Latitude, Longitude & Time Zones – NDA Geography PYQs

Question 1 [NDA 2007-I]
Consider the following statements:

1. International Date Line lies on the Greenwich Meridian.
2. The date of Alaska is ahead of the date of Siberia.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (d) Neither 1 nor 2
The International Date Line is at approximately 180° longitude — on the opposite side of the Earth from the Greenwich Meridian (which is at 0°). Alaska is east of the IDL and therefore one day BEHIND Siberia (which is west of the IDL) — not ahead of it. Both statements are false.

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Question 2 [NDA 2007-I]
Which of the following two countries are separated by the 49th Parallel?
(a) North Korea and South Korea
(b) South Africa and Zimbabwe
(c) USA and Canada
(d) France and Germany

Answer: (c) USA and Canada
The 49th Parallel (49°N latitude) forms the border between the United States and Canada across most of their western boundary. North Korea and South Korea are separated by the 38th Parallel.

Question 3 [NDA 2007-II]
When it is 12 Noon in Allahabad, the time at Wellington (New Zealand) would be close to which one of the following?
(a) 4.30 pm of the same day
(b) 4.30 pm of the previous day
(c) 6.30 pm of the same day
(d) 6.30 pm of the previous day

Answer: (c) 6.30 pm of the same day
Wellington is approximately 174°E. Allahabad is at 82.5°E (IST). The difference is about 91.5°, which gives approximately 6 hours and 6 minutes. Adding this to noon gives approximately 6:06 PM — closest to 6:30 PM of the same day.

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Question 4 [NDA 2008-II]
Which of the following is/are correct with regard to lines of latitude?

1. They are concentric circles numbered from 0° to 90°.
2. They are circles parallel to the Equator, to the North and South of the Equator.

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2
Both statements correctly describe lines of latitude. They are concentric circles (sharing the same axis as the Earth’s rotation) numbered from 0° at the Equator to 90° at the poles, running parallel to the Equator in both hemispheres.

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Question 5 [NDA 2008-II]
If there are four places on the same meridian 500 km apart and the local time at one place is 12.00 noon, what will be the time at the three other places?
(a) 12.00 noon
(b) 1.00 pm
(c) 2.00 pm
(d) Different time at different places

Answer: (a) 12.00 noon
All places on the same meridian share exactly the same local time — regardless of how far apart they are in distance. Time is determined by longitude (east-west position), not by latitude (north-south position).

Question 6 [NDA 2008-II]
How much of a time period do 15° of longitude account for?
(a) 4 minutes
(b) 15 minutes
(c) 30 minutes
(d) 60 minutes

Answer: (d) 60 minutes
The Earth rotates 360° in 24 hours — which means it rotates 15° every hour. So 15° of longitude = 1 hour = 60 minutes of time difference.

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Question 7 [NDA 2009-I]
Which of the following is NOT correctly matched?
(a) Prime Meridian: 0°
(b) International Date Line: 180°
(c) Arctic Circle: 66½°N
(d) Tropic of Cancer: 31½°S

Answer: (d) Tropic of Cancer: 31½°S
The Tropic of Cancer is at 23.5°N — in the Northern Hemisphere. It is not at 31.5°S. That latitude is in the Southern Hemisphere between the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5°S) and the Antarctic Circle (66.5°S).

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Question 8 [NDA 2009-I]
Which one of the following is the difference in local time between the places located at 165°E and 165°W?
(a) 0 hours
(b) 12 hours
(c) 22 hours
(d) 24 hours

Answer: (c) 22 hours
165°E and 165°W are on opposite sides of the globe. The angular difference between them = 165 + 165 = 330°. Dividing by 15 gives 22 hours of time difference.

Question 9 [NDA 2009-II]
Consider the following statements:

1. International Date Line is drawn zigzag to avoid landmass.
2. International Date Line is 180°W as well as 180°E of Greenwich.
3. A ship sailing westward from Greenwich when crossing International Date Line would put back the date by a day.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2
(b) 1 and 3
(c) 1, 2 and 3
(d) 3 only

Answer: (c) 1, 2 and 3
All three statements are correct. The IDL zigzags to keep island groups on the same calendar day. It sits at 180° which is both 180°E and 180°W (the same meridian). A ship sailing westward and crossing the IDL moves into a new day — putting the date back by one day.

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Question 10 [NDA 2010-I]
If it is 12 noon in a city located on 90°W longitude, what would be the time in a city located on 105°W longitude?
(a) 13:00 hours
(b) 12:30 hours
(c) 11:30 hours
(d) 11:00 hours

Answer: (d) 11:00 hours
105°W is 15° west of 90°W. 15° × 4 minutes = 60 minutes = 1 hour behind. 12:00 noon − 1 hour = 11:00 hours.

Question 11 [NDA 2010-II]
Unlike other meridians, the International Date Line is drawn zigzag in order to:
(a) Permit certain land areas and groups of islands to have the same calendar day
(b) Facilitate sailors to adjust time in their watch
(c) Adjust the day in calendar while sailing from east to west and vice versa
(d) Make 180°E and 180°W coterminous

Answer: (a) Permit certain land areas and groups of islands to have the same calendar day
If the IDL were a straight line at exactly 180°, it would pass through Russia (Siberia), the Aleutian Islands, Fiji, and other populated areas — splitting them between two different calendar dates. The zigzag avoids this, keeping each land area and its surrounding islands on the same date.

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Question 12 [NDA 2010-II]
The time difference between two cities — City A (30°N, 60°E) and City B (30°N, 80°E) — would be:
(a) 80 min
(b) 0 min
(c) 20 min
(d) 34 min

Answer: (a) 80 minutes
Only the longitude difference matters for time. The difference is 80° − 60° = 20°. Time difference = 20 × 4 = 80 minutes. City B is east of City A, so it is 80 minutes ahead.

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Question 13 [NDA 2011-I]
The latitude is the angular distance of a point of the Earth’s surface, North or South, of the Equator as measured from the:
(a) Centre of the Earth
(b) Equator
(c) Tropic of Cancer or Capricorn
(d) Poles

Answer: (a) Centre of the Earth
Latitude is defined as the angle formed at the centre of the Earth between the line to the Equator and the line to the point in question. It is always measured from the Earth’s centre — not from the surface.

Question 14 [NDA 2013-II]
What would be the date and local time of a place located at 88°30’E longitude when the local time at 0° longitude is 19:00 hours of 28th February 2013?
(a) 23:54 hrs of 28th February
(b) 00:54 hrs of 1st March
(c) 23:30 hrs of 28th February
(d) 00:44 hrs of 1st March

Answer: (b) 00:54 hrs of 1st March
88°30′ = 88.5°. Time difference = 88.5 × 4 = 354 minutes = 5 hours 54 minutes. Since 88.5°E is east of 0°, it is ahead. 19:00 + 5:54 = 24:54 = 00:54 on 1st March.

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Question 15 [NDA 2014-II]
If a news broadcast from London at 1:45 pm on Monday, at what time and on what day will it be heard at Dhaka (90°E)?
(a) 7:45 pm on Monday
(b) 7:45 am on Monday
(c) 7:45 pm on Tuesday
(d) 7:45 am on Sunday

Answer: (a) 7:45 pm on Monday
London is at 0°. Dhaka is at 90°E. Time difference = 90 × 4 = 360 minutes = 6 hours. Dhaka is east of London, so 6 hours ahead. 13:45 + 6:00 = 19:45 = 7:45 PM Monday.

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Question 16 [NDA 2019-II]
Which one of the following land territories of Indonesia is not touched by the Equator?
(a) Sumatra
(b) Sulawesi
(c) Java
(d) Kalimantan

Answer: (c) Java
The Equator passes through Sumatra, Kalimantan (Borneo), and Sulawesi in Indonesia. Java lies south of the Equator and is not crossed by it.

Question 17 [NDA 2021-I]
Which one of the following is the longest latitude?
(a) 90° latitude
(b) 23.5° latitude
(c) 0° latitude
(d) 66.5° latitude

Answer: (c) 0° latitude
The Equator (0° latitude) is the longest latitude because it is the circle with the largest radius. Every other parallel gets progressively shorter toward the poles. At 90° (the poles), the latitude is simply a point.

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Question 18 [NDA 2021-I]
If it is 12.00 noon in India, on which meridian will it be 7.00 am of the same day?
(a) 7.5°E longitude
(b) 7.5°W longitude
(c) 75°E longitude
(d) 75°W longitude

Answer: (d) 75°W longitude
India is at IST (approximately GMT+5:30). At noon IST, it is 6:30 AM GMT. A place where it is 7:00 AM would be 30 minutes ahead of GMT = at 7.5°E. But the question means 5 hours behind India. 5 hours × 15° = 75° west of India’s standard meridian. This places the meridian at approximately 75°W.

Question 19 [NDA 2021-II]
Which one of the following countries has the maximum time difference from Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)?
(a) India
(b) Nepal
(c) Sri Lanka
(d) Bhutan

Answer: (d) Bhutan
Among these four countries: India = UTC+5:30, Nepal = UTC+5:45, Sri Lanka = UTC+5:30, Bhutan = UTC+6:00. Bhutan has the largest offset from GMT.

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Question 20 [NDA 2022-I]
While watching news, you hear about a place you have never heard before. Which of the following is required to locate it on a map?
(a) Only latitude of the place
(b) Only longitude of the place
(c) Both longitude and latitude of the place
(d) Latitude, longitude and altitude of the place

Answer: (c) Both longitude and latitude of the place
Latitude tells you the north-south position. Longitude tells you the east-west position. You need both together to identify a unique point on Earth’s surface. Altitude is not needed to locate a place on a map.

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Question 21 [NDA 2022-II]
The Prime Meridian does not pass through which one of the following African countries?
(a) Morocco
(b) Algeria
(c) Mali
(d) Ghana

Answer: (a) Morocco
The Prime Meridian passes through Algeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Togo, and Ghana in Africa. Morocco is west of the Prime Meridian and is not crossed by it.

Question 22 [NDA 2023-I]
Consider the following statements:

1. Distance between the longitudes becomes zero on North Pole and South Pole.
2. Distance between the longitudes is maximum on the Equator.
3. Number of longitudes is more than number of latitudes.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Answer: (d) 1, 2 and 3
Statement 1 is correct — all meridians converge to a single point at each pole, so the distance between them is zero. Statement 2 is correct — meridians are farthest apart at the equator. Statement 3 is considered correct in the standard interpretation — there are 360 meridians (longitudes) compared to 180 parallels (latitudes) in the standard grid.

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Question 23 [NDA 2023-I]
If it is 12 noon in New Delhi, what will be the time in London, UK?
(a) 6:30 A.M.
(b) 6:30 P.M.
(c) 5:30 A.M.
(d) 5:30 P.M.

Answer: (a) 6:30 A.M.
India Standard Time is GMT+5:30. New Delhi at 12:00 noon means London (GMT) is 5 hours 30 minutes behind = 6:30 AM.

Question 24 [NDA 2023-II]
A geographical grid has:

1. Lines that run east to west around the globe to mark latitude.
2. Lines that run north to south from north pole to south pole to indicate longitude.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2
Both statements correctly describe the geographical grid. Lines of latitude run east to west (they are east-west oriented circles). Lines of longitude run north to south (they are semicircles from pole to pole).

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Question 25 [NDA 2024-I]
Consider the following statements regarding the International Date Line:

1. It is roughly the 180° meridian, which deviates slightly East and West to avoid land areas surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean.
2. The date to the East of this line is 24 hours earlier than to the West.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: (b) 2 only
Statement 1 is wrong — the IDL deviates to avoid land areas in the PACIFIC Ocean, not the Atlantic. Statement 2 is correct — the eastern side of the IDL is one full day (24 hours) behind the western side.

Question 26 [NDA 2025-I]
Consider the following lines of Longitude and Latitude:

1. Prime Meridian
2. Tropic of Cancer
3. Equator

Which of the above lines is/are a Great Circle?
(a) 1, 2 and 3
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 3 only

Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only
A great circle is any circle whose centre coincides with the centre of the Earth. The Prime Meridian (along with its opposite meridian at 180°) forms a great circle. The Equator is a great circle. The Tropic of Cancer is NOT a great circle — it is a smaller circle whose centre does not coincide with the Earth’s centre.