Chapter-6 India – My Motherland

Q1.What is the area and size of India in respect to the world?

A1.1. India is a vast country with an area of 3.28 million square kilometres.

2.India ranks seventh after Russia, Canada, China, USA, Brazil and Australia. (It is the seventh largest country after Russia, Canada, China, USA, Brazil and Australia.)

Q2. Which countries form Indian sub-continent? Why is it called so?

A2. 1. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan together form a distinct geographical unit popularly known as the Indian sub-continent.

2. It is called so as it has a very distinctive culture of its own as it is separated from the rest of Asia by a long chain of lofty mountains in the north.

3. India has remarkable cultural diversity where people follow different languages, religions and traditions etc.

Q3. What is the latitudinal and longitudinal extent of India?

A3. 1. Its main land extends between 8 4’ N and 37 6’N latitude.

2. The longitudinal extend of India is between 68 7’ E and 97 2’ E.

Q4. Name the three major rivers which form the Great Northern Plains of India.

A4. The Ganga, the Brahmaputra  and the Sutlej.

Q5. Name the newly formed 29^th state of India. When was it formed?

A5. Telangana is the 29^th and the youngest state of India. It was formed on June 2, 2014.

E1. State any four main features of the Himalayan Mountains.

Ans. 1.The Himalayan Mountains are seen along the border of India from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh.

2. Himalayas means the ‘Abode of Snow’.

3. The northernmost range of the Himalayas is called the Great Himalayas or Himadri.

4. Second range of the Himalayas is the Middle Himalaya or Himachal range.

5. The Southernmost range is the Shivalik range.

E2. Where is Sunderban delta? How does it look? Describe its main features.

Ans. 1. Ganga and Brahmaputraa rivers form a great delta- the Sunderbans.

2. It is the biggest in the world, before falling into the Bay of Bengal.

3. This delta has a triangular shape.

4. It is a low-lying area where the major rivers are split into several channels.

5. This delta region near the sea is called Sunderbans.

E3. Describe the Peninsula plateau of India.

Ans.1. Towards south from the Great Plains, there is a triangular landmass known as the Great Peninsular Plateau.

2. Its northern part is known as the Central Highlands.

3. The southern part of the plateau is called the Deccan Plateau.

4. It is triangular in shape.

5. The entire plateau region is rich in minerals.

E4. How do the Eastern coastal plains differ from the Western coastal plains?

Ans.    Eastern Coastal Plains                               Western Coastal Plains

    1.    It lies to the east of India.                            1. It lies to the west of India.

    2.    It runs along the Bay of Bengal.                  2. It runs along the Arabian Sea.

    3 .    It is broader than Western                          3. It is narrow, uneven and rocky.                            Coastal Plains.

    4.    The rivers- Mahanadi, Godavari,                4. Small rivers rising from the                                   Krishna and Kaveri form deltas                    Western Ghats flow swiftly into                               at their mouths before falling into                Arabian Sea.                                       

    Bay of Bengal.

E5. Differentiate between Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep Islands.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands                             Lakshadweep Islands

         1.    It lies to the east of India.                             1. It lies to the west of India.

2. These are a group of 572 Islands.               2. These are 36 islands.

      3. They are large in size.                                 3. They are smaller in size.

      4. These islands lie on the Bay of Bengal.      4. These islands lie in Arabian Sea.

      5. They are uppermost part of submerged      5. They had been formed by Coral Polyps.

           hills.