Class 9 Geography Chapter 1 Extra Question Answers - India - Size and Location

72) Why is the difference between the durations of day and night hardly felt at Kanyakumari but not so in Kashmir?
Ans: (i) The circle of illumination divides the equator into two equal parts. The days and nights are, therefore, of the same duration at the equator.
(ii) As Kanyakumari is quite near the equator, the day and night difference is hardly one hour.
(iii) But as we move away from the equator towards the poles, the variation (difference) in the duration of day and night becomes greater. It is because of the unequal division of the parallels of latitudes by the circle of illumination.
(iv) Kashmir is over 30⁰ away from the equator and so the difference in duration of day and night is over 4 hours there.  

73) What is the significance of India's central location?  
Ans: (i) India is very favourably located in relation to Eurasia, Africa and Australia.
(ii) It occupies central position in the eastern hemisphere.
(iii) It lies at the head of the Indian Ocean. It is the largest country with the largest coastline on the Indian ocean. The third largest Ocean is rightly named after India as the Indian Ocean.
(iv) India's location has many economic advantages. It helped in establishing economic and cultural contacts with the East and the West in ancient times.
(v) It is favourably located on the world's highway of trade and commerce, both to the east and the west. There are some prominent air routes and sea routes passing through the Indian subcontinent.

74) In which hemisphere India is located?
Ans: India is located in northern hemisphere.  

75) What is the latitudinal extent of India?
Ans: The main land extends between latitudes 8⁰4' N and 37⁰6' N.  

76) What is the longitudinal extent of India?
Ans: India lies between the longitudes of 68⁰7' E and 97⁰25' E. 

77) Which tropic divides India into almost two equal parts?
Ans: The Tropics of Cancer (23⁰3(r N).  

78) Name the two Island groups of India.
Ans: Andaman and Nicobar Islands are located in Bay of Bengal and Lakshadweep Islands in Arabian Sea.  

79) What is total area of Indian landmass?
Ans: Total landmass of India has an area of 3.28 million square Kms 

80) Which countries are bigger than India in size?
Ans: Russsia, Canada, USA, China, Brazil and Australia.  

81) What is the total length of coastline of the mainland including Andaman & Nicobar & Lakshadweep Islands?
Ans:The total length of the coastline of India is 7,516.6 Kms.  

82) Which two seas are located around India?
Ans: The Arabian sea on the west and Bay of Bengal on the east of Peninsula. 

83) What is the time lag between Gujarat and Arunachal Pradesh?
Ans: There is a time lag of 2 hours.  

84) What is the standard meridian of India?
Ans: The standard Meridian of India is 82⁰ 30'E.  

85) From where does Standard Meridian pass in India?
Ans: The Standard Meridian of India passes through Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh.  

86) Why 82⁰ 30' E has been selected as the Standard Meridian of India?
Ans: 82⁰ 30' E has been selected as the Standard Meridian of India since it passes almost from the centre of India.  

87) Do you justify Indian Ocean's name after India?
Ans: Yes, as no other country has a longer coastline on the Indian Ocean as India has and indeed, it is India's eminent position in the Indian Ocean which justifies the naming of an ocean after it.  

88) What is the total length and width of India?
Ans: Total length of India is 3214 Kms and the width is 2933 Kms.  

89) How had India kept her relationship with the world in ancient times?
Ans: Various passes across the mountains in the north have provided passages to the ancient travellers, while the oceans restricted such interaction for a long time.  

90) Which ideas from India could reach the world?
Ans: The ideas of the Upanishads and Ramayana, the stories of Panchtantra, the Indian numerals and the decimal system could reach many parts of the world. 

91) What commodities were taken from India to various parts of the world?
Ans: The spices, muslin and many other merchandise were taken from India to different countries.  

92) How many states and union territories does India have?
Ans: India has 28 states and 7 union territories. 

93) Which is the smallest and the largest state of India areawise?
Ans: The smallest state is Goa and the largest state is Rajasthan.  

94) Name the states which do not have an international border or lie on the coast.
Ans: Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Jharkhand. 

95) Name the states of India, sharing border with Pakistan.
Ans: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir.  

96) Which states of India share border with China?
Ans: Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.  

97) Name the states sharing border with Myanmar.
Ans: Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland.  

98) Which states of India share border with Bangladesh?
Ans: West Bengal, Bihar, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura. 

99) Which countries share their border with India?
Ans: India share its land boundaries with Pakistan and Afghanistan in the north west, China (Tibet), Nepal and Bhutan in the north, Myanmar and Bangladesh in the east.

100) Which two Island countries are India's neighbours?
Ans: Sri Lanka and Maldives. 

101) Which water bodies separates Sri Lanka from India?
Ans: Sri Lanka is separated from India by a narrow channel of sea formed by the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar.  

102) Name the Eastern coastal states of India.
Ans: Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa (Odisha) and West Bengal.  

103) Name the Western coastal states from South to North?
Ans: Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat.  

104) If you intend to visit Kavarati during summer vacation, which union territory you will be going to?
Ans:Lakshdweep Islands in Arabian Sea.

105) With which country do states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim have common frontiers?
Ans: Nepal.  

106) Name the states through which the Tropic of Cancer passes.
Ans: Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, W. Bengal, Tripura and Mizoram.  

107) Name the place situated on three seas of India.
Ans: Kanyakumari.  

108) Name the union territories of India.  
Ans: Delhi, Daman and Diu, Dadar and Nagar Haveli, Puducherry (Pondicherry).   

109) What is India's latitudinal and longitudinal extent? What is the total area of India?
Ans: (i) Latitudinal extent: 8⁰4' N to 37⁰ 6' N
(ii) Longitudinal extent: 68⁰ T E to 97⁰ 25' E
(iii) The landmass of India has an area of 3.28 million sq km.

110) Why is 82⁰ 30' E selected as the Standard Meridian of India?
Ans: The 82⁰ 30' E Meridian has been selected as the Standard Meridian of India for the following reasons:
(i) There is a general understanding among the countries of the world to select a Standard Meridian in the multiples of 71/20 east and west of Prime Meridian. It is equal to half an hour.
(ii) A country's standard time is derived from such a Central Meridian. The minimum difference of time between two consecutive Standard Meridians should be half an hour.
(iii) Another consideration is that the central meridian of a country should pass through, as far as possible, from its centre. 

111) Name the countries which are larger than India.
Ans: The countries which are larger than India are: (i) Russia                        
(ii) Canada
(iii) USA                          
(iv) China
(Iv) Brazil                        
(vi) Australia  

112) What is the significance of India's central location?
Ans: India is a south west extension of the Asian continent. The trans Indian Ocean routes which connect the countries of Europe in the west and the countries of East Asia provide a strategic central location to India. The Deccan Plateau protrudes into the Indian Ocean, thus helping India to establish close contact with West Asia, Africa and Europe from the western coast and East Asia and Southeast from the eastern coast.  

113) The Sun rises two hours earlier in Arunachal Pradesh as compared to Gujarat in the west but the watches show the same time. How does this happen?
Ans: From Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh there is a time lag of two hours. Hence, time along the Standard Meridian of India (82⁰ 30' E) passing through Mirzapur (Uttar Pradesh) is taken as the standard time for the whole country. So to have uniform time in the country, a Standard Meridian is taken and thus, the timings in Arunachal Pradesh and Gujarat are the same.  

114) What do you know about the size of India?
Ans: The land mass of India has an area of 3.28 million sq. kms. 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 starting with Russia, Canada, USA, China, Brazil, Australia and India. India has a land boundary of about 15,200 km. The total length of the coastline of the mainland including Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep is 7,576.6 kms.  

115) Why is the difference between the durations of day and night hardly felt at Kanyakumari but not so in Kashmir?
Ans: These places do not have the same duration of day and night. The circle of illumination divides the Equator into two equal parts. The days and nights are, therefore, of the same duration at the equator. As Kanyakumari is quite near the equator the day-night difference is hardly one hour there. But as we move away from the equator towards the poles, the variations in the duration of day and night becomes greater. It is because of the unequal division of the parallels of latitude by the circle of illumination. Kashmir is over 30⁰ away from the equator and so the difference in duration of day and night is over four hours there. 

116) What are India's unique locational features?
Ans: (i) India lies completely on the north of the equator. So it is situated in the Northern Hemisphere.
(ii) The Tropic of Cancer passes through the middle of India. While its southern part (i.e., the peninsular India) falls in the tropical zone, the northern half lies in the subtropical zone or warm temperate zone.
(iii) India is also situated to the east of the Prime Meridian. It lies not only in the Eastern Hemisphere but also has central position in it.
(iv) India occupies the South-Central peninsula of the world's largest and the most popular continent, Asia.
(v) It also lies at the head of the Indian Ocean. It has the longest coastline on this ocean.  

117) What is the location of India in the world?  
Ans: India is very favourably located in relation to Eurasia, Africa and Australia. It occupies central position in the Eastern hemisphere or the Orient. It forms South-Central peninsula of Asia. It lies at the head of the Indian Ocean. It is the largest country with the longest coastline on the Indian Ocean. The third largest ocean is rightly named after India-as the Indian Ocean. India's location has many economic advantages. It helped in establishing economic and cultural contacts with the East and the West in ancient times. It is favourably located on the world's highways of trade and commerce, both to the east and the west. 

118) Classify the states into five groups each having common frontiers with Pakistan, China, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Nepal.
Ans: (i) Pakistan: Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat.
(ii) China: Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
(iii) Myanmar: Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram.
(iv) Bangladesh: Bihar, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura.
(v) Nepal: Uttarakhand, U.R, Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim.  

119) How has India developed relationships with the world through the land route?
Ans: The 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. The ideas of Upanishads, Ramayana, the stories of Panchtantra, the Indian numerals and the decimal system could thus, reach many parts of the world. The spices, muslin and other merchandise were taken from India to different countries. On the other hand, influence of Greek sculpture, their architectural styles of domes arid minarets can be seen in India.  

120) Throw more light on India occupying an important and strategic position in South Asia.    
Ans: (i) India has 28 States and 7 Union Territories.
(ii) India shares its land boundaries with Pakistan and Afghanistan in the north-west, China (Tibet), Nepal and Bhutan in the north and Myanmar and Bangladesh in the east. (iii) Our southern neighbours across the sea consist of the two island countries, namely Sri Lanka and Maldives.
(iv) Sri Lanka is separated from India by a narrow channel of sea formed by the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar while Maldives Islands are situated to the South of the Lakshadweep Islands. India has had strong geographical and historical links with her neighbours.   

121) The Tropic of Cancer does not pass through: 
(a) Rajasthan
(b) Odisha
(c) Chhattisgarh
(d) Uttarakhand
Ans:B  

122) Uttarakhand, UP, Bihar, West Bengal and Sikkim have common frontiers with: (a) China
(b) Bhutan
(c) Nepal
(d) Sri Lanka
Ans: C  

123) My friend hails from a country which does not share land boundary with India. Identify the country.
(a) Bhutan 
(b) Tajikistan 
(c) Bangladesh 
(d) Nepal

Ans: B  

124) The Standard Meridian of India passes through which state? 
(a) Rajasthan
(b) Himachal Pradesh
(c) Uttar Pradesh
(d) Maharashtra

Ans: C  

125) Sri Lanka is separated from India by a narrow channel of sea called:
(a) Gulf of Kachchh
(b) Palk Strait
(c) Colombo Gulf
(d) Gulf of Khambhat      

Ans: B      

126) Why 82?30' E has been as the standard meridian of India?
Ans: 82⁰30'E meridian has been selected as the standard meridian of India for the following reasons:
(i) This is a general understanding among the countries of the world to select a Standard Meridian in multiples of 7⁰30' east and west of Prime Meridian. It is equal to half an hour. (ii) A country's standard time is derived from such a central meridian. The minimum difference of time between two consecutive standard meridians should be half an hour. (iii) From Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh there is a time lag of two hours. Hence, time along the standard meridian of India (82⁰30'E) passing through Mirzapur (U.P.) is taken as the standard time for the whole country.