India — Land and States
How one landmass ended up holding a sixth of humanity
Free trail · General Knowledge · ages 11–12 · 6 stations
Why India Has This Shape
India is a triangle hanging off Asia with a wall of mountains across the top, and that shape explains almost everything about its weather, its farming and its people. Flip every card to see how it got there.
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About 100 million years ago the Indian plate broke away from a southern supercontinent and drifted north across the ocean, travelling roughly 15 cm a year — fast, for a continent.
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The collision, starting around 50 million years ago, had nowhere to send the crumpled rock except upwards. That upward buckling is the Himalayas, and the plate is still pushing.
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The Himalayas block dry, freezing air from Central Asia, so north India stays far warmer in winter than places at the same latitude in China or America.
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Monsoon winds loaded with sea moisture cannot climb over the range, so they dump their water on India instead of crossing into Tibet. Beyond the wall lies desert.
This is one station of 6 in the trail, and finishing the trail earns an Explorer badge. Create a free account to play the rest →
Inside the app
The station above is the real thing — and it is one of 6. Inside the app your child plays the whole trail — every station is something they touch, drag and try, each one earns a checkmark, finishing the trail awards an Explorer badge, and the Practice Zone builds a fresh set of questions every visit. Progress is saved to their player, so they can stop and pick it up later.
What your child does, station by station
Learning mode has no timers, no scores and no wrong answers — every station is something the child touches and moves. This trail is one of the free ones, so it opens on any account.
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Why India Has This Shape
Flip cards
India is a triangle hanging off Asia with a wall of mountains across the top, and that shape explains almost everything about its weather, its farming and its people. Flip every card to see how it got there.
India’s outline is not an accident — it is the record of a continent crashing into Asia.
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States and What Marks Them Out
Matching pairs
India has 28 states and 8 union territories, and most state borders were redrawn in 1956 to follow the language people actually spoke. Match each state to what sets it apart.
Match each state to the thing that genuinely distinguishes it.
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Neighbours by Land and by Sea
Sorting baskets
India shares a land border with seven countries and a maritime boundary — a line drawn in the sea — with several more. Sort each neighbour by how you would reach it.
Some neighbours you can walk to. Others you can only reach by boat.
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A Century of Counting
Slider explorer
India has counted its people every ten years since 1881. The numbers do not just rise — the rate of rise changes, and that change is the real story. Slide through the census years.
Slide through the census years and watch India’s population curve bend.
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What Most People Get Wrong
Try it
Each of these is repeated confidently by adults all the time. Each one is wrong. Work out why.
Four claims about India that sound right and are not.
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Practice Zone
Practice Zone
Ten questions matched to this topic — a proper practice set, fresh every time.
Ten questions on this topic. New ones every time you come back.
Free printable worksheet
Ten questions from this topic on one page, with an answer key at the bottom — a PDF you can print for homework, a car journey or a classroom. No account needed and nothing to sign up for. The Practice Zone in the app builds a fresh set every visit; this is a fixed set you can hold.
More General Knowledge for ages 11–12
🏺 Ancient India · 🕌 Medieval India · ⛓️ The Freedom Movement · 📜 The Constitution and Government · 🌍 The Continents · 🏙️ Countries and Capitals · 🏔️ Rivers, Mountains and Deserts · 🌦️ Climate and Environment
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