LESSON -1 INDIA – SIZE
AND LOCATION CLASS- IX
Location
India
is a vast country. Lying entirely in the Northern hemisphere the main land
extends between latitudes 8°4’N and 37°6’N and longitudes 68°7’E and 97°25’E.
- The Tropic
of Cancer (23° 30’N) divides the country into almost two equal parts.
- To the southeast
and southwest of the mainland, lie the Andaman and
Nicobar islands and the Lakshadweep islands in
Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea respectively.
- Find out
the extent of these groups of islands from your atlas.
Size
- The land mass of
India has an area of 3.28 million square km.
- India’s total area accounts
for about 2.4 per cent of the total geographical area of
the world.
- India is
the seventh
largest country of the world.
- India has a
land boundary of
about 15,200 km and the total length of the coast line of
the mainland including Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep is 7,516.6
km.
- India is
bounded by the young fold mountains in the northwest, north and
north east.
- South of
about 22° north latitude, it begins to taper, and extends towards the
Indian Ocean, dividing it into two seas, the Arabian Sea on the west and
the Bay of Bengal on its east.
Note that the latitudinal and longitudinal
extent of the mainland is about 30°. Despite this fact the east-west extent
appears to be smaller than the north-south extent.
- From
Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh there is a time lag of two hours.
- Hence, time
along the Standard Meridian of India (82°30’E) passing through Mirzapur (in
Uttar Pradesh) is taken as the standard time for the
whole country.
- The
latitudinal extent influences the duration of the day and night, as one
moves from south to north.
India and
the World
- The Indian
landmass has a central location between the East and the West Asia.
- India is a
southward extension of the Asian Continent.
- 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.
- Note that
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 with Southeast and East
Asia from the eastern coast.
- No other
country has a long coastline on the Indian Ocean as India has and indeed,
it is India’s eminent
position in the Indian Ocean which justifies the
naming of an Ocean after it.
- 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, while the oceans restricted such interaction for a long time.
- 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 Panchtantra,
the Indian numerals and the decimal system thus could reach many parts of
the world.
- 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
styles of dome and minarets from West Asia can be seen in different parts
of our country.
India’s
Neighbours
India occupies an important strategic position in South Asia.
India has 27 states and 9 Union Territories.
- Shares its
land boundaries with Pakistan and Afghanistan in
the northwest, China
(Tibet), Nepal and Bhutan in the
north and Myanmar and Bangladesh in
the east.
- Our southern
neighbours across the sea consist of the two island countries, namely Sri Lanka and Maldives.
- Sri Lanka
is separated from India by a narrow channel of sea formed
by the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar while
Maldives Islands are situated to the south of the Lakshadweep Islands
India – Size and Location, Class 9 Geography NCERT Solutions
(i) Tropic of Cancer does not pass through
(a) Rajasthan
(b) Orissa
(c) Chhattisgarh
(d) Tripura
Answer : (b)
(ii) The easternmost longitude of India is
(a) 97° 25′ E
(b) 68° 7′ E
(c) 77° 6′ E
(d) 82° 32′ E
Answer : (a)
(iii) Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim have common frontier with
(a) China
(b) Nepal
(c) Bhutan
(d) Myanmar
Answer : (c)
(iv) If you intended to visit Kavaratti during your summer vacations, which one of the following Union Territories of India will you be going to?
(a) Puducherry
(b) Lalcshadweep
(c) Bangladesh
(d) Nepal
Answer (b)
(v) My friend hails from a country which does not share land boundary with India. Identify the country.
(a) Bhutan
(b) Bangladesh
(c) Tajikistan
(d) Nepal
Answer (b)
Question 2. Answer the following questions briefly.
(i) Name the group of islands lying in the Arabian Sea.
Answer : Lakshadweep Islands lie in the Arabian Sea.
(ii) Name the countries which are larger than India.
Answer : Russia, Canada, USA. China, Australia and Brazil are the countries that are larger than India.
(iii) Which island group of India lies to its South-East?
Answer : Andaman and Nicobar Islands lie to the South-East of India.
(iv) Which island countries are our Southern neighbours?
Answer : Sri Lanka and Maldives are the two island countries that are the Southern neighbours of India.
Question 3. 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 : From Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh there is a time lag of two hours, but the watches show the same time because the time along the 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 4. The central location of India at the head of the Indian Ocean is considered of great significance. Why?
Answer : The Indian landmass has a central location between East and West Asia. India is a southward extension of the Asian continent.
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.
No other country has a long coastline on the Indian Ocean as India has.
Thus, India’s eminent position in the Indian Ocean Justifies the naming of an ocean after it.
Map Skills
Question 1. Identify the following with the help of map reading.
(i) The island groups of India lying in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.
Answer : Lakshadweep Islands and Andaman and Nicobar Islands
(ii) The countries constituting the Indian Sub-continent.
Answer : Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar and Bangladesh.
(iii) The states through which the Tropic of Cancer passes.
Answer : Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Paschim Banga, Tripura and Mizoram.
(iv) The northernmost latitude in degrees.
Answer : 37° 6’N
(v) The southernmost latitude of the Indian mainland in degrees.
Answer : 8° 4’N
(vi) The eastern and the Westernmost longitude in degrees.
Answer : 68° 7’E and 97° 25’E
(vii) The place situated on the three seas.
Answer : Kanyakumari
(viii)The straight separating Sri Lanka from India.
Answer : Palk Strait
(ix) The Union Territories of India.
Answer : Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep, Puducherry and Delhi.
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