Chapter - 1, INDIA – SIZE AND LOCATION (NOTES)

 

CLASS-9

GEOGRAPHY

CHAPTER-1

INDIA – SIZE AND LOCATION (NOTES)

LOCATION

• Lies entirely in the Northern hemisphere.
• The mainland extends between 8﮿4’N and 37﮿6’N latitudes, and 68﮿7’E and 97﮿25’E longitudes.
• India is divided into almost two equal parts by the Tropic of cancer (23﮿30’N).
• Andaman and Nicobar Island lie in Bay of Bengal in southeast.
• Lakshadweep Island lie in Arabian sea in southwest.

SIZE

• India has an area of 3.28 million square km which is 2.4 percent of the total geographical area of the world.
• India is the seventh largest country of the world.
• India’s land boundary is of about 15,200 km and total length of the mainland coastline is about 7,516.6 km including Andaman and Nico bar and Lakshadweep islands.
• Young fold mountains bound India in the northwest, north, and northeast.
• The east-west extent appears to be smaller than the north-south extent.
• Time along the standard meridian of India (82﮿30’E) passing through Mirzapur is taken as the standard time for whole country.

INDIA AND THE WORLD

• The Indian landmass is located centrally between west and east Asia.
• A strategic central location to India is provided by the trans Indian ocean routes, which connects the countries of Europe in the west and the countries of east Asia.
• The Deccan Peninsula helps India to establish close contact with west Asia, Africa, and Europe from western coast and with southeast and east Asia from the eastern coast.
• India has longest coastline on the Indian ocean in the world.
• India’s relationships through the land routes are much older than her maritime contacts.
• The land routes helped India in exchange of ideas and commodities since ancient times.
• The spices, muslin and other merchandise were taken from India to different countries also the ideas of the Upanishads and the Ramayana, the stories of Panchatantra were spread to many parts of the world.
• Greek sculpture, the architectural styles of dome and minarets influenced different parts of India.

INDIA’S NEIGHBOURS

• India has 28 states and 8 Union Territories.
• India shares its boundary with Pakistan and Afghanistan in the northwest. China, Nepal, and Bhutan in the north. Myanmar and Bangladesh in the east and Sri Lanka and Maldives in the south.
• Sri Lanka is separated from India by a narrow channel of sea formed by the Palk strait and the gulf of Mannar.
• Maldives Islands are situated to the south of Lakshadweep Islands.