Ans.
ü A
map is like a treasure guide; it shows you where things are and how to get to
them.
ü A
map is a representation, or a drawing, of some area — it may be a small area (a
village, a town, etc.), a bigger area (say, your district or state), or a very
large area like India or even the whole world.
ü An atlas
is a book or collection of maps.
Ans.
There are several kinds of maps —
a) Physical maps, which
mainly show some natural features such as mountains, oceans and rivers.
b) Political maps, which show details of countries or states, boundaries, cities, etc. (for instance, a map of India with all its States, Union Territories and their capitals)
c) Thematic maps, with a specific kind of information.
Ans.
There
are three important components of maps - distance, direction and symbols.
Ans.
ü Each
centimeter on the map, represents a certain distance on the ground — let us
suppose it is 500 metres; we say that the scale is 1 cm = 500 m.
ü The
scale is represented in the bottom left corner by a ruler with ‘500’ written
above its length and ‘km’ on the side.
ü The
actual distance between two points represented on the map depends on the scale
that the map is using.
Ans.
ü The
four directions, which are north, at the top, and, moving clockwise, east,
south and west. These are called the cardinal directions, also cardinal points.
ü Other than these, intermediate directions are also used — northeast (NE), southeast (SE), southwest (SW) and northwest (NW).
ü Most maps simply have an arrow (↑) marked with the letter ‘N’, which points to the north direction.
Ans.
Symbols
are another important component of maps.
ü A
symbol is used to represent features on the map.
ü To make
maps more easily understood by a variety of users, map makers use specific
symbols.
ü Different
countries use different sets of symbols.
ü The
Survey of India, a government body, has fixed a set of symbols for maps of
India (or parts of India).
Ans.
ü A
globe, which is a sphere on which a map is drawn. This may be a map of the
Earth, the Moon, the planet Mars, the stars and constellations in the sky, etc.
ü Globe,
is a sphere that is generally made of metal, plastic or cardboard.
ü The
globe representing the Earth’s geography. Because the globe and the Earth have
the same spherical shape, a globe will better represent the geography of the
Earth than a flat map.
Ans.
ü A
similar system of coordinates is used in the world of maps to determine the
location of any place on a map.
ü Latitude
and longitude together are the two coordinates of a place. With them, you are
now able to locate any place on Earth!
ü You can
now understand a statement such as “Delhi lies at 29°N latitude and 77°E longitude”
(these values are rounded off, not exact).
Ans.
ü Latitude
measures the distance from the Equator. At any point of this travel, you can
draw an imaginary line that runs east and west, parallel to the Equator.
Such a line is called a parallel of latitude and it draws a circle
around the Earth.
ü On the
globe the largest circle is the Equator, while the circles marked by the
parallels of latitude grow smaller as we move northward or southward.
ü Latitudes
are expressed in degrees; by convention, the Equator is latitude 0°
(zero degree), while the latitudes of the two poles are 90° North and 90° South
respectively; this is noted 90°N and 90°S.
Ans.
ü There
is a connection between latitude and climate. Around the Equator, the climate
is generally hot (it is also called ‘torrid’).
ü As you
travel away from the Equator towards one of the two poles (in other words, as
your latitude increases), the climate becomes more moderate (or ‘temperate’).
And
ü closer
to the North or South Pole, the climate grows colder (or ‘frigid’).
Ans.
ü Angular
distance in East and West direction from Prime Meridian Line (GMT) that
joins the North Pole to the South Pole on the globe are called longitudes
or meridians of longitude.
ü They
are all half-circles running from one pole to the other.
ü Just as
latitude is a measure of the distance from the Equator if you travel towards
one of the poles, longitude is a measure of the distance from the Prime
Meridian if you travel along the Equator.
ü Longitude, too, is measured in degrees. Westward or eastward, it increases in value from 0° to 180°, with the letter ‘W’ or ‘E’ added.
ü For instance, using round figures, New York’s longitude is 74°W, while Delhi’s is 77°E and Tokyo’s is 140°E.
Q 12. What is a Prime Meridian?
Ans.
ü Longitude, too, is measured in degrees.
ü Westward or eastward, it increases in value from 0° to 180°, with the letter ‘W’ or ‘E’ added.
ü For instance, using round figures, New York’s longitude is 74°W, while Delhi’s is 77°E and Tokyo’s is 140°E.
ü As you can see on the globe of meridians of longitudes, 180°W and 180°E are the same longitude; so this longitude is noted 180°, omitting the letter W or E.
Ans.
The parallels of latitude and the meridians of
longitude together on the globe as imaginary lines. All these lines together
constitute a grid for the globe; they are also called grid lines.
Ans.
ü Mumbai - 18°N
and 72°E
ü Kolkata - 22°N
and 88°E
ü Singapore - 1°N
and 103°E
ü Paris - 48°N
and 2°E
Q 18. What do you means by Ujjaini meridian?
Ans.
ü The
Greenwich Meridian is not the first prime meridian. There were others in the
past.
ü In
fact, many centuries before Europe, India had a prime meridian of its own!
ü It was
called madhya rekhā (or ‘middle line’) and
passed through the city of Ujjayinī (today Ujjain), which was a reputed
centre for astronomy over many centuries.
ü Varāhamihira, a famous astronomer, lived and worked there some 1,500 years ago.
ü The Ujjayinī meridian became a reference for calculations in all Indian astronomical texts.
Q 19. What is the latitudinal and longitudinal extent of India?
Ans. India’s latitudes extend approximately from to 8°N to 37°N, and longitudes approximately from 68°E to 97°E.
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