All About INDIA

1. Iron and steel industry
• First steel industry at Kulti, Near Jharia, West Bengal - Bengal iron works company in 1870
• First large scale steal plant TISCO at Jamshedpur in 1907 followed by IISCO at Burnpur in 1919. Both belonged to private sector
• The first public sector unit was "Vishveshvaraya Iron and Stell works" at Bhadrawati
2. Public sector steel plants
• Russian government -

  Location	Assistance
  Rourkela(Orrisa)	Germany
  Bhilai(MP)	Russian government
  Durga[ir(WB)	British government
  Bokaro(Jharkhand)
  Burnpur(WB)	Acquired from private sector in 1976
  Vishakhapattnam(AP)	Russian government
  Salem(Tamil Nadu)	-
  Vijai Nagar(Karnataka)
  Bhadrawati(Karnataka)	nationalisation of Vishveshvarayya Iron and Steel Ltd(owned by Central and State government)

• all these are managed by SAIL(at present all important steel plants except TISCO, are under public sector)
• steel authority of India Ltd(SAIL) was established in 1974 and was made responsible for the development of the steel industry
• Presently India is the eighth largest steel producing country in the world.
3. Jute industry
• Jute industry is an important industry for a country like India, because not only it earns foreign exchange but also provides substantial employment opportunities in agriculture and industrial sectors
• Its first modernised industrial unit was established at Reshra in West Bengal in 1855
• The jute industry in the country is traditionally export oriented. India ranks number one in the raw jute and juite goods production and number two in export of jute goods in the world.
4. Cotton and textile industry
• Oldest industry of India, and employees largest number of workers
• It is the largest organised and broad-based industry which accounts for 4% of GDP, 20% of manufacturing value-added and one third of total export earnings.
• The first Indian modernised cotton cloth mill was established in 1818 at Fort Gloaster near Calcutta but this mill was not successful. The second mill named "Mumbai's spinning and weaving Co." Was established in 1854 at Bombay by KGN Daber.
5. Sugar industry
• Sugar industry is the second largest industry after cotton textile industry among agriculture-based industries in India.
• India is now the largest producer and consumer of sugar in the world. Maharashtra contributes over one third of the total sugar output, followed closely by Uttar Pradesh.
6. Fertiliser industry
• India is the third largest producer of nitrogenous fertilisers in the world
7. Paper industry
• The first mechanised paper mill was set up in 1812 at Serampur in West Bengal.
• The paper industry in India is ranked among the 15 top global paper industries.
8. Silk industry
• India is the second-largest(first being China) country in the world in producing natural silk. At present, India produces about 16% silk of the world.
• India and joys that distinction of being the only country producing all the five known commercial varieties of silk viz Mulberry, Tropical Tussar, Oak Tussar, Eri and Muga.
9. Petroleum and natural gas
• First successful Oilwell was dug in India in 1889 at Digboi, Assam.
• at present a number of regions having oil reserves have been identified and oil is being extracted in these regions
• for exploration purpose , Oil and Natural Gas Commission (ONGC) was established in 1956 at Dehradun, Uttarakhand.

Following are the Geography Facts about India.

Location

Ocean

Physical Boundaries :- The sub-continent is isolated in a remarkable way from the rest of Asia, making it a geographical unit. For example, barring the plateau of Baluchistan the two great ranges, namely, the Sulaiman and the Kirthar, cut it off from the west. Along the North the great mountains wall formed by the Hindu Kush, Karakoram and the Himalayas, cut it off the countries that lie beyond as the mountains are very high and difficult to cross. Similarly, the Southward offshoots of the Eastern Himalayas separate it from Burma.

The Himalayas and other lofty mountains- Muztagh Ata, Aghil Kunlun Mountains to the north of Kashmir and south eastern portion of Zaskar mountains to east of Himachal Pradesh - from India's northern boundary, except in the Nepal region. She is adjoined in the north by China, Nepal and Bhutan. A series of mountain ranges in the east separate India from Burma. Also, in the east, lies Bangladesh bounded by Indian States of West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. In the north-west, Afghanistan and Pakistan border on India. The Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait separate India from Srilanka.

Locational Advantage:- India is a unique country as it is easily accessible to other parts of Asia, Africa, Europe and Americas. Its cultural influences have crossed its border from time immemorial and reached far off lands. It acts as a bridge head between developed and developing countries of the world and between the East and the West. India's strength lies in its geography as much as in its culture. Since the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, distance between India and Europe has been reduced by 7000 kms. India enjoys a favourable ocean routes from East and South-East Asia and Australia to Africa and Europe pass through Indian Ocean. India is connected with the Cape of Good Hope and the Suez Canal. India can also reach Canada and the USA through the Strait of Malacca after crossing the Pacific Ocean.

Few Facts about some port:- Among major ports, Mumbai is the biggest. Kandla is a tidal port. Marmugao enjoys the second position by value of the tonnage of the bulk of which is export of Iron core. Vishakhapatnam is the deepest land-locked and protected port. Chennai has an artificial harbour, Kolkata is a riverine port, Haldia has a fully equipped containerised berth.

Shipping:- Overseas shipping has an extremely important role to play in India’s international trade. The country has the largest merchant shipping fleet among developing countries and ranks 17th in the world in shipping tonnage. There were 102 shipping companies in country operating as on 31 March 2000, includes shipping corporation of India, a public sector undertaking.

Following are the India Area and Boundaries details :-