Question

Which one of the following is not sharing common boundary with India?

• A. Afghanistan
• B. China
• C. Myanmar
• D. Maldives

Hint:

While Maldives is an island neighbor of India sharing maritime ties, it does not possess a direct physical land boundary with India.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Concept: India shares land borders with seven distinct nations and maritime borders with several neighbors in the Indian Ocean region. A "common boundary" traditionally refers to direct contiguous land borders.

Step 1: Let us analyze the land boundaries of India:
• Afghanistan shares a land border with India in the northern region of Jammu and Kashmir (along the Wakhan Corridor, currently Gilgit-Baltistan).
• China shares an extensive land boundary with India across the northern and northeastern borders.
• Myanmar shares a continuous land boundary with India's northeastern states (Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram).

Step 2: The Maldives is an island nation located southwest of India in the Indian Ocean. It shares a maritime boundary with India (separated by the Eight Degree Channel near Lakshadweep) but does not share any direct *land* or contiguous terrestrial common boundary. Thus, it fits the requirement of the question perfectly.