Location, size, neighbours and the political map of India
India lies wholly in the northern and eastern hemispheres, from 8°4′N to 37°6′N and 68°7′E to 97°25′E. Its central place in the Indian Ocean helps trade.
Absolute and relative location
We can say where India is in two ways. Absolute location gives the place in degrees of latitude and longitude. Relative location describes it by what lies around it, such as its neighbours or the seas. Latitude is the angular distance of a place north or south of the Equator. Longitude is the angular distance of a place east or west of the prime meridian at Greenwich, near London. Angular distance is measured in degrees (°) and minutes (′) from the centre of the Earth. India lies entirely in the northern hemisphere and the eastern hemisphere. The Tropic of Cancer divides it into two almost equal parts: north India and south India.
Worked case: why India keeps one standard time
Gujarat lies near 68°7′E and Arunachal Pradesh near 97°25′E. Why does India use one standard meridian, and how far ahead of Greenwich is Indian time?
- The Earth turns through 360° in 24 hours, so it turns 1° every 4 minutes.
- Difference in longitude = 97°25′ − 68°7′ = 29°18′, which is about 29.3°.
- Time difference = 29.3 × 4 minutes ≈ 117 minutes, almost 2 hours. The Sun rises in Arunachal Pradesh nearly 2 hours before Gujarat.
- Two clocks in one country would confuse trains, offices and schools. So India keeps one time, set by the standard meridian, 82°30′E, through Mirzapur.
- 82°30′ = 82.5°. 82.5 × 4 minutes = 330 minutes = 5 hours 30 minutes.
There is a time lag of almost 2 hours across India, so one central meridian (82°30′E) sets Indian Standard Time, 5 hours 30 minutes ahead of Greenwich.
Why India's location matters
- Location shapes a country's climate, vegetation, farming and resources, and so the way its people live.
- India is the largest country of South Asia in area and population.
- It sits at the head of the Indian Ocean, the only ocean named after a country.
- Its central place lets it command the sea routes between Europe and Africa in the west and South-East Asia, East Asia and Oceania in the east.
- So India has traded with many lands since ancient times.
- On land, passes through the Himalayas such as Nathu La (Sikkim), Shipki La (Himachal Pradesh), Zoji La and Jelep La carried traders and travellers.
- The old India-Tibet trade route from Kalimpong near Darjeeling to Lhasa ran through Jelep La.
- These routes carried ideas and culture, not only goods.
India's neighbours
| Side of India | Neighbours |
|---|---|
| North-west | Pakistan and Afghanistan |
| North | China (Tibet), Nepal and Bhutan |
| East | Bangladesh and Myanmar |
| South, across the sea | Sri Lanka, across the narrow Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar; the Maldives, south of Lakshadweep |
States and union territories
- India is a union of states and union territories (UTs). Each state has its own elected government. UTs are run largely by the Union (central) government.
- At present India has 28 states and 8 union territories (since January 2020). Your map may be older, so check its date.
- The 8 UTs: Andaman and Nicobar Islands; Chandigarh; Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu; Delhi; Jammu and Kashmir; Ladakh; Lakshadweep; Puducherry.
- Every state and UT has its own capital. New Delhi is the capital of India, and Delhi is also a UT with its own government.
- Chandigarh is the capital of two states, Punjab and Haryana, and is itself a UT.
- Sikkim touches three countries: Nepal to its west, China (Tibet) to its north and Bhutan to its east.
- UTs along the Arabian Sea: Lakshadweep, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.
On the map
- Tropic of Cancer (23°30′N): an east-west line across the middle of India, through Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura and Mizoram.
- Standard meridian (82°30′E): a north-south line through Mirzapur in south-east Uttar Pradesh.
- Kanniyakumari (Kanyakumari): the southern tip of the mainland in Tamil Nadu, where the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal meet.
- Palk Strait: the narrow strip of sea between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka.
- Nathu La and Jelep La: passes in Sikkim on the border with Tibet (China).
- Shipki La: pass in Himachal Pradesh where the Satluj enters India from Tibet.
- Zoji La: pass in the Himalayas linking the Kashmir valley with Ladakh.
- Chandigarh: at the foot of the Shiwalik hills, between Punjab and Haryana.
Your phone clock follows Indian Standard Time, fixed by the 82°30′E meridian through Mirzapur. A shopkeeper in Gujarat and a tea worker in Assam share one clock, though the Sun rises much earlier in Assam.
1 marks: “Name the line of latitude that runs through the middle of India, and give its value.” The Tropic of Cancer, at 23°30′N.
2 marks: “Why has 82°30′E been chosen as the standard meridian of India?” India spans about 29° of longitude, so local time differs by almost 2 hours between Gujarat and Arunachal Pradesh. A central meridian, 82°30′E through Mirzapur, gives one standard time for the whole country.
3 marks: “Explain the significance of India's location.” (1) Central place at the head of the Indian Ocean. (2) Commands sea routes linking Europe and Africa with South-East Asia, East Asia and Oceania. (3) Trade links since ancient times. (4) Himalayan passes such as Nathu La and Shipki La carried goods, ideas and culture. Any three, one mark each.
Mainland India runs 8 to 37 north and 68 to 97 east; Cancer cuts the middle and Mirzapur keeps the time.