{"id":89307,"date":"2025-06-01T10:01:06","date_gmt":"2025-06-01T10:01:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/?p=89307"},"modified":"2025-06-01T10:01:06","modified_gmt":"2025-06-01T10:01:06","slug":"although-the-extents-of-latitude-and-longitude-are-same-i-e-30-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/although-the-extents-of-latitude-and-longitude-are-same-i-e-30-why\/","title":{"rendered":"Although the extents of latitude and longitude are same, i.e., 30\u00b0 why"},"content":{"rendered":"

Although the extents of latitude and longitude are same, i.e., 30\u00b0 why is India\u2019s north-south length longer than the east-west length by 300 km ?<\/p>\n

[amp_mcq option1=”The alignment of the country is such that the north-south length is longer than its east-west length” option2=”The north-south length, which is measured along the meridian (great circle) is longer than the east-west length which is measured along the parallel close to the tropic of cancer (small circle)” option3=”The north-south and east-west lengths can not be compared, as the former is measured along the meridian and the latter along the parallel” option4=”The difference in length is due to variation in scale error along the meridian and parallel” correct=”option2″]<\/p>\n

\n
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This question was previously asked in<\/div>\n
UPSC CAPF – 2010<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Download PDF<\/a>Attempt Online<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\nIndia’s approximate north-south extent is from about 8\u00b0N to 37\u00b0N (a difference of 29\u00b0), and the east-west extent is from about 68\u00b0E to 97\u00b0E (a difference of 29\u00b0). While the degrees of latitude and longitude are similar, the actual ground distance differs. The north-south distance is measured along meridians, which are effectively great circles, where 1 degree of latitude is approximately constant at 111 km. So, 29\u00b0 latitude is about 29 * 111 km = ~3200 km. The east-west distance is measured along parallels of latitude. The length of a degree of longitude decreases with increasing latitude. At the Equator, 1 degree of longitude is about 111 km. At the Tropic of Cancer (around 23.5\u00b0N), which is close to the center of India’s east-west extent, 1 degree of longitude is significantly less than 111 km (~102 km). Further north, it is even less. Thus, 29 degrees of longitude across India’s width (which is primarily above the equator and around the Tropic of Cancer) covers a shorter distance than 29 degrees of latitude along its length. Option B correctly explains this by stating that the north-south length is measured along meridians (great circles) while the east-west length is measured along parallels (small circles) where the distance per degree of longitude is smaller than per degree of latitude.
\n<\/section>\n
\nThe distance covered by a degree of latitude along a meridian is approximately constant, while the distance covered by a degree of longitude along a parallel decreases as latitude increases. India’s east-west extent is across latitudes where the distance per degree longitude is less than at the equator.
\n<\/section>\n
\nThe approximate north-south distance of India is about 3214 km, and the east-west distance is about 2933 km, showing a difference of nearly 300 km. This difference is a direct consequence of the Earth’s spherical shape and how latitude and longitude lines relate to it.
\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Although the extents of latitude and longitude are same, i.e., 30\u00b0 why is India\u2019s north-south length longer than the east-west length by 300 km ? [amp_mcq option1=”The alignment of the country is such that the north-south length is longer than its east-west length” option2=”The north-south length, which is measured along the meridian (great circle) is … <\/p>\n

Detailed SolutionAlthough the extents of latitude and longitude are same, i.e., 30\u00b0 why<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1085],"tags":[1464,1131,1425],"class_list":["post-89307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-upsc-capf","tag-1464","tag-indian-geography","tag-latitudinal-expansion","no-featured-image-padding"],"yoast_head":"\nAlthough the extents of latitude and longitude are same, i.e., 30\u00b0 why<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"India's approximate north-south extent is from about 8\u00b0N to 37\u00b0N (a difference of 29\u00b0), and the east-west extent is from about 68\u00b0E to 97\u00b0E (a difference of 29\u00b0). While the degrees of latitude and longitude are similar, the actual ground distance differs. The north-south distance is measured along meridians, which are effectively great circles, where 1 degree of latitude is approximately constant at 111 km. So, 29\u00b0 latitude is about 29 * 111 km = ~3200 km. The east-west distance is measured along parallels of latitude. The length of a degree of longitude decreases with increasing latitude. At the Equator, 1 degree of longitude is about 111 km. At the Tropic of Cancer (around 23.5\u00b0N), which is close to the center of India's east-west extent, 1 degree of longitude is significantly less than 111 km (~102 km). Further north, it is even less. Thus, 29 degrees of longitude across India's width (which is primarily above the equator and around the Tropic of Cancer) covers a shorter distance than 29 degrees of latitude along its length. Option B correctly explains this by stating that the north-south length is measured along meridians (great circles) while the east-west length is measured along parallels (small circles) where the distance per degree of longitude is smaller than per degree of latitude. The distance covered by a degree of latitude along a meridian is approximately constant, while the distance covered by a degree of longitude along a parallel decreases as latitude increases. India's east-west extent is across latitudes where the distance per degree longitude is less than at the equator.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/although-the-extents-of-latitude-and-longitude-are-same-i-e-30-why\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Although the extents of latitude and longitude are same, i.e., 30\u00b0 why\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"India's approximate north-south extent is from about 8\u00b0N to 37\u00b0N (a difference of 29\u00b0), and the east-west extent is from about 68\u00b0E to 97\u00b0E (a difference of 29\u00b0). While the degrees of latitude and longitude are similar, the actual ground distance differs. The north-south distance is measured along meridians, which are effectively great circles, where 1 degree of latitude is approximately constant at 111 km. So, 29\u00b0 latitude is about 29 * 111 km = ~3200 km. The east-west distance is measured along parallels of latitude. The length of a degree of longitude decreases with increasing latitude. At the Equator, 1 degree of longitude is about 111 km. At the Tropic of Cancer (around 23.5\u00b0N), which is close to the center of India's east-west extent, 1 degree of longitude is significantly less than 111 km (~102 km). Further north, it is even less. Thus, 29 degrees of longitude across India's width (which is primarily above the equator and around the Tropic of Cancer) covers a shorter distance than 29 degrees of latitude along its length. Option B correctly explains this by stating that the north-south length is measured along meridians (great circles) while the east-west length is measured along parallels (small circles) where the distance per degree of longitude is smaller than per degree of latitude. The distance covered by a degree of latitude along a meridian is approximately constant, while the distance covered by a degree of longitude along a parallel decreases as latitude increases. India's east-west extent is across latitudes where the distance per degree longitude is less than at the equator.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/although-the-extents-of-latitude-and-longitude-are-same-i-e-30-why\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"MCQ and Quiz for Exams\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-01T10:01:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"rawan239\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"rawan239\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Although the extents of latitude and longitude are same, i.e., 30\u00b0 why","description":"India's approximate north-south extent is from about 8\u00b0N to 37\u00b0N (a difference of 29\u00b0), and the east-west extent is from about 68\u00b0E to 97\u00b0E (a difference of 29\u00b0). While the degrees of latitude and longitude are similar, the actual ground distance differs. The north-south distance is measured along meridians, which are effectively great circles, where 1 degree of latitude is approximately constant at 111 km. So, 29\u00b0 latitude is about 29 * 111 km = ~3200 km. The east-west distance is measured along parallels of latitude. The length of a degree of longitude decreases with increasing latitude. At the Equator, 1 degree of longitude is about 111 km. At the Tropic of Cancer (around 23.5\u00b0N), which is close to the center of India's east-west extent, 1 degree of longitude is significantly less than 111 km (~102 km). Further north, it is even less. Thus, 29 degrees of longitude across India's width (which is primarily above the equator and around the Tropic of Cancer) covers a shorter distance than 29 degrees of latitude along its length. Option B correctly explains this by stating that the north-south length is measured along meridians (great circles) while the east-west length is measured along parallels (small circles) where the distance per degree of longitude is smaller than per degree of latitude. The distance covered by a degree of latitude along a meridian is approximately constant, while the distance covered by a degree of longitude along a parallel decreases as latitude increases. India's east-west extent is across latitudes where the distance per degree longitude is less than at the equator.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/although-the-extents-of-latitude-and-longitude-are-same-i-e-30-why\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Although the extents of latitude and longitude are same, i.e., 30\u00b0 why","og_description":"India's approximate north-south extent is from about 8\u00b0N to 37\u00b0N (a difference of 29\u00b0), and the east-west extent is from about 68\u00b0E to 97\u00b0E (a difference of 29\u00b0). While the degrees of latitude and longitude are similar, the actual ground distance differs. The north-south distance is measured along meridians, which are effectively great circles, where 1 degree of latitude is approximately constant at 111 km. So, 29\u00b0 latitude is about 29 * 111 km = ~3200 km. The east-west distance is measured along parallels of latitude. The length of a degree of longitude decreases with increasing latitude. At the Equator, 1 degree of longitude is about 111 km. At the Tropic of Cancer (around 23.5\u00b0N), which is close to the center of India's east-west extent, 1 degree of longitude is significantly less than 111 km (~102 km). Further north, it is even less. Thus, 29 degrees of longitude across India's width (which is primarily above the equator and around the Tropic of Cancer) covers a shorter distance than 29 degrees of latitude along its length. Option B correctly explains this by stating that the north-south length is measured along meridians (great circles) while the east-west length is measured along parallels (small circles) where the distance per degree of longitude is smaller than per degree of latitude. The distance covered by a degree of latitude along a meridian is approximately constant, while the distance covered by a degree of longitude along a parallel decreases as latitude increases. India's east-west extent is across latitudes where the distance per degree longitude is less than at the equator.","og_url":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/although-the-extents-of-latitude-and-longitude-are-same-i-e-30-why\/","og_site_name":"MCQ and Quiz for Exams","article_published_time":"2025-06-01T10:01:06+00:00","author":"rawan239","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"rawan239","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/although-the-extents-of-latitude-and-longitude-are-same-i-e-30-why\/","url":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/although-the-extents-of-latitude-and-longitude-are-same-i-e-30-why\/","name":"Although the extents of latitude and longitude are same, i.e., 30\u00b0 why","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/#website"},"datePublished":"2025-06-01T10:01:06+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-01T10:01:06+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/#\/schema\/person\/5807dafeb27d2ec82344d6cbd6c3d209"},"description":"India's approximate north-south extent is from about 8\u00b0N to 37\u00b0N (a difference of 29\u00b0), and the east-west extent is from about 68\u00b0E to 97\u00b0E (a difference of 29\u00b0). While the degrees of latitude and longitude are similar, the actual ground distance differs. The north-south distance is measured along meridians, which are effectively great circles, where 1 degree of latitude is approximately constant at 111 km. So, 29\u00b0 latitude is about 29 * 111 km = ~3200 km. The east-west distance is measured along parallels of latitude. The length of a degree of longitude decreases with increasing latitude. At the Equator, 1 degree of longitude is about 111 km. At the Tropic of Cancer (around 23.5\u00b0N), which is close to the center of India's east-west extent, 1 degree of longitude is significantly less than 111 km (~102 km). Further north, it is even less. Thus, 29 degrees of longitude across India's width (which is primarily above the equator and around the Tropic of Cancer) covers a shorter distance than 29 degrees of latitude along its length. Option B correctly explains this by stating that the north-south length is measured along meridians (great circles) while the east-west length is measured along parallels (small circles) where the distance per degree of longitude is smaller than per degree of latitude. The distance covered by a degree of latitude along a meridian is approximately constant, while the distance covered by a degree of longitude along a parallel decreases as latitude increases. India's east-west extent is across latitudes where the distance per degree longitude is less than at the equator.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/although-the-extents-of-latitude-and-longitude-are-same-i-e-30-why\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/although-the-extents-of-latitude-and-longitude-are-same-i-e-30-why\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/although-the-extents-of-latitude-and-longitude-are-same-i-e-30-why\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"UPSC CAPF","item":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/category\/upsc-capf\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Although the extents of latitude and longitude are same, i.e., 30\u00b0 why"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/#website","url":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/","name":"MCQ and Quiz for Exams","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/#\/schema\/person\/5807dafeb27d2ec82344d6cbd6c3d209","name":"rawan239","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/761a7274f9cce048fa5b921221e7934820d74514df93ef195a9d22af0c1c9001?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/761a7274f9cce048fa5b921221e7934820d74514df93ef195a9d22af0c1c9001?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"rawan239"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com"],"url":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/author\/rawan239\/"}]}},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=89307"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89307\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/exam.pscnotes.com\/mcq\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}