Superlatives of India – List of the Biggest, Highest, Smallest and Largest Things
By BYJU'S Exam Prep
Updated on: November 14th, 2023
India is a vast land with several astonishing things, from famous monuments to long-running roads that connect the two ends of the country. Facts on the superlatives of India have been commonly asked in the UPSC Prelims and UPSC Mains, like the longest railway platform, tallest waterfall, or the largest state with the maximum number of neighboring states.
Thus, aspirants need to possess a piece of knowledge about the superlatives of India such as the biggest, smallest, highest, and largest things in India. Below you will find the list of the largest, smallest, biggest, highest, and longest bridges, roads, rail routes, coasts, borders, states, dams, lakes, water bodies, and man-made structures.
Table of content
Superlatives of India
The superlatives of India include the extremes of geography, like the tallest, longest, biggest, smallest, and highest things in India. Along with the naturally occurring structures in India, there are structures built by humans since old times that display great artwork and act as a center of attraction for tourism. Some of these structures were built in ancient times, while others are new.
List of Largest, Longest, Highest and Smallest in India
The candidates can walk through the tables illustrated herein to gain knowledge of the superlatives of India. The list of the longest, tallest, largest, and smallest things in India belonging to different categories is given in the tables below-
Longest, Tallest, Largest and Smallest Bridges, Roads, and Rail Routes in India-
Indian bridges, roads, and rail routes are the fascinating network built by the Indian railways to connect the country’s breadth and length. Among all, the Bogibeel bridge is India’s longest rail cum road bridge. Here is the list of the longest, tallest, and biggest bridges, roads, and rail routes-
|
Quality |
Category |
Description of Superlatives of India |
|
Biggest |
Cantilever bridge |
Rabindra Setu (Howrah Bridge), Kolkata |
|
Tallest (Highest) |
Road |
Leh- Manali at Khardungla, (Jammu and Kashmir) |
|
Largest in India |
Share of national highway |
Uttar Pradesh (8483 km) |
|
Largest |
Road density (KM per unit Area) |
Kerala (5268 km/km2) |
|
Largest in India |
Road Network (state) |
Maharashtra ( 6.08 lakhs km) |
|
Largest |
Sea Bridge |
Anna Indira Gandhi Bridge (Tamil Nadu) |
|
Longest |
longest Elevated Expressway |
Chennai Port Maduravoyal Elevated Expressway |
|
Longest |
Which State has the Longest Highway |
Uttar Pradesh (752 km) |
|
Longest |
Electric railway line |
From Delhi to Kolkata via Patna (1532 km) |
|
Longest |
Road |
Grand Trunk road from Delhi to Kolkata. (2500 km; one of the oldest roads in Asia). |
|
Longest |
National Highway |
NH-44 (Srinagar to Kanyakumari, 3745 KM) |
|
Longest |
Railway Tunnel |
Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel (11.215 km), Jammu & Kashmir |
|
Longest |
Railway platform |
Gorakhpur, UP (1355.4m) |
|
Longest |
Highway Tunnel |
Chenani-Nashri Tunnel( also known as Patnitop Tunnel, 11.2 Km ) on NH44, Jammu & Kashmir |
|
Longest |
Train Route |
Vivek Express, Dibrugarh to Kanyakumari (4286 km) |
|
Longest |
Railway Bridge |
Vembanad Rail Bridge, Kerala |
|
Longest |
Sea bridge |
Bandra Worli Sea Link on Mahim bay, Mumbai (5.6km) |
|
Longest |
Bridge/ River Bridge |
Dhola Sadiya Bridge on Lohit river, Assam (also known as Bhupen Hazarika Setu, 9.15km) |
Longest, Tallest, Largest and Smallest Coasts, Borders, and States-
As per the population, India is the 2nd most populated country in the world. It has a vast area divided into 27 states and 9 union territories with varying populations. Some have small areas while the few ones are least populated. The list of the longest, tallest, biggest, smallest coasts, borders, and states is as follows-
|
Quality |
Category of Superlatives in India |
Description |
|
Smallest |
State (Least Urbanized) |
Himachal Pradesh (10%) |
|
Smallest |
State (Population Growth Rate) |
Sikkim (12.89%) |
|
Smallest |
State (Population Density) |
Bihar (1,106 per sq km) |
|
Smallest |
State (Sex Ratio) |
Haryana (879) |
|
Smallest |
State (Population) |
Sikkim (6.1 lakh) |
|
Smallest |
State (Area) |
Rajasthan (3.42 Lakh km2) |
|
Tallest (highest) |
Battlefield |
Siachen Glacier, Jammu and Kashmir |
|
Largest |
State (Most Urbanized) |
Goa (62%) |
|
Largest in India |
State (Population growth rate) |
Meghalaya (27.95%) |
|
Largest |
State (Sex Ratio) |
Kerala (1084) |
|
Largest |
State (Literacy Rate) |
Kerala (94%) |
|
Largest in India |
State (Population Density) |
Bihar (1,106 per sq km) |
|
Largest |
State (Population) |
Uttar Pradesh (204 million) |
|
Largest |
State (Area) |
Rajasthan (3.42 Lakh km2) |
|
Largest |
State with the maximum number of the neighbouring state |
Uttar Pradesh (8 states) |
|
Largest |
State with the maximum number of international borders |
Arunachal Pradesh (3 Countries)> West Bengal (3 Countries) > Sikkim (3 Countries) |
|
Longest |
International Border (State) |
West Bengal (2509 km) |
|
Longest |
Coastline (South Indian State) |
Andhra Pradesh (974 km) |
|
Longest |
Coastline (State) |
Gujarat (1600 km) |
Longest, Tallest, Largest and Smallest Man-Made Structures-
India has several monuments and other man-made structures that defy the expectations of what humans can build and sometimes the laws of physics. They are complex, too detailed, and a unique piece of art. The list of the longest, tallest, biggest man-made structures is as follows-
|
Quality |
Category |
Description |
|
Biggest |
Hotel |
Oberoi-Sheraton (Mumbai) |
|
Biggest |
Stadium |
Yuva Bharti Stadium, Salt Lake, Kolkata |
|
Tallest |
Straight Gravity Dam |
Bhakra Dam on Satluj river, Himachal Pradesh |
|
Tallest |
Civilian Award |
Bharat Ratna |
|
Tallest |
Airport |
Leh airport, J&K |
|
Tallest |
Statue |
Statue of Unity (statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel), Kevadia, Gujarat |
|
Tallest |
Gateway |
Buland Darwaza, Fatehpur Sikri, UP |
|
Tallest |
Dam |
Tehri Dam on Bhagirathi River, Uttarakhand (Height 260 m) |
|
Largest in India |
Monastery |
Tawang Monastery, Arunachal Pradesh |
|
Largest |
Church |
Saint Cathedral (Goa) |
|
Largest in India |
Port |
Mumbai (Maharashtra) |
|
Largest |
Animal Fair |
Sonepur (Bihar) |
|
Largest |
Zoo |
Zoological Gardens, Alipur, Kolkata |
|
Largest |
Gurudwara |
Golden Temple, Amritsar |
|
Largest |
Cave |
Amarnath (J & K) |
|
Largest |
Public Sector Bank |
State Bank of India |
|
Largest |
Museum |
Indian Museum, Kolkata |
|
Largest |
Planetarium |
Birla Planetarium, Kolkata |
|
Largest |
Dome |
Gol Gumbaz, Bijapur, Karnataka |
|
Largest |
Temple |
Sri Ranganathaswamy temple, Tamil Nadu |
|
Largest |
Auditorium |
Auditorium Sri Shanmukhanand Hall, Mumbai |
|
Longest |
Longest Corridor |
Corridor of Ramanathaswamy Temple at Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu) |
Longest, Tallest, Largest and Smallest Dams, Lakes, and Water Bodies-
India is surrounded by water from three sides. Water bodies and lakes are naturally occurring geographical features. Dams are built on the water bodies as it provides huge social, environmental, and economic benefits, including hydroelectric power, wildlife habitat, recreation etc. Some of them are big, while others are small. Here is a list of the largest, tallest, and longest dams, lakes and water bodies-
|
Quality |
Category |
Description |
|
Largest |
Barrage |
Farakka Barrage, Ganga |
|
Largest |
Artificial Freshwater lake |
Shivaji Sagar lake on Koyna Dam, Maharashtra. (891 km2) |
|
Largest |
Freshwater lake |
Wular lake, J&K. ( 260 km2) |
|
Largest |
Saltwater lake |
Sambhar lake, Rajasthan |
|
Largest in India |
Brackish (Partial Saline) water lake |
Chilika Lake, Odisha |
|
Largest |
Lake |
Chilka Lake, Odisha (Chilika Lake is the largest non-freshwater lake in India and the world’s second-largest brackish lagoon) |
|
Tallest (highest) |
Tower |
Pitampura Tower, Delhi |
|
Lake |
Tso-Lhamo Lake, Sikkim (Height 5330m) |
|
|
Longest |
Lake |
Vembanad lake, Kerala ( length 96.5 KM) |
|
Longest |
Man-Made lake |
Govind Vallabh Pant Sagar (Rihand Dam, 934m), UP. |
|
Longest |
Dam |
Hirakud Dam on Mahanadi River, Odisha (25.8 km) |
|
Longest |
Glacier |
Siachen Glacier, Ladakh, J&K. |
|
Longest |
Beach |
Marina Beach (Chennai) |
|
Longest |
Canal |
Indira Gandhi Canal, Rajasthan (Source Harike barrage, Punjab) |
Tallest, Biggest, Largest, and Longest Natural Resources in India-
Natural resources are not only a source of raw materials, food or fuel, but it also contributes towards income, fiscal revenue, and poverty reduction. The natural resources in India includes islands, waterfalls, peaks, deserts, etc. The list of the tallest, biggest, largest, and longest natural resources is as follows-
|
Quality |
Category |
Description |
|
Biggest |
Riverine Island |
Majuli island on Brahmaputra River, Assam |
|
Biggest |
Most Populous city |
Mumbai |
|
Tallest (highest) |
Waterfall |
Kunchikal Falls, Varahi River, Karnataka |
|
Tallest (highest) |
Mountain peak |
Godwin Austin of, Karakoram Range, J&K (8611 m) |
|
Largest |
State with a maximum percentage of Forest area |
Mizoram (about 75%) |
|
Largest |
State with Maximum Forest Area |
Madhya Pradesh ( 94 K km2) |
|
Largest |
Delta |
Sundarban Delta (on the mouth of Ganga – Brahmaputra River) |
|
Largest |
Desert |
The Thar Desert, Northwestern India (2 lakhs km2) |
|
Longest |
The longest river which forms an estuary |
Narmada ( Falls in the Arabian sea,1300 km) |
|
Longest |
Tributary river of India |
Yamuna (1376 km, tributary of Ganga) |
|
Longest |
River(India) |
The Ganga (2640 km. long) |
|
Longest |
Longest River which Flows entirely in India |
Godavari river ( 1465 km) |
