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Question 27 of 61 · Physical Features of India
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The Standard Meridian of India (82 degrees 30 minutes East) passes through which town in Uttar Pradesh?

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Answer: Option D — Mirzapur

Detailed Solution

India's Standard Meridian, the longitude of 82 degrees 30 minutes East (82.5 degrees East), passes close to Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh. The local time of this meridian is used as Indian Standard Time (IST) for the whole country.

Why a standard meridian is needed:

  • India's mainland stretches across nearly 30 degrees of longitude.
  • Since local time changes by 4 minutes for every degree of longitude, local times within India differ a great deal.
  • To avoid confusion, a single central meridian is chosen, and its local time is followed throughout the country.

Why 82.5 degrees East was chosen:

It lies roughly in the middle of India's east-west extent.

States crossed by the Standard Meridian:

  • Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
  • It enters the sea near Kakinada (Yanam area) on the Andhra coast.

Reference point:

The time is maintained by the CSIR-National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in New Delhi, which keeps the country's official time using atomic clocks.

History of Indian time:

  • During British rule, there were separate time zones, such as Bombay Time and Calcutta Time.
  • IST was adopted in 1906 and became the official time for the whole country after independence in 1947 (Bombay and Calcutta times continued for a few years after that).

Demand for two time zones:

North-eastern states have demanded a separate time zone, because the Sun rises and sets much earlier there. Assam's tea gardens follow an unofficial "Chai Bagan time", one hour ahead of IST.

Why not the other options?

  • ✗Prayagraj (Allahabad) lies close to the meridian, and some older textbooks mention it, but the town usually named for the Standard Meridian is Mirzapur.
  • ✗Varanasi and Lucknow lie away from the 82.5 degree East line.

Quick tip

Remember: Standard Meridian of India = 82 degrees 30 minutes East, passing near Mirzapur (UP); crosses UP, MP, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.

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Physical Features of India — Preparation

This question tests your understanding of Physical Features of India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.

This topic covers India's location and extent, its neighbours and boundary lines, and its physiographic divisions: the Himalayas, the Northern Plains, the Peninsular Plateau, the Indian Desert, the coastal plains and the islands, along with important mountain passes, peaks and hill ranges. Questions often ask which states the Tropic of Cancer passes through, the southernmost point of India (Indira Point), the highest peak in India (Kangchenjunga), and which pass connects which regions. India shares its longest land border with Bangladesh. Learning the Himalayan ranges from north to south (Himadri, Himachal and Shiwaliks) is also useful. Practise the physical features of India questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.

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