Test: Latitudes & Longitudes - UPSC MCQ

The Equator is an imaginary line running on the globe divides it into two equal parts.

The tropical, or Torrid Zone, lies near the Equator and extends to the Tropic of Cancer in the north and the Tropic of Capricorn in the south.

The sun is never overhead beyond the tropics due to the latitudes. The sun's rays always fall directly at 0° latitude which is known as the equator. The sun rays can be experienced overhead till the tropic of cancer and Capricorn in the northern and southern hemispheres of the earth respectively.

In India, the longitude of 82½° E (82° 30'E) is treated as the standard meridian. The local time at this meridian is taken as the standard time for the whole country. It is known as the Indian Standard Time (IST).

Meridians of longitude are drawn from the North Pole to the South Pole and are at right angles to the Equator. 

The mid-day sun is exactly overhead at least once a year on all latitudes in between the Tropic of Cancer(23 ½ ⁰N) and the Tropic of Capricorn(23 ½ ⁰). This area, therefore, receives the maximum heat and is called the Torrid Zone. So clearly the answer is 22⁰N.

Statement 1 is correct. The Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn mark the furthest points north and south, respectively, where the sun can be directly overhead. Beyond these latitudes, the mid-day sun will never shine directly overhead.

Statement 2 is incorrect. The angle of the sun's rays actually decreases towards the poles, not increases. This is because the Earth's curvature causes the sun's rays to be more spread out at higher latitudes. 
Therefore, the correct answer is 3) 1 only.

The correct answer is 2 "The sun does not rise much above the horizon".

Explanation:

1. Low Sun Angle: Areas lying between the Arctic Circle and the North Pole in the Northern Hemisphere and the Antarctic Circle and the South Pole in the Southern Hemisphere are very cold because the Sun is at a low angle in the sky. This means that the Sun's rays hit the Earth at a more oblique angle, spreading the energy over a larger area and reducing the intensity of the heat.

2. Limited Daylight Hours: In addition, these areas have very limited daylight hours for much of the year, particularly in winter when the Sun may not rise above the horizon at all. This means that there is less time for the Sun's energy to warm the Earth in these regions.

3. Reflection of Sunlight: A significant portion of the Sun's rays are reflected back into space by the ice and snow that cover these regions. This further reduces the amount of solar energy that is absorbed and converted into heat.

4. Distance from the Sun: Although it is a lesser factor than the angle of the Sun's rays and the amount of daylight, the polar regions are also slightly further away from the Sun due to the Earth's tilt, which can contribute to the colder temperatures.

Kolkata is located east side of the Indian standard meridian.

As the earth rotates from west to east, those places east of Greenwich will be ahead of Greenwich time and those to the west will be behind it.