GEOGRAPHY

1. INDIA- SIZE AND LOCATION

Location
• India lies entirely in the Northern Hemisphere.
• India’s mainland extends between 8o4′ N and 37o8’N latitudes, and 68o7’E
and 97o25’E longitudes.
• The Tropic of Cancer (22o30′ N) divides India into two almost equal parts.
• The island groups of Lakshadweep and Andaman & Nicobar are also part of India.

Size
• Covering an area of 3.28 million square kilometres, India’s total area is 2.4% of the
total geographical area of the world.
• India is the world’s seventh largest country with a land boundary of about 15,200 km,
with total length of the coastline being 7,516.6 km.
• India’s east-west extent appears to be smaller than the north-south extent.
• India’s latitudinal and longitudinal extent is about 30 degrees.
• India’s standard time is based on 82.30 degrees E meridian, which passes near
Mirzapur in UP.
• Latitudinal extent influences duration of the day and night.

India and the World

• The Indian landmass is centrally located between West and East Asia.
• The trans-Indian ocean routes connect countries in the west and counties in the east.
• India’s protruding Deccan Peninsula helped India to establish close contacts with
West Asia, Africa and Europe, South-east and East Asia.
• India’s contacts with the world via land routes are much more than her
maritime contacts.
• India is the only nation which has an ocean named after it.
• India has contributed a lot to the world in forms of ideas, philosophies (Upanishads,
Ramayana, Panchatantra) and mathematics (Indian numerals and decimal system).
• In exchange, India’s architecture was influenced by Greek sculpture and architectural
styles from West Asia.

India’s Neighbours
• India has an important position in South Asia and has 29 States and 7 Union
Territories.
• India shares its boundaries with Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Nepal, Bangladesh,
Myanmar and Bhutan.
• The southern neighbours across the sea consist of the two island countries, namely the
Maldives and Sri Lanka.
• Sri Lanka is separated from India by Pak Strait, a narrow strip of sea.
• India always has and had strong geographical and historical links with her neighbours.

1|Page
GEOGRAPHY

Latitudes and Longitudes:

Latitude: It is an angular distance, North or South from the equator, of a point on the earth's
surface. The equator is 0o and points can therefore be measured in degrees south and Northof
this line.

Longitude: It is an angular distance of a point measured on the earth's surface to the East or
West of a central reference point. The reference point in this case is the plane created by a
meridian going through Greenwich in England. It is 0o meridian.

Location & Size of India:

• India lies in the Northern and Eastern hemisphere.

• India is the seventh largest country in the world covering an area of 3.28 million
square kilometers.
• India covers 2.4 % of the total geographical area of the world.
• The mainland stretches from Latitude 8o4' North to 37o6' North and from Longitude
68o7' East to 97o25' East.
• The latitudinal & longitudinal extent of the country is almost same in degrees i.e.
about 30o.
• The southernmost point in the Indian Territory, (in Great Nicobar Islands) is the
Indira Point (6o45' North), while Kanyakumari, is the southernmost point of Indian
mainland.
• Tropic of Cancer crosses the country at 23o30' North dividing the country into almost
two equal parts.
• The country is of a vast size and measures about 3,214 kilometers from North to
South and about 2,933 kilometers from West to East.
• Coastline: 7,516.6 km encompassing the mainland, Lakshadweep Islands, and the
Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
• The 82o30' East longitude is taken as Standard Time Meridian of India, as it passes
through the middle of India (Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh).
• Indian Standard Time: GMT + 05:30.
• Strait: A narrow stretch of sea linking two large seas, e.g. Palk Strait, English
Channel, etc.

2|Page
GEOGRAPHY

QUESTION AND ANSWERS

Q. Distinguish between Latitudes and Longitudes.

Q. Why 82o30' East longitude (Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh) is taken as the Standard
Time Meridian of India?
Ans:

• The longitudinal extent of India is 30o.

• The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
• It takes 4 minutes for the sun to move across 1 longitude. Thus, the eastern most point
of India would be 2 hours ahead of the western most point (30 x 4 = 120 minutes), in
accordance with the local time.
• This difference in time might create confusion in air and rail timings and so many
other things across the two states. To avoid this confusion a longitude passing through
the midpoint of 68o 7' East (western most longitude) and 97o 25' East (eastern most
longitude) is taken as the standard prime meridian of India (i.e. 82o30').
• The time at the standard meridian 82o30' which passes through Mirzapur in UP is
taken as the standard time of India, followed all over the country.

Question 1. Answer the following questions briefly:

i. Name the group of islands lying in the Arabian.

The group of island lying in the Arabian sea is Lakshadweep.

ii. Name the countries which are larger than India.

The countries larger than India are Russia, Canada, China, USA, Brazil and Australia.

3|Page
GEOGRAPHY

iii. Which island group of India lies to its south-east?

Andaman and Nicobar group of islands lies to the south-east of India.

iv. Which island countries are our southern neighbours?

Maldives and Sri Lanka are our southern neighbours.

Question 2. 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?
Answer. The longitudinal gap between Arunachal Pradesh and Gujarat is about 30°. Due to
this, there is time lag of about two hours between these states. Since Arunachal Pradesh is in
the east hence the sun rises earlier here; compared to in Gujarat. Standard Meridian of India
(82 0 30′ E) passing through Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh is taken as the standard time for the
whole country. Because the same standard time for the whole country has been adopted, the
watches show the same time in Arunachal Pradesh and Gujarat and in all parts of the country.

Question 3. The central location of India at the head of the Indian Ocean is
considered of great significance. Why?
Answer. The central location of India at the head of the Indian Ocean is considered of great
significance because –
• It has given India a strategic advantage due to the Trans Indian ocean routes which
connect the countries of Europe in the West and the countries of East Asia.
This helps India to establish close contact with West Asia, Africa and Europe from the Western
coast and with the Southeast and East Asia from the Eastern coast.
• The vast coastline and the natural harbours have benefitted India in carrying out trade
and commerce with its neighbouring and distant countries since ancient times.
• No other country has such a long coastline on the Indian Ocean as India. It is India’s
eminent position in the Indian Ocean which has given the name of an Ocean after it.
• The trans Indian Ocean routes which connect the countries of Europe in the West to
the countries of East Asia provide a strategic central location to India.
• 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 South-
East and East Asia from the Eastern coast.

4|Page
 GEOGRAPHY

Question: Write about the size of India.

Answer:
1. The land mass of India has an area of 3.28 million (3.28 lakh) square km; which comprises
about 2.4% of the total geographical area of the world. India is the seventh largest country
in the world.
2. The land boundary of India is 15,200 km. The coastline of the country is 7,516.6 km;
which includes the Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep.
3. The latitudinal and longitudinal extent of India is about 30°. The time along the Standard
Meridian is taken as the Indian Standard Time. The Standard Meridian of India passes
through Mirzapur in UP which is located at 82°30’ east. The time lag between Arunachal
Pradesh (in the east) and Gujarat (in the west) is about 2 hours. When one moves from
south to north, the latitudinal extent influences the duration of day and night.

Question: “India’s land as well as sea routes have been important since ancient times.”
Explain.
Answer:
1. 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 travellers.
2. 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.
3. 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.

Question: What is latitudinal extent of India? How does it influence our lives?
Answer: The latitudinal extent of India is 6°4′ N to 37°6′ N. It influences our lives in the
following ways:
1. The Tropic of Cancer divides the country into two equal parts. Thus, India is situated in
tropical and sub-tropical region.
2. The northern part of India has high annual range of temperature whereas the southern part
has low annual range of temperature.
3. The latitudinal extent influences the duration of the day and night as we move from south
to north.
4. Different climate due to the large latitudinal extent gives us a variety of natural vegetation
and crops.

5|Page
GEOGRAPHY

PRACTISE QUESTIONS
(VERY SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS) (1 MARK)
1.What is the southernmost tip of mainland of India ? (2010)
2.What is the total land boundary of India in kms? (2011)
3.Name the Island groups of India located in the Arabian Sea and bay of Bengal ? (2014)
4. What is IST? Calculate the time difference between the IST and GMT? (2015)
5. What is the term used for a country which is surrounded by water on three of its sides?
(2016)

(SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS) (3 MARKS)

1.Mention the latitudinal extent of India. How does it influence the duration of day and night
in India? (2016)
2.When did Suez Canal start functioning? How did it Benefit India? (2016)
3.What is the importance of Indian Ocean for India ? explain (2011)
4. Why 82.5 degree East has been selected as the standard meridian of India? (2014)
5. What is the longitudinal extent of India ? What are its implications. (2015)
6.What was the contribution of land routes to India in Ancient India ? (2010)

6|Page