Records and Firsts
A fast list of "largest, longest, highest, first" facts. Re-check any figure that can change (production ranks, counts, newly opened projects).
Physical records
| Item | Answer |
|---|---|
| Highest peak in India (Indian-administered area) | Kangchenjunga (8,586 m; third highest in the world) |
| Highest peak in India's claimed territory | K2 (Godwin-Austen), in Gilgit-Baltistan (8,611 m) |
| Highest peak of peninsular India | Anamudi (2,695 m, Kerala) |
| Highest peak of Eastern Ghats | Arma Konda / Jindhagada (about 1,690 m) |
| Highest peak of Aravallis | Guru Shikhar (1,722 m, Mount Abu) |
| Longest river in India | Ganga (about 2,525 km in India) |
| Longest peninsular river | Godavari (about 1,465 km) |
| Largest river basin | Ganga |
| Largest delta | Ganga-Brahmaputra (Sundarbans) |
| Largest river island | Majuli (Assam) |
| Largest freshwater lake | Wular (J&K); also described as Kolleru or Loktak by different criteria. State your basis |
| Largest brackish lagoon | Chilika (Odisha) |
| Largest saltwater lake | Chilika (lagoon) |
| Largest artificial lake (reservoir) | Govind Sagar (Bhakra) |
| Longest glacier | Siachen (about 70 km) |
| Highest waterfall | Kunchikal (Karnataka, 455 m); Jog is the best known |
| Highest dam | Tehri (260.5 m) |
| Longest dam | Hirakud (about 26 km) |
| Longest canal | Indira Gandhi Canal |
| Largest desert | Thar |
| Longest coastline (state) | Gujarat |
| Largest state by area | Rajasthan |
| Largest UT by area | Ladakh |
| Wettest place | Mawsynram |
| Hottest place (often cited) | Churu / Ganganagar (Rajasthan) in the Thar region |
| Coldest inhabited place | Drass |
| Highest motorable pass (list) | Umling La (about 19,300 ft) |
| Longest road tunnel | Atal Tunnel (9.02 km); the Zojila tunnel will be longer when complete |
Resource and economic records
| Item | Answer |
|---|---|
| Largest producer of milk | India (Uttar Pradesh leads among states) |
| Largest producer of sugarcane (state) | Uttar Pradesh |
| Largest producer of tea (state) | Assam |
| Largest coffee state | Karnataka |
| Largest oil field | Mumbai High |
| First oil well | Digboi (1889) |
| Largest coal state by reserve | Jharkhand (rank varies) |
| Largest steel producer in public sector | SAIL |
| Largest refinery | Jamnagar |
| Largest solar park (one of) | Bhadla (Rajasthan) |
| Largest port by cargo | Mundra (private); Deendayal / Kandla among major ports |
| Largest container port | JNPT (major ports) |
| First nuclear plant | Tarapur (1969) |
| Longest railway platform | Gorakhpur |
| First railway | 1853, Bori Bunder-Thane |
Biodiversity records
| Item | Answer |
|---|---|
| First national park | Jim Corbett (1936) |
| Largest national park | Hemis |
| Only floating national park | Keibul Lamjao |
| Home of the Asiatic lion | Gir |
| Only park with four big cats | Namdapha |
| First biosphere reserve | Nilgiri (1986) |
| Largest mangrove | Sundarbans |
Keep practising
Notes are only half the work. Test yourself with questions and discuss doubts with other aspirants.
Prepared for exam revision from NCERT, standard geography textbooks, the Census of India 2011, the India State of Forest Report, IMD, Ministry of Agriculture and other official sources. Maps are schematic teaching maps, not Survey of India maps, and zone boundaries are approximate. Figures such as production, capacity, counts of parks and ports, and census status change, so check the latest official source before relying on them. Found a mistake? Tell us.