Question

India is dotted with __________ major ports.
A. 10
B. 11
C. 12
D. 15

Answer 1

Hint: India has an extensive coastline extending from the western part of the country to the eastern part, stretching for almost 7,517 kms. The coastlines of India provide smooth and easy navigability thus making trade and commerce very much prosperous in the country.

Complete Answer:
The long coastline provides good space for construction of ports that would carry out the business of the country with the foreign countries without any problem. India has reportedly 12 major ports and 200 non-major ports. The major ports of India are as follows:
Kolkata port- It is located at the eastern coastline. It is the only riverine port of the country. It is connected to the Hooghly river.
Paradip Port- It is another port of the eastern coastline. The port is located at the confluence of the Mahanadi river and Bay of Bengal in Odisha.
New Mangalore Port- It is a port of the west coastline. It is located in Karnataka at the confluence of Gurupura River and Bay of Bengal.
Cochin Port- It is located at the southern part of the west coastline. This is the gateway of the south-west trade of India.
Jawaharlal Nehru Port- It is a port of the western coastline. It is located at the eastern shore of Mumbai Harbour.
Mumbai Port- It is one of the most important ports of India, located in the western coast. It is one of the oldest ports of the country.
Kandla Port- It is another port of western coastline. This port handles much of the crude oil imports of India.
Visakhapatnam Port- It is a port of eastern coast, located in the state of Andhra Pradesh. It is known for bulk Cargo handling.
Chennai Port- This is the largest port of Bay of Bengal and second largest port of India. This port is located on the eastern coastline.
Tuticorin Port- This port is now renamed as V. O. Chidambaram Port, is located on the eastern coastline near the Gulf of Myanmar. It is the only port in South India that provides a direct weekly container service to the United States.
Mormugao Port- This port of west coastline is located in Goa. This port ranks first in the iron ore export of the country.
Ennore Port- This port is located in the eastern coast of the country in Chennai. This port is renamed as Kamarajar Port.
Thus, Option C is the correct answer that says India is dotted with 12 ports.

Note: Over the last few years, the government has put much notice over the old ports of India and laws and regulations for their improvement are being schemed. Port of Port Blair is an upcoming major port of the country.