Why is this Chapter important?
It builds a foundational understanding of geographic location systems.
It is essential for map reading, navigation, and understanding time zone concepts.
It provides the foundational concept for more advanced geography topics.
The summary of Class 6 Social Science Chapter 1: Locating Places on Earth is as follows:
1. Maps, Globes, and Atlas:
Globe: Spherical model representing Earth with real features.
Maps: Flat representations using symbols, scale, and direction — categorized into physical, political, and thematic maps.
Atlas: An atlas is a book or collection of maps.
2. Key Map Components
Distance: Represented via scale.
Direction: Shown using cardinal (N, E, S, W) and ordinal (NE, NW, SE, SW) points.
Symbols: Icons for features like rivers, roads, and settlements.
3. Latitudes (Parallels):
Imaginary east–west circles parallel to the Equator (0°).
Notable parallels: Tropic of Cancer (23½° N), Tropic of Capricorn (23½° S), Arctic (66½° N), Antarctic (66½° S).
The equator is the largest latitude, and the length of latitude decreases toward the poles.
There is a connection between latitude and climate. Around the Equator, the climate is generally hot (it is also called ‘torrid’). 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 closer to the North or South Pole, the climate grows colder (or ‘frigid’).
4. Longitudes (Meridians)
It is imaginary north–south semicircles from Pole to Pole.
The Prime Meridian (0°) passes through Greenwich, dividing the Earth into eastern and western hemispheres.
There are 360 longitudes on the globe.
The length of all longitudes is the same.
5. Earth’s Grid System
The intersection of latitudes and longitudes forms a coordinate grid used to locate any place on Earth (e.g., Delhi at 29° N, 77° E)
6. Hemispheres
Northern/Southern Hemisphere: divided by the Equator.
Eastern/Western Hemisphere: divided by the Prime Meridian.
7. Time Zones
Earth is divided into 24 zones of 15° longitude each, showing a 1-hour time difference per zone.
Time at a place depends on its longitude.
The Prime Meridian was fixed at Greenwich, the opposite line — at approximately 180° longitude — is called the International Date Line.
Questions, activities, and projects
1. Returning to page 10 and to Fig. 5.2 in Chapter 5 of this textbook, taking the scale to be 2.5 cm = 500 km, calculate the real distance from the estuary of the Narmada River to the estuary of the Ganga River. (Hint: round off your measurement on the map to an easy number.)
Answer.
We have given that:
Scale: 2.5 cm = 500 km implies 1 cm = 200 km.
Step-1:
Measure the distance between the Narmada and Ganga estuaries on the NCERT map (Fig. 5.2, Chapter 5).
Approximate to a round figure.
For instance, the distance measured is ~10 cm
Step 2:
Real distance = 9 cm × 200 km/cm = 2000 km.
Therefore,
The real distance from the estuary of the Narmada River
The estuary of the Ganga River would be around 2000 km.
2. Why is it 5:30 pm in India when it is 12 pm or noon in London?
Answer.
India uses a single time zone: Indian Standard Time (IST) based on the 82.5° E meridian.
IST = GMT + 5 hours 30 minutes.
So, when London (Greenwich) is at 12:00 noon,
IST = 12:00 + 5:30 = 5:30 pm.
That is why it is 5:30 pm in India when it is 12 pm or noon in London.
3. Why do we need symbols and colours in the map?
Answer.
Symbols represent real-world features (rivers, mountains, roads) in a simplified, readable form.
Colours distinguish features (like blue for water, green for forests).
Together, they make maps intuitive, information-rich, and easy to interpret.
4. Find out what you have in the eight directions from your home or school.
Answer.
The eight directions from my school are as follows:
North: (e.g., Lake)
Northeast: (e.g., playground)
East: (e.g., main road)
Southeast: (e.g, temple)
South: (e.,g. main gate)
Southwest: (e,.g. garden)
West: (e.g, market)
Northwest: (e.,g. bus stop)
5. What is the difference between local time and standard time? Discuss it in groups, with each group writing an answer in 100 to 150 words. Compare the answers.
Answer.
Local Time: Based on the sun’s position in a specific place, it varies with longitude.
Indian Standard Time (IST): A uniform time for the whole country, based on a single reference meridian (82.5° E), ironing out local differences.
6. Delhi’s and Bengaluru’s latitudes are 29°N and 13°N; their longitudes are almost the same, 77°E. How much will be the difference in local time between the two cities?
Answer.
Latitude: irrelevant for time — only longitude matters.
Both lie near 77° E, so the difference in local time = 0 minutes.
There will be no difference in local time between the two cities.
7. Mark the following statements as true or false; explain your answers with a sentence or two.
Answer.
1. All parallels of latitude have the same length.
❌ False – Only the Equator is largest; parallels shrink toward the poles.
2. he length of a meridian is half that of the Equator.
❌ False – Meridians run pole to pole, but Earth’s circumference isn’t used here; meridians are the same length individually (~20,000 km).
3. The South Pole has a latitude 90° S.
✔️ True – Located exactly at 90° S.
4. In Assam, local time and IST are identical.
❌ False – Assam’s true (solar) time is ahead of IST, though IST is used uniformly.
5. Time zone boundaries are identical to meridians of longitude.
✔️ True – Based on 15° longitude intervals corresponding to one-hour zones.
6. The Equator is also a parallel of latitude.
✔️ True – It is the 0° parallel encircling Earth.
8. Solve the crossword below:
Answer.
Across
1. Scale – Lets you squeeze a huge area into your map
4. Globe – A convenient sphere
5. Equator – The longest parallel of latitude
6. Greenwich – The place where the Prime Meridian is attached to.
8. Compass – So convenient to find your way
10. Latitude – A measure of the distance from the Equator
Down:
2. Longitude – A measure of the distance from the Prime Meridian
3. Coordinates – These two together allow us to locate a place
6. Grid – What latitudes and longitudes together create
7. IST – The time we all follow in India
9. Pole – On top of the world
10. IDL – An abbreviation for a line across which the day and date change (International Date Line)
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