1 LATITUDE AND
LONGITUDE
MAP
1.1: Countries that the Equator passes through
Equator passes through 13 countries, 3 continents and 3 water bodies.
South America Ecuador (1), Colombia (2), Brazil (3)
Africa Gabon (4), Congo (5), Democratic Republic of Congo (6), Uganda (7),
Kenya (8), Sao Tome and Principe (13), Somalia (9)
Asia Maldives (10), Indonesia (11), Kiribati (Oceania) (12)
Water Bodies: Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean
Note: The highest point on the equator is located on the Volcán Cayambe’s southern
slopes at an elevation of 4,690 meters in Ecuador. This is the only place on the equator
where snow can be found.
1.2: Countries that the Prime Meridian passes through
There are 8 countries, 3 continents and 6 water bodies through which the Prime Meridian
passes.
Europe United Kingdom (1), France (2), Spain (3)
Africa Algeria (4), Mali (5), Burkina Faso (6), Ghana (7), Togo (8)
Antarctica Antarctica
Water Bodies: Arctic Ocean, Norwegian Sea, Greenland Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic
Ocean, Southern Ocean
1.3: Countries that the Tropic of Cancer passes through
There are 16 countries, 3 continents and 6 water bodies through which the Tropic of
Cancer passes.
North America Bahamas (Archipelago), Mexico
Africa Egypt, Libya, Niger, Algeria, Mali, Western Sahara, Mauritania
Asia Taiwan, China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, India, Oman, United Arab
Emirates, Saudi Arabia
Water Bodies: Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Taiwan Strait, Red Sea,
Gulf of Mexico
1.4: Countries that the Tropic of Capricorn passes through
There are 10 countries, 3 continents and 3 water bodies through which the Tropic of
Capricorn passes.
Map Book
South America Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay
Africa Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar
Australia Australia
Water Bodies: Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean
1.5: Countries along Arctic Circle
The Arctic Circle is penetrated by seven countries: Canada, Finland, Greenland, Norway,
Sweden, Russia and Alaska (USA).
Note: The Ottawa Declaration named eight members of the Arctic Council: Canada,
Russia, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, the United States of America, Sweden and Finland.
Map-1.1: Countries that the equator passes through
Map-1.2: Countries that the Prime Meridian passes through
4
World
Map-1.3: Countries that the Tropic of Cancer passes through
Map-1.4: Countries that the Tropic of Capricorn passes through
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Map Book
Map-1.5: Countries along Arctic Circle
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1 SIZE AND EXTENT
MAP
Size and Extent
In size, India is the seventh largest country in the world and accounts for approximately
2.4% of the surface area of the world. It covers an area of 3.287 million km2 and measures
about 3,214 km from north to south and about 2,933 km from east to west.
Extreme Points of India
Location Points State or Union Territory
North Indira Col, Siachen Glacier Jammu and Kashmir
South Indira Point/Pygmalion Point, Nicobar Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Islands
East Kibithu Arunachal Pradesh
West Guhar Moti, Sir Creek Gujarat
India lies entirely in the northern and eastern hemisphere and extents between 6°45' N
to 37°6'N latitude and 68°7' E to 97°25'E longitude.
Tropic of Cancer
The Tropic of Cancer (23.5°N) passes through middle of the country. Thus half of the
country to the south of the Tropic of Cancer is situated in the Tropical region and the
other half lying north of the Tropic of Cancer falls in the Sub-tropical region.
Tropic
of Cancer passes through 8 Indian states (west to east): Gujarat – Rajasthan –
Madhya Pradesh – Chhattisgarh – Jharkhand – West Bengal – Tripura – Mizoram
Standard Meridian
Standard meridian of any country is generally selected in multiples of 7°30' of longitude.
The meridian passing through Allahabad at 82°30'E longitude has been selected as the
central meridian for India, corresponding to a single time zone for the country at 5
hours and 30 minutes in advance of GMT.
Standard Meridian passes through Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,
Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
The longitudinal extent of India is around 29°, hence the time difference in India between
its eastern and western extremities is roughly of two hours.
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