Which of the following statements with regard to the Indian Deccan Peninsula is/are correct? 1. Bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west and the Bay of Bengal to the east, it is the largest peninsula in the world by landmass. 2. Spanning across exactly eight Indian states, its topography is structurally framed by the Eastern and Western Ghats. 3. The peninsula hosts highly biodiverse tiger reserves governed by the NTCA, a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Select the answer using the code given below: |ForumIAS

[A] 1 and 2 only

[B] 2 and 3 only

[C] 1 only

[D] 1, 2 and 3

Answer: B

Notes:

Explanation:

Statement 1 is incorrect: The Indian Peninsula is the second-largest peninsula in the world. The Arabian Peninsula holds the rank of the absolute largest.
Statement 2 is correct: The peninsular plateau covers parts of eight major central and southern Indian states, and its edges are defined structurally by the Western and Eastern Ghats mountain ranges.
Statement 3 is correct: The NTCA acts as the nodal statutory agency (constituted under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972) overseeing tiger conservation across this biodiversity-rich landscape.