UPSC Exam > UPSC Notes > Geography CSE > NCERT Textbook: Locating Places on the Earth
NCERT Textbook: Locating Places on the Earth
| Download, print and study this document offline |
Please wait while the PDF view is loading
Page 1 1 Introduction – Why Social Science? Introduction Why Social Science? Family and Community Governance Local Government in Rural Areas Social Science The Value of Work Local Government in Urban Areas Locating Places on the Earth Oceans and Continents THEME E Economic Life Around Us The Beginnings of Indian Civilisation THEME B Tapestry of the Past Economic Activities Around Us Unity in Diversity, or ‘Many in the One’ THEME C Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions Landforms and Life Timeline and Sources of History India, That Is Bharat India’s Cultural Roots THEME A India and the World – Land and the People Theme D Governance and Democracy chapter0_310125.indd 1 chapter0_310125.indd 1 03-02-2025 04:56:20 03-02-2025 04:56:20 Reprint 2026-27 Page 2 1 Introduction – Why Social Science? Introduction Why Social Science? Family and Community Governance Local Government in Rural Areas Social Science The Value of Work Local Government in Urban Areas Locating Places on the Earth Oceans and Continents THEME E Economic Life Around Us The Beginnings of Indian Civilisation THEME B Tapestry of the Past Economic Activities Around Us Unity in Diversity, or ‘Many in the One’ THEME C Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions Landforms and Life Timeline and Sources of History India, That Is Bharat India’s Cultural Roots THEME A India and the World – Land and the People Theme D Governance and Democracy chapter0_310125.indd 1 chapter0_310125.indd 1 03-02-2025 04:56:20 03-02-2025 04:56:20 Reprint 2026-27 2 Exploring Society: India and Beyond LET’S EXPLORE Æ Observe the picture above. What do you notice? ? Where does the water in the lake come from? ? Who made the road and why? ? What could be the activities of people living in the small house? What could be their history? Their future? Æ Write down your answers and discuss them with your classmates. Æ Now, looking at the picture on the facing page, what questions come to your mind? Write them down. Æ How do you propose to ??nd answers to the questions related to these two images? How are our questions above relevant to Social Science? We live in the 21 st century (if you do not know what this ??gure really means, you will soon learn about it). Everyone agrees that it is a particularly challenging time for humanity. On chapter0_310125.indd 2 chapter0_310125.indd 2 03-02-2025 04:56:21 03-02-2025 04:56:21 Reprint 2026-27 Page 3 1 Introduction – Why Social Science? Introduction Why Social Science? Family and Community Governance Local Government in Rural Areas Social Science The Value of Work Local Government in Urban Areas Locating Places on the Earth Oceans and Continents THEME E Economic Life Around Us The Beginnings of Indian Civilisation THEME B Tapestry of the Past Economic Activities Around Us Unity in Diversity, or ‘Many in the One’ THEME C Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions Landforms and Life Timeline and Sources of History India, That Is Bharat India’s Cultural Roots THEME A India and the World – Land and the People Theme D Governance and Democracy chapter0_310125.indd 1 chapter0_310125.indd 1 03-02-2025 04:56:20 03-02-2025 04:56:20 Reprint 2026-27 2 Exploring Society: India and Beyond LET’S EXPLORE Æ Observe the picture above. What do you notice? ? Where does the water in the lake come from? ? Who made the road and why? ? What could be the activities of people living in the small house? What could be their history? Their future? Æ Write down your answers and discuss them with your classmates. Æ Now, looking at the picture on the facing page, what questions come to your mind? Write them down. Æ How do you propose to ??nd answers to the questions related to these two images? How are our questions above relevant to Social Science? We live in the 21 st century (if you do not know what this ??gure really means, you will soon learn about it). Everyone agrees that it is a particularly challenging time for humanity. On chapter0_310125.indd 2 chapter0_310125.indd 2 03-02-2025 04:56:21 03-02-2025 04:56:21 Reprint 2026-27 3 Introduction – Why Social Science? the one hand, there is rapid progress in technology, which is changing our lives in many ways. On the other hand, the world is witnessing multiple wars, armed con??icts and rising social tensions, and our planet’s natural environment is under great stress. We live in an age of great possibilities but also great challenges. The world over , more and more people wonder , “How do we solve the problems facing humanity? How can our societies learn to live in peace and harmony? How can we protect this beautiful Earth which we all share — and protect it not only for ourselves but also for all the species that live on it?” These fundamental questions are simple, but the answers are not. They cannot be simple, because human societies are very diverse and complex. If we wish to ??nd answers to such questions and help build a better future, we ??rst need to understand our world, and human societies in particular . That is what Social Science is all about. You may wonder whether this is a ‘science’ like, say, physics or chemistry. It is not. The discipline does use scienti??c chapter0_310125.indd 3 chapter0_310125.indd 3 03-02-2025 04:56:21 03-02-2025 04:56:21 Reprint 2026-27 Page 4 1 Introduction – Why Social Science? Introduction Why Social Science? Family and Community Governance Local Government in Rural Areas Social Science The Value of Work Local Government in Urban Areas Locating Places on the Earth Oceans and Continents THEME E Economic Life Around Us The Beginnings of Indian Civilisation THEME B Tapestry of the Past Economic Activities Around Us Unity in Diversity, or ‘Many in the One’ THEME C Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions Landforms and Life Timeline and Sources of History India, That Is Bharat India’s Cultural Roots THEME A India and the World – Land and the People Theme D Governance and Democracy chapter0_310125.indd 1 chapter0_310125.indd 1 03-02-2025 04:56:20 03-02-2025 04:56:20 Reprint 2026-27 2 Exploring Society: India and Beyond LET’S EXPLORE Æ Observe the picture above. What do you notice? ? Where does the water in the lake come from? ? Who made the road and why? ? What could be the activities of people living in the small house? What could be their history? Their future? Æ Write down your answers and discuss them with your classmates. Æ Now, looking at the picture on the facing page, what questions come to your mind? Write them down. Æ How do you propose to ??nd answers to the questions related to these two images? How are our questions above relevant to Social Science? We live in the 21 st century (if you do not know what this ??gure really means, you will soon learn about it). Everyone agrees that it is a particularly challenging time for humanity. On chapter0_310125.indd 2 chapter0_310125.indd 2 03-02-2025 04:56:21 03-02-2025 04:56:21 Reprint 2026-27 3 Introduction – Why Social Science? the one hand, there is rapid progress in technology, which is changing our lives in many ways. On the other hand, the world is witnessing multiple wars, armed con??icts and rising social tensions, and our planet’s natural environment is under great stress. We live in an age of great possibilities but also great challenges. The world over , more and more people wonder , “How do we solve the problems facing humanity? How can our societies learn to live in peace and harmony? How can we protect this beautiful Earth which we all share — and protect it not only for ourselves but also for all the species that live on it?” These fundamental questions are simple, but the answers are not. They cannot be simple, because human societies are very diverse and complex. If we wish to ??nd answers to such questions and help build a better future, we ??rst need to understand our world, and human societies in particular . That is what Social Science is all about. You may wonder whether this is a ‘science’ like, say, physics or chemistry. It is not. The discipline does use scienti??c chapter0_310125.indd 3 chapter0_310125.indd 3 03-02-2025 04:56:21 03-02-2025 04:56:21 Reprint 2026-27 4 Exploring Society: India and Beyond methods wherever possible (you will see a few examples in this textbook), but its focus — human society — is, again, too diverse to allow the kind of set procedures and ??xed results the sciences come up with. Social Science has many subdisciplines: geography, history, political science, economics, sociology, anthropology, archaeology, psychology and a few more. You need not feel intimidated by all these terms! While you will study some of these subdisciplines in the Secondary Stage, in the Middle Stage we have avoided this classi??cation. Instead, we have opted for ??ve broad themes. Let us brie??y look at them. Theme A – India and the World: Land and the People This ??rst theme includes the basics of the geographical world around us — some of the main features of our planet and the way to represent them on a map. Why is this theme important, when today we can get excellent maps on a mobile phone? Because it deals with much more than maps. It also asks how geographical features — oceans, mountains, rivers, etc. — have shaped entire civilisations throughout their histories. It is also, in India’s case, about how its natural setting has contributed to giving this ancient civilisation a unique identity. Theme B – Tapestry of the Past A tapestry is a large piece of canvas-like cloth usually kept as a wall hanging, with pictures and designs on it — sometimes a historical narrative. Our tapestry is where we will be painting scenes from the past, beginning with India’s past. But why should we be at all concerned with the past? Because it is the key to understanding the present, and the chapters in this theme will often make this connection clear. The past is a major source for our identities — it helps us understand who we are and where we come from. chapter0_310125.indd 4 chapter0_310125.indd 4 03-02-2025 04:56:21 03-02-2025 04:56:21 Reprint 2026-27 Page 5 1 Introduction – Why Social Science? Introduction Why Social Science? Family and Community Governance Local Government in Rural Areas Social Science The Value of Work Local Government in Urban Areas Locating Places on the Earth Oceans and Continents THEME E Economic Life Around Us The Beginnings of Indian Civilisation THEME B Tapestry of the Past Economic Activities Around Us Unity in Diversity, or ‘Many in the One’ THEME C Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions Landforms and Life Timeline and Sources of History India, That Is Bharat India’s Cultural Roots THEME A India and the World – Land and the People Theme D Governance and Democracy chapter0_310125.indd 1 chapter0_310125.indd 1 03-02-2025 04:56:20 03-02-2025 04:56:20 Reprint 2026-27 2 Exploring Society: India and Beyond LET’S EXPLORE Æ Observe the picture above. What do you notice? ? Where does the water in the lake come from? ? Who made the road and why? ? What could be the activities of people living in the small house? What could be their history? Their future? Æ Write down your answers and discuss them with your classmates. Æ Now, looking at the picture on the facing page, what questions come to your mind? Write them down. Æ How do you propose to ??nd answers to the questions related to these two images? How are our questions above relevant to Social Science? We live in the 21 st century (if you do not know what this ??gure really means, you will soon learn about it). Everyone agrees that it is a particularly challenging time for humanity. On chapter0_310125.indd 2 chapter0_310125.indd 2 03-02-2025 04:56:21 03-02-2025 04:56:21 Reprint 2026-27 3 Introduction – Why Social Science? the one hand, there is rapid progress in technology, which is changing our lives in many ways. On the other hand, the world is witnessing multiple wars, armed con??icts and rising social tensions, and our planet’s natural environment is under great stress. We live in an age of great possibilities but also great challenges. The world over , more and more people wonder , “How do we solve the problems facing humanity? How can our societies learn to live in peace and harmony? How can we protect this beautiful Earth which we all share — and protect it not only for ourselves but also for all the species that live on it?” These fundamental questions are simple, but the answers are not. They cannot be simple, because human societies are very diverse and complex. If we wish to ??nd answers to such questions and help build a better future, we ??rst need to understand our world, and human societies in particular . That is what Social Science is all about. You may wonder whether this is a ‘science’ like, say, physics or chemistry. It is not. The discipline does use scienti??c chapter0_310125.indd 3 chapter0_310125.indd 3 03-02-2025 04:56:21 03-02-2025 04:56:21 Reprint 2026-27 4 Exploring Society: India and Beyond methods wherever possible (you will see a few examples in this textbook), but its focus — human society — is, again, too diverse to allow the kind of set procedures and ??xed results the sciences come up with. Social Science has many subdisciplines: geography, history, political science, economics, sociology, anthropology, archaeology, psychology and a few more. You need not feel intimidated by all these terms! While you will study some of these subdisciplines in the Secondary Stage, in the Middle Stage we have avoided this classi??cation. Instead, we have opted for ??ve broad themes. Let us brie??y look at them. Theme A – India and the World: Land and the People This ??rst theme includes the basics of the geographical world around us — some of the main features of our planet and the way to represent them on a map. Why is this theme important, when today we can get excellent maps on a mobile phone? Because it deals with much more than maps. It also asks how geographical features — oceans, mountains, rivers, etc. — have shaped entire civilisations throughout their histories. It is also, in India’s case, about how its natural setting has contributed to giving this ancient civilisation a unique identity. Theme B – Tapestry of the Past A tapestry is a large piece of canvas-like cloth usually kept as a wall hanging, with pictures and designs on it — sometimes a historical narrative. Our tapestry is where we will be painting scenes from the past, beginning with India’s past. But why should we be at all concerned with the past? Because it is the key to understanding the present, and the chapters in this theme will often make this connection clear. The past is a major source for our identities — it helps us understand who we are and where we come from. chapter0_310125.indd 4 chapter0_310125.indd 4 03-02-2025 04:56:21 03-02-2025 04:56:21 Reprint 2026-27 5 Introduction – Why Social Science? The past is still with us, in other words. And since history is unfortunately not all about happy developments, it is useful to understand where people, governments or rulers went wrong, and why. Only then can we hope to avoid repeating those errors. Theme C – Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions It has often been said that India has a rich and ancient culture. True, but what are its main characteristics? Its guiding principles? How has it manifested itself in India’s history? And how can it help us to deal with issues of our times? These are some of the questions that this theme is exploring, with the objective that every student should understand some of the cultural foundations of our civilisation and learn to appreciate their value. Theme D – Governance and Democracy Citizens of any country should know how their political system functions. India, as the world’s largest democracy, has an elaborate system working at di??erent levels. What are its chief characteristics and components? How do the citizens participate in the overall governance? What are their rights and also their duties or dharma? Are there di??erent systems in other countries, and, if so, of what type? How are di??erent countries supposed to interact? By studying this theme, we can become more responsible citizens, understand how the organs of the government function, and learn to have a say in the policies that a??ect us all, whether locally or nationally. Theme E – Economic Life Around Us No family can be happy without the essentials of daily living — at least food, clothing, shelter, access to water in a ??rst stage; in a second, livelihood for adults and access to education for the younger ones. Similarly, no country can chapter0_310125.indd 5 chapter0_310125.indd 5 03-02-2025 04:56:22 03-02-2025 04:56:22 Reprint 2026-27Read More
FAQs on NCERT Textbook: Locating Places on the Earth
| 1. What's the difference between latitude and longitude on Earth? |  |
Ans. Latitude measures distance north or south from the equator in degrees, while longitude measures distance east or west from the Prime Meridian. Together, they form a coordinate system enabling precise location identification on maps and globes. Latitude lines run horizontally; longitude lines run vertically, intersecting to pinpoint any place on Earth's surface.
| 2. How do I read and understand grid lines on a map for UPSC preparation? | |
Ans. Grid lines combine latitude and longitude to create a reference framework on maps. Horizontal lines represent latitude (0° at the equator to 90° at poles); vertical lines represent longitude (0° at Prime Meridian to 180° east/west). Students should practise identifying intersections to locate places accurately, essential for map-based geography questions in competitive exams.
| 3. Why is the Prime Meridian at 0° longitude and not somewhere else? | |
Ans. The Prime Meridian was established by international agreement at Greenwich, London, as a standardised global reference point for measuring east-west positions. This convention, adopted at the 1884 International Meridian Conference, ensures consistent mapping and navigation worldwide. Without this fixed baseline, locating places using longitude would lack uniformity across different regions and nations.
| 4. What's the actual difference between the Equator and the Tropic of Cancer on a globe? | |
Ans. The Equator is latitude 0°, dividing Earth into Northern and Southern hemispheres equally. The Tropic of Cancer is latitude 23.5°N, marking the farthest point north where the sun shines directly overhead at noon during the summer solstice. Both are crucial reference circles for understanding Earth's geographical zones and climate patterns.
| 5. How do I locate a specific place using latitude and longitude coordinates accurately? | |
Ans. Identify the latitude value first (north or south of equator), then find the corresponding horizontal line. Next, locate the longitude value (east or west of Prime Meridian) on vertical lines. Where these lines intersect marks the precise location. Practising with flashcards and mind maps helps students master coordinate reading for geography examinations and map-based questions.
About this Document
24.7K Views
4.82/5 Rating
Apr 19, 2026 Last updated
Related Exams
Document Description: NCERT Textbook: Locating Places on the Earth for UPSC 2026 is part of Geography for UPSC CSE preparation. The notes and questions for NCERT Textbook: Locating Places on the Earth have been prepared according to the UPSC exam syllabus. Information about NCERT Textbook: Locating Places on the Earth covers topics like and NCERT Textbook: Locating Places on the Earth Example, for UPSC 2026 Exam. Find important definitions, questions, notes, meanings, examples, exercises and tests below for NCERT Textbook: Locating Places on the Earth.
Introduction of NCERT Textbook: Locating Places on the Earth in English is available as part of our Geography for UPSC CSE for UPSC & NCERT Textbook: Locating Places on the Earth in Hindi for Geography for UPSC CSE course. Download more important topics related with notes, lectures and mock test series for UPSC Exam by signing up for free. UPSC: NCERT Textbook: Locating Places on the Earth
Description
NCERT Textbook: Locating Places on the Earth of Geography is the updated edition as per the latest syllabus of the 2026-27, PDF available for download.
Information about NCERT Textbook: Locating Places on the Earth
In this doc you can find the meaning of NCERT Textbook: Locating Places on the Earth defined & explained in the simplest way possible. Besides explaining types of NCERT Textbook: Locating Places on the Earth theory, EduRev gives you an ample number of questions to practice NCERT Textbook: Locating Places on the Earth tests, examples and also practice UPSC tests
Related Searches
shortcuts and tricks, practice quizzes, Summary, Free, mock tests for examination, ppt, NCERT Textbook: Locating Places on the Earth, study material, Exam, Sample Paper, pdf , Important questions, Extra Questions, video lectures, Viva Questions, NCERT Textbook: Locating Places on the Earth, NCERT Textbook: Locating Places on the Earth, MCQs, past year papers, Previous Year Questions with Solutions, Semester Notes, Objective type Questions;