Our Country India

Cbse class 6, Social Studies

1. List few some basic facts about India?

• India officially known as Republic of India
• India is a country in South Asia
• India is bordered by Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal between Myanmar and Pakistan
• India is the Seventh largest country in the world
• Area covered by entire country is 3.28 million sq.km
• Distance between Northern most and Southern most part of India is ~3200 Km
• Distance between Eastern most ( Arunachal Pradesh) and Western  most ( Gujarat) is 2900 Km

2. What are the Latitudes and Longitudes of India?

• India lies in Northern  and Eastern Hemisphere
• It extends from 8⁰ N to 37⁰ N latitude
• Tropic of Cancer divides the India into two halves lies between 68⁰ E and 97⁰ E longitudes 
• Longitudes 82⁰ 30^` E passes through middle of India is taken as Standard Time meridian

 3. What are the boundaries of the India?

• India boundaries measures ~ 15,200 Km
• North – China, Nepal, Bhutan
• East – Myanmar, Bangladesh mostly delta of Ganga, Brahmaputra
• West – Pakistan, Afghanistan
• South – Maldives, Sri lanka separated by Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar

4. What are the Coastlines of India?

• Gulf of Kuchch and Gulf of Khambhat along the coast of Gujarat
• Lake Chilka found  in  the Eastern coast of Odisha

Note: India occupies a Strategic position on international trade routes links the Eastern and Western Countries

5. List a few points on Political division of India?

• India is divided into 28 states and 8 Union territories
• In terms of Area, Rajasthan is the largest state and Goa is the smallest state

6. What are the physical division of India?

India is divided into 6 physical division

• Northern Mountains
• Northern Plains
• Peninsular Plateau
• Great Indian Desert
• Coastal Plains
• Islands

7. What are Northern Mountains?

• Northern Mountain range includes Himalayan Mountain range
• Mountains stretch from Indus River in West and Brahmaputra in East
• Himalaya means “abode of snow”
• Him  means Snow
• Alaya means abode 
• Length and breath of Himalaya range is 2400 Km and 240 Km respectively
• Himalayas are classified based on their height into Himadri, Himachal and Siwaliks

8. List down the various difference between Himachal, Himadri and Siwaliks?

Himadri	Himachal	Siwaliks
Himadri also called as Greater/ Inner Himalayas	Himachal also known as Middle/ lesser Himalayas	Siwaliks also known as Outer Himalayas
Average elevation is 6000m	Average elevation is 4500m	Average elevation is 1200m
World`s highest peak Mt. Everest (8848m), Nanga Prabhat (8123m), Mt. Kanchenjunga (8598 m) is found here	Many hill stations are found here	Flat valleys are found between Himachal and Siwaliks. Ex: Dehradun, Kothridun
Some important passes are Baralacha, Shipkala (H.P) Nathula, Jeepla ( Sikkim)	Notable ranges are Pir Panjal, Nag Tibba	Purvanchal range lies in Eastern boundaries of India

9. List the few importance of Himalayas?

• Himalayas act as physical barrier that is protecting the Indian boundaries from foreign Invasion
• Himalayas act as Climatic barrier. It traps the monsoon winds within the country and keeps away cold wind from blowing out
• Himalayas has many glaciers, which are main source of Perennial rivers. Ex: Gangotri glacier is the source of river Ganga

10. List few points on Northern Plains?

• Northern Plains lies to the South of Himalayas
• Northern Plains extends ~ 2500 Km length from East to West
• Northern Plains are formed by Indus valley plains and Ganga Brahmaputra basin

11. Why  are Northern Plains densely populated?

• Northern Plains are densely populated because the land is flat and Fertile. 
• They are formed by alluvial soil laid by Indus, Ganga, Brahmaputra and their tributaries

12. List the difference between the Indus valley plains and Ganga Brahmaputra basin?

Indus Valley Plains	Ganga Brahmaputra basin
Indus valley plains are formed / drained by the river Indus and its tributaries	Ganga Brahmaputra basin is drained/ formed by the river Ganga, Brahmaputra and its tributaries
Tributaries of Indus are Chenab, Jhelum, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej	Ganga Tributaries – Yamuna, Kosi, Son. Damodar, Ghaghara Brahmaputra Tributaries – Tista, Subansri, Barali, Dhansri, Dinhing
Major portions of Indus valley plains are found in Pakistan	Ganga Brahmaputra basin are found in India, Nepal, China, Bhutan, Bangladesh
Indus valley plains are fertile lands and form the earliest development of Indus valley civilization ( 6000 years ago)	The main features in Ganga Brahmaputra basin are fertile plains, Himalayas, and the delta of Sundarbans

Note: Saraswati river was once flowed between Yamuna in East and Sutlej in West, but now that river got dried up. ( Source: Rig Veda)

13. List few important features about Sundarbans?

• Sundarbans are the largest tidal mangrove forest in the world
• It lies in the Ganga Brahmaputra basin
• In Indian side, it is the biosphere reserve and National Park 

14. List few feature of Peninsular Plateau?

• It lies to the south of Northern Plains
• It is the oldest part of the Indian sub continent
• It is made up of hard rocks rich in mineral resources
• Important rivers of this region are Narmada, Tapi, Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri.
• Narmada and Tapi flows towards West,  other river flows towards East.
• Peninsular plateau is divided into Malwa plateau and Deccan Plateau by the river Narmada.

15. Write a few points on Malwa Plateau?

• Malwa Plateau is drained by the river Betwa, Son, Chambal, Sindh, Damodar
• These are not Perennial river

Malwa plateau is surrounded by 

• South – Vindhyas
• West – Aravalli
• East – Chhota Nagpur Plateau

16. List few points about Deccan Plateau?

• It lies  to the south of river Narmada
• It is triangular in shape
• It is bordered by
• North – Satpuras
• West – Western Ghats
• East – Eastern Ghats

17. List the difference between Western and Eastern Ghats?

Western Ghats	Eastern Ghats
Western Ghats are continuous hills	Eastern Ghats are low hills
They arise steeply from coastal plain along the west coast of India	In Eastern Ghats, rivers cut through them to drain the region
Western Ghats are also called as Sahyadri. This region causes heavy rainfall	Eastern ghats do not cause much rain

Both Western and Eastern Ghats meet at Nilgiri hills in Tamil Nādu

18. List few point about the Great Indian Desert?

• It lies to the west of the Aravalli range
• Major portion of the desert is present in Rajasthan extend into Sindh, Pakistan as Thar Desert 
• The Land is flat and covered with sandy soil
• It is the dry region and no rivers are here.
• River Luni is the only large river in this region

19. What are Coastal Plains?

• Deccan Plateau has two narrow slips of Coastal plains.
• Along the Bay of Bengal they are called as Eastern Coastal plains, along the Arabian Sea they are called as Western Coastal plains

20. List the major difference between the Eastern and Western Coastal plains?

Eastern Coastal Plains	Western Coastal Plains
It lies in the Bay of Bengal	It lies in the Arabian Sea
These plains are broader	These plains are narrower
Eastern Coastal plains are called as Northern Circars in North of GodavariCoromandal coast to the South of Godavari	Western coastal plains are called as Konkan Coast in MaharastraKanara Coast in KarnatakaMalabar Coast in Kerala

21. What are the major islands in  India?

There  are two group of island that forms the part of India.

• Andaman and Nicobar island
• Lakshadweep Island

22. State the difference between Andaman and Nicobar Island and Lakshadweep Island?

Andaman and Nicobar Island	Lakshadweep Island
Group of more than 572 island located in Bay of Bengal	Group of 36 coral island located in Arabian sea
Port Blair is the capital	Kavaratti is the administrative headquarters
Only 38 islands are inhabited	Only 11 islands are inhabited
India`s only active volcano is Barren island is present in Andaman	Lakshadweep means group of hundred thousand island
These islands are located in the East of the Indian subcontinent	These islands are located 300 Km to the west coast of kerala

Facts:

• Indian plate is in Eastern Hemisphere
• Gondwana super continent. It includes South Asia, South China, Indonesia, some part of Indian Ocean
• Millions of years ago, it collided with Eurasian plate and gave rise to great Himalayas and Tibetian Plateau