India — Location — NCERT Solutions

Correct Answer: (c) 8°4'N – 35°6'N

Justification: The mainland of India extends from 8°4'N latitude in the south (Kanyakumari) to 35°6'N latitude in the north (near Kashmir). This is the standard latitudinal extent cited for India's territory. Option (b) gives an incorrect northern limit of 37°6'N, and option (a) gives a slightly wrong southern limit of 8°41'N. Hence, option (c) is correct.

Correct Answer: (a) Bangladesh

Justification: India shares a land boundary of approximately 4,156 km with Bangladesh, which is the longest land frontier India shares with any single neighbouring country. China comes second with about 3,488 km, followed by Pakistan (~3,323 km) and Myanmar (~1,643 km). Hence, Bangladesh shares the longest land frontier with India.

Correct Answer: (a) China

Justification: India has a total area of approximately 3.28 million sq km, making it the 7th largest country in the world. China has an area of about 9.6 million sq km, which is nearly three times larger than India. Egypt (~1.0 million sq km), France (~0.55 million sq km), and Iran (~1.65 million sq km) are all smaller than India. Hence, China is larger in area than India.

Correct Answer: (b) 82°30'E

Justification: India's Standard Meridian is 82°30'E longitude, which passes through Mirzapur (Uttar Pradesh). It was chosen as the standard meridian because it lies roughly in the middle of India's longitudinal extent (68°7'E to 97°25'E) and is a convenient multiple of 5°30', making Indian Standard Time (IST) exactly 5 hours 30 minutes ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT).

Answer:

Given: India's longitudinal extent is from 68°7'E to 97°25'E, covering a total span of about 29°18'.

Concept: Every 1° of longitude corresponds to a time difference of 4 minutes. Therefore, the total time difference between India's easternmost and westernmost points is:
$$29° \times 4 = 116 \text{ minutes} \approx 2 \text{ hours}$$

Explanation: Yes, ideally India could have more than one standard time because there is a difference of nearly 2 hours between the sunrise in the easternmost state (Arunachal Pradesh) and the westernmost state (Gujarat). Countries with large longitudinal extents, like the USA and Russia, follow multiple time zones.

However, India follows a single standard time (IST = 82°30'E) for administrative convenience and national unity. Having multiple time zones could create confusion in railways, communication, and governance. Despite this, the single time zone causes inconvenience to people in the northeast, where the sun rises and sets much earlier than in the west.

Answer:

Given: India has a total coastline of about 7,516.6 km (including the Andaman & Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep).

Implications of a long coastline:

1. Trade and Commerce: A long coastline provides India with numerous natural harbours and ports (e.g., Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Vishakhapatnam), facilitating international maritime trade.

2. Fisheries: The extensive coastline supports a large fishing industry, providing livelihood to millions of fishermen and contributing to food security.

3. Tourism: Beautiful beaches and coastal landscapes promote tourism (e.g., Goa, Kerala backwaters).

4. Strategic Importance: India's long coastline gives it a dominant position in the Indian Ocean, enhancing its naval strength and geopolitical influence.

5. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ): India can exploit marine resources (minerals, oil, gas) up to 200 nautical miles into the sea.

6. Climate Moderation: The sea moderates the climate of coastal regions, making them less extreme in temperature.

Answer:

Given: India extends from 8°4'N to 35°6'N latitude, spanning both the tropical and sub-tropical zones.

Advantages of India's latitudinal spread:

1. Diverse Climate: The southern part of India (below the Tropic of Cancer) experiences a tropical climate with high temperatures throughout the year, while the northern part has a sub-tropical/temperate climate with distinct seasons. This diversity supports varied human activities.

2. Diverse Agriculture: The varied climate allows cultivation of a wide range of crops — tropical crops like rice, sugarcane, and rubber in the south, and wheat, cotton, and millets in the north.

3. Biodiversity: The latitudinal spread supports rich and diverse flora and fauna, from tropical rainforests in the south to alpine vegetation in the north.

4. Long Daylight Hours in Summer: Northern India gets longer days in summer, which is beneficial for agriculture.

5. Tourism: The variety of landscapes and climates attracts tourists throughout the year to different parts of the country.

Answer:

Given:

• Kohima (Nagaland) is located in the east of India (approximately 94°E longitude).
• New Delhi is located more towards the west (approximately 77°E longitude).
• India follows a single Standard Time based on 82°30'E (IST).

Explanation:

Although the sun rises and sets earlier in Kohima than in New Delhi (because Kohima is about 17° east of New Delhi, corresponding to a time difference of nearly $17 \times 4 = 68$ minutes ≈ 1 hour 8 minutes), both cities follow the same Indian Standard Time (IST).

This is because India has adopted a single standard meridian (82°30'E) for the entire country to maintain uniformity in administration, transport, communication, and governance. All clocks across India are set to IST regardless of the local solar time at a particular place.

Therefore, even though the local (solar) time at Kohima is about 1 hour ahead of New Delhi, the watches (clock time/IST) at both Kohima and New Delhi show the same time, because both follow IST based on 82°30'E.