India asserts sovereignty by naming 27 locations in Arunachal Pradesh

India has formally identified 27 geographical features and locations in Arunachal Pradesh using standard names on official Survey of India maps. This move, coordinated by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Arunachal Pradesh government, serves as a response to China’s repeated attempts to rename locations within the Indian state.

The official list includes 21 land areas, four passes (Dzo La, Riza La, Pukur La, and Thag La), one lake (Sambho Sarovar), and one monument (Sher-e-Thapa Memorial). Other identified locations include Longju, Maja, Bisa, Bara Kundun, Chhota Kundun, Dhan Bari, Pritnagar, Buddhamandir, Jairampur, Teritnagar, Ramnagar, Jaswant Garh, Sagar, Padma, Jyotinagar, Baisakhi, Chhota Ropuk, Bara Ropuk, Shivaji Nagar, Sunpura, and Kamlang Nagar.

China claims approximately 90,000 square kilometers of territory in the eastern sector, referring to Arunachal Pradesh as ‘Zangnan’ or ‘South Tibet.’ India rejects these claims, maintaining that the region is an integral part of its territory. The recent cartographic exercise is viewed as an assertion of sovereignty against Beijing’s efforts to reshape geographical perceptions through nomenclature.