Nepal vs. India
Geography
| Nepal | India | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Southern Asia, between China and India | Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan |
| Geographic coordinates | 28 00 N, 84 00 E | 20 00 N, 77 00 E |
| Map references | Asia | Asia |
| Area | total: 147,181 sq km land: 143,351 sq km water: 3,830 sq km | total: 3,287,263 sq km land: 2,973,193 sq km water: 314,070 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly larger than New York state | slightly more than one-third the size of the US |
| Land boundaries | total: 3,159 km border countries (2): China 1389 km, India 1770 km | total: 13,888 km border countries (6): Bangladesh 4142 km, Bhutan 659 km, Burma 1468 km, China 2659 km, Nepal 1770 km, Pakistan 3190 km |
| Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 7,000 km |
| Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
| Climate | varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers and mild winters in south | varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north |
| Terrain | Tarai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south; central hill region with rugged Himalayas in north | upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling plain along the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Mount Everest (highest peak in Asia and highest point on earth above sea level) 8,849 m lowest point: Kanchan Kalan 70 m mean elevation: 2,565 m | highest point: Kanchenjunga 8,586 m lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 160 m |
| Natural resources | quartz, water, timber, hydropower, scenic beauty, small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore | coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), antimony, iron ore, lead, manganese, mica, bauxite, rare earth elements, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum, limestone, arable land |
| Land use | agricultural land: 28.8% (2018 est.) arable land: 15.1% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 1.2% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 12.5% (2018 est.) forest: 25.4% (2018 est.) other: 45.8% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 60.5% (2018 est.) arable land: 52.8% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 4.2% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 3.5% (2018 est.) forest: 23.1% (2018 est.) other: 16.4% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 13,320 sq km (2012) | 667,000 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | severe thunderstorms; flooding; landslides; drought and famine depending on the timing, intensity, and duration of the summer monsoons | droughts; flash floods, as well as widespread and destructive flooding from monsoonal rains; severe thunderstorms; earthquakes volcanism: Barren Island (354 m) in the Andaman Sea has been active in recent years |
| Environment - current issues | deforestation (overuse of wood for fuel and lack of alternatives); forest degradation; soil erosion; contaminated water (with human and animal wastes, agricultural runoff, and industrial effluents); unmanaged solid-waste; wildlife conservation; vehicular emissions | deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; desertification; air pollution from industrial effluents and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage and runoff of agricultural pesticides; tap water is not potable throughout the country; huge and growing population is overstraining natural resources; preservation and quality of forests; biodiversity loss |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Marine Life Conservation | party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protection, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 2006, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Geography - note | landlocked; strategic location between China and India; contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks, including Mount Everest and Kanchenjunga - the world's tallest and third tallest mountains - on the borders with China and India respectively | dominates South Asian subcontinent; near important Indian Ocean trade routes; Kanchenjunga, third tallest mountain in the world, lies on the border with Nepal |
| Total renewable water resources | 210.2 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 1,910,900,000,000 cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | most of the population is divided nearly equally between a concentration in the southern-most plains of the Tarai region and the central hilly region; overall density is quite low | with the notable exception of the deserts in the northwest, including the Thar Desert, and the mountain fringe in the north, a very high population density exists throughout most of the country; the core of the population is in the north along the banks of the Ganges, with other river valleys and southern coastal areas also having large population concentrations |
Source: CIA Factbook
