Question map
Sunrise in eastern Arunachal Pradesh would be about how many hours before the sunrise in western Gujarat ?
Explanation
India spans a longitudinal extent of approximately 30 degrees, stretching from roughly 687'E in western Gujarat to 9725'E in eastern Arunachal Pradesh [3]. Since the Earth rotates 360 degrees in 24 hours, it covers 15 degrees every hour, or 1 degree every 4 minutes [3]. Consequently, a 30-degree longitudinal difference results in a local time lag of approximately 120 minutes, or two hours [3]. Because the Earth rotates from west to east, eastern regions like Arunachal Pradesh experience sunrise earlier than western regions like Gujarat [4]. Therefore, the sun rises in eastern Arunachal Pradesh about two hours before it rises in western Gujarat [1]. To maintain uniformity across this vast extent, India adopts a single Standard Meridian (8230'E) for Indian Standard Time [1].
Sources
- [1] CONTEMPORARY INDIA-I ,Geography, Class IX . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 1: India Size and Location > SIZE > p. 2
- [2] INDIA PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 1: India — Location > INDIA – LOCATION > p. 2
- [3] Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 2: The Earth's Crust > Longitude and Time > p. 11
- [4] Exploring Society:India and Beyond. Social Science-Class VI . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 1: Locating Places on the Earth > LET'S EXPLORE > p. 21