Location, Geological Structure and Physiography-I Class 9 GSEB Solutions Social Science Chapter 13

Gujarat Board Class 9 Social Science Location, Geological Structure and Physiography-I Textbook Questions and Answers

1. Write short answer for the following questions.
Question 1. India has a strategic location. Explain.
Answer:

1. Three big water bodies namely; Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal surround India from three sides. Hence, large and natural waterways joining India with other countries have developed since ancient times.
2. India had developed cultural and commercial relations with East Africa, West Asia, South Asia and South-east Asia since ancient times due to her location.
3. After the opening of Suez Canal in 1869, the distance between India and Europe via, sea got reduced by 7000 km.
4. Also, the journey from Asia to Europe reduced by 6500 km due to the ‘Circum Africa’ waterway.
5. The sea routes to east and south-east Asia and Europe via Africa passes through India Ocean. This encouraged the development of trade relation between India and Europe since then.
6. From the east of India, after crossing Malacca Strait in Malaysia and then Pacific Ocean, one can reach Canada and the US.
7. Moreover, the air routes connecting many countries pass through various parts of India.
8. Thus, India has a strategic location.

Question 2. Why is the physiography of India diversified? Explain.
Answer:

1. India has lofty Himalayan mountain ranges in the North. Many plateaus, summits and passes are also seen within them.
2. It has several rivers. Ganga, Yamuna, Brahmaputra, Narmada, Godavari, Krishna, etc. are some of the largest rivers.
3. These rivers have brought alluvial deposits with them and form fertile plains.
4. India also has a very long coastline. Moreover, India is a peninsula. Arabian Sea lies to west of India, Bay of Bengal to the east and Indian Ocean to the south.
5. Western Ghats are spread near the west coastline and Eastern Ghats on the east coastline.
6. India also has islands of Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar. Thus, It has a very large and diversified physiography.

Question 3. Why has the international trade of India become easy?
Answer:

1. International trade is mainly carried out through air or sea routes.
2. Very huge landmass of India is connected with sea.
3. The sea routes to east and south-east Asia and Europe via Africa passes through Indian Ocean.
4. After the opening of Suez Canal in 1869, the distance between India and Europe has reduced by about 7000 km.
5. Also, the journey from Asia to Europe reduced by 6500 km due to the ‘Circum Africa’ waterway.
6. Moreover, the air routes connecting many countries pass through various parts of India.
7. Thus, the international trade between India and Europe became easier and it increased to a great extent.

Question 4. India has become a place of ‘cultural confluence’. Explain.
Answer:

1. India holds a strong and unique position among the countries of the world.
2. It is a very large country having one of the oldest cultures of the world.
3. India has the largest democracy in the world.
4. Due to India’s rich culture and warm approach it influenced people of all the religions and race.
5. India has always remained neutral towards all religions, people and races.
6. Owing to all these reason, it is said that India has become a place of cultural confluence.

Question 5. How many tectonic plates are there in the world? Name them.
Answer:
There are seven major tectonic plates in the world. They are:

1. Pacific Plate
2. North American Plate
3. South American Plate
4. Eurasian Plate (Europe + sia = Eurasian)
5. African Plates
6. Indo-Australian Plate
7. Antarctic Plate

2. Explain the concept of the following terms:
Question 1. Standard Time:
Answer:
It is the local time of 82°30 east longitude, taken as the standard time for the whole country.

Question 2. Tropic of Cancer:
Answer:
The latitude located at 23°.5 north and passing through the centre of India is the Tropic of Cancer. It divides India into almost equal two parts i.e., Northern India and Southern India.

Question 3. Peninsula:
Answer:
The triangular landmass surrounded by water on three sides is called peninsula.

Question 4. Convergent plates:
Answer:
The plates that come closer to each other i. e., converge towards each other are called convergent plates.

Question 5. Hemisphere:
Answer:
It means half of a sphere or say a half of the earth.

Question 6. Equator:
Answer:
An imaginary line that divides the earth into the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere.

Question 7. Circulation:
Answer:
The passing of something from one place to another.

3. Answer the following questions:
Question 1. Give information about the location and area of India.
Answer:
Location of India:

1. India lies entirely in the northern hemisphere. The northern part of India extends till the southern part of Asia. It is a part of south-central Asia.
2. India is located between the East and the west Asia. India is a southward extention of the Asian continent.
3. India occupies a major strategic position in South Asia. It has 29 states and 7 union territories including National capital Territory of Delhi.
4. 82° 30 E longitude is the standard meridian of India which decides the local time of India. It passes through five Indian states.
5. The Tropic of Cancer located at 23°, 5′ North latitudes passes through the centre of India. It divides the country into almost two equal parts i.e., Northern India and Southern India.

Northern India:

• India’s northern part is spread more in the east and the west direction.
• North India contains Himalayan Mountain region and large plains.

Southern India:

1. The area to the south of Tropic of Cancer has a triangular shape. It tapers as one move southwards.
2. Arabian Sea is located on the left of India, Indian Ocean at the bottom and Bay of Bengal on the right.
3. This means that India is surrounded by water on three sides. Hence, it is called peninsula. The southern part of India forms the Peninsular Plateau.
4. The Peninsular Plateau includes the eastern plains that lie on the eastern side of southern India and the narrow western coastal plains that lie on the western side of southern India.

Area of India:
The total area of India is about 3.28 million square km, which is 2.42% of world’s area. India’s total area counts for about 2.4 percent of the total geographical area of the world. India is seventh largest country of the world:

1. Russia
2. Canada
3. USA
4. China
5. Brazil
6. Australia
7. India.

Question 2. How was India benefitted due to the opening of Suez Canal? State.
Answer:

1. When Suez Canal was opened in 1869, the distance between India and Europe had reduced by about 7000 kilometres.
2. As a result, the international trade between India and Europe became easier and it increased to a great extent.
3. Goods and ideas among various countries again started getting exchanged with Europe.
4. Indian concepts of Upanishads, stories or Ramayana and Panchatantra, therapeutic methods, Indian numerals figures and decimal system, etc. thus could reach many parts of the world.

Question 3. Give a detailed account of the structure of the earth.
Answer:

1. The structure of the Earth is divided into layers. These layers are both physically and chemically different. There are three such layers.
2. The earth has an outer solid layer called the Crust, a highly viscous layer called the Mantle, a liquid layer that is called Core. The outer part of core, is liquid and the inner core is solid.
3. The Crust is made of solid rocks. It is made of the lighter elements, silicon, oxygen, aluminium. Because of this, its is known as sial (silicon + aluminium).
4. The Mantle is second the layer of the earth right below the crust. It is made mostly of oxygen, silicon and the heavier element magnisium. It is known as Sima (Silicon + Magnesium).
5. The Core is made of solid iron and nickel and is at about 5000-6000°C. It is known as Nife [Nickel + Iron (ferrous)].

4. Select the correct options of the following questions and write answers.
Question 1. Trough which state of India, the standard meridian does not pass?
A. Uttar Pradesh
B. Chhattisgarh
C. Madhya Pradesh
D. Tamil Nadu
Answer:
D. Tamil Nadu

Question 2. As North of India; China, To the north-west of India;
A. Bangladesh
B. Pakistan
C. Sri Lanka
D. Nepal
Answer:
B. Pakistan

Question 3. Arrange the following stats in order from north to south: Uttarakhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi
A. Uttarakhand, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala
B. Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Uttarakhand
C. Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Prasdesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Kerala
D. Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand
Answer:
A. Uttarakhand, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala

Question 4. Which of the following countries is larger in area than India?
A. Canada
B. England
C. Pakistan
D. Thailand
Answer:
A. Canada

Question 5. Which of the following pairs is incorrect as a neighbour of India?
A. Afghanistan – North – West
B. Nepal – North – East
C. China – North
D. Bangladesh – West
Answer:
D. Bangladesh – West