UPSC Civil Services Examination Indian and World Geography Syllabus

What is the largest river basin in India and which rivers form the largest delta?

The Ganga basin is the largest river basin in India. The Ganga-Brahmaputra together form the Sundarbans, the world's largest delta.

What is the mechanism that causes the Indian summer (southwest) monsoon?

Differential heating creates a low-pressure trough over NW India; the ITCZ shifts north, drawing moisture-laden southwest winds from the high-pressure Indian Ocean; the Coriolis force deflects them, bringing rain (June-September).

What is the 'burst of the monsoon' and the 'break in the monsoon'?

Burst of monsoon: the sudden onset of heavy southwest monsoon rains around 1 June in Kerala. Break in monsoon: dry spells of several days during the rainy season when the rain belt shifts.

What is El Nino and how does it affect the Indian monsoon?

El Nino is the abnormal warming of the eastern/central equatorial Pacific Ocean. It is generally associated with a weak or deficient Indian monsoon and drought conditions.

What are the two branches of the Indian summer monsoon?

The Arabian Sea branch (strikes the Western Ghats) and the Bay of Bengal branch (moves up the Ganga plains and is deflected by the Himalayas toward the northwest).

Why is Mawsynram/Cherrapunji the wettest place, and what is a rain shadow?

They lie on windward slopes of the Khasi Hills where moist Bay of Bengal winds are funnelled and forced to rise, causing extreme orographic rain. A rain shadow is the dry leeward side of mountains (e.g., the Deccan plateau behind the Western Ghats).

Name the major natural vegetation types of India by rainfall.

Tropical Evergreen (>200 cm rain), Tropical Deciduous/Monsoon (100-200 cm), Thorn forests & scrub (<70 cm), Montane forests (mountains), and Mangrove/Tidal forests (coasts/deltas).

What is black soil (regur) and which crop is it ideal for?

A clayey, moisture-retentive volcanic soil rich in lime, iron, magnesia, and alumina (formed from Deccan lava). It is ideal for cotton cultivation, hence 'black cotton soil'.

What is alluvial soil and why is it the most important Indian soil?

Soil deposited by rivers, rich in potash and lime but poor in nitrogen/humus; it covers the northern plains and coastal deltas, is highly fertile, and supports most of India's agriculture.

What is the demographic dividend?

The economic growth potential arising when a country's working-age population (15-64) is larger than its dependent (young + old) population, increasing the available labour force.

Distinguish between push and pull factors in migration.

Push factors drive people away from an origin (poverty, unemployment, disasters); pull factors attract people to a destination (jobs, better services, security).

What are the main types of rural settlement patterns?

Compact/nucleated, semi-compact, hamleted (fragmented), and dispersed/scattered settlements - determined by terrain, water availability, and security.

What is the difference between intensive and extensive agriculture?

Intensive agriculture uses high inputs of labour/capital on small land for high yield per hectare; extensive agriculture spreads lower inputs over large areas with high total but low per-hectare output.

What is the cropping calendar of Kharif, Rabi, and Zaid crops in India?

Kharif (sown June-July, harvested Sept-Oct): rice, maize, cotton, jute. Rabi (sown Oct-Dec, harvested Apr-May): wheat, gram, mustard. Zaid (summer, Mar-June): watermelon, cucumber, fodder.

What was the Green Revolution and which crops/states benefited most?

The 1960s-70s adoption of HYV seeds, irrigation, fertilizers, and mechanization that boosted food grain output, especially wheat in Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh.

What factors determine the location of an iron and steel industry?

Proximity to raw materials (iron ore, coking coal, limestone), water supply, cheap power, transport links, and markets - traditionally near coalfields/ore belts (e.g., Jharkhand-Odisha-Chhattisgarh).

What is the difference between basic infrastructure and the Golden Quadrilateral?

Infrastructure refers to basic physical/organizational facilities (roads, power, ports). The Golden Quadrilateral is the national highway network connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata in a quadrilateral.

In which geological formations are most of India's coal and petroleum found?

Coal is found mainly in Gondwana rock formations (Damodar, Son, Mahanadi valleys); petroleum occurs in Tertiary sedimentary rocks (Mumbai High, Assam, Gujarat basins).

What is the difference between metallic and non-metallic minerals, with Indian examples?

Metallic minerals contain metals (iron ore, bauxite, manganese, copper); non-metallic minerals do not (mica, limestone, dolomite, gypsum). India is a leading producer of mica.

What are the main sources of conventional vs non-conventional energy in India?

Conventional: coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydropower, nuclear. Non-conventional (renewable): solar, wind, biogas, tidal, and geothermal energy.

Where are the world's major reserves of crude oil concentrated?

The Middle East (Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, UAE), plus Venezuela, Russia, USA, and Canada. The Persian Gulf region holds the largest conventional reserves.

Name the world's leading producers of gold, diamonds, and copper.

Gold: China, Australia, Russia. Diamonds: Russia, Botswana, DR Congo. Copper: Chile (largest), Peru, China.

What are the world's major fishing grounds and why are they productive?

The Grand Banks (NW Atlantic), North Sea, and NW Pacific. They are productive due to shallow continental shelves and the mixing of warm and cold currents, which enriches plankton.

What is an earthquake's focus and epicentre, and what scale measures its magnitude?

The focus (hypocentre) is the point of energy release inside the Earth; the epicentre is the point on the surface directly above it. Magnitude is measured on the Richter scale (energy) and intensity on the Mercalli scale.

What is a tsunami and what most commonly triggers it?

A series of large ocean waves caused by sudden displacement of water, most commonly triggered by undersea earthquakes (subduction-zone faulting), and also by volcanic eruptions or landslides.

What is the difference between a shield volcano and a composite volcano?

Shield volcanoes are broad, gently sloping cones from runny basaltic lava (e.g., Mauna Loa); composite (strato) volcanoes are steep, layered cones of lava and ash from viscous andesitic eruptions (e.g., Fuji).

Through which Indian states does the Tropic of Cancer pass?

Eight states: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura, and Mizoram.

What are latitudes and longitudes, and what is the significance of the Prime Meridian and the IDL?

Latitudes are parallel lines measuring distance N/S of the equator; longitudes are meridians measuring distance E/W of the Prime Meridian (0°, Greenwich). The International Date Line (~180°) marks the calendar day change.

Which countries does the Equator pass through in Africa, and what is its climatic significance?

In Africa it passes through countries like Gabon, Congo, DR Congo, Uganda, Kenya, and Somalia. The equatorial belt has hot, humid climate with convectional rainfall and dense rainforests.

What is the standard meridian of India and why is it used?

82°30'E longitude, passing through Mirzapur (Uttar Pradesh). It is used as Indian Standard Time (IST), which is 5 hours 30 minutes ahead of GMT, to provide a single time across the country.