India
oi-Swastika Sruti
In one of a crucial move, the Government of India has officially identified 27 locations and geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh on the official maps of the Survey of India amid neighbour China’s repeated attempts to assign new names to places in the border state, claims that India has rejected multiple times.
India officially identified 27 locations and geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh on Survey of India maps, including strategic sites like Longju, to counter China’s renaming claims and reinforce the state’s status as an integral part of India.
According to the Centre, the exercise was carried out in consultation with the Government of Arunachal Pradesh to ensure these locations are accurately identified and recognised on official maps.
Why Has India Identified These 27 Locations?
This move of identifying the 27 locations aims in creating awareness and ensuring that important villages, lakes, passes and memorials in Arunachal Pradesh are officially recognised.
The Government has identified 27 places and features located in #ArunachalPradesh by standard place and feature names on the official maps of the Survey of India.
Home Ministry said that this is aimed at facilitating their accurate recognition and better awareness among the… pic.twitter.com/XcFjMh4okk
— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) August 7, 2026
In an official statement, the Centre said formally identifying these places on the Survey of India map would facilitate their accurate recognition and help strengthen geographical awareness. The move also comes against the backdrop of China’s repeated publication of so-called “standardised names” for places in Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing refers to as Zangnan.
Strategically Important Places Included
Among the 27 locations, is Longju, located along the Line of Actual Control (LAC). The area witnessed one of the earliest military confrontations between India and China in 1959, when Chinese troops entered the region.
Another key location is Thag La, a strategically important mountain pass associated with the opening phase of the 1962 India-China war.
The government has also formally marked Maja, a village near Longju in Upper Subansiri district, along with important high-altitude passes such as Dzo La, Riza La and Pukur La.
Other Places Added to the Official Map
The newly recognised locations include villages, lakes, memorials and important administrative centres across Arunachal Pradesh.
Some of the notable places are:
- Sambho Sarovar, a high-altitude lake
- Bara Kundun and Chhota Kundun
- Dhan Bari
- Pritnagar
- Buddhamandir
- Jairampur, an important logistics hub in Changlang district
- Teritnagar
- Ramnagar
- Jaswant Garh, which houses the memorial of 1962 war hero Jaswant Singh Rawat
- Sagar
- Padma
- Jyotinagar
- Baisakhi
- Sher-e-Thapa Memorial, dedicated to 1962 war hero Trilok Singh Thapa
- Chhota Ropuk
- Bara Ropuk
- Shivaji Nagar
- Sunpura
- Kamlang Nagar, located near the Kamlang Wildlife Sanctuary
India Reiterates Arunachal Is an Integral Part of the Country
This is a matter of fact that India has repeatedly rejected China’s attempts to rename locations in Arunachal Pradesh.
There exists several lists by China, assigning Chinese names to places in Arunachal Pradesh over the past few years.
The first list covering six locations was released in 2017, followed by 15 places in 2021 and another 11 places in 2023.
India has rejected each of these announcements, reiterating that the state’s status as part of the Indian Union is non-negotiable.
The formal inclusion of these 27 locations on the Survey of India map is being seen as another step towards reinforcing India’s official geographical records and asserting its position on Arunachal Pradesh.
