____________________________ DATE OF
RECEIVING - ____________________________
NOTES
Sec-128, Noida, Uttar Pradesh-201317
CLASS - IX
SESSION 2024-25
SUBJECT- GEOGRAPHY TOPIC – CHAPTER 1
NAME OF THE STUDENT -
Introduction: India is one of the oldest civilisations and has a remarkable history. After gaining
independence from British rule, it achieved multi-faceted socio-economic progress, making notable
advancements in agriculture, industry, technology, and overall economic development.
India's Location
∙ Lies entirely in the Northern Hemisphere between latitudes 8°4' N and 37°6' N and longitudes
68°7' E and 97°25' E.
∙ Divided by the Tropic of Cancer (23°30' N), almost into two equal parts.
∙ In the southeast, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands lie in the Bay of Bengal. ∙
In the southwest, the Lakshadweep Islands lie in the Arabian Sea.
Its Size
∙ The total area of India is 3.28 million square km, which is 2.4 percent of the total area of the
world.
∙ It is the seventh-largest country in the world in terms of landmass.
∙ It has a land boundary of about 15,200 km, and the total length of the coastline of the
mainland, including the Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep Islands, is 7,516.6
km.
∙ In the northwest, north, and northeast of India, young fold mountains bound it.
∙ South of about 22° north latitude, India narrows and finally extends towards the Indian Ocean,
which divides it into two seas: the Arabian Sea on the west and the Bay of Bengal on the
east.
∙ The latitudinal and longitudinal extent of the mainland is about 30°.
∙ India’s east-west extent appears to be smaller than its north-south extent.
∙ The time along the Standard Meridian (82°30' E), passing through Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh,
is taken as Indian Standard Time for the whole country.
∙ The time gap between Arunachal Pradesh in the east and Gujarat in the west is about two
hours. The latitudinal extent influences the duration of day and night as one moves from south
to north.
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India and the World
∙ India is located at the centre of the world between East and West Asia.
∙ The routes across the Indian Ocean, connecting the countries of Europe in the west and the
countries of East Asia, provide a strategic central location to India.
∙ The Deccan Peninsula helps India to establish close contact with West Asia, Africa, and
Europe from the western coast, and with Southeast and East Asia from the eastern
coast.
∙ The ocean south of India is named the Indian Ocean, as no other country has as long a
coastline on the Indian Ocean as India.
∙ India’s land routes are much older than its sea routes. Various passes across the mountains in
the north have provided passage to ancient travellers, as the ocean limited such interaction
for a long time.
∙ The land routes helped India exchange ideas and commodities since ancient times.
∙ India has propagated the ideas of the Upanishads and the Ramayana, the stories of the
Panchatantra, Indian numerals and the decimal system, as well as exported spices, muslin,
and other merchandise to different countries.
∙ The influence of Greek sculpture and the architectural styles of domes and minarets from
West Asia can also be seen in different parts of India.
Its Neighbours
∙ India is comprised of 29 states and 7 union territories and shares its land boundary with: o
Northwest: Pakistan and Afghanistan
o North: China, Nepal, Bhutan
o East: Myanmar and Bangladesh
o South: Sri Lanka and the Maldives
∙ Sri Lanka is separated from India by a narrow channel of sea formed by the Palk Strait and
the Gulf of Mannar.
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