--

GEOGRAPHY
I
,Il
India - Size and Location
I

·1ndia, with an area of about 3,287,263 square km, is the seventh largest country in the
world. The countries which have larger area than India are Russia, Canada, China, USA,
Brazil and Australia. With a total population of about 121 crore, India is the second most
populous country in the world.
India has been invariably named as Aryavarata, Bharat, Hindustan and India. The
name Aryavarata refers to the 'land of the Aryan race'. In ancient Hindu literature, the
Indian subcontinent is referred to as Bharatvarsha or Bharat, the land of a legendary king
Bharata. The Indus river was called 'Sindhu' by the Persians and they pronounced it as
'Hindu'. Thus, it was called Hindustan. In the European languages, it is popularly called
India. India is one of the oldest civilisations in the world. After independence in 1947,
our country has made remarkable progress in the fields of agriculture, industry, science
and technology.

LOCATION OF INDIA
India is located entirely in the Northern
Hemisphere. The mainland of India
extends from about 8°4'N to 37°6'N
latitudes and from about 68°7'E to 97°25'E
longitudes. The Tropic of Cancer (23°30'N)
passes almost through the middle of the
country and divides it into almost two
equal parts.

Two Time Zones

SEA
BA }' OF BIUVGA I. The latitudinal and longitudinal extent of
India is about 30° each, but it seems as
if the east-west extent is smaller than the
north-south extent. The difference in the
local time between Arunachal Pradesh in
the east and Gujarat in the west is about
two hours. Thus, India can fall into two
1
NOJ AN OCHAN = Time Zones.
The problem of two time zones was solved by selecting 82°30'E longitude as the Standard
Meridian for India. This 111eridian passes through Prayagraj (Allahabad) in Uttar Pradesh. ·
 ,ucnc~v

--------------- l
~-'
AUSTRIJ.JA - - - -
S O UT /1
1' ,IC I F I C
OCF. A N o/
_.,..:;Cflltl.l. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The local time o_f the Standard Meridian is used as the Standard Time for the whole country.
This is called the Indian Standard Time (1ST), which_is 5 hours and 30 minutes ahead of
the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).
India occupies about 2.4 per cent of the total geographical area of the world. The east-
west extent of India is about 2933 km, while the north-south extent is about 3214 km. The
land boundary of India is about 15,200 km. The coastline along the mainland of India is
about 6100 km and for the whole country (including the islands), it is about 7516 km.
The southernmost point for the mainland of India is Cape Comorin or Kanniyakumari,
but for the whole country, it is Indira Point in the Nicobar Islands. The Indira Point was
located at about 6°45'N latitude. This place submerged into the sea during the Indian Ocean
tsunami in 2004.
The shape of India is roughly like a quadrilateral. Towards the south of 22°N latitude, the
land tapers towards the Indian Ocean and forms a peninsula. The Indian Peninsula divides
the Indian Ocean into two parts-the Bay of Bengal in the east and the Arabian Sea in the
west. India is located at the head of the Indian Ocean. It is the only country in the world
after which an ocean is named.
On the north-west, north and north-east of India stand the young fold mountain
ranges called the Himalayas. The area towards the south of these mountail') ranges
stands out distinctly from the rest of the continent of Asia. This region is called _th ~
Indian Subcontinent. A subcontinent is a geographical unit having all the geographica
features of a continent.

w~ ld INDIA AND THE WORLD

The location of India in the old world is unsurpassed by any other country of the regio~
wodd ffiduded the count,ies of East Africa, South-West Asia, South As,'"

____,,,,,....
 '
·•.

INDIA
tNJERNATIONAL HIGHWAY OF TRADE AND COMMERCE

South-East Asia. India has a central location between East Asia and West Asia, She is located
in the extreme.southern part of the Asian continent.

.Trade and Cultural Relationship

The trans-Indian Ocean route between Europe and East Asia has made the location of India
strategic in this region. India, in the past, had established close trade and cultural relations
with Europe, Africa and West Asia from the western coast of India and with South-East Asia
and East J\sia from the eastern coast of India. Our country has the longest coastline along
the Indian Ocean. Thus, the strategic and prominent location of India justifies the naming
of the Indian Ocean after it.
India actually had much older relations with other countries of the world through land
routes than through the ocean or sea routes. A large number of traders and travellers came
to India via the land routes. The passes in the high mountain ranges in the north have
provided the passage for coming to India.
~e land routes have greatly helped in trading of goods and exchange of ideas since
anaent times. The ideas from the great Indian epics, such as the Ramayana, the Mahabharata
and the Upanishads, reached many parts of the world. Th_e traders and travellers took the
concept of the Indian numerals, the decimal system and the Stories of Panchtantra with them.
The Indian traders, with their consignment of spices, gold, silk, precious stones and
cotton textiles, travelled to far-off places like China, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, etc., in
-
the east, and Arabia, Persia, Egypt, Turkey, Greece and Rom: in the west. One can see the
influence of Greek sculpture and the concept of domes and nunarets from West Asia 0
monuments in India. The central location of India among the developing countries of
and Africa provides it a great advantage in the Third _World countries.· ia

II
THE NEIGHBOURS OF INDIA
India shares a 15,200 km long boundary with Pakistan and Afghanistan in the north-west
China (Tibet), Nepal and Bhutan in the north and with Myanmar and Bangladesh in th;
east. The nearest neighbours across the sea in the south are the island countries of Sri Lanka
and Maldives.
Sri Lanka is separated from India by the narrow and shallow Palk Strait and the Gulf
of Mannar. Dhanushkcidi on the Tamil Nadu coast of India is only 32 km away from
Talaimanar in Jaffna Peninsula in Sri Lanka. These two parts are joined by a group of small
islands forming the Adam's Bridge. The Maldives islands are located towards the South
of Lakshadweep (India). India has strong geographical, historical, cultural and trade Jinks
with the neighbouring countries.

C H I N A

_Jr

SEA

··-
I

MALDIVES

I N D/ AN OC E AN

• ~ DIA AND NEIGHBOURING COUNTRIES

 POLITICAL DIVISIONS OF INDIA
independence in 1947, India was divided into Provinces and Princely States. The
Befo~e 5 were ruled by the officers appointed by the British Viceroy and the Princely
Pr~::d hereditary rulers. India became an in~:pendent coun~ on 15 Au~t 1947 and
Sta tic Republic on 26 January 1950. The official name of India JS the Republic of India.
al)elllocra
INDIA
POLITICAL DIVISIONS

lbrml
ARA BIAN
SEA BA.Y OF BE N GA L

REFERENCES
- - - · -· - - lntematlonal Boundaty
--------- --- Stale Boundary
CH Chandigarh
G Gangtok
N Nagaland
T Trlpura
D&D & Daman &·Dlu and
D &N H Dedra &Nager Havell

I N D iAN OCE _AN

..........__
 India was divided into 562 princely st.ates at the time of independence_
the princely st.ates were included_~d m~~ed with -~ Union of India b y ~by ~ -1:
first State Reorganisation ComnusSion di1nded India mto 14 states and 6 . . P~
This was based on the languages spoken by the people. After severai
reorganisations, now India is divided into 28 States and 8 union territories. ,s ~
On the basis of area, Rajasthan is the largest and Goa is the smallest state m .
On the basis of population, Uttar Pradesh is the most populous and ~ .
15
populous state in India. . ~~
The states along the Arabian Sea are Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa,
Kerala. .::i:
The states along the Bay of Bengal are West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra ...... ..,_ ,
Tamil Nadu. • •aues.; a:i:
The North-eastern States are called the Seven Sisters. These are Assam. -~
Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Meghalaya. ,
The eight Union Territories are Chandigarh, National Capital Territory of De!hi.
& Kashmir, Ladakh, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli,.
Puducherry and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. ~ .
Fifteen states are along the land boundary of India The details are as under:
(i) Along Pakistan; Gujarat, Rajasthan and Punjab
(ii) Along China: Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal
(iii) Along Nepal: Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and SM:im
(iv) Along Bangladesh: West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizmam
(v) Along Myanmar. Arunachal Pradesh, N agaland, Manipur and A,fizoram

A. Answer these questions orally.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

L N ame the hemisphere in which India lies fully.

2. What is the latitude of the southernmost tip of the mainland of India?
-
3. What is the nortlHouth extent of India?
4. What is the longitudinal value of the Standard Meridian of India?
5. Name the island group of India in the Arabian Sea.
6. Name the state an the extreme northern. tip of India.
7. Which Parallel of Latitude passes through the middle of India?
8. What is the southernmost point of India called?

B. G ive one-word answer.

L Name the least populated state of India
2. How many princely states were in India at the time of independence?
3 Name the strait that separates Sri from India
 _ ]-low many states of India s~are an international land boundary?
4_ When did India become an mdependent country?
5

Fill in the blanks.

C. India is the _ _ _ _ _ _ most populous country in the world.
l. The total area of India is about - - - - - - square km.
2
' The east-west extent of India is about - - - - - - km.
!: India is the _ _ _ _ _ _ largest country (according to area) in the world.
dia is a Union of - - - - - - s t a t e s and - - - - - - union territories.
5, In
_ The latitudinal extent of India is about - - - -- - degrees.
6
_ JST is ahead of GMT by - - - - - - h o u r s and - - - -- - minutes.
7
s. The )and boundary of India is about - - - - - - km long.

o. puzzle/Quiz
Locate the names of the states and cities given below in the grid. You may go horizontally, vertically
or diagonally.
Goa, Rajasthan, Punjab, Bihar, Odisha, Haryana, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Assam,
Delhi, Mumbai, Kol.kata, Chennai, Chandigarh, Shimla,
Srinagar, Jaipur, Gandhinagar, Bengaluru, Hyderabad,
Bhubaneshwar, Ranchi, Patna, Lucknow, Bhopal, Raipur
Gangtok, Dispur, Itanagar, Imphal, Kohima, Agartala, Aizawl, Daman

D B H u B A N E s H w A R C R G
B E N G A L u R u R A N C H I A
M M L u C K N 0 w Q B I H A R N
u K p H D G A N G T 0 K A N T D
M 0 J A I D u R u B V R R D A H
B H s N s R I N A G A R y I M I
A I A D p K 0 L K A T A A G I N
I M M p u N J A B 0 y J N A L A
C A G A R T A L A D z A A R N G
H y D E. R A B A D I s s
G H A A
E A I z A w L X B s u T s A D R
N p M p N p s T H H J H A Q u C
N M p A Q I R w 0 A A A M z B Q
A B H T R R A I p u R N Q 0 M G
I T A N A G A R A D A M A •N p 0
R C L A s H I M L A r. R A M C A

E. Tick the correct option.

1. The latitudinal
(a) . extent of India influences
5unnse and sunset
(c) Seasons (b) Day and night
(d) None of these
a
2. In which hemisphere does India lie?
(b) Northern
(a) Southern
(d) Eastern CJ
(c) Western
CJ
3.
Which is the smallest state of India in area?
(b) Goa
(a) Sikkim
(d) Puducherry CJ
(c) Manipur
CJ
4. Which is the largest state of India in area?
(b) Maharashtra
I (a) Uttar Pradesh
0
(d) Madhya Pradesh
(c) Rajasthan 0
5. Which country is not a neighbour of India?
(b) Pakistan
(a) Afghanistan 0
(d) Myanmar
(c) Thail;md 0
6. The coastline along the mainland of India is about
(a) 6100 km (b) 7510 km 0
(c) 7100 km D (d) 6510 km 0
7. Which of the following is not a Union Territory of India?
(a) Puducherry D (b) Manipur 0
(c) Daman & Diu & Dadra & Nagar Haveli D (d) Lakshadweep 0
8. Which country has the longest coastline along the Indian Ocean?
(a) Madagascar D (b) Malaysia 0
(c) India D (d) Sri Lanka 0

9. The Standard Meridian of India passes near which place?

(a) Gangtok in Sikkim (b) Prayagraj (Allahabad) in U.P. D
(c) Varanasi in U.P. D (d) Mirzapur in U.P. D

F. Write the answer (VSA)

1. Name the states along the western coast or India.
2. Name the seven states called the Seven Sisters.
3. V.'hich states have a common boundary with Pakistan?
4. Name the countries which are bigger than India in area.
5. Name the states along the Tropic of Cancer in India.
6. Where do the three seas meet in India? Name the seas.
7. What is the official name of India?
8. Name the neighbouring countries of India.

G. Think and answer.

With 30° of longitudinal extent, India is only in one time zone.

H. Give reason.
1. India is called a subcontinent.
2. Mumbai can see the sun overhead twice in a year.

j
 r.,tapwork .
outline map of India, mark and name the following:
On west Bengal . ·· 2. Ko~ata 3. Indian Ocean
4. Delhi 5. Od1~ha 6. Nepal
9. Bengaluru
. Arabian Sea 8. Paldstan
7. 12. Chandigarh
1,akshadweep 11. Nagaland
10 15. Goa
3. Tropic of Cancer 14. Sri Lanka
1l6. 18. Bhutan
Indira Point 17. Kanniyakumari
19. Palk Strait 20. Bangladesh·

J. Project
prepare a project report on the location and extent of India.

ewrntt4tiffl@t•t•t4i,f.iAI
B. 1. Sikkim 2. 562 3. Palk Strait 4. ~venteen 5. 1947
c. t. second 2. 3,287,263 3. 2933 4. seventh 5. 28, 8 6. 30 7. 5, 30 8. 15,200
E. 1. (b) 2. (b) 3. (b) 4. (c) 5. (c) 6. (a) 7. (b) 8. (c) 9. (d)

107
 ILLUSTRATIVE QUESTIONS
A. Tick the correct option .
1. From Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh, th_e difference of time is about
(a) 2 hours . P (b) 2 hours 30 minutes
(c) 14 hours D (d) No difference in time
CJ

• 2. Which state is not along Bangladesh?

(a) Meghalaya
(c) Tripura
(b)
(d)
Mizoram
Manipur
CJ

CJ
3. The Indira Point is located at CJ
(a) 6°45'5 (b) 6°45'N
(c) 8°4'N (d) 8°4'5 CJ
4. Which state is not along the boundary of Nepal? CJ
(a) Hirnachal Pradesh (b) Uttarakhand
(c) Uttar Pradesh D (d) Sikkim 0
5. The easternmost longitude of India is 0
(a) 68°7'E (b) 25°25'E
(c) 37°6'E (d) 97°25'E 0
0
Ans. 1. (a), 2. (d), 3. (b), 4. (a), 5. (d)

B. Short answer type questions (SA)

Q . 1. ·What are the implications of the longitudinal extent of India?
Ans. India is a big country and its longitudinal extent is from 68°7' to 97°25' East longitudes. This is
about 30°. The east-west extent of Indfa is about 2933 km in length. The longitudinal extent gives
the difference of local time between Arunachal Pradesh in the east and Gujarat in the west, of about
2 hours. In other words, the sun rises two hours earlier in Arunachal Pradesh than in Gujarat. It
means that when the sun has already risen iri Arunachal Pradesh, it is still night in the Saurashtra
region of Gujarat.
Q. 2. What is the impact of the Tropic of Cancer passing through India?
Ans. . The Tropic of Cancer (23½0 N) passes through the middle of the country dividing India into equJI
halves - the southern half falling under the tropical zone, while the northern half forming part of
the subtropical or temperate zone. This has a great influence on the climate of India and also on lhe
duration of day and night. The area lying north of the Tropic of Cancer will never experience the
mid-day sun overhead, but the areas south of it will experience the mid-day sun overhead at least
twice in a year: The areas along the Tropic of Cancer have their longest day on 21st June every year.
Q . 3. What is the impact of the latitudinal extent of India? ..
. • . Th I ti tu dinal extent D
Ans. The mainland of India extends from 84° North to 37°6 North lat!-tudes. e a ·tudiJ131
about 30° and the distance between the two extremities is about 3214 km in length, The la~ resul~
extent shows that India lies entirely in the Northern Hemisphere. The wide latitudinal;ten par! of
in wide variation in the climatic conditions. The length of day and night in ~e-n_o :Ost same-
15
India varies greatly, while in the extreme' southern part, say at Kanniyakuman, it di .
The southern part of India gets more, heat from the sun than the northern part of In a.

C. Long answer type questions (LA)

Q . 1. What is the strategic significance of India? . ffe!!lisphert
An s. Ind'1a stand s at th e head of the Indian Ocean at the very centre of the EaS tern
·c resources Jla'
1

commanding trade routes running in all directions. Its location, size and econonu

~ ~-~~-------------~
 dcuninant country in this region. The Indian Ocean is the only ocean in the world which
made a named after a country, t.e.,
· Ind'ta. Th.is o nlY proves the great prominence enjoyed by lndla
:;;ly days. The ~-lndian ?rean connecting the developed _countries of Europe in
SUl ,est and the developing countries of Asia m the east must skirt the shores of India. Most of the
~ " teS between Europe, West Asia and Africa in the West and East Asia, Southeast Asln, Japan
arr;:ustralia in the East also pass through lndia. Thus, India commands an important stra tegic
~tion in the globe with respect to trade as w ell as social and cultural interaction.

SKILL-.BASED QUESTION_s (S~ L~:Dl )

Whv does India, with a longitudinal extent of 30°, have only one time zone?
Q. 1.
With a longitudinal exient of 30°, the difference of local time between Arunachal Pradesh and Rann
AnS- of Kuchchh is about 2 hours. Thus, lndia can fall into two time zones of 15° each. Thus, lndia will
have two standard times as per two time zones. Such a situation is actually undesirable, as it would
create confusion in the lives of the people and with the transport and communication network
functioning in such a vast country. People crossing the time zones will have to adjust their watches
accordingly.
In order to avoid this problem and.maintain uniformity all over the country, the problem of two
time zones was solved by selecting 82°30'E longitude as the Standard Meridian for lndia. This
passes
through Prayagraj (Allahabad) in Uttar Pradesh and the local time of this Standard Meridian
is used as the standard time for the whole country. The lndian standard time is 5 hours and 30
minutes ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

_,N~;.;:-TEXTB~ ~UESTIONS (SOLVED)

zz """':WWW" • a ea ¥»> ;:µ 4 apse
J'
Q. 1. Choose the right answer from the four alternatives given below.
(i) The Tropic of Cancer does not pass through
(a) Rajasthan (b) Odisha
(c) Chhattisgarh (d) Tripura .
(ii) The easternmost longitude of lndia is
(a) 97°25'E (b) 68°7'E
(c) 77°6'E (d) 82°32'E
(iii) Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim have common frontiers with
(a) China (b) Bhutan
(c) Nepal (d) . Myanmar
(iv) lf you intend tq visit Kavarati during your summer vacations, which one of the following Union
Territories of lndia will you be going to?
(a) Puducherry . (b) Lakshadweep
(c) Andaman and 'Nicobar (d) Chandigarh .
(v) My friend hails from a country which does not share laJ).d boundary with India. Identify the
country. · ·
(a) Bhutan (b) Tajikistan
{c) Bangladesh (d) Nepal
~- (i) - {b), {ii) - (a), (ill) - (c), (iv) - (b), (v) - (b)
2
· · ~swer the foll owing questions briefly.
(~'.!
Name the group_of islands lying in the Arabian Sea.
Hi~) N~e t~e countries which ar!? larger than India.
. ) Wluch island group of India lies to its south-east?
(IV Whi ch.island countries are our southern neighbours?
 Ans. (i) Lakshadweep; Puducherry;_Daman and Diu D~dra and Nagar Iiave .
(ii) Names and areas of countries larger than India m size are given below: Ii.

Country Area in sq. km. Country

I l. Russia
2. Canada
1,70,75,000
99,76,140
4. USA
5. Brazil
Area ·
tn sq. kii :
93.631, 69

I
I
3. China
(iii) Andaman and Nicobar islands.
95,97,000 6. Australia 8S,11,96s
76,a2~
(iv) Sri Lanka and Maldives.
Q . 3. The sun rises two hours earlier in Arunachal Pradesh as compared to Gujar t .
w atches show the same time. H ow does this happen? or What is the time la a ;n th e West but u,
Pradesh and G ujarat? H ow is a uniform time set at all places? g etween Aruna~
Ans. The east-west extent of India covers a very long distance (about 3,000 km) Th .
two hours from east to west. The Standard Meridian of India (82°30'E) P~ses: 18 a lime lag t(
(in Uttar Pradesh). It is taken as the standard time for the whole coUI1try to avoid ;:ugh ~Plil
by different regional times. This time is accepted for the whole country. That is whe ~ess Cleated
show the same time. · Y e wa~
Q.4. The central location of India at the head of the Indian Ocean is considered of great signifi
Explain the significance of the location of India at the head of the Indian Ocean? cance. 11'hy?
Ans. We know that the sea plays an important role in determining the relation between two c .
The central location of India at the head of the Indian Ocean is of great significance. Co;:lries.
West Asia, East Africa, South and South-East Asia, and East Asia could be reached throughes of
routes. From ancient times, India has established close cultural and commercial .relations with th:
countries. India's eminent position in the Indian Ocean justifies naming an ocean after it.
(a) The distance between India and Europe has been reduced by 7000 km after opening of the SuezCanal
in 1869. So India is in a favourable situation on the international highway of trade and rommerce
(b) Many ocean routes from East and South-East Asia and Australia to Africa, and Europe pass
through the Indian Ocean.
(c) India is connected with Europe, North America and South America through both the routes•
the Cape of Good Hope and the Suez Canal.

\., REVIEW QUESTIONS.FOR- PRACJICE)

¥# AC A 4 MOC A 4 CW C

A. Short answer type questions (SA)

1. What is the extent and location of India?
2. What is the significance of India's geographic location?
3. Why has India selected 82½0 E longitude as the Standard Meridian?
4. What is the importance of the trans-Indian Ocean route for India?

B. Long answer type questions (LA)

1. Why does India need a Standard Meridian? What are its implications?
2. Describe the land and water frontiers of India.
3. What is the importan<;e of the Indian Ocean for India?
4. What are the main features of the political divisions of India?
 ., MAP SKILL )
.,.. sue =
I
On the given latest outline_political map of India, mark the provinces and princely states into which
1· India was divided before independence (1947). . .
:Z. Also mark the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar. - ·

ARABIAN
SEA BAY OF BEN.GAL

•'

INDIAN
D OCEAN

~1_1 _ _ ii