Introduction:-

India is a land full of surprises. You can see lush green fields here. You can also explore hot, dry deserts. Tall mountains and vast oceans make it even more special. It feels like the whole world is in one country. So, are you ready to explore more about the Indian landscape? Let’s read it!

India’s size:-

• The land area of India is about 3.28 million sq. km.
• Its total land boundary is about 15,2900 km.
  • Vertical length of India (from North to South) is about 3,214 km.
    • In the extreme north, there is the Union Territory of Ladakh.
    • In the extreme south, there is a district called kanyakumari (on the mainland).
  • Horizontal length of India (from west to east) is about 2,933 km.
    • In the extreme west, there is Kuchchh, Gujarat.
    • and In the extreme east, there is Arunachal Pradesh.

Note: India is the most populated country in the world.

Locational Setting of India:-

• India is located in the northern hemisphere.
• There are many imaginary lines to locate the places.
  • These are called latitudinal and longitudal lines.
• The latitudinal line that passes through the middle of India is called Tropic of Cancer.
  • Its latitude is 23 degree 30 minutes North (23°30′ N) .
• There are two more important Latitudinal Lines.
  • One is at the top, and the other is at the bottom of the mainland border.
    • North Latitudinal line:- 8°4′N
    • South Latitudinal line:- 37°6′N
• Note:- ‘N’ means north. It shows the direction of India in the Northern Hemisphere on the world map.
• Moreover, there are two important Longitudinal lines as well.
  • One on the extreme west and the other on the extreme east of India.
    • West Longitudinal line:- 68°7′E
    • East Longitudinal line:- 97°25′E
• Furthermore, India uses a longitudinal line called the Standard Meridian of India to measure local time.
• Note:- ‘E’ means East. It shows the direction of India in the Eastern Hemisphere on the world.

Hence, India lies in the northeastern part of the earth.

Time Zone of India:-

• India follows the Indian Standard Time (IST).
• It is based on the longitude of 82°30′ E.
  • This line passes through Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh.
• IST is to avoid confusion.
  • For Example:- If 1 degree equals 4 minutes, and India’s size covers 30 degrees, the total time difference would be 120 minutes or 2 hours. This means there is a 2-hour gap between the extreme west and extreme east of India.
• This is why, in Arunachal Pradesh, the sun rises about 2 hours earlier than in the western part of India, like Gujarat.

Remember: Bigger countries have more time zones. This is because the sun rises and sets at different times in different parts of a large country.

For Example:-

• USA has seven time zones.
• Canada has six time zones.
• and Russia has Eleven time zones.

Note:- Latitudinal Lines help in identifying the different climate zones. And the Longitudinal Lines help in determining the time zones.

India’s Neighbhours:-

• India is a peninsular country.
  • Peninsula means land surrounded by water on three sides and connected to the mainland.
• It has seven neighboring countries sharing a land border.
  • These are – Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar (Burma), and Afghanistan.
• India has two island neighbours too.
  • Sri Lanka and Maldives.
    • Note:- Sri Lanka is separated from India by the Palk Strait.

Political and Administrative Divisions:-

• India is a vast country.
• Thus, it needed to divide the country into different units for administrative purposes.
  • Different units like states, districts, and regions
• India has 28 states. Each state has its own government.

• Also, It has 8 Union Territories. These are directly governed by the central government.

• There are three main conditions required for an area to become a Union Territory (U.T.) (optional)

Himalaya:-

• Him+alaya mean ‘the abode of snow‘.
• There are three parallel ranges of Himalayan mountains.
  • Inner most/ Northernmost Range:- Great Himalayas or Himadri
  • Middle Range:- Himachal (lies to the south of Himadri)
  • Outer most/ Southernmost Range:- Shiwalik.

1. Great Himalayas or Himadri:- These mountains have some of the highest peaks in the world.
   • This range passes through many different places.
   • For example:- Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and parts of Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
2. Himachal:- This region has many popular hill stations.
   • Such as Shimla, Manali, Dharamshala, Kullu, Kasauli, Chail, and Solan
   • The places in this range are:- Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and parts of Jammu and Kashmir.
3. Shiwaliks: This region has low hills and is famous for its forests, wildlife, and rivers.
   • This range crosses Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Punjab

Northern Indian plains:-

• These plains lie to the south of the Himalayas.
• Plains are called so because they have flat and even surfaces.
• Big rocks in the mountains break into tiny pieces over time.
• Then, Rivers carry these pieces to the plains, where they mix with soil and form fertile land called alluvial soil.
  • For Example:- The Indus, the Ganga, the Brahmaputra and their tributaries.
  • All these above given rivers provide fertile land for cultivation.
• This is why plains have a high population.

Note:- The two main rivers of India; Ganga and the Brahmaputra forms the world’s largest delta. This delta is called Sundarbans delta.

Great Indian Desert:-

• The Great Indian Desert is also known as the Thar Desert.
  • Thar Desert is the largest desert in India.
  • It covers four states of India: Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, and Gujarat.
• The Great Indian Desert lies in the western part of India.
• It is a land that is dry, hot, and covered with sand.
• Since its soil is arid (extremely dry, with very little or no rainfall), there is very little vegetation.

Peninsular Plateau:-

• The peninsular Plateau lies to the south of northern plains.
• It has a triangular shape.
• It has block mountains.
• There are numerous hill ranges and valleys.
• The oldest mountain ranges of the world, the Aravalli Range, lie along the northwest border of the Peninsular Plateau.
• There are two more important ranges; Vindhyas and Satpuras.
  • The Narmada River flows from east to west, between the Vindhya and Satpura mountains.
  • The Tapi River also flows from east to west, but it runs south of the Satpura mountains.

Note:- Narmada and Tapi are two important west-flowing rivers in India. They flow towards the west and empty their water into the Arabian Sea.

• The southwestern border of the plateau is called Western Ghats or Sahyadris.
  • The Sahyadris are almost continuous, which causes many rivers to flow towards the east.
• And, the southeastern border of plateau is called Eastern Ghats.
  • The Eastern Ghats have broken hills and an uneven surface. This allows many peninsular rivers to flow into the Bay of Bengal.
• Moreover, the plateau is rich in minerals like coal and iron-ore.

Coastal plains:-

• The areas near or aligned to sea are coastal plains.
  • Western coastal plains lie between the western ghats and Arabian Sea.
    • These are very narrow.
    • And, few rivers flow through these plains.
    • Rivers in these plains flow westward and form estuaries.
      • For example:- the Narmada, Tapi, and Mahi
    • Moreover, these rivers drain into Arabian Sea.
  • Eastern coastal plains lie between the eastern ghats and Bay of Bengal.
    • These are much broader.
    • And, many rivers flow through these plains.
    • Rivers in these plains flow eastward and form fertile deltas.
      • For example:- the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri.
    • Furthermore, these rivers drain into Bay of Bengal.

Islands:-

• India has two group of islands.
  • Lakshadweep Islands in the Arabian Sea.
  • and the Andaman and the Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal.
• The Lakshadweep Islands are coral islands of India.

Note:- Coral is a tiny sea creature that lives in groups. These creatures build hard structures around them, made of calcium, which over time turn into large coral reefs. Coral reefs are like underwater cities for many fish and sea animals. Some islands are made from these reefs, called coral islands.

The chapter is now complete! I hope each concept was easy for you to understand and you feel confident about the material. Feel free to share your feedback and comments on the notes posted. Your thoughts are always welcome!

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