NCERT Solutions for Class 6th Social Science Chapter 1 Locating Places On The Earth
Updated on 2026-09-19
About this chapter
A map is a drawing of an area seen from above. It may show a village, a district, a State, India or the whole world. A book or collection of maps is an atlas . Maps are of three main kinds — physical (mountains, rivers, oceans), political (countries, States, capitals) and thematic (one special kind of information). Every map has three components: distance (shown by the scale , e.g. 1 cm = 500 m), direction (the four cardinal points N, E, S, W and the four intermediate ones NE, SE, SW, NW) and symbols (fixed by the Survey of India for Indian maps). The Earth is nearly a sphere, so a globe shows it better than a flat sheet. On the globe, parallels of latitude measure the distance north or south of the Equator (0°, up to 90°N and 90°S) and meridians of longitude measure the distance east or w
- (Introduction)Introduction
- Chapter opening
- Let us play a game
- On the map in Fig. 1.1 (page 8)
- Scale
- Directions on the map of the small city
- Symbols
- Understanding coordinates
- Reading coordinates from a globe or atlas
- Understanding time zones
Quick revision
| Term | What it means | Where it appears in the chapter | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Map | A drawing of an area as seen from above | Page 8–9, Fig. 1.1 | The map of the imaginary small city |
| Atlas | A book or collection of maps | Page 9 | Your school atlas |
| Scale | How much ground one centimetre on the map stands for | Page 10 | 1 cm = 500 m; 2.5 cm = 500 km on Fig. 5.2 |
| Cardinal directions | North, east, south, west | Page 10 | The N arrow on every map |
| Intermediate directions | NE, SE, SW, NW | Page 10 | The museum is southeast of the bank |
| Symbol | A small fixed sign that stands for a feature | Pages 11–12, Fig. 1.2 | Survey of India signs for a bridge, a temple, a post office |
| Globe | A sphere with a map drawn on it | Page 12 | The classroom globe |
| Coordinates | The pair of numbers that fixes a position | Page 13 | d4 on a chessboard; 29°N, 77°E for Delhi |
| Equator | The 0° parallel, the largest circle, halfway between the poles | Page 14, Fig. 1.3 | Passes through Kenya, Indonesia, Ecuador |
| Parallel of latitude | An east–west circle showing distance from the Equator | Page 14 | Tropic of Cancer, about 23½°N, crosses eight Indian States |
| Meridian of longitude | A half-circle from pole to pole showing distance from the Prime Meridian | Pages 15–16 | 82°30′E, India's standard meridian |
| Prime Meridian | The 0° meridian, fixed at Greenwich in 1884 | Page 16 | Greenwich, in London |
| madhya rekhā | India's own ancient prime meridian through Ujjayinī | Page 17, Fig. 1.5 | Ujjain, Kurukṣhetra, Rohitaka |
| Standard time | One clock time for a whole country, based on one meridian | Page 21 | IST = GMT + 5:30 |
| International Date Line | The line near 180° where the date changes | Pages 22–23 | Crossing it eastward, you subtract a day |
Exercises
- (Introduction)Introduction — Let's Explore Page 2
- Chapter opening — The Big Questions Page 7
- Let us play a game — In-text Questions Page 8
- On the map in Fig. 1.1 (page 8) — Let's Explore Page 9
- Scale — Let's Explore Page 10
- Directions on the map of the small city — Let's Explore Page 11
- Symbols — Let's Explore Page 11
- Understanding coordinates — Let's Explore Page 13
- Reading coordinates from a globe or atlas — Let's Explore Page 17
- Understanding time zones — Let's Explore Page 21
- Local time and standard time — Let's Explore Page 21
- The chapter in four points — Before we move on … Page 23–24
- End-of-chapter exercise — Questions, activities and projects Page 24–25