NCERT Pointer Geography Class-6 Chapter-7

NCERT Geography Summary Class-6 Chapter-7: Our Country India

● India in the North is bounded by the Himalayas, the Arabian Sea in the West, the Bay of Bengal in the East and the Indian Ocean in the South.

● India has an area of about 3.28 million sq. km.

● The North-South extent from Kashmir to Kanyakumari is about 3,200 km. Thus, the west extent from Arunachal Pradesh to Kuchchh is about 2900 km.

Locational Setting:

• The Tropic of Cancer (23°30′ N) passes almost halfway through the country.
• From South to North. 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.
• The local time changes by four minutes for every one degree of longitude.
• The local time of longitude of 82°30′ E has been taken as the Indian Standard Time.

India’s Neighbours:

• There are seven countries that share land boundaries with India.
• The seven countries are Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan. Myanmar and Bangladesh.
• Island neighbours are Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
• Sri Lanka is separated from India by the Palk Strait.

Political and Administrative Divisions:

• India is divided into 29 states and 7 union territories.
• Delhi is the national capital.
• Rajasthan is the largest state and Goa is the smallest state in terms of area.

Physical Divisions:

• The Himalayas in the North are divided into three main parallel ranges.
• The three main parallel ranges are Great Himalaya or Himadri, Middle Himalaya or Himachal and Shiwalik.
• The Northern Indian plains lie to the South of the Himalayas.
• In the Western part of India lies the Great Indian desert.
• To the South of Northern plains lies the peninsular plateau.
• Aravali Hills is one of the oldest ranges of the world.
• The Western Ghats or Sahyadris border the plateau in the West and the Eastern Ghats provide the Eastern boundary.
• To the West of the Western Ghats and the East of Eastern Ghats lie the coastal plains.
• The rivers Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri drain into the Bay of Bengal.
• The Sunderban delta is formed where the Ganga and Brahmaputra flow into the Bay of Bengal.
• Lakshadweep Islands are located in the Arabian Sea.
• The Andaman and the Nicobar Islands lie to the South-East of the Indian mainland.

● Our country, India is vast. It has an area of about 3.28 million sq. km. In the north, it is surrounded by the Himalayas; in the west; there is the Arabian Sea; in the east; the Bay of Bengal and in the south; the Indian Ocean.

● India has diverse landforms—the lofty mountains, the Great Indian Desert, the Northern plains, the uneven plateau, and the coasts and islands.

● The climate of India also varies from region to region.

● We also find diversity in flora and fauna as well as in language and culture.

● India is the second most populous country of the world after China.

● India is located in the Northern hemisphere. The Tropic of Cancer passes through it.

● The sun rises two hours earlier in the east, i.e. Arunachal Pradesh than in the west, i. e. Gujarat.

● India’s seven neighbouring countries are—Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afganistan.

● Sri Lanka is separated from India by the Palk Strait.

● India is divided into 28 states and 7 Union Territories. Delhi is the national capital.

● Rajasthan is the largest state while Goa is the smallest state in terms of area.

● India has diverse physical features—mountains, plateaus, plains, coasts and islands.

● The Himalayas mountains are divided into three main parallel ranges—the Great Himalaya or Himadri, Middle Himalaya or Himachal and the Shiwalik.

● To the south of the Himalayas lie the Northern Indian plains.

● In the western part of India lies the Great Indian desert with little vegetation.

● To the south of northern plains lies the Peninsular plateau. It is triangular in shape. This is a region with numerous hill ranges and valleys. The Aravali hills, the Vindhyas, the Satpuras are the important ranges.

● The Western Ghats border the plateau in the west and the Eastern Ghats provide the eastern boundary.

● To the west of the Western Ghats and the East of Eastern Ghats lie the Coastal plains.

● Lakshadweep islands are located in the Arabian sea while Andaman and Nicobar islands group lie to the south-east of the Indian mainland in the Bay of Bengal.

● Peninsula: A piece of land that is surrounded by water on three sides.

● Island: A piece of land that is surrounded by water on all sides.

● Desert: A vast sandy stretch of land.

● Alluvial deposits: Fine soil brought by rivers and deposited in the river basins.

● Tributary: A small river or stream that contributes its water to the main river by discharging it into the main river from either side.

● Delta: An area of land formed at the mouth of the river. It is usually triangular in shape.

● Corals: These are skeletons of tiny marine animals called polyps.

● Tsunami: A strong and devastating harbour wave, generated due to an earthquake on the sea floor.

Strait: A narrow passage of water connecting two large water bodies like seas and oceans.