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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, Indian peninsula., India has an area of about 3.28 million sq. km. The, north-south extent from Ladakh to Kanyakumari is, 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., , LOCATIONAL SETTING, India is located in the northern hemisphere. The Tropic, of Cancer (23°30'N) passes almost halfway through the, country (Figure 7.2). From south to north, main land, of India extends between 8°4'N and 37°6'N latitudes., From west to east, India extends between 68°7'E and, 97°25'E longitudes. If we divide the world into eastern, and western hemispheres, which hemisphere would, India belong to? Due to great longitudinal extent of, about 29°, there could be a wide differences in local, time of places located at two extreme points of India. As, such, the difference between these two points would be of, , 2021–22, , The peninsula is a piece, of, land, that, is, surrounded by water on, three sides (figure 6.1)., , Do you know?, Large countries, which stretch, extensively from, east to west do not have, a single Standard Time, for the whole country., The USA and Canada, have seven and six time, zones respectively. Do you, remember how many, time zones are there in, Russia?

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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 EARTH : OUR HABITAT, , 2021–22

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Figure 7.2 : Political map of India, , 49, , OUR COUNTRY – INDIA, , 2021–22

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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., , POLITICAL, , 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 EARTH : OUR HABITAT, , 2021–22

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States and 8 Union Territories (Appendix-I). Delhi is, the national capital. The states have been formed, mainly on the basis of languages., , PHYSICAL DIVISIONS, India is marked by a diversity of physical features, such as mountains, plateaus, plains, coasts and, islands. Standing as sentinels in the north are the, lofty snow-capped Himalayas. Him+alaya mean ‘the, abode of 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 lies to the south of, Himadri., Many, popular hill stations are situated here. Find out the, names of five hill stations. The Shiwalik is the, southernmost range., The Northern Indian plains lie to the south of the, Himalayas. They are generally level and flat. These are, formed by the alluvial deposits laid down by the rivers–, the Indus, the Ganga, the Brahmaputra and their, tributaries. These river plains provide fertile land for, cultivation. That is the reason for high concentration of, population in these plains., In the western part of India lies the Great Indian, desert. It is a dry, hot and sandy stretch of land. It 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 and, valleys. Aravali hills, one of the oldest ranges of the world,, border it on the north-west side. The Vindhyas and the, Satpuras are the important ranges. The rivers Narmada, and Tapi flow through these ranges. These are westflowing rivers that drain into the Arabian Sea. The Western, Ghats or Sahyadris border the plateau in the west and, the Eastern Ghats provide the eastern boundary. While, the Western Ghats are almost continuous, the Eastern, Ghats are broken and uneven (Figure 7.3). The plateau is, rich in minerals like coal and iron-ore., To the West of the Western Ghats and the East of, Eastern Ghats lie the Coastal plains. The western, , Alluvial deposits : These, are very fine soils,, brought by rivers and, deposited in the river, basins., T r i b u t a r y : A river or, stream which contributes, its water to a main river, by discharging it into, main river from either, side (Figure 6.1)., , Do you know?, The Ganga and, the Brahmaputra form the, world’s largest delta, the, Sundarbans delta. The, delta is triangular in, shape. It is an area of, land formed at the mouth, of the river (Where rivers, enter the sea, that point, is called the mouth of the, river, Figure 6.1)., , Let’s Do, Many girls, are named, after rivers, eg. Yamuna, Mandakini,, and Kaveri. Do you know, anyone in your locality, who is named after a, river? Ask your parents, and others and make a, list of such names., Could you also find, other names related to, water e.g. Shabnam?, , 51, , OUR COUNTRY – INDIA, , 2021–22

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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 EARTH : OUR HABITAT, , 2021–22

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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, , (b), , (iii) Himachal, , Sahyadris is also known as, (i) Aravali, , (c), , (ii) Himadri, , (ii) Western Ghats, , (iii) Himadri, , 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 EARTH : OUR HABITAT, , 2021–22

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(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 largest state in India in terms of area is__________________., , (d), , The river Narmada falls into the __________________ sea., , (e), , 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, , 55, , OUR COUNTRY – INDIA, , 2021–22