India Formally Identifies 27 Places in Arunachal Pradesh on Official Map

The Government of India has formally identified 27 geographical and strategic locations in Arunachal Pradesh by their standard Indian names on the official Survey of India map. The move comes in response to China’s repeated attempts to assign its own names to places in the State.

Background

China claims Arunachal Pradesh as “Zangnan” or “Southern Tibet” and does not recognise the State as part of India. Since 2017, China has repeatedly announced its own names for places in Arunachal Pradesh as part of its broader territorial claim.

• 2017: China released its first list, assigning names to six locations.
• 2021: A second list covered 15 locations.
• 2023: China announced names for another 11 locations.
• By April 2026: China had reportedly announced 112 standardised names through six batches, covering villages, mountain passes, rivers and peaks.

India has consistently rejected these moves, describing them as “fictitious” and “vain and preposterous”, and maintaining that changing geographical names cannot alter the territorial status of Arunachal Pradesh.

India’s Response 

India has now formally marked 27 places and geographical features using their standard Indian names on the official Survey of India map of Arunachal Pradesh.

According to the government, the exercise is intended to ensure accurate recognition of these locations and improve public awareness of strategically important areas.

The 27 locations include:

• Villages and settlements: Long Ju, Maja, Bisa, Sagar, Padma, Jyotinagar, Baisakhi and Sunpura.
• Mountain passes: Thag La, Dzo La, Riza La and Pukur La.
• Lakes and other geographical features: Sambho Sarovar, Bara Kundun, Chhota Kundun, Chhota Ropuk and Bara Ropuk.
• Strategic and logistical locations: Jairampur, Dhan Bari, Pritnagar, Teritnagar, Ramnagar, Shivaji Nagar and Kamlang Nagar.
• Military and historical sites: Jaswant Garh and Sher-e-Thapa Memorial.
• Other important locations: Buddhamandir.

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Strategic Significance of the 27 Locations

The locations are significant because several are connected with India’s border security, earlier military confrontations and access to the eastern frontier.

• Long Ju: Located near the LAC, it was the site of an early India-China confrontation in 1959, when Chinese forces entered the area.
• Thag La: A strategically important high-altitude pass associated with the opening phase of the 1962 India-China War.
• Jairampur: An important logistics hub in Changlang district that supports movement towards eastern Arunachal Pradesh and the Myanmar frontier.
• Jaswant Garh: A memorial dedicated to Rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat, associated with the 1962 war.
• Sher-e-Thapa Memorial: Commemorates Trilok Singh Thapa, another Indian soldier associated with the 1962 conflict.
• Kamlang Nagar: Located near the Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary, linking the exercise to strategically important areas of eastern Arunachal Pradesh.

Significance of India’s Move

• Administrative clarity: Standard names create consistency across official maps and records.
• Cartographic assertion: The official map reinforces India’s administrative and territorial position.
• Public awareness: Formal recognition improves knowledge of strategically important border locations.
• Narrative response: It counters attempts to establish an alternative nomenclature for Indian territory.