Class 9th, Geography : India Size and location Notes

Class 9 Geography – Chapter 1

India: Size and Location

📘 Introduction

• India is one of the oldest civilizations in the world.
• After independence from British rule, India progressed in agriculture, industry, and technology.
• India has established a unique and strong identity globally.

📐 India’s Location

• Located in the Northern Hemisphere.
• Latitudinal extent: 8°4′ N to 37°6′ N
• Longitudinal extent: 68°7′ E to 97°25′ E
• Tropic of Cancer (23°30′ N) divides the country almost into two equal parts.
• Andaman and Nicobar Islands (572) in Bay of Bengal (South-East)
• Lakshadweep Islands (36) in Arabian Sea (South-West)

📏 India’s Size

• Total area: 3.287 million sq. km
• 2.4% of total world area
• 7th largest country in the world
• Land boundary: 15,200 km
• Coastline (including islands): 7,516.6 km
• Himalayas form the northern and northeastern boundary
• India tapers southward into the Indian Ocean, dividing into Arabian Sea (west) and Bay of Bengal (east)

🕒 Standard Time

• Standard Meridian: 82°30′ E (passes through Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh)
• Used to calculate Indian Standard Time (IST)
• Time gap between Arunachal Pradesh and Gujarat: ~2 hours
• Latitude affects day and night duration across India

🌍 India and the World

• Central location between East and West Asia
• Indian Ocean route connects Europe and East Asia
• Deccan Peninsula helps contact with Africa, West Asia (west coast), and Southeast Asia (east coast)
• Named "Indian Ocean" due to India’s long coastline

🛤️ Land and Sea Routes

• Land routes are older than sea routes
• Mountain passes helped ancient travelers
• Exchanged ideas and goods: Upanishads, Ramayana, numerals, spices, muslin
• Influences from Greek, West Asian architecture (domes, minarets)

🌐 India and Its Neighbours

• 28 States and 8 Union Territories
• Land borders:
  • Northwest: Pakistan, Afghanistan
  • North: China, Nepal, Bhutan
  • East: Bangladesh, Myanmar
  • South: Sri Lanka, Maldives
• Sri Lanka is separated by Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar
• Maldives lies south of Lakshadweep

⚠️ Other Key Points

• Southernmost point: Indira Point (submerged in 2004 tsunami)
• Suez Canal (opened 1869) shortened distance to Europe by 7,000 km
• Peninsula: Land surrounded by water on three sides

🏙️ States and Capitals

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad (shared)
Arunachal Pradesh - Itanagar
Assam - Dispur
Bihar - Patna
Chhattisgarh - Raipur
Goa - Panaji
Gujarat - Gandhinagar
Haryana - Chandigarh (shared)
Himachal Pradesh - Shimla
Jharkhand - Ranchi
Karnataka - Bangalore
Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram
Madhya Pradesh - Bhopal
Maharashtra - Mumbai
Manipur - Imphal
Meghalaya - Shillong
Mizoram - Aizawl
Nagaland - Kohima
Odisha - Bhubaneswar
Punjab - Chandigarh (shared)
Rajasthan - Jaipur
Sikkim - Gangtok
Tamil Nadu - Chennai
Telangana - Hyderabad (shared)
Tripura - Agartala
Uttar Pradesh - Lucknow
Uttarakhand - Dehradun
West Bengal - Kolkata
  

🏛️ Union Territories and Capitals

Andaman and Nicobar - Port Blair
Chandigarh - Chandigarh
Dadra & Nagar Haveli - Silvassa
Daman and Diu - Daman
Jammu & Kashmir - Srinagar (Summer), Jammu (Winter)
Lakshadweep - Kavaratti
Delhi - Delhi
Puducherry - Puducherry