7

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, wash the shores of the The peninsula is a piece
Indian peninsula. of land that is
India has an area of about 3.28 million sq. km. The surrounded by water on
north-south extent from Kashmir to Kanyakumari is three sides (figure 6.1).
about 3,200 km. And the east-west extent from
Arunachal Pradesh to Kuchchh is about 2,900 km.
The lofty mountains, the Great Indian Desert, the
Northern Plains, the uneven plateau surface and the
coasts and islands present a diversity of landforms.
There is a great variety in the climate, vegetation,
wildlife as well as in the language and culture. In this
diversity, we find unity that is reflected in traditions
that bind us as one nation. India has a population of
more than one hundred twenty crores since the
year 2011. It is the second most populous country of
the world after China. Do you know?
LOCATIONAL SETTING Large countries
whic h stretch
India is located in the northern hemisphere. The Tropic extensively from
of Cancer (23°30'N) passes almost halfway through the east to west do not have
country (Figure 7.2). From south to north, main land a single Standard Time
of India extends between 8°4'N and 37°6'N latitudes. for the whole country.
From west to east, India extends between 68°7'E and The USA and Canada
97°25'E longitudes. If we divide the world into eastern have seven and six time
and western hemispheres, which hemisphere would zones respectively. Do you
India belong to? Due to great longitudinal extent of remember how many
about 29°, there could be a wide differences in local time zones are there in
Russia?
time of places located at two extreme points of India. As
such, the difference between these two points would be of
about two hours. As you have learnt earlier, the local time changes by four minutes
for every one degree of longitude. The sun rises about two hours earlier in the east
(Arunachal Pradesh) than in the west (Gujarat). You have already read earlier, why
the local time of longitude of 82°30'E has been taken as the Indian Standard Time.
This meridian or longitude is also termed as the Standard Meridian of India.
INDIA’S NEIGHBOURS
There are seven countries that share land boundaries with India. Find out names

Figure 7.1 : India and its neighbouring countries

48 THE EAR TH : OUR HABITAT

 N
STA
I
K CHINA
PA (TIBET)

N
E
P
A
BHUTAN
L

BANGLADESH

MYANMAR

Figure 7.2 : Political map of India

OUR COUNTRY – INDIA 49

of these countries from the Figure 7.1. How many of these countries do not have
access to any ocean or sea? Across the sea to the south, lie our island neighbours—
Sri Lanka and Maldives. Sri Lanka is separated from India by the Palk Strait.
P OLITICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS
India is a vast country. For administrative purposes, the country is divided into 28

Figure 7.3 : India : Physical Divisions

50 THE EAR TH : OUR HABITAT

States and 7 Union Territories (Appendix-I). Delhi is Alluvial deposits : These
the national capital. The states have been formed are very fine soils,
mainly on the basis of languages. Rajasthan is the brought by rivers and
largest state and Goa is the smallest state in terms of deposited in the river
area. The states are further divided into districts. basins.
T ributary : A river or
P HYSICAL DIVISIONS
stream which contributes
India is marked by a diversity of physical features such its water to a main river
as mountains, plateaus, plains, coasts and islands. by discharging it into
Standing as sentinels in the north are the lofty snow- main river from either
capped Himalayas. Him+alaya mean ‘the abode of side (Figure 6.1).
snow’. The Himalayan mountains are divided into three
main parallel ranges. The northernmost is the Great
Himalaya or Himadri. The world’s highest peaks are
located in this range. Middle Himalaya or Himachal Do you know?
lies to the south of Himadri. Many popular hill stations The Ganga and
are situated here. Find out the names of five hill the Brahma-
stations. The Shiwalik is the southernmost range. putra form the
The Northern Indian plains lie to the south of the world’s largest delta, the
Himalayas. They are generally level and flat. These Sundarbans delta. The
are formed by the alluvial deposits laid down by the delta is triangular in
rivers– the Indus, the Ganga, the Brahmaputra and their shape. It is an area of
tributaries. These river plains provide fertile land for land formed at the mouth
cultivation. That is the reason for high concentration of of the river (Where rivers
population in these plains. enter the sea, that point
In the western part of India lies the Great Indian is called the mouth of the
desert. It is a dry, hot and sandy stretch of land. It river, Figure 6.1).
has very little vegetation.
To the south of northern plains lies the Peninsular
plateau. It is triangular in shape. The relief is highly
uneven. This is a region with numerous hill ranges Let’s Do
and valleys. Aravali hills, one of the oldest ranges of Many girls
the world, border it on the north-west side. The are named
Vindhyas and the Satpuras are the important ranges. after rivers
The rivers Narmada and Tapi flow through these eg. Yamuna, Mandakini,
ranges. These are west-flowing rivers that drain into and Kaveri. Do you know
the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats or Sahyadris anyone in your locality
border the plateau in the west and the Eastern Ghats who is named after a
river? Ask your parents
provide the eastern boundary. While the Western Ghats
and others and make a
are almost continuous, the Eastern Ghats are broken
list of such names.
and uneven (Figure 7.3). The plateau is rich in minerals Could you also find
like coal and iron-ore. other names related to
To the West of the Western Ghats and the East of water e.g. Shabnam?
Eastern Ghats lie the Coastal plains. The western

OUR COUNTRY – INDIA 51

 Do you know?
Corals are
skeletons of
tiny marine
animals called Polyps.
When the living polyps
die, their skeletons are
left. Other poplyps grow
on top of the hard
skeleton which grows
higher and higher, thus
forming the coral islands.
Figure 7.4 shows Coral
islands.
Figure 7.4 : Coral Islands
coastal plains are very narrow. The eastern Coastal plains are much broader. There
are a number of east flowing rivers. The rivers Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and
Kaveri drain into the Bay of Bengal. These rivers have formed fertile deltas at their
mouth. The Sunderban delta is formed where the Ganga and Brahmaputra flow
into the Bay of Bengal.

Danger Waters

52 THE EAR TH : OUR HABITAT

OUR COUNTRY – INDIA 53
 Two groups of islands also form part of India.
Lakshadweep Islands are located in the Arabian Sea.
These are coral islands located off the coast of Kerala.
The Andaman and the Nicobar Islands lie to the
southeast of the Indian mainland in the Bay of Bengal.
Do you know which group of islands were affected by
the Tsunami in 2004? Find out through newspaper
reports and by speaking to people how in different
ways people faced this challenge when Tsunami struck
the Indian coast. Tsunami is a huge sea wave generated
due to an earthquake on the sea floor.

1. Answer the following questions briefly.

(a) Name the major physical divisions of India.
(b) India shares its land boundaries with seven countries. Name them.
(c) Which two major rivers fall into the Arabian Sea?
(d) Name the delta formed by the Ganga and the Brahmaputra.
(e) How many States and Union Territories are there in India? Which states
have a common capital?
(f) Why do a large number of people live in the Northern plains?
(g) Why is Lakshadweep known as a coral island?

2. Tick the correct answers.

(a) The southernmost Himalayas are known as
no no yes
(i) Shiwaliks (ii) Himadri (iii) Himachal
(b) Sahyadris is also known as
(i) Aravali (ii) Western Ghats (iii) Himadri
(c) The Palk Strait lies between the countries
(i) Sri Lanka and Maldives
(ii) India and Sri Lanka
(iii) India and Maldives
(d) The Indian islands in the Arabian Sea are known as
(i) Andaman and Nicobar Islands
(ii) Lakshadweep Islands
(iii) Maldives

54 THE EAR TH : OUR HABITAT

 (e) The oldest mountain range in India is the

(i) Aravali hills (ii) Western ghats (iii) Himalayas

3. Fill in the blanks.

(a) 3.28 million sq.km
India has an area of about ________________.
(b) The Greater Himalayas are also known as_________________.
himadri

(c) The largest state in India in terms of area is__________________.

rajasthan

(d) The river Narmada falls into the __________________

arabian sea.
(e) The latitude that runs almost halfway through India is ___________.
tropic of cancer

Map skills
1. On an outline map of India, mark the following.
(a) Tropic of Cancer
(b) Standard Meridian of India
(c) State in which you live
(d) Andaman Islands and Lakshadweep Islands
(e) Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats

OUR COUNTRY – INDIA 55