What is the approximate total length of the coastline of India, including the mainland and island coasts?

Introduction / Context:
India has a long coastline that plays a major role in trade, climate, fisheries and defence. Many introductory geography questions ask about the approximate length of this coastline to test your sense of scale. This question focuses on the combined length of the mainland coast along with the coasts of major island groups.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The options provide four rounded values in kilometres 5,500, 6,000, 6,500 and 7,000.
• The question asks for an approximate length, so an exact figure to the nearest kilometre is not required.
• We assume the commonly cited school level estimate that India's coastline is about seven thousand kilometres long.
• This includes the mainland coast along the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal as well as the coasts of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep.

Concept / Approach:
The length of a coastline can vary slightly depending on the method of measurement, but standard exam oriented references use rounded figures that are easy to remember. For India, the total coastline including islands is generally given as about seven thousand kilometres. The best approach is to memorise this order of magnitude so that you can quickly identify the nearest value in multiple choice questions.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that India has a long peninsular projection into the Indian Ocean with coasts along both the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.Step 2: Remember that when the coasts of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep are also included, the total length increases further.Step 3: Standard school texts usually quote a rounded coastline length of about seven thousand kilometres for India.Step 4: Among the options, 7,000 km is the one that matches this widely accepted approximate figure, so it is the correct answer.

Verification / Alternative check:
You can verify this figure by checking a reliable atlas or government publication where the coastline length is listed among basic national statistics. While some sources may provide slightly different numbers due to measurement details, they all cluster around the seven thousand kilometre mark, confirming that 7,000 km is the most appropriate option to choose in exams.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
5,500 km and 6,000 km are both significantly below the commonly accepted figure and would underestimate the extent of India's marine boundary. 6,500 km comes closer but still does not reflect the standard rounded value used in most examination materials. Since the question invites an approximate value and one option matches the textbook figure directly, the other values are treated as distractors.

Common Pitfalls:
Some learners confuse the coastline length with other numerical facts such as the length of the land boundary or the north south and east west extents of the country. Another pitfall is to think in terms of a much shorter length because peninsular India looks narrow on some small scale maps. Regularly revising key numbers like population, area, coastline length and land boundary length helps fix these basic facts in memory.

Final Answer:
The approximate total length of the coastline of India, including its islands, is about 7,000 km.