India - Size and Location long answers 3

Question 1

The latitudinal and longitudinal extent of India is 30 degrees. But the north-south distance is larger than the east-west distance. Why?

Answer 1

i) The latitudinal and longitudinal extent of India is almost the same at 30 degrees.
ii) But the north-south distance is 3214 km and the east-west distance is 2933 km.
iii) The latitudes are parallel lines and the distance is fixed between them while the longitudes are not parallel lines and the distance varies.

Question 2

Why do we need a standard meridian for India?

Answer 2

i) The longitudinal extent of India is about 30°.
ii) From Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh there is a time lag of two hours.
iii) Hence to avoid confusion, the time along the midpoint of the two places the 82° 30 minutes East
Longitude passing through Mirzapur is taken as the Standard Meridian for the whole country.