McMahon Line

The McMahon Line marks boundary between Chinese-held and Indian-held territory in the eastern Himalayan region. The line was the focus of a brief war in 1962, when Indian and Chinese forces struggled to control a disputed area (shown in red), much of which is a high altitude wasteland.

The McMahon Line is a demarcation line drawn on a map referred to in the Simla Convention, a treaty between Britain and Tibet signed in 1914.

It is named after Henry McMahon, a diplomat who signed the agreement.

After India became independent from Britain in 1947 and China invaded Tibet in 1950, the line became the border of India and China. Some people disagree, but it is now part of the real boundary between China and India (called the Line of Actual Control).

This disagreement was a reason for a war between China and India in 1962 (the Sino-Indian War).

Map of the whole China-India border with McMahon line labelled to the east (right), 1963.

References

  1. ↑ Chellaney, Brahma. "India-China: Let facts speak for themselves," The Economic Times (Mumbai). 17 September 2010; retrieved 2012-5-12.
  2. ↑ "McMahon Line," Encyclopedia Britannica (UK), 17 March 2025; retrieved 2026-2-23
  3. ↑ "China rejects report on border talks with India," Archived 2009-08-10 at the Wayback Machine Xinhua News Agency, August 7, 2009; Guruswamy, Mohan. "The Battle for the Border," Rdiff.com (India). 23 June 2003; retrieved 2012-5-12.
  4. ↑ "A Himalayan rivalry," The Economist (UK). 19 August 2010; retrieved 2012-5-12.

Further reading