NCERT Class 9 Geography Chapter 1 - India - Size and Location

Chapter 1 - India - Size and Location

Question 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
Answer: b) Odisha

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) 97°25’E

iii) Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim have a common frontier with
a) China
b) Bhutan
c) Nepal
d) Myanmar
Answer: c) Nepal

iv) If you intend to visit Kavaratti during your summer vacations, which one of the following Union Territories of India you will be going to
a) Puducherry
b) Lakshadweep
c) Andaman Nicobar
d) Daman & Diu
Answer: b) Lakshadweep

v) My friend hails from a country which does not share land boundaries with India. Identify the country.
a) Bhutan
b) Tajikistan
c) Bangladesh
d) Nepal
Answer: b) Tajikistan

Question 2: Answer the following questions briefly:
i) Name the group of Islands lying in the Arabian Sea
Answer: Lakshadweep is a group of Islands lying in the Arabian Sea.

ii) Name the countries which are larger than India.
Answer: Russia, Canada, United States, China, Brazil and Australia are the countries that are larger than India.

iii) Which Island group of India lies to its South-east?
Answer: Andaman Nicobar Islands are the groups of Islands which lies in the south-east of India. It lies in Bay of Bengal.

iv) Which Island countries are our southern neighbours?
Answer: Sri Lanka and Maldives are India’s southern neighbours.

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:
• The longitudinal gap between Arunachal Pradesh and Gujarat is about 30°.
• Due to this, there is a time gap of 2 hours in the local time of these two states.
• Since, Arunachal Pradesh lies in the east, the sun rises earlier as compared to Gujarat.
• The Indian Standard Time (IST) is taken from the Standard Meridian of India (82°30'E) passing through Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh and hence the watches show the same time in both the states.

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 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.
• 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.

Question 5: State the latitudinal and longitudinal extent of India.
Answer: The main land of India lies between latitudes 8°4'N and 37°6'N and longitudes 68°7'E and 97°25'E.

Question 6: Mention the two group of islands that lie in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal.
Answer: The Lakshadweep Island of India lies in the Arabian Sea. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India lies in the Bay of Bengal.

Question 7: Mention the neighbouring countries of India. Also mention the direction of location from India.
Answer:
• India 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.

Question 8: Give a brief account of the size of India.
Answer:
• 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 15200 km and the total length of the coastline of the mainland, including Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep, is 7516.6 km.

Question 9: What is the latitudinal extent of India? What are its implications?
Answer:
• The latitudinal extent of India lies between 8°4'N and 37°6'N.
• Implications
→ The Tropic of Cancer (23°30'N) divides the country into almost two half.
→ The northern region of India is known as the sub-tropical region and the southern region of India is known as the tropical region.

Question 10: What is the longitudinal extent of India? What are its implications?
Answer:
• The longitudinal extent of India lies between 68°7'E and 97°25'E.
• Implications
→ There is a difference of 29°18' between the easternmost and westernmost longitude.
→ For every 1° of longitudinal difference, there is 4 minutes of change. So, there is a change of 2 hours in local time of Gujarat and Arunachal Pradesh.

Question 11: Why is a difference between duration of day and night hardly felt at Kanyakumari but not so in Kashmir?
Answer:
• Kanyakumari is located near the equator whereas Kashmir is located far away from the equator.
• The day and night are almost of 12 hours each on the equator. So, the places located close to the equator don’t feel much difference of day and night.
• The difference of duration of day and night increases as we go far from the equator.

Question 12: What is a sub-continent? Name the countries which constitute the Indian sub-continent?
Answer:
• A sub-continent is a distinctive geographical unit which stands out distinctively from the rest of the region because of its large size, varied climate etc.
• Countries that constitute the Indian sub-continent are India in the centre, Pakistan in the west, Nepal in the north Bhutan and Bangladesh in the east, and Maldives and Sri Lanka in the south.

Question 13: How is India different from the rest of the countries in Asia?
Answer:
• 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.
• 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.

Question 14: What were the implications of large land boundary and vast coastline on India?
Answer: The implications of large land boundary and vast coastline on India are
• The large land boundaries of India have helped to develop links with her neighbouring countries.
• 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.