NCERT Solutions for Class 6 Social Science Chapter 1 Locating Places on the Earth

Locating Places on the Earth is Chapter 1 of the NCERT Class 6 Social Science textbook Exploring Society: India and Beyond. The chapter introduces maps, directions, symbols, scales, globes, latitudes, longitudes, coordinates, local time and standard time.

These class 6 social science chapter 1 question answer solutions are arranged according to the activities and questions in the chapter so that students can find an answer quickly while studying or completing homework.

The main topics covered in the chapter are:

• Maps and their components

• Directions and conventional symbols

• Scale and distance on maps

• Globe and coordinates

• Equator and hemispheres

• Parallels of latitude

• Meridians of longitude

• Heat zones of the Earth

• Local time and standard time

• Indian Standard Time (IST)

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Locating Places on the Earth Class 6 Question Answer

LET'S EXPLORE – Page 9

1. Mark the hospital.

Answer: Refer to Fig. 1.1 in the textbook and locate the hospital shown on the map. Use the surrounding landmarks and directions to identify its position.

2. What is the meaning of the blue-coloured areas?

Answer: The blue-coloured areas represent water bodies such as rivers, lakes and other water features shown on the map.

3. Which is farther away from the railway station — the school, the Nagar Panchayat or the public garden?

Answer: The public garden is farther from the railway station than the school and the Nagar Panchayat.

LET'S EXPLORE – Page 10

1. Draw a simple map of a school playground. Let us assume it is a rectangle, 40 m in length and 30 m in width. Draw it precisely with your ruler on a scale of 1 cm = 10 m.

Answer:

Given:

• Length = 40 m

• Width = 30 m

• Scale = 1 cm = 10 m

Therefore:

• 40 m = 4 cm

• 30 m = 3 cm

Draw a rectangle 4 cm long and 3 cm wide using a ruler. This represents the playground at the given scale.

2. Now measure the diagonal of the rectangle. How many centimetres do you get? Using the scale, calculate the real length of the playground's diagonal, in metres.

Answer:

The rectangle measures 4 cm × 3 cm on the map.

Using the Pythagoras theorem:

Diagonal² = 4² + 3²

= 16 + 9

= 25

Therefore:

Diagonal = 5 cm

The scale is 1 cm = 10 m.

So:

5 cm = 5 × 10 = 50 m

Answer: The real length of the diagonal is 50 metresLET'S EXPLORE – Page 11

1. Identify the correct and incorrect statements using the map.

These answers should be checked against the map in the textbook because the position of each place is determined by Fig. 1.1.

2. Taking your school as the starting point, do you know approximately in which cardinal direction your home is located?

Answer: This depends on where you live. Identify the position of your home from your school and write the appropriate direction.

For example:

My home is in the northeast direction from my school.

 

LET'S EXPLORE – Page 11: Map Symbols Activity

Draw a rough map of your locality or village.

Answer: Draw a simple map showing your home, school and a few nearby landmarks. Add the four cardinal directions and use conventional symbols for features such as roads, railway lines, places of worship, post offices or other landmarks.

This is an activity-based question, so the exact drawing will be different for each student.

Students can explore density, buoyancy, and other science concepts through interactive learning resources on CuriousJr.

LET'S EXPLORE – Page 13: Chess Activity

Using the same terms, write down your move if you play black and respond with the same move.

Answer: White moves the pawn from d2 to d4.

The corresponding move for Black is:

d7 to d5

LET'S EXPLORE – Page 17: Latitude and Longitude

Use a globe or atlas to identify the approximate latitude and longitude of the following places.

The values are approximate because the activity asks students to read coordinates from a globe or atlas.

LET'S EXPLORE – Page 21: Porbandar and Tinsukia

Why has the sun set in Tinsukia while it is still daylight in Porbandar?

Answer: Tinsukia in Assam lies east of Porbandar in Gujarat. The Earth rotates from west to east, so places farther east experience sunrise and sunset earlier than places farther west.

Therefore, the sun can set in Tinsukia while it is still daylight in Porbandar.

Calculate the difference in local time.

Answer:

The question asks us to consider a longitude difference of 30°.

The Earth rotates:

15° in 1 hour

Therefore:

30° ÷ 15° = 2 hours

So, the difference in local time is 2 hours.

LET'S EXPLORE – Page 21: Local Time and Standard Time

Explain the difference between local time and standard time using the Gujarat-Assam example.

Answer: Local time is based on the position of the Sun at a particular longitude. Since different places have different longitudes, their local times can differ.

Standard time is a common time adopted for a country or region so that everyone follows the same clock time.

In India, places such as Gujarat and Assam have different local times because of their different longitudes, but the country follows Indian Standard Time (IST).

Questions, Activities and Projects – Page 24–25

1. Calculate the real distance from the estuary of the Narmada River to the estuary of the Ganga River.

Answer: This question requires measurement from the map shown in the textbook.

The given scale is:

2.5 cm = 500 km

Therefore:

1 cm = 500 ÷ 2.5 = 200 km

First, measure the distance between the two estuaries on the textbook map with a ruler.

Then use:

Real distance = Map distance × 200 km

For example, if your measured distance is 8 cm:

8 × 200 = 1600 km

So, the final answer depends on the measurement obtained from the printed map. Students should use the map in their own textbook rather than copying a fixed measurement from another source.

2. Why is it 5:30 pm in India when it is 12 pm or noon in London?

Answer: India follows Indian Standard Time (IST), which is based on the 82½°E meridian.

The Earth rotates 360° in 24 hours.

Therefore:

360° ÷ 24 = 15° per hour

The difference between 0° longitude at Greenwich and 82½°E is 82½°.

This gives a time difference of 5 hours 30 minutes.

Therefore, when it is 12 noon at Greenwich, the corresponding IST is 5:30 pm.

3. Why do we need symbols and colours in a map?

Answer: Symbols and colours make maps easier to read. They represent features such as roads, rivers, railway lines, cities, forests and other places in a small space.

Using common symbols also helps people understand map information quickly.

4. Find out what you have in the eight directions from your home or school.

Answer: This is a local activity, so the answer will differ from student to student.

You can make a table like this:

Replace these examples with the actual places around your home or school.

5. What is the difference between local time and standard time?

Answer: Local time is the time calculated according to the position of the Sun at a particular place. It changes from one longitude to another.

Standard time is a common time followed across a country or region.

India follows Indian Standard Time (IST), based on the Standard Meridian at 82½°E longitude. This allows the entire country to use one standard clock time even though local solar time differs from place to place.

6. Delhi's and Bengaluru's latitudes are 29°N and 13°N; their longitudes are almost the same. How much will be the difference in local time between the two cities?

Answer: Latitude does not determine the difference in local time. Local time is related to longitude.

Since Delhi and Bengaluru have almost the same longitude, their difference in local time is approximately zero.

7. Mark the following statements as true or false and explain your answers.

(a) All parallels of latitude have the same length.

Answer: False.

The Equator is the longest parallel of latitude. The other parallels become shorter as they approach the North and South Poles.

(b) The length of a meridian of longitude is half that of the Equator.

Answer: True.

A meridian is a semicircle running from one pole to the other, while the Equator is a complete circle.

(c) The South Pole has a latitude of 90°S.

Answer: True.

The South Pole is located at 90° south latitude.

(d) In Assam, the local time and IST are identical.

Answer: False.

Assam lies considerably east of the Standard Meridian of India. Its local solar time is therefore different from IST.

(e) Lines separating the time zones are identical with meridians of longitude.

Answer: False.

Time zones are broadly based on longitude, but their boundaries are adjusted in many places to follow country or regional boundaries.

(f) The Equator is also a parallel of latitude.

Answer: True.

The Equator represents 0° latitude and is the largest parallel of latitude.

8. Solve the crossword.

Across

1. Scale

2. Globe

3. Equator

4. Greenwich

5. Map

6. Latitude

Down

2. Longitude

3. Coordinates

4. Grid

5. IST

6. Pole

7. IDL

Class 6 SST Chapter 1 Notes

These class 6 social science chapter 1 notes cover the main concepts needed for revision.

1. What is a map?

A map is a representation of the Earth's surface or a part of it on a flat surface.

Maps help us locate places, understand directions and measure distances.

Important components of a map include:

• Direction

• Scale

• Symbols

• Colours

• Labels

2. What is a globe?

A globe is a three-dimensional model of the Earth.

It shows the Earth in a form that represents its overall shape. The globe has an imaginary axis passing through the North Pole and South Pole.

A globe is useful for understanding:

• Continents and oceans

• Equator

• Latitudes

• Longitudes

• Poles

• Hemispheres

3. Equator and Hemispheres

The Equator is the imaginary line at 0° latitude.

It divides the Earth into two halves:

• Northern Hemisphere

• Southern Hemisphere

4. Parallels of Latitude

Latitudes are imaginary lines running east-west around the Earth.

They tell us how far a place is north or south of the Equator.

Important latitudes include:

• Equator – 0°

• Tropic of Cancer – 23½°N

• Tropic of Capricorn – 23½°S

• Arctic Circle – 66½°N

• Antarctic Circle – 66½°S

• North Pole – 90°N

• South Pole – 90°S

The Equator is the longest parallel. The parallels become shorter towards the poles.

5. Heat Zones of the Earth

The Earth is divided into three major heat zones.

Torrid Zone

The Torrid Zone lies between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn.

It receives more direct sunlight during the year than the other heat zones.

Temperate Zones

The temperate zones lie between the tropics and the Arctic and Antarctic Circles.

The Sun's rays reach these areas at a lower angle compared with the Torrid Zone.

Frigid Zones

The Frigid Zones lie between the Arctic Circle and the North Pole in the north and between the Antarctic Circle and the South Pole in the south.

These areas receive slanting rays of sunlight and have very low temperatures.

6. Meridians of Longitude

Longitudes are imaginary lines that run from the North Pole to the South Pole.

They help us identify how far a place is east or west of the Prime Meridian.

The Prime Meridian is 0° longitude and passes through Greenwich.

Longitudes are measured up to:

• 180° east

• 180° west

7. What are Coordinates?

The combination of latitude and longitude helps us identify the position of a place on Earth.

For example, a place may be located at a particular number of degrees north or south and a particular number of degrees east or west.

This system makes it possible to locate places accurately on a globe or map.

8. Longitude and Time

The Earth completes one rotation of 360° in about 24 hours.

Therefore:

360° ÷ 24 = 15° per hour

So:

15° longitude = 1 hour

And:

1° longitude = 4 minutes

Places to the east of Greenwich are ahead in local time, while places to the west are behind.

9. Local Time

Local time is based on the position of the Sun at a particular longitude.

Because the Earth has many longitudes, different places can have different local times.

For example, the local time in eastern India is ahead of the local time in western India.

10. Standard Time

Using a different local time for every longitude would make travel, communication and administration difficult.

Countries therefore adopt a standard time.

India follows Indian Standard Time (IST), based on the 82½°E Standard Meridian.

Class 6 SST Chapter 1 Extra Questions and Answers

These additional questions are useful for revision after completing the NCERT exercise.

1. What is the Equator?

Answer: The Equator is an imaginary circle around the Earth at 0° latitude. It divides the Earth into the Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere.

2. What is the Prime Meridian?

Answer: The Prime Meridian is the 0° longitude that passes through Greenwich. It is used as the reference line for measuring longitude east and west.

3. What is the difference between latitude and longitude?

Answer: Latitude tells us how far a place is north or south of the Equator. Longitude tells us how far a place is east or west of the Prime Meridian.

4. Why are symbols used on maps?

Answer: Symbols represent real-world features in a simple and compact form. They make maps easier to read and understand.

5. What is the Standard Meridian of India?

Answer: The Standard Meridian of India is 82½°E longitude. Indian Standard Time is based on this meridian.

6. Why is local time different at different longitudes?

Answer: The Earth rotates from west to east. As a result, places at different longitudes face the Sun at different times.

7. How much time does the Earth take to rotate through 15°?

Answer: The Earth takes approximately 1 hour to rotate through 15° of longitude.

8. How many minutes correspond to 1° of longitude?

Answer: Since 15° corresponds to 60 minutes:

60 ÷ 15 = 4 minutes

Therefore, 1° of longitude corresponds to 4 minutes of time.

9. What are the three main heat zones?

Answer: The three main heat zones are:

1. Torrid Zone

2. Temperate Zones

3. Frigid Zones

10. Why is the Equator warmer than the polar regions?

Answer: The Equatorial region receives more direct rays of the Sun during the year. Near the poles, the Sun's rays reach the surface at a much lower angle.

Locating Places on Earth Class 6 Short Question Answer

What is a globe?

A globe is a three-dimensional model of the Earth.

What is 0° latitude called?

0° latitude is called the Equator.

What is 0° longitude called?

0° longitude is called the Prime Meridian.

What is 90°N?

90°N is the North Pole.

What is 90°S?

90°S is the South Pole.

What is IST?

IST stands for Indian Standard Time.

What is the Standard Meridian of India?

The Standard Meridian of India is 82½°E.

How much time does 15° of longitude represent?

15° of longitude represents 1 hour.

How much time does 1° of longitude represent?

1° of longitude represents 4 minutes.

Which zone lies between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn?

The Torrid Zone lies between the two tropics.

Class 6 Social Science Chapter 1 Worksheet

Fill in the blanks

1. The Equator is located at ______ latitude.

2. The Prime Meridian is located at ______ longitude.

3. The Earth rotates through 15° in about ______ hour.

4. The Standard Meridian of India is ______ E.

5. ______ is the model of the Earth.

True or False

1. The Equator is the longest parallel of latitude.

2. All longitudes are parallel to one another.

3. IST is based on 82½°E longitude.

4. Local time is related to longitude.

5. The North Pole is at 90°N.

Answers

Fill in the blanks:

1. 0°

2. 0°

3. 1

4. 82½°

5. Globe

True or False:

1. True

2. False

3. True

4. True

5. True