GK-First in Space-General Knowledge Questions and Answers

1 The first cosmonaut to spend about 17½ days in space endurance flight
* Adrin Nikolayev and Vitaly Sevastyanosov in soyuz-9 (June 1, 1970)

2 The first person in the world to land on the moon
* Neil A. Armstrong and Edwin E. Adrin Jr. of U.S.A. Armstrong was the first to set foot on the moon followed by Aldrin. July 21, 1969.

3 The first man to enter space
* Major Yuri Gagarin (Russian)

4 The first woman cosmonaut of the world
* Velentina Tereshkova

5 The first American astronaut to float in space
* Edward White

6 The first unmanned spaceship to have soft landed and lifted off from the moon to return to the earth
* Luna-16 (U.S.S.R.) September 21, 1970

7 The first manned space vehicle to land on the moon
* Lunar Exploration Module (LEM) nick-named ‘Eagle’

8 The first spaceship which carried three American astronauts to land two of them on the moon
* Apollo-11

9 The first country to send man to the moon
* U.S.A.

10 The first space-vehicle to orbit the moon
* Luna-10 (U.S.S.R.)

11 The first unmanned moon buggy to explore surface of the moon
* Lunakhod-1 (U.S.S.R.)

12 The first space rocket brought back to earth after orbiting the moon
* Zond-5

13 First crew transfer between the orbiting spaceships
* Soyuz T-15 with Mir Space Station

14 The first mission of a linking-up in space by manned spaceships of U.S.A. and Soviet Union
* Apollo-Soyuz Test Project Mission (ASTP) (launched on July 15 and linked up in space on July 17, 1975)

15 India’s first scientific satellite
* Aryabhatta

16 The first man to fly into space belonging to a country other than Russia or the U.S.A.
* Vladimir

17 Russia’s first spaceship with international crew on board.
* Remek (Czechoslovakia)

18 The first country to send nuclear powered space craft to explore Jupiter
* U.S.A.

19 The first Indian to go into space

* Rakesh Sharma

20 The first American astronaut to make two space flights
* Gordon Cooper (U.S.A.)

21 The first country to launch a cosmic space rocket towards moon
* U.S.S.R.

22 The first space rocket to hit the moon
* Lunik II

23 The first spaceship in the world to sample moon’s crust
* Surveyor-3 (U.S.A.)

24 The first space vehicle to soft land on moon
* Luna-9 (U.S.S.R.)

25 The first manned spaceship to perform the longest stay in space (11 days)
* Apollo-7 (U.S.A.)

26 The first manned spaceship to perform space flight round the moon
* Apollo-8 (U.S.A.)

27 The first American manned spaceship to perform crew transfer in space
* Apollo-9 (U.S.A.)

28 The first woman of Indian origin in space

* Kalpana Chawla

29 The first residents on the International Space Station
* Bill shepherd (U.S.A.), Yuri Gidzenko and Sergei Krikalev (Russia)

30 The first space tourist in the world
* Dennis Tito (U.S.A.)

31 The first European woman to international Space Station
* Claudie Haignere (French cosmonaut)

32 The first space tourist of S. Africa and second of the world
* Mark Shuttleworth (April 2002)

33 The first US space shuttle to explode while returning home killing all the astronauts
* Columbia (February 1, 2003)

34 China’s first man in space
* Yang Liwei

35 European Space Agency’s first moon probe craft
* SMART-I

36 America’s first Mission to Saturn
* Cassini Spacecraft (Reached Saturn’s orbit in July 2004)

37 First private, manned spacecraft
* Spaceship One (Launched on June 21, 2004)

38 First European space probe landing on the surface of the Saturnian Moon Titan
* Huygens (January 15, 2005)

39 India’s first Mapping Satellite
* CARTOSAT-I (Launched on May 5, 2005)

40 The first spacecraft to touch the surface of a comet
* NASA’s Deep Impact hit its comet target temple-I (July 4, 2005)

41 The first Japanese spacecraft to get down to an asteroid and collect samples from there
* Hayabusa (November 2005, Japan’s Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)

42 The first Probe Mission to planet Pluto
* New Horizons (U.S. launched on January 19, 2006)

43 The first space woman to stay for the longest ever Perivale of time in space
* Sunita Williams

44 The first lunar orbiter of China
* Chang’e-I (Lauched on October 24, 2007 from Xichang Satellite Launch Centre of South-Western Sichuan Province)

45 The first successful moon mission of India
* Chandrayan-I (October 22, 2008)

46 The US software pioneer who became the first person to travel twice to space as a tourist
* Charles Simonyi (March 26, 2009)

Biggest, Highest and Largest in India

Highest Award	Bharat Ratna
Highest Gallantry Award	Param Vir Chakra
Longest River in India	The Ganges
Longest Tributary river of India	Yamuna
Largest Lake	Wular Lake, Kashmir
Largest Lake (Saline Water)	Chilka Lake, Orrisa
Largest Man-Made Lake	Govind Vallabh Pant Sagar (Rihand Dam)
Largest Fresh Water Lake	Kolleru Lake (Andhra Pradesh)
Highest Lake	Devtal Lake, Gadhwal (Uttarakhand)
Highest Lake	Devatal (Gharhwal)
Highest Peak	Karkoram-2 of K-2(8,611 meters) Highest Peak in the world is Mount Everest which is in Nepal
Largest Populated City	Mumbai
Largest State(Area)	Rajasthan
Largest State(Population)	Uttar Pradesh
Highest rainfall	Cherrapunhi (426 inches per annum)
Highest Watefall	Nohkalikai Falls (335 meters, 1100 ft high) in Shora
State wise largest area under forest	Madhya Pradesh
Largest Delta	Sunderbans Delta
Largest River without Delta	Narmada and Tapti
Longest Cantilever Span bridge	Howrah Bridge
Longest River Bridge	Mahatma Gandhi Setu, Patna
Biggest Cave temple	Ellora
Longest Road	Grand Trunk Road
Highest Road	Road at Khardungla,(in Leh-Manali Sector)
Biggest Mosque	Jama Masjid at Delhi
Highest Gateway	Buland Darwaza at Fatehpur Sikri (53.6 meters high)
Tallest Statue	Statue of Gomateshwar (17 meters high In Karnataka
Largest Public Sector Bank	State Bank of India
Longest Canal	Indira Gandhi Canal or Rajasthan Canal (Rajasthan)
Largest Dome	Gol Gumbaz at Bijapur
Largest Zoo	Zoological Garden at Alipur (Kolkata)
Largest Museum	India Museum at Kolkata
Longest Dam	Hirakud Dam (Orrisa)
Highest Dam	Tehri Dam ( 260 meters , 850 ft )
Highest Tower	Kutab Minar at Delhi (88.4 meters high)
Largest Desert	Thar (Rajasthan)
Largest District	Kutch district
Fastest Train	Shatabadi Express running between New Delhi and Bhopal
State with longest coastline	Gujarat
State with longest coastline of South India	Andhra Pradesh
Longest Electric Railway Line	From Delhi to Kolkata via Patna
Longest Railway Route	From Assam to Kanyakumari
Longest Railway Platform	Kharagpur (W. Bengal)
Highest Railway Station	Ghum (W. Bengal)
Longest Platform	Kharagpur (West Bengal) 833 meters in Length. It is also the longest railway station in world
Longest Tunnel	Jawahar tunnel (Jammu & Kashmir)
Longest Highway	NH-44 (NH-7) which turns from Varanasi to Kanyakumari
Smallest State (Population)	Sikkim
Smallest State (Area)	Goa
Largest State (Area)	Rajasthan
Largest State (Population)	Uttar Pradesh
Densest Populated State	West Bengal
Largest Cave	Amarnath (J&K)
Largest Cave Temple	Kailash Temple, Ellora (Maharastra)
Largest Animal Fair	Sonepur (Bihar)
Largest Auditorium	Sri Shanmukhanand Hall (Mumbai)
Biggest Hotel	Oberai-Sheraton (Mumbai)
Largest Port	Mumbai
Largest Gurudwara	Golden Temple, Amritsar
Deepest River Valley	Bhagirathi & Alaknanda
Largest Church	Saint Cathedral (Goa)
Oldest Church	St. Thomas Church at Palayar, Trichur (Kerala)
Longest River	Ganga (2640 km long)
Longest Beach	Marina Beach, Chennai
Highest Battle Field	Siachin Glacier
Highest Airport	Leh (Laddakh)
Biggest Stadium	Yuva Bharti (Salt Lake) Stadium, Kolkata
Largest River Island	Majuli (Brahmaputra River, Asom)
Largest Planetarium	Birla Planetarium (Kolkata)
Sambhar lake	Largest inland salt lake

Climate of India

India has 'Tropical Monsoon' type of climate. The word monsoon has been derived from the Arabic word 'Mausim' which means seasonal reversal of the winds during the course of the year.

Climate of India
The whole of India has a tropical monsoonal climate, since the greater part of the country lies within the trophies, and the climate is influenced by the monsoons. The position of the mountain ranges and direction of the rain-bearing winds are the two main factors that determine the climate of India Alternating seasons is the chief characteristic of India's Climate.

Factors Affecting the Climate of India:

1. Latitude: India lies between 8 ⁰ N and 37 ⁰ N latitudes. The Tropic of Cancer passes through the middle of India, thus making the southern half of India in the Torrid Zone and the northern half in the Temperature Zone.
2. Himalaya Mountains: The Himalayas play an important role in lending a sub-tropical touch to the climate of India. The lofty Himalaya Mountains form a barrier which effects the climate of India. It prevents the cold winds of north Asia from blowing into India, thus protecting it from severely cold winters. It also traps the Monsoon winds, forcing them to shed their moisture within the sub-continent.
3. Altitude: Temperature decreases with height. Places in the mountains are cooler than places on the plains.
4. Distance from the sea: With a long coastline, large coastal areas have an equable climate. Areas in the interior of India are far away from the moderating influence of the sea. Such areas have extremes of climate.
5. Geographical Limits:
   1. Western Disturbances: The low pressure systems that originate over the eastern Mediterranean region in winter and move eastwards towards India passing over Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan are responsible for the winter rain in northern India.
   2. Conditions in the Regions Surrounding India: Temperature and pressure conditions in East Africa, Iran, Central Asia and Tibet determine the strength of the monsoons and the occasional dry spells. For example, high temperatures in East Africa may draw the monsoon winds from the Indian Ocean into that region thus, causing a dry spell.
   3. Conditions over the Ocean: The weather conditions over the Indian ocean and the China Sea may be responsible for typhoons which often affect the east coast of India.
   4. Jet Streams: Air currents in the upper layers of the atmosphere known as jet steams could determine the arrival of the monsoons and departure of the monsoons. The Scientists are studying the jet streams and how it may affect the climate of India but much remains to be learned about this phenomena.

Following are the Geography Facts about India.

Following are the Geography Facts about India.

Location

• The Union of India is the seventh largest country in the world covering an area of 32,87,590 square kilometers and it is an important country of south Asia.
• South Asia has a total area of about 4.488 million sq. km out of which India has the largest area (3.287 sq. km). It occupies 73.2 % of total area.
• It is 4 times largest than Pakistan which is second largest in South Asia. India is 12 times largest that UK and 8 times largest than Japan.
• The mainland stretches from latitude 8^o4' north to 37^o6' north and from longitude 68^o7' east to 97^o25' east of Greenwhich. The latitudinal and longitudinal extent of the country is almost same in degrees i.e. about 30 degrees.
• The southernmost point in Indian Territory, (in Great Nicobar Islands) is the Indira Point (6^o45� Following are the Geography Facts about India.
  Location
  • The Union of India is the seventh largest country in the world covering an area of 32,87,590 square kilometers and it is an important country of south Asia.
  • South Asia has a total area of about 4.488 million sq. km out of which India has the largest area (3.287 sq. km). It occupies 73.2 % of total area.
  • It is 4 times largest than Pakistan which is second largest in South Asia. India is 12 times largest that UK and 8 times largest than Japan.
  • The mainland stretches from latitude 8^o4' north to 37^o6' north and from longitude 68^o7' east to 97^o25' east of Greenwhich. The latitudinal and longitudinal extent of the country is almost same in degrees i.e. about 30 degrees.
  • The southernmost point in Indian Territory, (in Great Nicobar Islands) is the Indira Point (6^o45� ), while Kanyakumari, also known as Cape Comorin, is the southernmost point of Indian mainland. The country thus lies wholly in the northern and eastern hemispheres.
  • The 82^o30' E longitude is taken as Standard Time Meridian of India, as it passes through the middle of India (from Naini, near Allahabad.) Hence Naini, Near Allahabad is the Standard Time of India.
  • The country is of a vast size and measures about 3,214 kilometers from north to south and about 2,933 kilometers from west to east.
  • Indian Standard Time:- GMT +05:30
  • Telephone Country Code:- +91
  • Coastline:- 7,516.6 km encompassing the mainland, Lakshadweep Islands, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
  
  
  India lies midway between the Far East and the Middle East. The trans-Indian Ocean routes connecting the industrially developed countries of Europe in the west and the underdeveloped countries of east Asia pass close by. India being centrally located in South Asia, she enjoys an advantageous-position for doing trade with Australia and the countries of Africa, the Middle East and the Far East. Thus, India dominates the Indian Ocean and commands an important strategic position. Her land frontier is 15,200 kilometers long. Her northern borderland, being mountainous, is very difficult to cross and it offers very few transport facilities for trade with the arid, almost barren and very sparsely populated regions of Central Asia. India has a coastline of 6,100 kilometers in the main land and she depends on the Indian Ocean for bulk of her foreign trade. The total length of the coastline of the mainland, Lakshadweep group of Islands and Andaman and Nicobar group of Islands is 7,519.5 km.Ocean

  India Facts
  Territorial Sea	12 nm (nautical miles)
  Contiguous Zone	24 nm
  Exclusive economic Zone	200 nm
  Continental Shelf	200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
  Longest River	Ganga
  Largest Lake	Lake Chilka
  Highest Point	Mt. K2 (8611 m)
  Highest Point of Himalaya	Kanchan Junga (8,598 m)
  Lowest Point	Kuttanad (-2.2 m)
  Northernmost Point	Siachen Glacier near Karakoram
  Southernmost Point	Indira Point, Great Nicobar, Andaman & Nicobar Islands
  Southernmost Point of India (Mainland)	Cape Comorin (Kanya Kumari)
  Westernmost Point	West of Ghuar Mota, Gujarat
  Easternmost Point	Kibithu, Arunachal Pradesh
  Highest Altitude	Kanchenjunga, Sikkim
  Lowest Altitude	Kuttanad (Kerala)

  Physical Boundaries :- The sub-continent is isolated in a remarkable way from the rest of Asia, making it a geographical unit. For example, barring the plateau of Baluchistan the two great ranges, namely, the Sulaiman and the Kirthar, cut it off from the west. Along the North the great mountains wall formed by the Hindu Kush, Karakoram and the Himalayas, cut it off the countries that lie beyond as the mountains are very high and difficult to cross. Similarly, the Southward offshoots of the Eastern Himalayas separate it from Burma.

  The latitudinal and longitudinal extent of the country is almost the same in degrees i.e. about 30 degrees. But in kilometers, the north-south distance (about 3,200 km) is more than that of the east-west.

  The Himalayas and other lofty mountains- Muztagh Ata, Aghil Kunlun Mountains to the north of Kashmir and south eastern portion of Zaskar mountains to east of Himachal Pradesh - from India's northern boundary, except in the Nepal region. She is adjoined in the north by China, Nepal and Bhutan. A series of mountain ranges in the east separate India from Burma. Also, in the east, lies Bangladesh bounded by Indian States of West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. In the north-west, Afghanistan and Pakistan border on India. The Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait separate India from Srilanka.
  Locational Advantage:- India is a unique country as it is easily accessible to other parts of Asia, Africa, Europe and Americas. Its cultural influences have crossed its border from time immemorial and reached far off lands. It acts as a bridge head between developed and developing countries of the world and between the East and the West. India's strength lies in its geography as much as in its culture. Since the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, distance between India and Europe has been reduced by 7000 kms. India enjoys a favourable ocean routes from East and South-East Asia and Australia to Africa and Europe pass through Indian Ocean. India is connected with the Cape of Good Hope and the Suez Canal. India can also reach Canada and the USA through the Strait of Malacca after crossing the Pacific Ocean.), while Kanyakumari, also known as Cape Comorin, is the southernmost point of Indian mainland. The country thus lies wholly in the northern and eastern hemispheres.
• The 82^o30' E longitude is taken as Standard Time Meridian of India, as it passes through the middle of India (from Naini, near Allahabad.) Hence Naini, Near Allahabad is the Standard Time of India.
• The country is of a vast size and measures about 3,214 kilometers from north to south and about 2,933 kilometers from west to east.
• Indian Standard Time:- GMT +05:30
• Telephone Country Code:- +91
• Coastline:- 7,516.6 km encompassing the mainland, Lakshadweep Islands, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

Ocean

• India lies midway between the Far East and the Middle East. The trans-Indian Ocean routes connecting the industrially developed countries of Europe in the west and the underdeveloped countries of east Asia pass close by. India being centrally located in South Asia, she enjoys an advantageous-position for doing trade with Australia and the countries of Africa, the Middle East and the Far East. Thus, India dominates the Indian Ocean and commands an important strategic position. Her land frontier is 15,200 kilometers long. Her northern borderland, being mountainous, is very difficult to cross and it offers very few transport facilities for trade with the arid, almost barren and very sparsely populated regions of Central Asia. India has a coastline of 6,100 kilometers in the main land and she depends on the Indian Ocean for bulk of her foreign trade. The total length of the coastline of the mainland, Lakshadweep group of Islands and Andaman and Nicobar group of Islands is 7,519.5 km.

India Facts
Territorial Sea	12 nm (nautical miles)
Contiguous Zone	24 nm
Exclusive economic Zone	200 nm
Continental Shelf	200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Longest River	Ganga
Largest Lake	Lake Chilka
Highest Point	Mt. K2 (8611 m)
Highest Point of Himalaya	Kanchan Junga (8,598 m)
Lowest Point	Kuttanad (-2.2 m)
Northernmost Point	Siachen Glacier near Karakoram
Southernmost Point	Indira Point, Great Nicobar, Andaman & Nicobar Islands
Southernmost Point of India (Mainland)	Cape Comorin (Kanya Kumari)
Westernmost Point	West of Ghuar Mota, Gujarat
Easternmost Point	Kibithu, Arunachal Pradesh
Highest Altitude	Kanchenjunga, Sikkim
Lowest Altitude	Kuttanad (Kerala)

Physical Boundaries :- The sub-continent is isolated in a remarkable way from the rest of Asia, making it a geographical unit. For example, barring the plateau of Baluchistan the two great ranges, namely, the Sulaiman and the Kirthar, cut it off from the west. Along the North the great mountains wall formed by the Hindu Kush, Karakoram and the Himalayas, cut it off the countries that lie beyond as the mountains are very high and difficult to cross. Similarly, the Southward offshoots of the Eastern Himalayas separate it from Burma.

The latitudinal and longitudinal extent of the country is almost the same in degrees i.e. about 30 degrees. But in kilometers, the north-south distance (about 3,200 km) is more than that of the east-west.

The Himalayas and other lofty mountains- Muztagh Ata, Aghil Kunlun Mountains to the north of Kashmir and south eastern portion of Zaskar mountains to east of Himachal Pradesh - from India's northern boundary, except in the Nepal region. She is adjoined in the north by China, Nepal and Bhutan. A series of mountain ranges in the east separate India from Burma. Also, in the east, lies Bangladesh bounded by Indian States of West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. In the north-west, Afghanistan and Pakistan border on India. The Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait separate India from Srilanka.

Locational Advantage:- India is a unique country as it is easily accessible to other parts of Asia, Africa, Europe and Americas. Its cultural influences have crossed its border from time immemorial and reached far off lands. It acts as a bridge head between developed and developing countries of the world and between the East and the West. India's strength lies in its geography as much as in its culture. Since the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, distance between India and Europe has been reduced by 7000 kms. India enjoys a favourable ocean routes from East and South-East Asia and Australia to Africa and Europe pass through Indian Ocean. India is connected with the Cape of Good Hope and the Suez Canal. India can also reach Canada and the USA through the Strait of Malacca after crossing the Pacific Ocean.