Which of the following with reference to Indian States is/are not correct?
- 1.Uttar Pradesh shares its boundary with the highest number of other Indian States.
- 2.Rajasthan shares the longest international border among all Indian States.
- 3.Sikkim is the only State that shares its boundary with just one other Indian State.
Select the answer using the code given below:
Answer & explanation
Answer: (c) 2 and 3
UPSC's key treats statements 2 and 3 as wrong. West Bengal's border with Bangladesh alone is 2,216.7 km (plus borders with Nepal and Bhutan), and Sikkim is not alone in touching a single State: Meghalaya borders only Assam. Uttar Pradesh touches many States (and Delhi), more than any other State.
- ✓ 1. Uttar Pradesh borders many States and Delhi (Britannica lists Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi), more than any other State.
- ✗ 2. UPSC's official key treats this as incorrect. West Bengal's stretch of the India-Bangladesh border alone is 2,216.7 km; we could not confirm Rajasthan's own border length from an official source, so we do not state it.
- ✗ 3. Sikkim touches only West Bengal among Indian States, but Meghalaya likewise touches only Assam, so Sikkim is not the only such State.
Remember · Longest international border: West Bengal (Bangladesh 2,216.7 km + Nepal + Bhutan). Most neighbouring States: Uttar Pradesh. One-neighbour States: Sikkim (West Bengal), Meghalaya (Assam).
Sources
- Ministry of Home Affairs, Annual Report 2023-24, Ch 3 Border Management ↗ “The Indian side of the India- Bangladesh border touches West Bengal (2216.7 km), Assam (263 km), Meghalaya (443 km), Tripura (856 km) … India shares 3323 km of its land border with Pakistan. This border runs along the States of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Union Territory of Jammu & Kashmir and Union Territory of Ladakh.”
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, Uttar Pradesh ↗ · reference work “Uttar Pradesh is bordered by Uttarakhand and Nepal to the north, Bihar to the east, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh to the southeast, Madhya Pradesh to the south, and Rajasthan and Haryana and Delhi to the west.”
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, Sikkim ↗ · reference work “Sikkim is bordered to the north and northeast by the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, to the southeast by Bhutan, to the south by the Indian state of West Bengal, and to the west by Nepal.”
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, Meghalaya ↗ · reference work “It is bordered by Assam to the north and northeast and by Bangladesh to the south and southwest.”
Question and answer: UPSC's provisional GS Paper I (2026, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·