1. 32.8 lakh (3.28 million) sq.km.
2. It is 2.4% of the world area.

1. Indira Point (in Nicobar Island).
2. It got submerged in the sea during the Tsunami of Dec. 26, 2004.

1. The sun's rays would be direct on the Great Nicobar Islands because it is located t the south of the Tropic of Cancer and close to the equator.
2. Whereas Jammu and Kashmir is situated to the far north of the Tropic of Cancer.
3. Sun's rays fall direct or straight near the equator

Kanyakumari. The seas are the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal. 

The adjoining ocean has been named after India. "The Indian Ocean". Thus, it tells us the importance of India in international trade and commerce even in other times, as in old days trade and commerce were carried  through oceans.

India is situated in the Eastern hemisphere. It stands on the northern edge of the Indian Ocean. Japan in the north-east, Australia in the south-east, Europe in the north-west and Africa in the south-west are almost at equal distance from India.
(i) The trans Indian-Ocean routes connecting the countries of Europe in the west and the developing countries of Asia in the east provide a strategic central position to India.
(ii) Deccan Peninsular protrudes into the Indian Ocean. It helps India to establish close contract with West Asia, Africa and Europe from the western coast and with South-east and East Asia from the eastern coast. India has the longest coast line on the Indian Ocean. No other country has such a coast long line.

Standard Time:
When a local time of a longitude is taken as the time for the whole country, it is called the standard time of that country

Reasons for selecting 82° 30' E as the Standard Meridian of India are:
(i) 82° 30' E is almost the middle meridian of longitude of India.
(ii) On International basis, the globe has been divided into 24 time zones (each of 15 longitudes). In every zone local time of the middle longitude (divided by 7° 30') is taken as standard time of the entire zone. Because 82° 30' E is well divisible by 7° 30', a standard adopted by almost all the countries of the world while they selected a standard meridian for their respective countries.
(iii) Its time is considered the standard throughout India, even on the easternmost tip of Arunachal Pradesh and westernmost tip and Gujarat of India where there is a two hours difference between their local times.

Information about the 'Silk Route:
(i) China produced large 41lantities of silk during the ancient period.
(ii) It exported silk to western countries through a land route which passed several countries of Asia and Europe.
(iii) This route was called Silk Route:
(a) Camels were major means of transporting silk.
(b) The traders were called sodagars.
(c) They carried silk on the back of camels who moved in caravans. Sometimes dacoits/plunders looted the silk and camels and killed the sodagars (traders).
(d) Another reason was that the sodagars (traders) died of heat and thirst.