Reason for North-South stretch appearing bigger than East-West stretch in India:
- Earth's shape and curvature: The Earth is not a perfect sphere, but rather an oblate spheroid. This means that the distance between lines of longitude (east-west) decreases as you move towards the poles, while the distance between lines of latitude (north-south) remains relatively constant.
- Convergence of meridians: As you move towards the poles, the lines of longitude (meridians) converge, making the east-west distance appear shorter. In contrast, the lines of latitude (parallels) remain parallel to each other, maintaining a consistent north-south distance.
- Map projection distortion: When the curved surface of the Earth is projected onto a flat map, distortion occurs. Most map projections exaggerate the size of areas near the poles, making the north-south stretch appear larger than the east-west stretch.
- India's position on the globe: India is located closer to the equator, where the lines of longitude are more spread out. This contributes to the perception that the north-south stretch is larger compared to the east-west stretch.
- Visual perception: Our brains are wired to perceive vertical lines (north-south) as longer than horizontal lines (east-west). This psychological factor also plays a role in why the north-south stretch of India appears bigger than the east-west stretch.
In conclusion, the combination of Earth's shape, map projection distortion, India's position on the globe, and visual perception all contribute to the phenomenon of the north-south stretch appearing larger than the east-west stretch in India.