UNIT

INTRODUCTION
This unit deals with
• Location — space relations and India’s place in the world
CHAPTER

INDIA – LOCATION

Y
ou have already seen the map of India Practical Work in Geography – Part I (NCERT,
in the previous classes. Now you closely 2006) to find out.
examine the map of India (Figure 1.1). This difference is based on the fact that the
Mark the southernmost and northernmost distance between two longitudes decreases
latitudes and the easternmost and towards the poles whereas the distance
westernmost longitudes. between two latitudes remains the same
The mainland of India, extends from everywhere. Find out the distance between two
Kashmir in the north to Kanniyakumari in the latitudes?
south and Arunachal Pradesh in the east to From the values of latitude, it is understood
Gujarat in the west. India’s territorial limit that the southern part of the country lies
further extends towards the sea upto 12 within the tropics and the northern part lies in
nautical miles (about 21.9 km) from the coast. the sub-tropical zone or the warm temperate
(See the box for conversion). zone. This location is responsible for large
variations in land forms, climate, soil types and
Statute mile = 63,360 inches natural vegetation in the country.
Nautical mile = 72,960 inches Now, let us observe the longitudinal extent
1 Statute mile = about 1.6 km (1.584 km)
1 Nautical mile = about 1.8 km (1.852 km)
and its implications on the Indian people. From
the values of longitude, it is quite discernible
Our southern boundary extends upto that there is a variation of nearly 30 degrees,
6°45' N latitude in the Bay of Bengal. Let us which causes a time difference of nearly two
try to analyse the implications of having such hours between the easternmost and the
a vast longitudinal and latitudinal extent. westernmost parts of our country. You are
If you work out the latitudinal and familiar with the concept of Indian Standard
longitudinal extent of India, they are roughly Time (IST). What is the use of the standard
about 30 degrees, whereas the actual distance meridian? While the sun rises in the
measured from north to south extremity is northeastern states about two hours earlier as
3,214 km, and that from east to west is only compared to Jaisalmer, the watches in
2,933 km. What is the reason for this Dibrugarh, Imphal in the east and Jaisalmer,
difference? Consult Chapter 3 on the topic Bhopal or Chennai in the other parts of India
Latitude, Longitude and Time in the book show the same time. Why does this happen?

There is a general understanding among the countries of the world to select the standard
meridian in multiples of 7°30' of longitude. That is why 82°30' E has been selected as the
‘standard meridian’ of India. Indian Standard Time is ahead of Greenwich Mean Time by
5 hours and 30 minutes.
There are some countries where there are more than one standard meridian due to
their vast east-to-west extent. For example, the USA has seven time zones.
INDIA – LOCATION 3

Figure 1.1 : India : Administrative Divisions

Name a few place in India through which the from Kashmir to Kanniyakumari and from
standard meridian passes? Jaisalmer in Rajasthan to Imphal in Manipur.
India with its area of 3.28 million sq. km Peninsular part of India extends towards
accounts for 2.4 per cent of the world’s land the Indian Ocean. This has provided the
surface area and stands as the seventh country with a coastline of 6,100 km in the
largest country in the world. Find out the mainland and 7,517 km in the entire
names of the countries which are larger than geographical coast of the mainland plus the
India. island groups Andaman and Nicobar located
in the Bay of Bengal and the Lakshadweep in
SIZE the Arabian Sea. Thus India, as a country, is
a physically diverse land providing occurrence
The size of India has endowed her with great
of varied resources.
physical diversity. Thus, you may appreciate
the presence of lofty mountains in the north;
INDIA AND ITS NEIGHBOURS
large rivers such as Ganga, Brahmaputra,
Mahanadi, Krishna, Godavari and Kaveri; Examine the location map of India (Figure 1.2).
green forested hills in northeast and south You will notice that India is located in the
India; and the vast sandy expanse of south-central part of the continent of Asia,
Marusthali. You may further appreciate that bordering the Indian ocean and its two arms
bounded by the Himalayas in the north, extending in the form of Bay of Bengal and the
Hindukush and Sulaiman ranges in the north- Arabian Sea. This maritime location of
west, Purvachal hills in the north-east and by Peninsular India has provided links to its
the large expanse of the Indian ocean in the neighbouring regions through the sea and air
south, it forms a great geographic entity known routes.
as the Indian subcontinent. It includes the Prepare a list of India’s neighbouring
countries — Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, countries by consulting the map.
Bangladesh and India. The Himalayas, Sri Lanka and Maldives are the two island
together with other ranges, have acted as a countries located in the Indian Ocean, which
formidable physical barrier in the past. Except are our neighbours. Sri Lanka is separated from
for a few mountain passes such as the Khyber, India by the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Strait.
the Bolan, the Shipkila, the Nathula, the
Differentiate between a Gulf and a Strait
Bomdila, etc. it was difficult to cross it. It has
contributed towards the evolving of a unique Do you think that physical barrier is a
regional identity of the Indian subcontinent. hindrance in interaction with our neighbouring
By referring to the physical map of India countries in modern times? Give some
you can now describe the physical variations examples how we have overcome these
which you would come across while travelling difficulties in the present day.

EXERCISES

1. Choose the right answer from the four alternatives given below.
(i) Which one of the following latitudinal extent is relevant for the extent of
India’s area?
(a) 8°41'N - 35°7'N (c) 8°4'N - 35°6'N
(b) 8°4'N - 37°6'N (d) 6°45'N - 37°6'N
(ii) Which one of the following countries shares the longest land frontier with
India?
(a) Bangladesh (c) Pakistan
(b) China (d) Myanmar
6 INDIA : PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

(iii) Which one of the following countries is larger in area than India?
(a) China (c) France
(b) Egypt (d) Iran
(iv) Which one of the following longitudes is the standard meridian for India?
(a) 69°30'E (c) 75°30'E
(b) 82°30'E (d) 90°30'E
2. Answer the following questions in about 30 words.
(i) Does India need to have more than one standard time? If yes, why do you
think so?
(ii) What are the implications of India having a long coastline?
(iii) How is the latitudinal spread of India advantageous to her?
(iv) While the sun rises earlier in the east, say Nagaland and also sets earlier,
how do the watches at Kohima and New Delhi show the same time?
Project/Activity
Activity based on Appendix I (Teachers may help in the exercises by explaining
and getting it done by the students).
(i) On a graph paper, plot the number of districts in Madhya Pradesh,
Karnataka, Meghalaya, Goa, Kerala, Haryana. Do the number of districts
have some relationship with the area of the state?
(ii) Which state amongst Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat, Arunachal
Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir is
the most thickly populated and which one is the least densely populated?
(iii) Find out the relationship between the area of the state and the number of
districts.
(iv) Identify the states with coastal boundaries.
(v) Arrange the states from west to east which have only land boundary.
Activity based on Appendix II
(i) List the Union Territories which have coastal location.
(ii) How do you explain the variation in the area and population of NCT Delhi
and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands?
(iii) On a graph paper, draw a bar diagram to show the area and population of
all the Union Territories.