NDA Examination Geography (General Ability Test) Syllabus

Name the four major oceans of the world from largest to smallest.

Pacific Ocean (largest), Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Arctic Ocean (smallest). The Southern (Antarctic) Ocean is often recognized as a fifth ocean.

What is the difference between ocean currents that are warm versus cold, with one example of each?

Warm currents flow from the equator toward the poles, raising temperatures (e.g., Gulf Stream, Kuroshio). Cold currents flow from the poles toward the equator, lowering temperatures (e.g., Labrador Current, Humboldt/Peru Current).

What causes ocean tides, and what is the difference between spring and neap tides?

Tides are caused mainly by the gravitational pull of the Moon (and Sun) on ocean water. Spring tides (highest) occur at full and new moon when Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned; neap tides (lowest) occur at quarter moons when the Sun and Moon are at right angles.

What is salinity of ocean water, and what is its average value?

Salinity is the amount of dissolved salts in seawater, expressed in parts per thousand (ppt). The average ocean salinity is about 35 ppt (35 grams of salt per 1000 grams of water).

What is condensation, and what are its common forms?

Condensation is the process by which water vapour changes into liquid (or solid) form on cooling. Common forms include dew, frost, fog, mist, and clouds.

What is the difference between dew, frost, and fog?

Dew is water droplets condensing on cool surfaces above 0 degrees C. Frost is condensation forming ice crystals when the dew point is below freezing. Fog is condensation of water vapour into tiny droplets suspended in air near the ground, reducing visibility.

What is relative humidity?

Relative humidity is the ratio of the actual amount of water vapour present in the air to the maximum amount the air can hold at that temperature, expressed as a percentage. Air at saturation has 100% relative humidity.

Name the three major physiographic divisions that form the relief of India.

The Northern Himalayan Mountains, the Northern Indo-Gangetic (Great) Plains, and the Peninsular Plateau, along with the Coastal Plains and Islands. (The Thar/Indian Desert is sometimes added.)

What are the three parallel ranges of the Himalayas from north to south?

The Himadri (Greater Himalayas, highest with permanent snow), the Himachal (Lesser Himalayas / Middle Himalayas), and the Shiwaliks (Outer Himalayas, lowest).

Which is the highest peak in India, and where is it located?

Kangchenjunga (8,586 m) is the highest peak located within India, in Sikkim. (Mount Everest, the world's highest at 8,848 m, lies on the Nepal-China border, not in India.)

What is the difference between Himalayan rivers and Peninsular rivers of India?

Himalayan rivers (e.g., Ganga, Yamuna, Brahmaputra) are perennial, snow- and rain-fed, and form large meanders and deltas. Peninsular rivers (e.g., Godavari, Krishna, Narmada) are seasonal/rain-fed, follow fixed courses, and have smaller valleys.

Which two major Peninsular rivers of India flow westward into the Arabian Sea, and what type of mouth do they form?

The Narmada and the Tapi (Tapti) flow westward and form estuaries (not deltas) because they flow through rift valleys (faults).

Which river is called the 'Sorrow of Bihar', and which is called the 'Sorrow of Bengal'?

The Kosi River is called the 'Sorrow of Bihar' due to its devastating floods, and the Damodar River was historically called the 'Sorrow of Bengal'.

Into which monsoon types is India's climate broadly classified, and what controls it?

India has a tropical monsoon climate controlled by the seasonal reversal of monsoon winds. The four seasons are: winter (Dec-Feb), summer (Mar-May), southwest monsoon/rainy (Jun-Sep), and retreating monsoon/autumn (Oct-Nov).

What are the two branches of the Southwest Monsoon that bring rain to India?

The Arabian Sea branch and the Bay of Bengal branch. They bring the bulk of India's annual rainfall during June to September.

Name four major soil types of India and one characteristic of each.

Alluvial soil (most fertile, in northern plains, good for cereals); Black soil/regur (rich in lime/iron, ideal for cotton, in Deccan); Red soil (iron-rich, less fertile, in southern peninsula); Laterite soil (formed in heavy rainfall, leached, good for tea/coffee).

What are the major types of natural vegetation found in India?

Tropical evergreen forests, Tropical deciduous (monsoon) forests, Tropical thorn forests and scrubs, Montane (mountain) forests, and Mangrove (tidal/littoral) forests.

What is the difference between the Kharif and Rabi cropping seasons in India?

Kharif crops are sown at the onset of the monsoon (June-July) and harvested in autumn (Sep-Oct), e.g., rice, maize, cotton. Rabi crops are sown in winter (Oct-Dec) and harvested in spring (Mar-Apr), e.g., wheat, gram, mustard.

What is the difference between subsistence and commercial agriculture?

Subsistence agriculture is farming mainly to feed the farmer's own family with little surplus. Commercial agriculture is large-scale farming of crops for sale in the market for profit (e.g., plantation crops, cash crops).

What are the broad classifications of industries based on raw materials?

Agro-based industries (use agricultural raw materials, e.g., cotton textiles, sugar) and Mineral-based industries (use minerals, e.g., iron and steel, cement). Industries are also classified by size (large/small/cottage) and ownership (public/private).

What are the four main modes of transport, and which is cheapest for bulky goods over long distances?

Roadways, Railways, Waterways, and Airways. Waterways (especially sea transport) are the cheapest for carrying bulky goods over long distances; airways are the fastest but most expensive.

What is the difference between mass communication and personal communication?

Personal communication is one-to-one exchange between individuals (e.g., letters, telephone, email). Mass communication transmits information to a large audience simultaneously (e.g., newspapers, radio, television, internet).

What and where are the world's major hot deserts located?

Hot deserts lie mainly between 15 and 30 degrees latitude on the western sides of continents, e.g., the Sahara (Africa, largest), Arabian, Kalahari, Atacama (driest), Australian, and Thar deserts.

What are the chief characteristics of the Equatorial (tropical rainforest) region?

Located near the equator (0-10 degrees), it has high temperatures year-round, very high rainfall (convectional, almost daily), high humidity, dense evergreen rainforests (e.g., Amazon, Congo), and great biodiversity.

What is the difference between population density and population distribution?

Population density is the number of people per unit area (persons per square km). Population distribution describes the pattern of how the population is spread across an area (even, clustered, sparse).

What is the difference between birth rate, death rate, and natural growth rate of population?

Birth rate is the number of live births per 1000 people per year; death rate is the number of deaths per 1000 people per year; natural growth rate is the difference between birth rate and death rate, expressed as a percentage.

What is the difference between rural and urban settlements?

Rural settlements are small, with low population density, where people mainly depend on agriculture and primary activities. Urban settlements (towns and cities) are larger, densely populated, and depend on secondary and tertiary activities like industry, trade, and services.

What are the main patterns of rural settlement?

Compact/nucleated (houses closely clustered together), Dispersed/scattered (houses spread far apart), Linear (along a road, river, or canal), and Semi-compact settlements.

What is the difference between the Tundra and the Taiga (Coniferous) natural regions?

The Tundra lies in the high latitudes near the poles, treeless with mosses and lichens, very cold with permafrost. The Taiga (Boreal/Coniferous forest) lies just south of the tundra, with cold winters and coniferous evergreen forests (e.g., pine, spruce, fir).

On a map, what is the difference between a contour line and a benchmark?

A contour line joins points of equal height (elevation) above sea level and shows relief; closely spaced contours indicate steep slopes. A benchmark (BM) is a fixed reference point of known, precisely surveyed elevation.

What is a map scale, and what are the three ways of expressing it?

A map scale shows the ratio between distance on the map and the actual distance on the ground. It can be expressed as a Statement scale (e.g., 1 cm = 1 km), a Representative Fraction (R.F., e.g., 1:100000), and a Graphical/linear scale (a divided line).

What is the difference between latitude and longitude, and what are the key reference lines of each?

Latitudes are imaginary east-west lines parallel to the Equator (0 degrees), measuring distance north or south (up to 90 degrees at the poles). Longitudes (meridians) run north-south from pole to pole, measuring distance east or west of the Prime Meridian (0 degrees at Greenwich, up to 180 degrees).