Access the latest NCERT Solutions for Class 9 Geography Chapter-1: India – Size and Location, updated for 2024-2025. Solution is designed to help students tackle difficult questions with ease. The content is written in simple, easy-to-understand language.
Exercise
Choose the right answer from the four alternatives given below:
(i) The Tropic of Cancer does not pass through:
(a) Rajasthan
(b) Odisha
(c) Chhattisgarh
(d) Tripura
Answer: (b) Odisha
(ii) The easternmost longitude of India is:
(a) 97° 25′ E
(b) 68° 7′ E
(c) 77° 6′ E
(d) 82° 32′ E
Answer: (a) 97° 25′ E
(iii) Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, and Sikkim have common frontiers with:
(a) China
(b) Bhutan
(c) Nepal
(d) Myanmar
Answer: (c) Nepal
(iv) If you intend to visit Kavaratti during your summer vacations, which one of the following Union Territories of India you will be going to:
(a) Puducherry
(b) Lakshadweep
(c) Andaman and Nicobar
(d) Daman and Diu
Answer: (b) Lakshadweep
(v) My friend hails from a country which does not share a land boundary with India. Identify the country:
(a) Bhutan
(b) Tajikistan
(c) Bangladesh
(d) Nepal
Answer: (b) Tajikistan
Answer the following questions briefly:
(i) Name the group of islands lying in the Arabian Sea.
Answer: Lakshadweep Islands
(ii) Name the countries which are larger than India.
Answer: Russia, Canada, USA, China, Brazil, and Australia are larger than India.
(iii) Which island group of India lies to its southeast?
Answer: Andaman and Nicobar Islands
(iv) Which island countries are our southern neighbors?
Answer: Sri Lanka and Maldives
3. The sun rises two hours earlier in Arunachal Pradesh as compared to Gujarat in the west but the watches show the same time. How does this happen?
Answer: India follows a single standard time for the entire country, which is the Indian Standard Time (IST) based on the longitude 82°30′ E. This ensures uniformity in time across the country, despite the time difference of approximately two hours between the easternmost and westernmost parts of India.
4. The central location of India at the head of the Indian Ocean is considered of great significance. Why?
Answer: India’s central location at the head of the Indian Ocean allows it to establish close contact with West Asia, Africa, and Europe from its western coast and Southeast Asia and East Asia from its eastern coast. This strategic location has helped India to become an important link between various trade routes and facilitated the exchange of ideas, commodities, and cultural practices since ancient times.
Other Important Short Answer Type Questions
Based on Chapter 1: India – Size and Location of the NCERT Class 9 book, here are important short answer type questions and their answers, suitable for previous year NCERT 9th class examinations and for UPSC preparation:
1. What is the total area of India, and how much does it account for in the world’s geographical area?
Answer: The total area of India is 3.28 million square kilometers, which accounts for about 2.4% of the world’s total geographical area.
2. Why is the Tropic of Cancer significant to India’s geography?
Answer: The Tropic of Cancer (23° 30’N) divides India into nearly two equal halves. It passes through the middle of the country, influencing its climate and geography.
3. Why is 82°30’E selected as the Standard Meridian of India?
Answer: The Standard Meridian of India (82°30’E) is chosen because it passes through Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh and gives a mean time for the entire country, helping avoid confusion due to the large eastwest extent of India. It also reduces the time difference between the eastern and western parts of the country.
4. What is the significance of India’s central location in Asia?
Answer: India’s central location between East and West Asia has made it a strategic point for trade routes, particularly transIndian Ocean routes connecting Europe with East Asia. This location enhances its connectivity with West Asia, Africa, and Europe from the western coast, and Southeast and East Asia from the eastern coast.
5. How is India’s eastwest extent different from its northsouth extent?
Answer: Although the latitudinal and longitudinal extent of India’s mainland is about 30 degrees, the eastwest extent appears smaller than the northsouth extent. This visual difference occurs due to the curvature of the Earth.
6. Why does Arunachal Pradesh experience sunrise two hours earlier than Gujarat, even though both states follow the same time?
Answer: India follows a single time zone (Indian Standard Time), based on the Standard Meridian (82°30’E). Due to India’s large eastwest extent, Arunachal Pradesh, located in the eastern part, experiences sunrise earlier than Gujarat in the west, even though the same standard time is followed.
7. How has the opening of the Suez Canal affected India’s distance from Europe?
Answer: The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 reduced India’s distance from Europe by about 7,000 kilometers, enhancing trade and connectivity between the two regions.
8. Which countries share land boundaries with India?
Answer: India shares land boundaries with Pakistan and Afghanistan in the northwest, China (Tibet Autonomous Region), Nepal, and Bhutan in the north, and Myanmar and Bangladesh in the east.
9. What role have the mountain passes in the north played in India’s history?
Answer: The mountain passes in northern India have historically allowed travelers and traders to pass through, contributing to the exchange of ideas, such as the spread of Indian numerals, Upanishads, and Panchatantra stories. This facilitated India’s interaction with other cultures, particularly from Central Asia and beyond.
10. What is the strategic significance of the Deccan Peninsula for India?
Answer: The Deccan Peninsula extends southward into the Indian Ocean, enabling India to establish maritime contacts with West Asia, Africa, and Europe from its western coast, and with Southeast Asia and East Asia from its eastern coast. This strategic location makes India central to trade and cultural exchanges in the region.
MCQs: India – Size and Location
Here are 20 multiple choice questions (MCQs) with answers based on NCERT Class 9 Geography, Chapter 1: India – Size and Location. These questions have been designed to reflect previous years’ NCERT exams and UPSC patterns:
MCQs for NCERT Class 9 Geography, Chapter 1: India – Size and Location
1. Which of the following do not pass through the Tropic of Cancer?
(a) Rajasthan
(b) Odisha
(c) Chhattisgarh
(d) Tripura
2. What is the easternmost longitude of India?
(a) 68° 7′ E
(b) 77° 6′ E
(c) 82° 30′ E
(d) 97° 25′ E
3. Which country shares land boundaries with India and Bhutan?
(a) Nepal
(b) Bangladesh
(c) China
(d) Myanmar
4. What is the length of India’s coastline, including Andaman, Nicobar, and Lakshadweep islands?
(a) 5,216 km
(b) 7,516.6 km
(c) 10,000 km
(d) 15,200 km
5. Which meridian has been chosen as the Standard Meridian of India?
(a) 75° E
(b) 82° 30′ E
(c) 90° E
(d) 85° E
6. Which of the following Union Territories lies to the southeast of mainland India?
(a) Lakshadweep
(b) Puducherry
(c) Andaman and Nicobar Islands
(d) Daman and Diu
7. Which is the southernmost point of India, submerged during the 2004 Tsunami?
(a) Kanyakumari
(b) Indira Point
(c) Lakshadweep
(d) Point Calimere
8. Which is the seventh largest country in the world by area?
(a) China
(b) Brazil
(c) India
(d) Australia
9. India shares its longest international boundary with which country?
(a) Pakistan
(b) China
(c) Nepal
(d) Bangladesh
10. What is the northsouth extent of the Indian mainland in kilometers?
(a) 3,214 km
(b) 2,933 km
(c) 2,000 km
(d) 1,500 km
11. Which two island nations are India’s southern neighbors?
(a) Sri Lanka and Maldives
(b) Mauritius and Maldives
(c) Sri Lanka and Madagascar
(d) Myanmar and Thailand
12. Which Indian state shares boundaries with both Myanmar and China?
(a) Assam
(b) Arunachal Pradesh
(c) Nagaland
(d) Manipur
13. Which feature of India’s location makes it significant for global trade?
(a) India’s central position between East and West Asia
(b) India’s northern hemisphere location
(c) Proximity to the Equator
(d) Large landmass
14. How many time zones does India span due to its eastwest extent?
(a) 1
(b) 2
(c) 3
(d) 4
15. Which of the following seas is to the west of India?
(a) Bay of Bengal
(b) Arabian Sea
(c) Indian Ocean
(d) Mediterranean Sea
16. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 reduced India’s distance from which continent?
(a) Africa
(b) Europe
(c) Australia
(d) North America
17. Which Indian state is the smallest in area?
(a) Goa
(b) Sikkim
(c) Tripura
(d) Manipur
18. The Strait of Palk separates India from which country?
(a) Pakistan
(b) Maldives
(c) Sri Lanka
(d) Indonesia
19. What is the latitudinal extent of India?
(a) 8°4’N to 37°6’N
(b) 6°4’N to 35°6’N
(c) 10°4’N to 40°6’N
(d) 9°4’N to 38°6’N
20. Which Indian state shares borders with both Pakistan and China?
(a) Himachal Pradesh
(b) Uttarakhand
(c) Jammu and Kashmir
(d) Sikkim
Answers:
1. (b) Odisha
2. (d) 97° 25′ E
3. (a) Nepal
4. (b) 7,516.6 km
5. (b) 82° 30′ E
6. (c) Andaman and Nicobar Islands
7. (b) Indira Point
8. (c) India
9. (d) Bangladesh
10. (a) 3,214 km
11. (a) Sri Lanka and Maldives
12. (b) Arunachal Pradesh
13. (a) India’s central position between East and West Asia
14. (b) 2
15. (b) Arabian Sea
16. (b) Europe
17. (a) Goa
18. (c) Sri Lanka
19. (a) 8°4’N to 37°6’N
20. (c) Jammu and Kashmir
Other Chapter
| Chapter 2:- PHYSICAL FEATURES OF INDIA | Chapter 3:- DRAINAGE |
| Chapter 4:- CLIMATE | Chapter 5:- NATURAL VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE |
| Chapter 6:- POPULATION |
