Introducer question
Which is the better geographical location between China and India? Before discussing the issues mentioned in this article, I would like to explore another topic: If you choose one of the two, is it better for a country to be economically strong or militarily strong?
The model of economic strength is represented by the two Song Dynasties in china's ancient history. Some scholars have examined whether the merchant ships of the Wu state in the Sun Quan era sailed to the Roman Empire, whether this claim is true is currently very controversial, but the merchant ships of the Southern Song Dynasty frequently traveled to and from the Great Eating Country (Arabia), but it is recognized by historians. The Two Song Dynasties were the richest countries in the world at that time.
However, the Great Song only had money, and having money but weak force meant that it would become a fat sheep: during the existence of the two Song Dynasties, the two Song Dynasties bought peace from Daliao and Dajin, and even spent money to stabilize the younger brothers like Western Xia and Annan. And Liao, Jin, Xixia and Annan also constantly found reasons to extort bamboo from the Great Song. By the end, the Mongols were dissatisfied with the "filial piety" of the Great Song Dynasty, but directly drove the late Southern Song Emperor to the sea.
Similarly, the geographical location between China and India also involves a better proposition like "economically strong" or "militarily strong".
Geographical characteristics of China
China is the only country in the world's ancient civilizations that has survived its civilization to the present. One of the reasons why China was not replaced by other civilizations like ancient Egypt is that ancient Chinese culture was in a state of export, and after the barbarian invasion, it would only be conquered by culture, and it was also related to China's geographical location.
The Pamir Plateau in the west of China and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in the southwest are the natural barriers that have guarded China's millennium peace to a certain extent. Therefore, the main threat to ancient China came from outside The Cyprus.
Although the situation has changed in modern times, most of the Western powers in China can only grab economic rights and interests, and except for Russia, there are very few powers that have acquired large areas of land. In modern times, a great figure surnamed Jiang once mentioned in his writings the thesis that the terrain of the Western Regions and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau can play a role in imperialist infiltration and aggression against Han areas to a certain extent.
In contemporary times, with the advent of the maritime age, China is currently in a state of blockade by the island chain.
Geographical characteristics of India
India has a history of thousands of years, but the ancient history of India can be summed up very simply: barbarians from Central Asia or West Asia can easily invade the core areas of India: the Indus River, the Ganges River Valley, and then the barbarians establish a new rule.
The reason for this is that the Indus and Ganges rivers are in a state of no danger, and invaders from Central Asia or Persia can easily point their troops here. Because of this, Alexander the Great, who was far away from India, also had The Macedonian army appear in India.
But India's geography has an advantage in that it has a lot more arable land than China: that's why China's territory is much larger than India's, but India also feeds more than a billion people.
Historically, the British Empire regarded India as a lifeline, mainly because India was more developed than other British colonies in terms of agricultural development.
In terms of oceans, India is on the verge of the Indian Ocean, which is stronger than China in this regard.
In general, China's geographical location, whether ancient or modern, can play a positive role in defending against foreign enemies, but the disadvantage is that the natural conditions of many lands are relatively harsh, and the proportion of arable land in the national land is not as high as that of India.
India, on the other hand, is the opposite. There is a lot of arable land and very little land with harsh natural conditions, but once invaded by foreign enemies, India is even difficult to find a strategic buffer zone.
Therefore, I personally feel that the geographical locations of China and India have their own advantages and disadvantages, but in the light of the contemporary international situation, India is slightly better.