1 Our Country India
India, our country, is unique in its physical and cultural diversities. It lies in
the central part of South Asia. The southern part of India is a peninsula. It has
the Bay of Bengal to its east, the Arabian sea to its west and the Indian Ocean
in the south. The Great Himalayan range forms its boundary in the north. The
Andaman Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal and Lakshadweep Islands in the
Arabian Sea are Indian Islands. Kanyakumari is in the southernmost part of the
mainland of India and the southernmost tip of India is the Pygmalion Point or
Indira Point which is in the great Nicobar Islands.
Political Map of India
1
Our country is the seventh largest in the world in terms of geographical area.
It has been an attraction to the western explorers. Christopher Columbus, an
Italian explorer, aimed to find a sea route to India. He finally landed in the island
group of North America and named it ‘West Indies’ after India.
The Himalayan mountain range runs from
north-west to north-east forming a boundary
with countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan,
China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar
and India. It thus creates a distinctive landmass,
known as the Indian subcontinent. India and
its neighbouring countries not only share
the physical features but also the climate,
vegetation, cultural and economic traits.
The Himalayas
Try this
1. Find the countries which are larger than India in terms of geographical
area.
2. On the map of India, circle the names of the seventeen states that share
their boundaries with other countries.
Location
India is located to the north of the equator, the longest latitude. It is also located
to the east of the longitude called the prime meridian. Thus, India lies in the
north-eastern quarter of the world.
Prime Meridian
Equator
Not to scale
Location of India
2
Physical Features
India is a land with beautiful landforms such as high snow-covered mountains,
valleys, rivers, waterfalls, hills, plateaus, plains, sea coasts and islands. On the
basis of these physical features, our country is divided into five divisions.
• The Great Himalayas—the abode of snow
• The Coastal Plains
• The Fertile Plains of North India
• The Southern Plateau
• The Great Indian Desert—the Thar Desert
Him
Desert
No
ala
yan
rth
ern
Fer
t
Reg
ion
ile
Pla
in
Plateau Region
s
Plain
Bay of
Bengal
tal
Coas
Arabian
Sea
Himalayan Region
Northern Fertile Plain
Great Indian Region
Plateau Region
The Coastal Plains
Not to scale
Physical Features of India
Political Divisions
India is divided into 28 states and 7 union territories, including the National
Capital Territory of Delhi. These are further divided into districts and small
administrative units for the purpose of easy governance.
3
Climate
Climate is the regular pattern of weather condition of a particular place.
The population strength of a place depends to a great extent on the climatic
conditions. The dress, lifestyle, diet, etc. of the people depend on the climate
of the place where they live. They adjust their lifestyles to the changes in the
weather condition of that place.
India, even though a small country in terms of area, holds a large population
mainly because of suitable tropical monsoon and pleasant climate.
Climate and Lifestyle
Seasons in India
We generally experience three types of climatic conditions in India—the cold
season or winter, the hot season or summer and the monsoons or the rainy
season.
Winter
During this season, it is generally cold throughout the country. The season begins
in November and ends in March. The temperature decreases as one moves from
Kanyakumari to Kashmir. Days are short and nights are longer in this season.
South India is warmer compared to the north due to its nearness to the seas and
the equator. The northern states of India experience extreme cold as they are far
4
away from the seas. The northernmost states, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand
and Himachal Pradesh, receive snowfall due to their high altitude. The month
of January records the lowest temperature during winter in India.
Summer
The cold winter gradually shifts to spring and then it becomes warmer. There
is an increase in temperature from the month of March onwards. The northern
plains record a high temperature as they are located far away from the sea. The
coastal plains experience a hot and humid climate due to rapid evaporation of
sea water. A hot local wind from the desert of Rajasthan, loo, blows towards
western Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. The summer season lasts till June.
Monsoon
The special feature of Indian climate is that the winds change their direction
from season to season. In summer, the winds blow from sea to land carrying
lots of water vapours and slash as rain. These are called south-west monsoons.
In winter, the winds reverse and blow from land to sea and rainfall is less. These
are called north-east monsoons. These two monsoons influence the climate of
India.
The South-West Monsoon
The south-west monsoon winds start
from the Indian Ocean and enter India
by the beginning of June every year. The
wedge shape of India in the south divides
the monsoons into two branches—the
Arabian sea branch and the Bay of
Bengal branch. The Arabian sea branch
of monsoon breaks on the west coast in
June. It brings cooler, but more humid
weather and heavy rains to this coast.
From here it reaches most parts of South
Asia by the first week of July.
Bay of
Bengal
Arabian
Sea
Not to scale
South-West Monsoon Winds
5
The other branch, known as the Bay of Bengal branch, moves northward and
spreads over most of Assam by the first week of June, giving heavy rain to the
Garo, Khasi hill region. Mawsynram in Cherrapunji gets the heaviest rainfall in
India. On crossing the great Himalayan range, it is deflected westward towards
Delhi. The two branches now merge as a single current bringing rains to the
remaining parts of North India in July.
The monsoon rainfall is so important for agriculture that predictions of the
arrival of monsoons are eagerly awaited by farmers. Most parts of our country
receive rainfall from the south-west monsoons during the months of June to
September.
Retreating South-West Monsoon Season
Around the month of September, with the sun retreating southward, the northern
portion of India begins to cool rapidly. The air pressure begins to build over
North India. This causes the cold winds to cross over the Himalayas and move
towards the south of Deccan plateau. This is known as the retreating monsoon.
This monsoon, while travelling towards the Indian Ocean, picks up moisture
from the Bay of Bengal and pours as rain in peninsular India. The states on the
eastern coast – Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa – get less rainfall from
the south-west monsoon but receive heavy rainfall from the retreating monsoon
during the months of October and November.
The North-East Monsoon
The north-east monsoon winds that blow from land to sea bring rain during
December and January.
Try This
On an outline map of India, mark the boundaries. Name the neighbouring countries
and all the states. Colour the largest state blue and the smallest state yellow.
Do you know?
6
1. The longest mountain range in the world is the Mount Andes in South
America.
2. The most populous country in the world is China.
3. Maldives, our neighbouring country, is a group of islands.
Let’s Recall
• India is the seventh largest country in the world and lies in the Asian
continent.
• It is located to the north of the equator and east of the Prime Meridian.
• The great Himalayas stand as a land barrier, separating India from China
and Myanmar.
• India is a subcontinent cut-off from the rest of the continent of Asia by the
high Himalayan mountain ranges.
Now I Can Answer
A. Complete the following web chart.
India
Physical Features Seasons
Political Divisions
B. Fill in the blanks.
1. ____________ is the regular pattern of weather condition of a particular
place.
2. The southernmost boundary of India is ______________ and the
southernmost tip is ____________.
3. India is located to the north of the ____________ and to the east of the
____________.
7
4. ____________ and ____________ receive snowfall during winter due to
their high altitudes.
5. ____________ is a local wind that affects the climate of Uttar Pradesh and
Delhi in summer.
C. Write whether the following statements are true or false.
1. India is surrounded by seas and oceans on all sides.
2. The Himalayas are the mountain ranges that border India
in the north.
3. India is a small country but supports a large population.
4. Jammu and Kashmir faces a very hot climate all through
the year.
5. The coastal plains are hot and humid during summer.
D. Find the following.
1. The only Indian state that is flanked by two countries on both eastern and
western sides.
2. The two groups of islands that belong to our country.
3. The island country that neighbours India.
E. Answer the following questions.
1. Why is India called a peninsula?
2. State the location of India.
3. Name the physical features of India.
4. How many states and union territories does India have?
5. What are the different seasons experienced in India?
Activity
Make a set of flash cards with names of the states of India. Make another set of
cards with names of state capitals. Match the states with their capitals.
8