Previous Year Question
Among the following cities, which one lies on a longitude closest to that of Delhi ?
Bengaluru
Hyderabad
Nagpur
Pune
Correct Answer: A
Detailed Solution
Option (a) is correct.
The question requires a comparison of the longitudes of the cities. Latitude is not relevant here; we have to identify which of the given cities has a longitude closest to that of Delhi.
The ARFINET station metadata of the Space Physics Laboratory, associated with the Government of India's Department of Space, gives approximately the following longitudes:
Place | Approx. longitude |
Delhi | 77.20° E |
Bengaluru | 77.59° E |
Hyderabad (NRSC) | 78.73° E |
Nagpur | 79.15° E |
Pune | 73.85° E |
Comparing each with Delhi at 77.20° E:
Bengaluru: |77.59 − 77.20| = 0.39°
Hyderabad: |78.73 − 77.20| = 1.53°
Nagpur: |79.15 − 77.20| = 1.95°
Pune: |73.85 − 77.20| = 3.35°
The smallest longitudinal difference is 0.39° for Bengaluru. Therefore, Bengaluru lies closest to the longitude of Delhi.
An important geographical point is that closeness in longitude does not mean that the two cities are geographically close in total distance. Bengaluru lies far south of Delhi, but their east-west positions are quite similar. Pune lies considerably west of Delhi, while Hyderabad and Nagpur lie farther east.