India shares about 2,152 km long border with China in this sector, between the Union Territory of Ladakh and Xinjiang Province of China.
There is a territorial dispute over Aksai Chin, with India claiming it as part of Jammu and Kashmir, while China claims it as part of Xinjiang.
The dispute can be traced back to the failure of the British Empire to clearly demarcate a legal border between China and its Indian colony.
Two borders between India and China were proposed during British rule:
Johnson’s Line (1865): Shows Aksai Chin as part of Jammu and Kashmir (now Ladakh) under India’s control.
McDonald Line (1893): Places Aksai Chin under China’s control.
India considers Johnson Line as the correct national border, while China considers McDonald Line as the correct border.
The Line of Actual Control (LAC) currently separates Indian areas of Ladakh from Aksai Chin and is concurrent with the Chinese Aksai Chin claim line.
Middle Sector:
In this sector, India shares about 625 km long boundary with China, running along the watershed from Ladakh to Nepal.
Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand touch this border with Tibet (China). Both sides have minimal disagreement over this border.
Eastern Sector:
India shares a 1,140 km long boundary with China in this sector, running from the eastern limit of Bhutan to a point near the Talu Pass at the trijunction of Tibet, India, and Myanmar.
This boundary line is called the McMahon Line.
China considers the McMahon Line illegal and unacceptable, claiming that Tibetan representatives who signed the 1914 Convention held in Shimla had no rights to do so.
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