Class 6 ยท Social Science ยท Exploring Society
Chapter 1 ๐บ๏ธ
Chapter 1 ๐บ๏ธ
Locating Places on the Earth
Detailed, colourful revision notes โ everything you need before your test!
Chapter Contents
Introduction โ Why Social Science?
Social Science helps us understand human society โ how people live, how the past shapes the present, and how we can build a better future. It is not a "science" like Physics or Chemistry because human society is too diverse for fixed rules โ but it does use scientific methods wherever possible.
Social Science includes many subdisciplines: geography, history, political science, economics, sociology, anthropology, archaeology and psychology. In Class 6, these are organised into 5 broad Themes instead.
@edugrown ๐ @edugrown ๐ @edugrown ๐
@edugrown ๐ @edugrown ๐ @edugrown ๐
@edugrown ๐ @edugrown ๐ @edugrown ๐
Fig 1: The 5 Themes of Social Science and their chapters
| Theme | Focus |
|---|---|
| A โ India and the World | Land and the People (geography basics) |
| B โ Tapestry of the Past | History โ understanding who we are |
| C โ Our Cultural Heritage | Knowledge traditions of India |
| D โ Governance and Democracy | How our political system works |
| E โ Economic Life Around Us | Money, work and resources |
Social Science is multidisciplinary โ it deliberately mixes history, geography, culture and economics together, because real life doesn't come in separate boxes either!
1. What is a Map?
A map is a drawing or representation of an area โ small (a village) or large (a country, or the whole world) โ as viewed from directly above. An atlas is a book or collection of maps.
There are three main kinds of maps:
| Type of Map | Shows |
|---|---|
| Physical map | Natural features โ mountains, oceans, rivers |
| Political map | Countries/states, boundaries, cities, capitals |
| Thematic map | One specific kind of information (e.g. rainfall, population) |
A map is like a treasure guide โ it shows you where things are and how to get to them, using distance, direction and symbols.
2. Components of a Map
Every good map relies on three essential components: distance (scale), direction, and symbols.
Scale โ the relationship between a distance on the map and the real distance on the ground. E.g. a scale of 1 cm = 500 m means every centimetre on the map equals 500 metres in reality.
On the map of India, the scale bar shows 2.5 cm = 500 km. So a distance measuring 5 cm on this map represents 1,000 km in real life!
Direction is shown using the four cardinal directions plus four intermediate directions:
@edugrown ๐ @edugrown ๐ @edugrown ๐
@edugrown ๐ @edugrown ๐ @edugrown ๐
@edugrown ๐ @edugrown ๐ @edugrown ๐
Fig 2: The 8 compass directions โ N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW
Cardinal directions: North, East, South, West.
Intermediate directions: Northeast (NE), Southeast (SE), Southwest (SW), Northwest (NW) โ halfway between two cardinal directions.
Intermediate directions: Northeast (NE), Southeast (SE), Southwest (SW), Northwest (NW) โ halfway between two cardinal directions.
Symbols are small standard drawings used to represent real features (railway stations, temples, post offices, rivers, forests) so that a lot of information can fit in a small map. In India, the Survey of India fixes the standard set of map symbols.
3. The Globe & System of Coordinates
The Earth is (almost) a sphere, so it can't be perfectly flattened onto paper without distortion โ just like you can't flatten orange peel without tearing it! A globe is a small sphere-shaped model that represents the Earth (or Moon, or Mars) accurately.
A system of coordinates uses two references (like a row + column) to precisely locate a point. A chessboard uses letters (aโh) and numbers (1โ8) โ for example, a pawn moving to square d4. Maps use a similar idea: latitude and longitude.
4. Latitude
Latitude measures distance from the Equator (0ยฐ) towards the North or South Pole (90ยฐN or 90ยฐS). A line joining all points at the same latitude is called a parallel of latitude โ parallels get smaller as you move toward the poles.
| Latitude Zone | Climate |
|---|---|
| Near the Equator (0ยฐ) | Hot (torrid zone) |
| Middle latitudes | Moderate (temperate zone) |
| Near the Poles (90ยฐ) | Cold (frigid zone) |
5. Longitude
Longitude measures distance from the Prime Meridian (0ยฐ), east or west, up to 180ยฐ. Lines of longitude are called meridians โ half-circles running from the North Pole to the South Pole.
@edugrown ๐ @edugrown ๐ @edugrown ๐
@edugrown ๐ @edugrown ๐ @edugrown ๐
@edugrown ๐ @edugrown ๐ @edugrown ๐
Fig 3: Parallels of latitude and meridians of longitude together form a grid on the globe
The Prime Meridian (also called the Greenwich Meridian) passes through Greenwich, London, and was fixed as 0ยฐ longitude in 1884. 180ยฐE and 180ยฐW are the same line, simply written as 180ยฐ.
Centuries before Greenwich was chosen, ancient India had its own reference line โ the madhya rekhฤ ("middle line"), passing through Ujjayinฤซ (Ujjain), a great centre of astronomy. The astronomer Varฤhamihira worked there about 1,500 years ago!
Delhi lies at approximately 29ยฐN latitude, 77ยฐE longitude. Together, latitude and longitude can pinpoint any location on Earth.
6. Hemispheres
A hemisphere is half of the Earth. The Equator divides Earth into Northern and Southern Hemispheres; the Prime Meridian (with the 180ยฐ line) divides it into Eastern and Western Hemispheres.
@edugrown ๐ @edugrown ๐ @edugrown ๐
@edugrown ๐ @edugrown ๐ @edugrown ๐
Fig 4: The four combinations of hemispheres โ India lies in the Northern + Eastern hemisphere
7. Time Zones & Standard Time
The Earth spins a full 360ยฐ every 24 hours โ that's 15ยฐ per hour. So longitude also tells us the local time!
@edugrown ๐ @edugrown ๐ @edugrown ๐
@edugrown ๐ @edugrown ๐ @edugrown ๐
@edugrown ๐ @edugrown ๐ @edugrown ๐
Fig 5: Moving east of Greenwich, local time moves forward; moving west, it moves backward
Local time = the exact time based on a place's own longitude.
Standard time = one single, official time adopted by an entire country, based on a chosen meridian โ avoids the confusion of many local times within one country.
Standard time = one single, official time adopted by an entire country, based on a chosen meridian โ avoids the confusion of many local times within one country.
Indian Standard Time (IST) is 5 hours 30 minutes ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) โ so when it's 12 noon in London, it's 5:30 pm in India!
Some countries are too big for one time zone! Russia has 11 time zones and the USA has 6. The International Date Line (~180ยฐ longitude) is where the date changes โ crossing it eastward, you subtract a day; crossing westward, you add one!
๐ฏ Quick Summary
- Social Science has 5 Themes (AโE) covering geography, history, culture, governance and economics.
- A map represents an area from above; types are physical, political and thematic.
- Maps rely on distance (scale), direction (8 compass points) and symbols.
- Latitude measures distance from the Equator (0ยฐโ90ยฐN/S); Longitude measures distance from the Prime Meridian (0ยฐโ180ยฐE/W).
- Ancient India had its own prime meridian through Ujjain, long before Greenwich.
- The Equator and Prime Meridian together divide Earth into 4 hemispheres.
- Every 15ยฐ of longitude = 1 hour of time difference; IST = GMT + 5:30.
โ๏ธ Notes by @edugrown โ happy revising! ๐