21 land areas, four passes, a lake: List of Arunachal locations India named to counter China

According to the MHA, identifying the places and features in Arunachal Pradesh is aimed to facilitate their accurate recognition and help public awareness.

Published on: Aug 8, 2026, 11:09:05 IST

Edited by HT News Desk

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India on Friday identified 27 places and geographical features in Arunachal Pradesh by their standard names on the Indian map on Friday, saying the move would facilitate their accurate recognition and help raise public awareness.

China's practice of renaming locations in Arunachal Pradesh has been rejected by India. (File Photo/AFP)

"The Government of India, in consultation with State Government of Arunachal Pradesh, has identified a total of twenty-seven (27) places/features located in Arunachal Pradesh, by standard place and feature names on the official maps of Survey of India (SoI). Identifying them formally on the Survey of India map of Arunachal Pradesh is aimed at facilitating their accurate recognition and better awareness among the public at large," the official statement read.

This move was seen as India's counter to China repeatedly trying to rename places in Arunachal Pradesh.

Also Read | India issues names for 27 Arunachal locations in response to China’s renaming moves

What are 27 places or features identified

The 27 places or features identified on the Survey of India map of Arunachal Pradesh are:

Passes:

Dzo La

Riza La

Pukur La

Thag La

Land areas:

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

Kamlang Nagar

Monument:

Sher-e-Thapa Memorial

Lake:

Sambho Sarovar

Also Read | India, China discuss border issues, upstream river projects at key talks

Significance of the identified places, features

Long Ju, located along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), served as one of the earliest flashpoints between India and China in 1959. Furthermore, Thag La, one of the most strategically significant high-altitude passes, was the site of an opening battle between Indian and Chinese forces in 1962, according to a PTI report.

Other key sites on the list included the Sher-e-Thapa Memorial.

Also Read | Arunachal Pradesh’s Glaw Lake is India’s 101st Ramsar site: Bhupender Yadav

China's renaming of places in Arunachal Pradesh

China's practice of renaming locations in Arunachal Pradesh has been rejected by India.

The Chinese Ministry of Civil Affairs released its first list of standardised names for six places in Zangnan, the Chinese name for Arunachal Pradesh, in 2017.

This was followed by a second list of 15 places in 2021 and a third list featuring 11 places in 2023, the report added.

Arunachal Pradesh govt's response to Chinese incursion reports

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Friday dismissed the reports of an incursion by China's People's Liberation Army (PLA).

According to news agency ANI, speaking to reporters, the chief minister emphasised that he would speak to the locals and the Indian Army on the allegations.

"We don't think there was an incursion as the Indian Army personnel are deployed and maintaining the territory. I have also urged the local tribes; I will hear them and also talk to the army," he noted.

(with inputs from agencies)

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