Framing the neighbourhood

When we think of a neighbour, we usually picture a country that shares a land border with us. In that sense India's neighbours are Pakistan and Afghanistan in the northwest, China (its region of Tibet), Nepal and Bhutan in the north, and Bangladesh and Myanmar in the east.

A memory trick for the land neighbours: 'Bachpan mein MBA' — Bangladesh, China, Pakistan, Nepal, Myanmar, Bhutan, Afghanistan. (A map is still the best way to remember them.)

India's land border is over 15,100 km long and runs through deserts, plains, forests, mountains, marshes and river valleys.

But India has always been a maritime (sea-going) nation, with sea on three sides. So Sri Lanka and the Maldives are our close neighbours across the water. Look from a satellite and Iran, Oman, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia are part of our sea neighbourhood too.

A maritime neighbour is a country connected to another by a shared sea or ocean, even without a land border. For centuries the ocean has been a link, carrying trade, culture and ideas. The sea joins as much as it divides.

The Indian Ocean is the world's third-largest ocean and one of its busiest routes: half of the world's container ships, one-third of its bulk cargo and two-thirds of its oil cross it. The countries around it are home to about 2.7 billion people.

India's coastline is about 11,100 km long, and its peninsula (land with sea on three sides) juts deep into the Indian Ocean. That gives India access to important sea routes and makes it a link between Southeast Asia, West Asia and Africa.

India's ports are gateways for imports and exports, and its central position helps it send quick aid and disaster relief to the region. Working together like this with neighbours is called regionalism. It builds peace, stability and shared progress: being a good neighbour is about working together, not just about borders.