NCERT Solutions for Class 5th The World Around Us Chapter 6 The southernmost point of India; the islands — Find out

Book page 95 Updated on2026-09-19

Q1.
Look at the map for the southernmost point of India.
Arabian SeaBay of BengalIndian OceanAndaman IslandsNicobar IslandsKanyakumariArabian SeaBay of BengalIndian OceanAndaman IslandsNicobar IslandsKanyakumariN
Map of India, with its island groups in the Bay of Bengal. The red dotted line goes straight east from Kanyakumari. Kanyakumari is the southern tip of the Indian mainland.
Answer

The southernmost point of India is Indira Point. It is not Kanyakumari — that surprises most people, and it surprised Shanti too.

How to find it on the map, step by step.

  1. Open the map of India in your atlas. Find the pointed bottom end of the main land. That tip is Kanyakumari, in Tamil Nadu.
  2. Now look to the right of the map, out in the sea. You will see a long line of small islands running from top to bottom.
  3. That line is the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
  4. Follow the line down to the very last big island. It is called Great Nicobar.
  5. The bottom tip of Great Nicobar is marked Indira Point. Nothing of India lies further south than this.
QuestionAnswerWhere it is
Southernmost point of the whole of IndiaIndira PointOn Great Nicobar Island, Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Southernmost point of the Indian mainlandKanyakumariIn Tamil Nadu, where three seas meet
Why there are two answers: Mainland means the one big joined-up piece of land. Kanyakumari is the last point of that big piece. But India also owns islands far out in the sea, and one of them reaches much further south. So Indira Point is the southernmost point of India, and Kanyakumari is the southernmost point of the mainland. Both statements are correct — you only have to say which one you mean.
Did you know? Kanyakumari is the place where three waters meet — the Arabian Sea, the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. That is why people go there to watch the sun come up out of one sea and go down into another on the same day.
Q2.
In which sea are the Andaman and Nicobar Islands located?
Answer

They lie in the Bay of Bengal. The stretch of water just to their east is called the Andaman Sea.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands → in the Bay of Bengal
To their west — the Bay of Bengal
To their east — the Andaman Sea

Look at your map again. Draw an imaginary line east from Chennai across the water. It runs into the Andaman Islands.

Why the sea has two names here: A very big bay does not stop at a sharp line. The water between India's east coast and these islands is called the Bay of Bengal. The water on the far side of the islands, towards Myanmar and Thailand, is called the Andaman Sea. The islands sit between the two. Both names are correct for these islands, and in your book the expected answer is the Bay of Bengal.
One more thing to notice: These islands are the tops of a line of mountains that rise from the sea floor. That is why they stand in a neat row instead of being scattered about.
Q3.
Name the other islands you know.
Answer

India has more than a thousand islands. Some are in the sea, and some sit in the middle of rivers. Here are the ones a Class 5 student should be able to name.

Island or island groupWhere it isWhy it is known
LakshadweepIn the Arabian Sea, west of KeralaIndia's other island group — 36 small coral islands. Kavaratti is its main town.
MajuliIn the river Brahmaputra, AssamOne of the largest river islands in the world. People reach it by boat.
Swaraj Dweep (Havelock)Andaman IslandsFamous for Radhanagar beach
Shaheed Dweep (Neil)Andaman IslandsCoral reefs close to the shore
North Sentinel IslandAndaman IslandsThe Sentinelese live there and no visitors are allowed
Barren IslandEast of the AndamansIndia's only active volcano
Elephanta IslandNear Mumbai, MaharashtraOld caves cut into rock
Sagar IslandWest Bengal, where the Ganga meets the seaThe Gangasagar fair is held here
Divar and ChoraoIn the river Mandovi, GoaChorao has a bird sanctuary
SriharikotaOff the Andhra Pradesh coastIndia's rockets are launched from here
Pamban Island (Rameswaram)Off Tamil NaduJoined to the mainland by a long bridge over the sea
How an island forms: Some islands, like the Andamans, are mountain tops sticking out of the sea. Some, like Lakshadweep, are built up by corals over thousands of years. Some, like Majuli, are made of sand and silt that a river dropped in its own path. Different beginnings, same result — land with water all round.
Write your own list: Add any island you have seen or heard of, even a tiny one in a river near your town. An island in a village pond counts too, as long as you can say where it is.
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