Question.
What are the implications of India having a long coastline?
(Chapter-1 India — Location, Class 11 NCERT geography "India Physical Environment")
Answer.
India has a long coastline. The coastline of mainland India is about 6100 km; The coastline of the mainland as well as Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar Islands is approximately 7517 km. India's long coastline is an asset of the country, India having a long coastline has the following positive effects:
Economic benefits:
Long coastlines provide access to maritime trade and marine resources. The long coastline provides huge economic opportunities such as fishing, port availability for trade, offshore wind power, tidal energy, sources of sea salt, etc. Millions of jobs are generated due to the long coastline. Coastline states are more prosperous than non-coastal states because ports are gateways to international trade and international markets.
Defense and Strategic Advantage:
Large beaches provide a strategic location for India to monitor the activities of other countries at sea. For example, the strategic location of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands provides India to monitor China's activities in the Indian Ocean as well as in the Bay of Bengal. Long coastlines are safer than land borders because it is easier to monitor the ocean than land.
Territorial Expansion:
According to the international law of the sea, the territorial limits of coastal countries are 12 nautical miles (approximately 22 km) from coast to sea. This means that the larger the coastline, the larger the areas of the country.
Environmental Beauty and Tourist Places:
The islands and long coastlines offer much beautiful scenery for tourism that attracts both domestic and foreign tourists. It provides employment opportunities to lakhs of local people.
Access to marine minerals and polymetallic nodules:
Polymetallic nodules are found in deep-sea abyssal plains. Due to India's long coastline, India has got the right to mine it in the deep sea.
Making pleasant Climate :
The long coastline makes the climate of most of India's region pleasant. The area which is away from the sea like the region of Rajasthan, Punjab, and Haryana, it gets very cold in the cold season and gets more heat during the summer.
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