Study Guides/Geography/Tropic of Cancer in India
Study Guide · Geography

The Tropic of Cancer Does Not Pass Through...

In Class 9 Geography (India: Size and Location), a very famous multiple-choice question asks: 'The Tropic of Cancer does not pass through which of the following states?' To answer this, you must know exactly which 8 states it does pass through.

Question (Click to Flip)

Is there an easy trick to remember the 8 states?

Answer

Yes! Use the Hindi mnemonic: 'मित्र पर गमछा झार' (Mitra Par Gamcha Jhar). Mizoram, Tripura, Paschim (West) Bengal, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand.

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Key Facts

The city of Ranchi (the capital of Jharkhand) is the only state capital in India that is located almost exactly on the Tropic of Cancer line!

What is the Tropic of Cancer?

The Tropic of Cancer is an imaginary line of latitude at 23.5° North (23°30'N) of the Equator. It is extremely important for India because it passes almost exactly through the middle of the country, dividing India into a tropical zone (south) and a subtropical zone (north).

The 8 States It Passes Through

From West to East, the Tropic of Cancer passes through exactly 8 Indian states:

  1. Gujarat
  2. Rajasthan (Just a tiny lower tip)
  3. Madhya Pradesh
  4. Chhattisgarh
  5. Jharkhand
  6. West Bengal
  7. Tripura
  8. Mizoram

Answering the Exam Question

Exams usually give you four options. The options most commonly used as the incorrect answers (where the Tropic of Cancer does not pass through) are:

  • Odisha (It passes just north of Odisha, through Jharkhand).
  • Bihar (It passes just south of Bihar, through Jharkhand).
  • Maharashtra
  • Manipur (It passes south of Manipur, through Mizoram).

Questions and Answers

Is there an easy trick to remember the 8 states?+

Yes! Use the Hindi mnemonic: **'मित्र पर गमछा झार' (Mitra Par Gamcha Jhar)**. **Mi**zoram, **Tr**ipura, **P**aschim (West) Bengal, **R**ajasthan, **G**ujarat, **M**adhya Pradesh, **Cha**ttisgarh, **Jhar**khand.

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