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Chapter – 07 Geography, Our Country-India, •, •, •, •, •, , India is a country of vast geographical expanse., In the north, it is bound by the lofty Himalayas, the Arabian Sea in the west, the Bay of Bengal, in the East and the Indian Ocean in the south., India has an area of 3.28 million sq km. The north-south stretch from Kashmir to, Kanyakumari is about 3,200 km and the east-west extend from Arunanchal Pradesh to, Kuchchh is about 2,900 km., It is the second most populous county of the world after China., Locational Setting:, (i), India is situated in the northern hemisphere., (ii), The Tropic of Cancer ( 23°30 ' N ) passes almost halfway through the country., From south to north, main land of India extends between 8°4 ' N and 37°6 ' N latitudes., From west to east, India extends between 68°7 ' E and 97°24 ' E longitudes., The local time changes by four minutes for every one degree of longitudes. The sun, rises two hours earlier in the east (Arunachal Pradesh) then in the west (Gujarat)., (vi) The local time of longitude of 82°30 ' E has been taken as the Indian Standard time., India’s: Neighbours and Administrative Divisions:, (i), India shares its border with seven countries-Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan,, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives. Sri Lanka is separated from India by the Palk, Strait., (ii), India is a vast country. For administrative purpose, the country is divided into 28, states and 7 Union Territories. New Delhi is the capital., (iii) Rajasthan is the largest state and Goa is the smallest and Goa is the smallest state in, terms of area., Physical Divisions, (i), India is marked by a diversity of physical features such as mountains, plateaus, plains,, coasts and islands., (ii), In the north are the Himalayas meaning the ‘abode of snow’., (iii) The Himalayas are divided into three main parallel ranges-Great Himalayas or, Himadri, the Middle Himalaya or Himachal and the Shiwalik., (iv) The Northern Indian Plains lie to the south of the Himalayas. They have alluvial, deposits made by the Indus, the Ganga, the Brahmaputra and their tributaries., (v), In the western part of India is the Great Indian Desert., (vi) To the South of Northern Plains lies the Peninsular Plateau. It has the Aravalis, the, Vindhyas, the Satpuras, the Narmada, the Tapi, the Western Ghats and the Eastern, Ghats., (vii) West of Western Ghats and East of Eastern Ghats lie the coastal plains. The eastern, coastal plains and the western coastal plains are located here., (viii) The Sunderban delta is formed where the Ganga and Brahamaputra flow into the Bay, of Bengal., (ix) Two group of Islands also form part of India. One is the Lakshdweep Island in the, Arabian sea and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal., (iii), (iv), (v), , •, , •