UPSC NDA & NA Geography Syllabus

Geography syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Geography in UPSC NDA & NA, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Physical Geography

   4 topics

   • The Earth and Its Structure
     • Origin and shape of the Earth
     • Latitudes, longitudes and time concepts
     • Earth's internal structure and rotation
   • Landforms and Lithosphere
     • Rocks and their classification
     • Weathering, erosion and major landforms
     • Earthquakes and volcanoes
   • Atmosphere and Weather
     • Composition and structure of the atmosphere
     • Temperature, pressure belts and planetary winds
     • Humidity, condensation and precipitation
   • Hydrosphere
     • Movements of ocean water: tides and currents
     • Ocean salinity and temperature
2. 2

   Climate and Regions

   3 topics

   • Climatic Types of the World
   • Major Natural Regions of the World
     • Equatorial, tropical and temperate regions
     • Polar and desert regions
   • Regional Geography of India
     • Physical divisions of India
     • Climate, monsoons and seasons
3. 3

   Economic and Resource Geography

   4 topics

   • Natural Resources of India
     • Soils and their types
     • Minerals and power resources
   • Agriculture and Irrigation
     • Major crops and cropping patterns
     • Irrigation systems
   • Industries and Trade
     • Location of major industries
     • Imports and exports of India
   • Transport and Communication
     • Major sea ports and trade routes
     • Main land, sea and air routes of India

Geography flashcards for UPSC NDA & NA

25 of 51 cards from the Geography deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. What is the approximate equatorial circumference and equatorial diameter of the Earth?

   Equatorial circumference is about 40,075 km and the equatorial diameter is about 12,756 km (polar diameter ~12,714 km).

2. Name the concentric internal layers of the Earth from outside to centre, with their dominant materials.

   Crust (silica-aluminium/silica-magnesium rocks), Mantle (silicate rocks, ~2,900 km thick), and Core (outer liquid + inner solid, mainly nickel and iron - 'NiFe').

3. What are SIAL, SIMA and NIFE in the context of Earth's interior?

   SIAL = continental crust (silica + aluminium), SIMA = oceanic crust/upper mantle (silica + magnesium), NIFE = core (nickel + iron).

4. What is the Mohorovicic discontinuity (Moho)?

   The boundary separating the Earth's crust from the underlying mantle, marked by a sudden increase in seismic (P-wave) velocity.

5. Differentiate rotation and revolution of the Earth, with their time periods.

   Rotation = spin on its own axis, completed in 23 hours 56 minutes (causes day and night). Revolution = movement around the Sun, completed in 365¼ days (causes seasons).

6. What causes the seasons on Earth?

   The tilt of the Earth's axis at 23.5° to the orbital plane, combined with its revolution around the Sun, causing changing angles of sunlight.

7. On what dates do the summer and winter solstices occur, and what do they signify?

   Summer solstice ~21 June (Sun overhead at Tropic of Cancer, longest day in N. Hemisphere); winter solstice ~22 December (Sun overhead at Tropic of Capricorn, shortest day in N. Hemisphere).

8. What are equinoxes and when do they occur?

   Equinoxes are days of equal day and night everywhere; they occur around 21 March (vernal/spring) and 23 September (autumnal), when the Sun is overhead at the Equator.

9. What are the three major types of rocks based on their mode of formation?

   Igneous (cooling of magma/lava), Sedimentary (deposition and compaction of sediments), and Metamorphic (transformation of existing rocks by heat and pressure).

10. Give one example each of igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic rock.

    Igneous: granite/basalt; Sedimentary: sandstone/limestone; Metamorphic: marble (from limestone)/slate (from shale)/quartzite.

11. What is the difference between extrusive and intrusive igneous rocks?

    Extrusive (volcanic) rocks form from lava cooling on the surface (e.g., basalt); intrusive (plutonic) rocks form from magma cooling beneath the surface (e.g., granite).

12. According to plate tectonics, name the three types of plate boundaries.

    Convergent (plates collide - subduction/mountains), Divergent (plates move apart - mid-ocean ridges), and Transform/conservative (plates slide past each other - faults).

13. Name the four major types of mountains based on origin.

    Fold mountains (e.g., Himalayas, Alps), Block/Fault mountains (e.g., Vosges, Black Forest), Volcanic mountains (e.g., Fujiyama), and Residual/relict mountains (e.g., Aravallis).

14. What is the difference between a horst and a graben (rift valley)?

    A horst is an uplifted block of land between two faults (forms block mountains); a graben is a down-thrown block between two faults (forms a rift valley, e.g., the East African Rift).

15. What are the three types of volcanoes based on the frequency of eruption?

    Active (frequently erupting, e.g., Kilauea), Dormant (no recent eruption but may erupt, e.g., Vesuvius), and Extinct/dead (no eruption in historical times, e.g., Mt. Kilimanjaro).

16. Distinguish the focus and the epicentre of an earthquake.

    The focus (hypocentre) is the point inside the Earth where the earthquake originates; the epicentre is the point on the surface directly above the focus.

17. Which seismic waves can pass through liquids, and what does this reveal about Earth's interior?

    P-waves (primary/longitudinal) pass through solids, liquids and gases; S-waves (secondary/transverse) cannot pass through liquids - their absence proves the outer core is liquid.

18. Define weathering and name its three main types.

    Weathering is the in-situ breakdown of rocks. Types: Physical/Mechanical, Chemical, and Biological weathering.

19. What landforms are typically created by river erosion in its youthful (upper) course?

    V-shaped valleys, gorges, canyons, waterfalls, rapids and potholes.

20. What depositional landforms does a river create in its old (lower) course?

    Meanders, ox-bow lakes, floodplains, natural levees, and deltas.

21. What is the structure of the atmosphere from the surface upward (lowest four layers)?

    Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, and Thermosphere (followed by the Exosphere).

22. In which atmospheric layer does weather occur, and which layer contains the ozone layer?

    Weather occurs in the Troposphere (lowest layer); the ozone layer lies in the Stratosphere.

23. What is the normal lapse rate of temperature in the troposphere?

    Temperature decreases at about 6.4°C per 1,000 metres (roughly 1°C per 165 m) of ascent - the normal lapse rate.

24. What is an inversion of temperature?

    A condition in which temperature increases with height instead of decreasing, common on calm, clear nights in valleys; it traps cold air and pollutants near the surface.

25. Name the three forms of precipitation based on the mechanism of uplift.

    Convectional rainfall, Orographic (relief) rainfall, and Cyclonic (frontal) rainfall.

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