Our Country .pdf

6 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 Ba...

6 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 Ladakh to Kanyakumari is three sides. 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 which stretch India is located in the northern hemisphere. The Tropic extensively from o of Cancer (23 30'N) passes almost halfway through east to west do not have the country (Figure 6.2). From south to north, main a single Standard Time o o land of India extends between 8 4 ' N and 37 6 ' N for the whole country. latitudes. From west to east, India extends between The USA and Canada o o 68 7'E and 97 25'E longitudes. If we divide the world have seven and six time into eastern and western hemispheres, which zones respectively. Do you hemisphere would India belong to? Due to great remember how many o longitudinal extent of about 29 , there could be a wide time zones are there in Russia? differences in local time of places located at two extreme points of India. As such, the difference between these two Rationalised 2023-24 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 o 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 6.1 : India and its neighbouring countries 40 THE EARTH : OUR HABITAT Rationalised 2023-24 Figure 6.2 : Political map of India OUR COUNTRY – INDIA 41 Rationalised 2023-24 of these countries from the Figure 6.1. 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. POLITICAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS India is a vast country. For administrative purposes, the country is divided into 28 Figure 6.3 : India : Physical Divisions 42 THE EARTH : OUR HABITAT Rationalised 2023-24 States and 8 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. brought by rivers and PHYSICAL DIVISIONS deposited in the river basins. India is marked by a diversity of physical features such as mountains, plateaus, plains, coasts and islands. Tributary : A river or Standing as sentinels in the north are the lofty snow- stream which contributes its water to a main river capped Himalayas. Him+alaya mean ‘the abode of by discharging it into snow’. The Himalayan mountains are divided into three main river from either main parallel ranges. The northernmost is the Great side. Himalaya or Himadri. The world’s highest peaks are located in this range. Middle Himalaya or Himachal lies to the south of Himadri. Many popular hill stations are situated here. Find out the names of five hill Do you know? stations. The Shiwalik is the southernmost range. The Ganga and The Northern Indian plains lie to the south of the the Brahma- Himalayas. They are generally level and flat. These putra form the are formed by the alluvial deposits laid down by the world’s largest delta, the rivers– the Indus, the Ganga, the Brahmaputra and Sundarbans delta. The their tributaries. These river plains provide fertile land delta is triangular in for cultivation. That is the reason for high shape. It is an area of land formed at the mouth concentration of population in these plains. of the river (Where rivers In the western part of India lies the Great Indian enter the sea, that point desert. It is a dry, hot and sandy stretch of land. It is called the mouth of the has very little vegetation. river. 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 and valleys. Aravali hills, one of the oldest ranges of Let’s Do the world, border it on the north-west side. The Many girls Vindhyas and the Satpuras are the important ranges. are named 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 provide the eastern boundary. While the Western Ghats river? Ask your parents are almost continuous, the Eastern Ghats are broken and others and make a and uneven (Figure 6.3). The plateau is rich in minerals list of such names. like coal and iron-ore. Could you also find 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 43 Rationalised 2023-24  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 6.4 shows Coral islands. Figure 6.4 : 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 44 THE EARTH : OUR HABITAT Rationalised 2023-24 OUR COUNTRY – INDIA 45 Rationalised 2023-24  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 (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 46 THE EARTH : OUR HABITAT Rationalised 2023-24  (e) The oldest mountain range in India is the (i) Aravali hills (ii) Western ghats (iii) Himalayas 3. Fill in the blanks. (a) India has an area of about ________________. (b) The Greater Himalayas are also known as_________________. (c) The river Narmada falls into the __________________ sea. (d) The latitude that runs almost halfway through India is ___________. 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 47 Rationalised 2023-24