Facts that Matter | Extra Documents & Tests for Class 9 PDF Download

India on the world map

• India is a vast country. It lies entirely in the Northern Hemisphere. The main land extends between latitudes 8°4′N and 37°6′N and longitudes 68°7′E and 97°25′E.
• The Tropic of Cancer divides the country into almost two equal parts. 
• To the southeast of the mainland lie the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal and to the southwest lie the Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea. 
• The total area of India is about 3.28 million square kilometres, which is 2.42% of world’s area.
• India’s total area accounts for about 2.4 per cent of the total geographical area of the world. India is the seventh largest country of the world.
• India has a land boundary of about 15,200 km and the total length of the coastline of the mainland including Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep is 7,516.6 km.
• India is bounded by the young fold mountains in the northwest, north and northeast. South of about 22° north latitude, it begins to taper and extends towards the Indian Ocean, dividing it into two seas, i.e., the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.
• The latitudinal and longitudinal extent of the mainland is about 30°.
• The Indian landmass has a central location between the East and the West Asia. India is a southward extension of the Asian continent.
• The trans-Indian ocean routes which connect the countries of Europe in the west and the countries of the East Asia provide a strategic central location to India.
• India’s contacts with the world have continued through the ages but her relationship through the land routes are much older than her maritime contacts. The various passes across the mountains in the north have provided passages to the ancient travellers. These routes have contributed in the exchange of ideas and commodities since ancient times.
• India occupies an important strategic position in South Asia. India has 29 states and 7 union territories.
• India shares its land boundaries with Pakistan and Afghanistan in the northwest,  China (Tibet), Nepal and Bhutan in the north and Myanmar and Bangladesh in the east. Sri Lanka and Maldives are the two Island countries which lie in south across the sea.
• India has had strong geographical and historical links with her neighbours.

 Words that Matter

• Tropic of Cancer: An imaginary line parallel to latitude and is drawn parallel to equator, 23°30’ North. It divides the country into almost two equal parts.
• Indira Point: The southernmost point of the Indian Union which was submerged in the ocean in 2004 in tsunami.
• Indian Mainland: It is a continuous stretch of landmass from Jammu and Kashmir to Kanniyakumari and from Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh.
• Peninsula: The triangular landmass surrounded by water on three sides.
• Standard Time: It is the local time of 82° 30’ east taken as the Standard Time for the whole country.