Locating Places on the Earth | CBSE Class 6 Geography Notes

This note covers maps and their components, distance and direction, map symbols, globes, ways of locating places, latitude and longitude, local and standard time, time zones, and changes of date when crossing the Earth’s date line.

What is a map, and how do different maps help us?

A map is a drawing or representation of an area. It presents the surface as though it were being viewed from above. The area represented may be a village, town, district, state, country or the whole world.

A map helps us identify where places are and work out how to reach them. An atlas is a book or collection of maps. Different maps can show different kinds of information about an area.

Which kind of map should we use?

The word physical here refers to natural features. A political map helps identify territorial divisions and places within them. A thematic map concentrates on a particular subject, rather than attempting to show every kind of information together.

Case study: How does the small-city map guide a visitor?

Roads link labelled places including a railway station, hospital, school, market, bank and museum. A lake and river are blue. Four arrows in the upper-right corner show north, east, south and west.

See Fig. 1.1 in your NCERT textbook

A visitor arriving at the railway station can locate the bank and examine the roads connecting the two places. The same map helps the visitor find the public garden, school and museum, or plan a journey from the bank to the market.

Reading a map therefore involves more than recognising a building. It means relating one place to another. The three important components that make this possible are distance, direction and symbols: how far apart places are, where they lie relative to one another, and how features are represented.

How does a map’s scale connect paper distances with real distances?

A scale tells us what a distance on a map represents on the ground. It allows a large area to fit on a small sheet. The actual distance between two mapped points depends on the scale used.

For the small-city map, suppose one centimetre represents 500 metres. We write this as 1 cm = 500 m. Here, cm means centimetre, m means metre, and the equals sign means “represents” in this scale statement. The scale is an assumption for this example.

A map can also show its scale as a small ruler. A printed ruler measuring 2.5 centimetres can represent 500 kilometres on the ground. The abbreviation km means kilometre. Read the stated scale before converting any measurement.

How can the playground activity be worked out?

Consider a rectangular playground 40 metres long and 30 metres wide. At a scale of one centimetre for every ten metres, its drawing is four centimetres long and three centimetres wide. Both dimensions use the same scale.

1. Read the given ground dimensions: length 40 metres and width 30 metres.
2. Read the scale: each centimetre of the drawing represents ten metres.
3. Divide the ground length by ten to obtain a drawing length of four centimetres.
4. Divide the ground width by ten to obtain a drawing width of three centimetres, then draw the rectangle with a ruler.

The diagonal joins opposite corners of the rectangle. It measures five centimetres in this accurate drawing, corresponding to 50 metres on the ground. This result comes from the given dimensions and scale; the measured drawing and the real playground must remain clearly distinguished.

How do directions and symbols make maps easier to read?

The four cardinal directions, also called cardinal points, are north, east, south and west. In the small-city map, north is at the top. Moving clockwise, the other arrows point east, south and west.

Intermediate directions lie between the cardinal directions: northeast between north and east, southeast between south and east, southwest between south and west, and northwest between north and west. Their abbreviations are NE, SE, SW and NW respectively.

Most maps show an arrow labelled N, meaning north. The other direction letters E, S and W mean east, south and west. Use the direction indicator when deciding where one place lies relative to another.

Why are small pictures not enough?

A symbol is a sign used to represent a feature on a map. Detailed drawings of every building would take too much space on a map of a large city or country. Symbols allow numerous details to fit into the available space.

They can represent buildings, roads, railway lines and natural features such as rivers, ponds and forests. Different countries use different sets of symbols. The Survey of India, a government body, has fixed a set for maps of India or parts of India.

The chart pairs labels with signs for railway lines, roads, boundaries, water features, buildings, settlements, trees and grass. It includes letter symbols for a post office, post and telegraph office, and police station.

See Fig. 1.2 in your NCERT textbook

In this symbol chart, PO means Post Office, PTO means Post and Telegraph Office, PS means Police Station, and RS marks a railway station. Reading these signs correctly is part of reading the map itself.

When drawing a locality map, mark the cardinal directions and use suitable symbols for the home, school and other important features. A clear symbol and a clear direction indicator help a reader understand the drawing without needing a detailed picture of every place.

Why does a globe represent the Earth better than a flat map?

The Earth nearly has the shape of a sphere, a round three-dimensional form. It is not a perfect sphere: it is slightly flattened at the poles. For practical work with a globe, however, it is considered spherical.

A globe is a sphere with a map drawn on it. The object is generally made of metal, plastic or cardboard. A globe need not represent Earth alone: globes can also show the Moon, Mars, or the stars and constellations in the sky.

A constellation is a recognisable grouping of stars in the sky. For locating places on Earth, we use a globe representing the Earth’s geography. Its spherical form represents that geography better than a flat map does.

What does the orange-peel activity demonstrate?

Imagine peeling an orange so that its skin comes away in three or four large pieces. Try to flatten these pieces on a table. The curved pieces cannot be flattened without tearing at their edges.

This activity illustrates the difficulty of putting a spherical surface onto flat paper. A sphere cannot be represented accurately on a flat sheet. The difficulty arises from the difference between a curved surface and a flat one.

Note: “Nearly spherical” and “slightly flattened” describe the Earth more carefully than “a perfect sphere”. A globe remains useful because it represents the Earth in a spherical form.

Maps and globes therefore help in related ways. A map represents an area on a flat surface and can guide a visitor through a city. A globe helps us understand the Earth’s overall form and the imaginary lines used to locate places across it.

How do coordinates identify a particular position?

Coordinates are paired references that identify a position. Each reference contributes information that the other alone does not provide. A row and a position within that row can identify one shop; a letter and a number can identify one chessboard square.

How does the market example work?

Imagine a market with neat rows of shops of the same size. To identify a stationery shop, give its position as the seventh shop in the fifth row from the entrance. A stationery shop sells writing materials.

The fifth row tells a visitor which row to find. The seventh shop tells the visitor which place within that row to choose. Together, these references identify the intended shop precisely in the described market.

How does the chessboard example work?

A chessboard can be labelled with letters from a to h along one direction and numbers from 1 to 8 along the other. A square’s letter and number together identify its position. The letter d and the number 2 form the coordinate d2.

In the illustrated opening move, the white queen’s pawn moves from d2 to d4. A pawn is a chess piece, and this one starts in front of the queen. Its letter stays the same while its number changes as it moves two squares forward.

The shop and chessboard examples use the same basic idea: two references locate a position within an organised arrangement. Maps use a related system to locate places on Earth. Their two coordinates are latitude and longitude, defined by reference to imaginary lines on the globe.

What do latitude and the Equator tell us about a place?

The North Pole and South Pole are the fixed points at the two ends of the Earth’s axis, the imaginary line around which it spins. The Equator is the imaginary circle halfway between the poles.

Latitude measures distance from the Equator towards either pole in degrees. A degree, written °, is a unit used for these measurements. The Equator has latitude zero degrees, written 0°. Moving towards either pole increases latitude.

A parallel of latitude is an imaginary line running east and west, parallel to the Equator. It forms a circle around the Earth. The Equator is the largest such circle; the circles become smaller towards the north or south.

The direction letter matters. In a latitude, N means north of the Equator and S means south of it. A number without the required direction does not communicate the same information as the complete latitude.

How is latitude connected with climate?

Climate means the usual weather conditions of a place over a long period. Around the Equator, the climate is generally hot, also called torrid.

Moving away from the Equator towards either pole, the climate becomes more moderate, or temperate. Closer to the North or South Pole, it grows colder, or frigid. These terms describe the broad connection between latitude and climate.

How do longitude and latitude work together on the globe?

A meridian of longitude is an imaginary half-circle joining the North Pole to the South Pole. Meridians have equal lengths. A pole-to-pole route through Europe and Africa can therefore have the same length as one through Asia.

The Prime Meridian is the reference meridian marked 0° longitude. It is also called the Greenwich Meridian. In 1884, some nations agreed to use the meridian through Greenwich, an area of London in England, as the international reference.

Longitude measures distance from the Prime Meridian, in degrees, eastward or westward along the Equator. Its values increase from 0° to 180° in either direction. E means east of the Prime Meridian; W means west of it.

The values in this table are round figures. The meridian at 180°W is the same as the meridian at 180°E, so it can be written simply as 180°, without either direction letter.

What are a grid and a hemisphere?

Parallels and meridians together form a grid, a network of crossing imaginary lines. Latitude and longitude give the two coordinates needed to locate a place. Delhi’s coordinates are 29°N and 77°E in rounded figures, not exact values.

Blue grid lines cross the globe. The Equator and Prime Meridian are highlighted in red, and the North Pole is labelled 90°N. Labels distinguish north and south latitude and east and west longitude.

See Fig. 1.3 in your NCERT textbook

A hemisphere is half of the Earth. The Equator separates the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. The Prime Meridian is the reference used to distinguish the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

India’s outline appears with dashed blue parallels and meridians. The latitude labels include 10°N, 20°N and 30°N; longitude labels include 70°E, 80°E and 90°E.

See Fig. 1.6 in your NCERT textbook

India’s latitudes extend approximately from 8°N to 37°N, and its longitudes approximately from 68°E to 97°E. These are approximate ranges. The northern and eastern direction letters are part of the information and should remain attached to the values.

What was the importance of the Ujjayinī meridian?

The Greenwich Meridian was not the first prime meridian used. India had a prime meridian many centuries before Europe. It was called madhya rekhā, meaning “middle line”, and passed through Ujjayinī, the city now called Ujjain.

Ujjayinī was a reputed centre for astronomy, the study of celestial objects, over many centuries. The astronomer Varāhamihira lived and worked there some 1,500 years ago.

Indian astronomers understood concepts of latitude and longitude and the need for a zero or prime meridian. The Ujjayinī meridian served as a reference for calculations in all Indian astronomical texts.

How should the historical map be read?

A dotted north-south line is labelled 75.8°E. Ancient cities are marked by circles and modern cities by squares. Ujjayinī / Ujjain and Kumārī / Kanyakumari appear among the labelled places. The map is marked “Not to scale”.

See Fig. 1.5 in your NCERT textbook

The cities shown with circles are mentioned in astronomical texts as lying on this meridian. However, some plotted cities are very close to the line, while others are a little away. The map should not be read as showing that every marked city lies exactly on it.

Measuring longitude required accurate timekeeping. Timekeeping then was not as precise as it is today, which explains the small departures shown. The map connects the history of a reference meridian with the practical difficulty of making precise measurements.

Why does local time change with longitude?

Local time is the time associated with a place’s longitude and the Sun’s apparent position there. The Earth rotates from west to east, completing a turn in 24 hours. A full turn contains 360°, so the rate is 15° per hour.

To see the link, shine a desk lamp towards a globe and slowly turn the globe eastward. The lamp represents the Sun. Different places move through morning, midday, evening and night at different times as the globe turns.

How can longitude be converted into a time difference?

For each 15° eastward from the Prime Meridian, add one hour to Greenwich local time. For each 15° westward, subtract one hour. Thus, when Greenwich has noon, places farther east are ahead in local time and those farther west are behind.

In the table, am means before noon and pm means after noon; 12 pm denotes noon itself. These time labels refer to the same moment at different longitudes.

The graph places longitudes below vertical coloured bands and local times above them. Each band covers 15° and is centred on a meridian. The central meridian is 0°, with 12 pm above it.

See Fig. 1.7 in your NCERT textbook

For a calculation, identify the longitude difference, divide it by 15° per hour, and decide whether the second place is east or west of the first. Add the time difference for an eastward location and subtract it for a westward location.

Latitude does not supply this time difference. Delhi and Bengaluru have latitudes of 29°N and 13°N but almost the same longitude, 77°E. Their local times are therefore almost the same despite their different latitudes.

Why are standard time and time zones needed?

A country would find it inconvenient to use many different local times. Standard time is the common time adopted for use in a country or time zone. Most countries base it on a meridian passing through them.

Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is the local time at Greenwich used as the reference here. Indian Standard Time (IST) is five hours and 30 minutes, or 5.5 hours, ahead of GMT. Consequently, noon at Greenwich corresponds to 5:30 pm IST.

Case study: Why can Assam be dark while Gujarat has daylight?

Two friends speak on the phone late in the afternoon, one in Porbandar in Gujarat and the other in Tinsukia in Assam. The friend in Assam reports that the Sun has set, while the friend in Gujarat still has full daylight.

Tinsukia is farther east, so its local time is ahead of Porbandar’s. Taking their longitude difference as 30° for this activity, dividing by 15° per hour gives a local-time difference of two hours. The 30° value is an assumed, not precise, difference.

Both friends follow IST, even though their local times differ. Standard time provides a common clock reference; it does not make the Sun occupy the same apparent position at both places at the same moment.

Do time-zone boundaries follow straight meridians?

A time zone is an area using a particular standard time. Time zones broadly follow 15° zones. Their boundaries are not fully straight because they must respect countries’ standard times and therefore tend to follow international borders.

On a time-zone map, a positive sign means add the stated number of hours to GMT; a negative sign means subtract it. A country need not have just one time zone. Large countries such as Russia, Canada and the United States of America can have several.

The United States of America, abbreviated USA, has six time zones, and Russia has 11. Travelling across Russia from east to west therefore involves ten clock readjustments to align with the local time.

A world map shows standard-time offsets from GMT and boundaries that bend around countries. It is marked “Not to scale”, and the international borders shown are approximate, not exact.

See Fig. 1.8 in your NCERT textbook

What happens when the International Date Line is crossed?

The International Date Line is the line approximately at 180° longitude, opposite the Prime Meridian. Crossing it changes the date by one day. The direction of travel determines whether a day must be added or subtracted.

The plus-twelve and minus-twelve time zones meet at this line. These labels mean twelve hours ahead of GMT and twelve hours behind GMT respectively. The change of date keeps track of the different days on the two sides.

Which way changes the date forward or backward?

• Travelling eastward: subtract one day. The example is a change from Monday to Sunday.
• Travelling westward: add one day. The example is a change from Sunday to Monday.

These adjustments apply when crossing the International Date Line by ship or plane. They concern the calendar date, not simply whether a place’s local time is ahead of or behind another place’s time.

Note: The date line is approximately at 180° longitude. It deviates in places to avoid dividing some countries between two different dates.

The word approximately is essential. The 180° meridian provides the reference, but the date line does not follow it exactly throughout. Just as time-zone boundaries accommodate countries, the date line bends where needed to avoid splitting a country across calendar days.

Keep the two directional rules separate: eastward movement means later local time when comparing longitudes, but crossing the date line eastward requires subtracting a calendar day. At the date line, remember the explicit date-changing rule and the direction of crossing.

Glossary

• Map — A drawing or representation of an area viewed as though from above.
• Atlas — A book or collection of maps showing areas and different kinds of information.
• Scale — The relationship between a distance on a map and its corresponding ground distance.
• Cardinal directions — The four main directions: north, east, south and west.
• Map symbol — A sign representing a building, route, natural feature or other detail on a map.
• Globe — A sphere with a map drawn on its surface.
• Coordinates — A pair of references used together to identify a position precisely.
• Equator — The imaginary circle halfway between the poles, assigned a latitude of zero degrees.
• Latitude — A measure in degrees of distance north or south from the Equator.
• Longitude — A measure in degrees of distance east or west from the Prime Meridian.
• Prime Meridian — The zero-degree longitude reference passing through Greenwich in London.
• Grid — The network formed by the crossing parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude.
• Local time — Time linked to a place’s longitude and the Sun’s apparent position there.
• Standard time — A common time adopted for use within a country or time zone.
• International Date Line — The line approximately at 180° longitude whose crossing requires a one-day date change.

Common errors and misconceptions

• Misconception: A map distance gives a ground distance without further information. Correct: Read the scale first; the same paper measurement can represent different real distances on different maps.
• Misconception: Every country uses identical map symbols. Correct: Different countries use different sets; the Survey of India fixes a set for maps of India.
• Misconception: Earth is a perfect sphere. Correct: It is nearly spherical and slightly flattened at the poles, although considered spherical for practical globe work.
• Misconception: All parallels have equal lengths. Correct: The Equator is the largest; the circles of latitude grow smaller towards either pole.
• Misconception: Delhi’s 29°N and 77°E are exact coordinates. Correct: They are rounded values; latitude and longitude retain their direction letters.
• Misconception: Different latitudes necessarily produce different local times. Correct: Local time depends on longitude; Delhi and Bengaluru have almost the same longitude and almost the same local time.
• Misconception: Every country has one time zone bounded by straight meridians. Correct: Some large countries have several zones, and boundaries tend to follow international borders.
• Misconception: The International Date Line follows 180° exactly, and eastward crossing adds a day. Correct: It lies approximately at 180°; eastward crossing subtracts a day, while westward crossing adds one.

Exam-style questions with model answers

Q1. A map must show many buildings and natural features in limited space. Give two reasons for using map symbols. [2 marks]

1. Symbols represent features compactly, allowing many details to fit where drawings of actual buildings would take too much space.
2. Recognisable signs help different users identify mapped features and understand what the map represents.

Q2. A rectangular playground is 40 metres long and 30 metres wide. At a scale of 1 centimetre representing 10 metres, calculate its drawing dimensions and explain how to draw it. [3 marks]

1. The drawing length is four centimetres: divide the actual length of 40 metres by the ten metres represented by each centimetre.
2. The drawing width is three centimetres: divide the actual width of 30 metres by the same ten metres per centimetre.
3. Use a ruler to draw a rectangle four centimetres long and three centimetres wide, applying the given scale to both dimensions.

Q3. Using definitions, reference lines and shapes, give four differences between latitude and longitude. [4 marks]

1. Latitude measures distance north or south in degrees; longitude measures distance east or west in degrees, using different reference lines.
2. Latitude starts from the Equator at zero degrees, whereas longitude starts from the Prime Meridian at zero degrees.
3. Parallels of latitude run east-west and form circles; meridians of longitude run from one pole to the other as half-circles.
4. Latitude circles grow smaller towards the poles, with the Equator the largest, while meridians of longitude have equal lengths.

Q4. Delhi’s rounded coordinates are 29°N, 77°E. Bengaluru’s latitude is 13°N and its longitude is almost the same, 77°E. Local time depends on longitude. Interpret Delhi’s two coordinates and compare the cities’ local times. [3 marks]

1. Delhi’s latitude of 29°N places it north of the Equator. The letter N identifies the northern direction of its latitude.
2. Its longitude of 77°E places it east of the Prime Meridian. The letter E identifies the eastern direction of its longitude.
3. The two cities have almost the same local time because their longitudes are almost the same. Different latitudes do not create a longitude-based time difference; these values are rounded.

Q5. Earth rotates eastward through 360° in 24 hours. At one moment it is noon at Greenwich, longitude 0°. Find the rotation rate, local time at 30°E and at 15°W, and explain the direction rule. [4 marks]

1. Dividing 360 degrees by 24 hours gives a rotation rate of 15 degrees per hour, linking longitude difference with local-time difference.
2. At 30 degrees east, the difference is two hours ahead of Greenwich, so the local time is 2 pm.
3. At 15 degrees west, the difference is one hour behind Greenwich, so the local time is 11 am.
4. Add time when moving eastward and subtract it when moving westward, because Earth rotates from west to east.

Q6. Porbandar in Gujarat lies west of Tinsukia in Assam. Assume their longitude difference is 30°, with 15° corresponding to one hour. Both use IST. During an afternoon phone call Assam is dark while Gujarat has daylight. Explain the local-time difference, daylight observation and role of standard time in five points. [5 marks]

1. The assumed longitude difference of 30 degrees corresponds to two hours, obtained by dividing 30 degrees by the rate of 15 degrees per hour.
2. Tinsukia’s local time is ahead of Porbandar’s because Tinsukia lies farther east. Eastward locations are ahead when local times are compared.
3. The Sun can already have set in Assam while Gujarat still has daylight. The eastern place has reached a later stage of its local day.
4. Both friends nevertheless use Indian Standard Time as their common clock reference. A shared standard time does not remove the difference between their local times.
5. Using a common standard time is convenient because a country would otherwise have to work with many local times. The calculated two-hour difference uses the assumed longitude gap.

Q7. Time zones broadly follow 15° bands; their boundaries tend to follow international borders. Some large countries use several zones. IST is 5 hours 30 minutes ahead of GMT. Using these facts, explain standard time, its convenience, the shape of boundaries and the exception to one zone per country; also find IST when GMT is noon. [5 marks]

1. Standard time is a common time adopted for a country or time zone. It provides one shared clock reference within the area using it.
2. It is convenient because using many local times within a country would complicate timekeeping. The common reference allows different places to follow the same time.
3. Time-zone boundaries are not fully straight meridians. Although zones broadly follow 15-degree bands, their boundaries accommodate countries’ standard times and tend to follow international borders.
4. A country does not necessarily use a single time zone. Some large countries need several, so a common national time is not a universal rule.
5. When GMT is noon, IST is 5:30 pm. Add the given five hours and 30 minutes because Indian Standard Time is ahead of GMT.

Q8. The International Date Line lies approximately at 180° longitude. Crossing eastward subtracts a day; crossing westward adds a day. State the date adjustment for an eastward crossing on Monday and a westward crossing on Sunday, and explain why “approximately” matters. [3 marks]

1. For the eastward crossing, Monday changes to Sunday. Subtract one calendar day when travelling east across the International Date Line.
2. For the westward crossing, Sunday changes to Monday. Add one calendar day when travelling west across the International Date Line.
3. The line is approximately at 180 degrees because it deviates in places to avoid dividing some countries into two different calendar days.

Key takeaways

• A map represents an area viewed from above; distance, direction and symbols are its three important components.
• A scale connects map measurements with actual ground distances, so read it before calculating or drawing distances.
• Earth is nearly spherical and slightly flattened at the poles; a globe represents its geography better than a flat map.
• Latitude measures north-south position from the Equator, while longitude measures east-west position from the Prime Meridian.
• Latitude and longitude together form coordinates that locate places within the grid of parallels and meridians.
• Local time changes by one hour for every 15 degrees of longitude, advancing eastward and falling behind westward.
• Indian Standard Time is five hours and 30 minutes ahead of Greenwich Mean Time; common clock time differs from local time.
• The International Date Line lies approximately at 180 degrees; crossing eastward subtracts a day and crossing westward adds one.

Test yourself

What is an atlas?

An atlas is a book or collection of maps.

Which four directions lie between the cardinal directions?

The intermediate directions are northeast, southeast, southwest and northwest.

Why is a globe better suited to showing Earth’s overall geography?

Its spherical form corresponds to Earth’s nearly spherical shape, whereas a spherical surface cannot be represented accurately on flat paper.

What do the two references “seventh shop, fifth row” achieve?

Together they identify a particular shop by its row and its position within that row.

Why are 180°E and 180°W written simply as 180°?

They refer to the same meridian, so the east or west letter can be omitted.

What was madhya rekhā?

It was India’s historical prime meridian, the “middle line” passing through Ujjayinī, now called Ujjain.

At 15° per hour, what time difference corresponds to the activity’s assumed 30° longitude gap?

The assumed gap gives two hours of local-time difference, with the eastern place ahead.

Why does the International Date Line bend?

It deviates in places to avoid dividing some countries into two different calendar days.