INDIA: SIZE AND

LOCATION
INTRODUCTION
● It has achieved multifaceted socio-economic
progress during the last five decades.

● It has also made remarkable progress in the field of

agriculture, industry, technology & overall
economic development.

● India has also contributed significantly to the

making of world history.

India is one of the

ANCIENT
civilizations & has
a remarkable
history.
LOCATION
 IMPORTANT TERMS

LONGITUDE: Vertical mapping

lines on Earth are lines of longitude,
known as "meridians". One simple
way to visualize this might be to
think about having hula hoops cut in
half, vertically positioned with one
end at the North Pole and the other
at the South Pole.
 IMPORTANT TERMS

LATITUDE: Horizontal mapping

lines on Earth are lines of latitude.
They are known as "parallels" of
latitude, because they run parallel to
the equator.
India is a vast country, The Tropic of
which lies entirely in Cancer (23° 30'N)
the Northern divides the country
Hemisphere. into almost two
equal parts.

The main land extends

between latitudes 8°4'N
& 37°6'N and
longitudes 68°7'E & 97°
25'E.
States through which the
Tropic of Cancer passes
 ISLAND GROUP

Towards southeast of the mainland-

Andaman & Nicobar Island in Bay of Bengal.

Towards southwest of the mainland-

Lakshadweep Island in Arabian Sea.
 The southernmost point of the Indian
Union– ‘Indira Point’ got submerged under
the sea water in 2004 during the Tsunami.
SIZE
● The landmass of India has an area
of 3.28 million square km, which
accounts for for about 2.4% 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.

● The total length of the coastline of

the mainland, including Andaman
and Nicobar & Lakshadweep, is
7,516.6 km.
India is bounded by the young fold mountains in the
northwest, north and northeast.

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.
● Latitudinal & longitudinal extent of the
mainland is about 30°.

● India’s east-west extent appears to be

smaller than the north-south extent.

● There is a time lag of two hours between

Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh.

● 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 day and night, as one moves
from south to north.
 What is Standard
Meridian?

It is the longitude used to

describe time of a country.

It ideally should be the

same for the whole country
and all the places in a
country should follow this
same time.
INDIA AND THE
WORLD
1. India is located in the center of the world,
between the East and the West Asia.

2. India is a southward extension of the Asian

continent.

3. The trans Indian Ocean routes, connect the

countries of Europe in the West & the countries of
East Asia.

4. India has strategic central location.

Deccan plateau helps India to establish close contact with
West Asia, Africa & Europe from the western coast and
with Southeast & East Asia from the eastern coast.

The word Indian is prefixed with Ocean (Indian Ocean),

because no other country has a long coastline on the
Indian Ocean as India.
 Since the opening of the
Suez Canal in 1869, India’s
distance from Europe has
been reduced by 7,000 km.
India on International Highway of Trade and
Commerce
 INDIA AND THE WORLD

The land routes of India are much older than sea

routes

Passes across the mountains provided passages to the

ancient travellers, where oceans failed to do so for a
longtime

A PASS is a gap, or break, in high,

rugged terrain such as a
mountain ridge.

It is formed when a glacier or

stream erodes, or wears away,
the land between areas of higher
terrain.

Passes often provide the easiest

routes for people to travel across
steep mountain ranges.
 INDIA AND THE WORLD

Routes have contributed in the exchange of ideas &

commodities since ancient times

The ideas of the Upanishads, the Indian numerals,

the decimal system,etc. thus could reach many
parts of the world.

The spices, muslin and other merchandise were

taken from India to different countries.

Influence of Greek sculpture, & the architectural

styles reached India.
 INDIA’s
NEIGHBOURS
India occupies an important
strategic position in South
Asia.

India has 28 states & 8 Union

Territories.
 LAND BOUNDARIES

Northwest- Pakistan and Afghanistan.

North- China (Tibet), Nepal and Bhutan.

East- Myanmar and Bangladesh.

Our southern neighbours across the

sea consist of two island countries- Sri
Lanka & Maldives
 Sri Lanka is separated from India by a narrow
channel of sea formed by the Palk Strait & the Gulf
of Mannar.

Maldives Islands are situated to the south of the

Lakshadweep Islands.
India has had strong geographical and
historical links with her neighbours.
 Before 1947, there were two types of states in
India — the provinces & the Princely states.

Provinces- ruled directly by British officials, who

were appointed by the Viceroy.

Princely states- ruled by local, hereditary rulers,

who acknowledged sovereignty in return for local
autonomy.
NCERT QUESTIONS
Why 82°30'E has been selected as the Standard
Meridian of India?

● 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.

● Otherwise different regions of India would

have different times which would create
problems; so, to have one common standard
times for the whole country has been
selected and called Indian Standard Time
(IST).
Why is the difference between the durations of day and
night hardly felt at Kanyakumari but not so in Kashmir?

● Since, Kanyakumari is located close to the

equator and Kashmir is located far from it, there
is difference between the duration of day and
night.

● The day and night are nearly of the same

duration at the equator. But, as we move away
from the equator and towards the poles, the
variations in the duration of day and night
become more.

● As Kanyakumari is quite near the equator at 8°

4'N the day-night difference is hardly one hour
there.

● Kashmir is over 30° away from the equator, so the

difference in duration of day and night is more
there and we feel that difference.
The Tropic of Cancer does not pass through:

A. Rajasthan C. Chhattisgarh

B. Odisha D. Tripura
The Tropic of Cancer does not pass through:

A. Rajasthan C. Chhattisgarh

B. Odisha D. Tripura
The easternmost longitude of India is:

A. 97° 25' E C. 77° 6' E

B. 68° 7' E D. 82° 32' E

The easternmost longitude of India is:

A. 97° 25' E C. 77° 6' E

B. 68° 7' E D. 82° 32' E

Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and
Sikkim have common frontiers with

A. China C. Nepal

B. Bhutan D. Myanmar
Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and
Sikkim have common frontiers with

A. China C. Nepal

B. Bhutan D. Myanmar
If you intend to visit Kavaratti during your summer
vacations, which one of the following Union Territories of
India you will be going to:

C. Andaman and
A. Puducherry
Nicobar

B. Lakshadweep D. Daman and Diu

If you intend to visit Kavaratti during your summer
vacations, which one of the following Union Territories of
India you will be going to:

C. Andaman and
A. Puducherry
Nicobar

B. Lakshadweep D. Daman and Diu

My friend hails from a country which does not share land
boundary with India. Identify the country.

A. Bhutan C. Bangladesh

B. Tajikistan D. Nepal
My friend hails from a country which does not share land
boundary with India. Identify the country.

A. Bhutan C. Bangladesh

B. Tajikistan D. Nepal
Name the group of islands lying in the Arabian Sea.

Lakshadweep.

Name the countries which are larger than India.

Russia, Canada, U.S.A, China, Brazil and Australia

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

Andaman and Nicobar

Which island countries are our southern neighbours?

Maldives and Sri Lanka.

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?

● The longitudinal difference between Arunachal

Pradesh and Gujarat is approximately 30
degrees, the time difference between these two
states is two hours.

● Since, Arunachal Pradesh is in the east, the sun

rises earlier than in Gujarat, which is in the west.

● However, the watch displays the same time due to

India's Standard Meridian (82° 30' E) passing
through Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh is taken as
the standard time for the whole country.
The central location of India at the head of the Indian
Ocean is considered of great significance. Why?

● The Indian landmass has a central location between

the East and the West Asia.

● 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.

● The Deccan Peninsula extend into the Indian Ocean

has helped 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. Thus, India's eminent position in the Indian
Ocean justifies the naming of an ocean after it.