GEOGRAPHY

CLASS IX

CHAPTER 1 INDIA: SIZE AND LOCATION

 India is a vast country and one of the ancient civilizations in the world.
 India entirely lying in the northern hemisphere.
 It is the 7th largest country in the world that accounts for about 2.4% or the world’s geographical
area.

 The landmass of India has an area of 3287263 sq.km. (3.28 million sq. km.).
 The mainland of India extends from 68°7’ E – 97°25’ E longitudes and 8°4’N – 37°6’ N latitudes.
 The latitudinal and longitudinal extent of India is about 30°.
 Tropic of cancer passes through the middle of India horizontally and divides it into two equal
halves.
 There are 8 states of India through which this Tropic of cancer passes. These states are Gujarat,
Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura and Mizoram.

 Look at the map above and answer the following question.

 There are two island group of India namely Andaman and Nicobar (Bay of Bengal) and
Lakshadweep (Arabian Sea) that are located to the southeast and southwest of the mainland.
 In total there are 572 islands in Andaman and Nicobar and 36 islands are in Lakshadweep.
 The northernmost point of India is Indira Col and the southernmost point of India is Indira point
while the southernmost point of the mainland of India is Kanyakumari. (As you can see in the
map)

 India is a large country as total length is 3214 km and the breadth is 2933 km.
 It is having a land boundary of 15,200 km with seven states namely Pakistan, Afghanistan, China,
Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
 India shares its longest border with Bangladesh (4100 km)
 On the other hand the total length of the Indian coastline is 7516.6 km. If we exclude island group
then it will be 6100 km.
 Note that Gujarat is having the longest coastline (1600 km).

 States (9) having coastline are Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal.
 From Arunachal Pradesh (Kibithu) to Gujarat (Guhar Mota) there is a time lag of two hours.
 1° longitude = 4 minutes and similarly 15 ° longitudes = 60 minutes or 1 hour.
 We know that there are approximately 30 longitudes between the easternmost and westernmost
longitude of India.
 That means, if we subtract 68°07’ from 97°25’ we will get 29°18’ (Round off 30°).
 Indian Standard Time is 82°30’ E longitude.
 The standard time of India has been taken from Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh.

 Indian landmass has a central location between the west and East Asia.
 The trans-Indian routes connects the countries of East Asia in east through the eastern coast and
the countries of Europe and Africa in the west through western coast.
 The location of India at the head of Indian Ocean provide a strategic location as no other country
in this region has such long coastline.

 By the opening of Suez Canal, India’s distance from Europe has been reduced by 7000 km.

 India’s contact with the world have continued through ages.

 These relations through the land routes are much older in comparison to sea routes.
 Because on land, passes across the mountains provided passage to the ancient travelers while the
oceans restricted this interchange for a long time.
 These routes have contributed in the exchange of ideas (the Upanishads, the Ramayana and the
Panchatantra, the Indian numeral and decimal system) commodities such as spices, cotton, jute,
muslin etc.
 In return, we received Greek sculpture and dome architectural styles from west Asia.
 Presently, India has 28 states and 8 Union Territories.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

1. Write a short note on the latitudinal and longitudinal extent of India.

India is a vast country lying in the northern hemisphere. The mainland of India extends from 8°4’ N
to 37°6’ N latitudes and from 68°7’ E to 97°25’ E longitudes. Tropic of cancer passes through the
middle of India dividing it into two equal halves. To the southeast of India’s main land lie the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal and to the southwest lie the Lakshadweep islands
in the Arabian Sea.

2. Why Standard meridian of India has been taken from 82°30’ E longitude?
a) The 82°30’E longitude has been chosen as the standard meridian of India because the
longitudinal extent of India is 68°7′ E to 97°25′ E and this meridian (82°30’E longitude) passes
through the center of India through Mirzapur i.e. the center of India.
b) This enables us to overcome the difference of 2 hours of time between Arunachal Pradesh and
Gujarat. To maintain a uniform time throughout the country this helps in avoiding the confusion
among the people regarding the time of various programs.
c) The time is known as Indian Standard Time.

3. Why is the difference between the durations of day and night hardly felt at Kanyakumari
but not so in Kashmir?

The difference in the durations of day and night and Kanyakumari and Kashmir are respectively due
to their latitudinal locations. Kanyakumari is located closer to the equator and experiences a
maximum difference of 45 minutes between day and night. However, Kashmir lies further away from
the equator and experience a significant gap between the duration of day and night that can extend to
as much as 3-5 hours.

4. What is a subcontinent? Name the countries that constitute the Indian subcontinent. How is
India different from other countries of Asia?

A subcontinent is a distinctive geographical unit which stands out distinctively from rest of the region
because of its large size, varied climates, varied relief etc. Countries that make up the Indian
subcontinent are – India at the center, Pakistan in the west, Nepal and China (Tibet) in the north,
Bhutan and Bangladesh in the east. India is different from other of Asia regarding climate, vegetation
and culture. countries

5. ‘The central location of India at the head of Indian ocean is considered of great significance’.
Justify.
(a) The Indian landmass has a central location between the east and the west Asia. India is a
southward extension of the Asian continent.
(b) The trans-Indian Ocean routes which connect the countries of Europe in the west and the
countries of east Asia provide a strategic central location to India.
(c) The part of India that is attached to the Asian continent connects India through the land routes
 and mountain passes to the various countries lying to its north, west and east.
(d) The Deccan Peninsula protrudes into the Indian Ocean, thus helping India to establish close
contact with west Asia, Africa and Europe from the western coast and southeast and east Asia
from the eastern coast.
6. Give a brief account of India’s relations with the world in ancient times.
a. India’s contacts with the world have continued through the ages, but her relationships
through the land routes are much older than her maritime contacts. The various passes
across the mountains in the north have provided passages to the ancient travelers.
b. These routes have contributed in the exchange of ideas and commodities since ancient
times. The ideas of the Upanishads and the Ramayana, the stories of Panchatantra, the
Indian numerals and the decimal system thus could reach many parts of the world.
c. The spices, muslin and other merchandise were taken from India to different countries. On
the other hand, the influence of Greek sculpture and the architectural style of dome and
minarets from west Asia can be seen in different parts of our country.

7. The sun rises two hours earlier in Arunachal Pradesh as compared to Gujarat in the west
but the watches show the same time. How does this happen?

As the longitudinal gap between Arunachal Pradesh and Gujarat is about 30 degrees, the time lag
between these two states is two hours. Since Arunachal Pradesh is situated in the east, the sun
rises earlier here compared to Gujarat in the west. But the watch shows the same time because of
the Standard Meridian of India.