CHAPTER-1 INDIA- SIZE AND LOCATION
NOTES
1. India is a vast country. It is located in the Northern Hemisphere.
- Its main part extends from 8°4' North to 37°6' North latitude and from 68°7' East to 97°25' East longitude.
- The Tropic of Cancer (23°30' North) divides the country into almost two equal parts.
2. The southernmost point of the Indian Union, which was called Indira Point, was submerged in the sea due to tsunami waves in the year 2004.
3. Shape- The total area of India is approximately 3.28 million square kilometers. It accounts for 2.4 percent of the geographical area.
- India is the seventh largest country in the world.
- India's land boundary is approximately 15,200 km, and its coastline, including the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the Lakshadweep Islands, is 7,516.6 km long.
- India's northwestern, northern, and northeastern borders have newly folded mountains.
- The southern landmass is wider in the north and narrows towards the Indian Ocean from the 22° North latitude.
- The Arabian Sea is located to the west, and the Bay of Bengal is located to the east.
- There is a time difference of two hours between the local time of Gujarat and Arunachal Pradesh.
- The 82°30' East longitude is considered the standard meridian of India, which passes through Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh.
4. India and the World– The Indian landmass is the southern extension of the Asian continent.
- The Indian Ocean connects the Western countries with the East Asian countries.
- India's contact with the countries of the world is centuries old, but this connection was primarily through land routes rather than sea routes. In ancient times, many travelers came to India through the passes of the northern mountains.
- The sea routes were unknown for a long time. Since ancient times, these routes have facilitated the exchange of ideas and goods.
- Similarly, the ideas of the Upanishads, the stories of the Ramayana and Panchatantra, the Indian numerals, and the decimal system reached different parts of the world.
- Spices, muslin, textiles, and other trade goods were taken from India to various countries.
5. India's Neighboring Countries-
- India holds an important position in South Asia. India has 28 states and 8 union territories.
- India's land borders are shared with Pakistan and Afghanistan in the northwest, China (Tibet), Nepal, and Bhutan in the north, and Myanmar and Bangladesh in the east.
- Across the sea in the south, our neighboring island nations are Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
- The narrow sea route between India and Sri Lanka is the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar.
- The Maldives is located south of the Lakshadweep Islands.
