UPSC NDA 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, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Physical Geography

   overview

   Examined as a single unit within Geography — no further topic split in the official outline.

2. 2

   World Geography

   overview

   Examined as a single unit within Geography — no further topic split in the official outline.

3. 3

   Indian Geography

   overview

   Examined as a single unit within Geography — no further topic split in the official outline.

4. 4

   Climate and Weather

   overview

   Examined as a single unit within Geography — no further topic split in the official outline.

5. 5

   Natural Resources

   overview

   Examined as a single unit within Geography — no further topic split in the official outline.

6. 6

   Environmental Geography

   overview

   Examined as a single unit within Geography — no further topic split in the official outline.

Geography flashcards for UPSC NDA

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

1. What is the approximate circumference of the Earth at the equator?

   About 40,075 km (equatorial), making it slightly larger than the polar circumference of about 40,008 km.

2. Define the term 'latitude' and state the value of the Equator.

   Latitude is the angular distance of a point north or south of the Equator, measured in degrees. The Equator is 0 degrees latitude.

3. What is the longitude of the Prime Meridian, and which place does it pass through?

   0 degrees longitude; it passes through Greenwich, near London (UK).

4. How many degrees of longitude does the Earth rotate through in one hour?

   15 degrees (360 degrees in 24 hours = 15 degrees per hour), so each 15 degrees equals 1 hour of time difference.

5. On which longitude is Indian Standard Time (IST) based, and how far ahead of GMT is it?

   82.5 degrees E (passing near Mirzapur, UP). IST is GMT +5:30 hours.

6. What is the International Date Line and roughly which meridian does it follow?

   An imaginary line where the date changes by one day; it roughly follows the 180 degrees meridian (with deviations to avoid landmasses).

7. Name the four innermost to outermost layers of the Earth's internal structure.

   Crust, Mantle, Outer Core (liquid), and Inner Core (solid).

8. What is the SIAL and SIMA in the context of Earth's crust?

   SIAL = continental crust rich in Silica and Aluminium; SIMA = oceanic crust rich in Silica and Magnesium (denser).

9. Define the 'Mohorovicic discontinuity' (Moho).

   The boundary separating the Earth's crust from the mantle, marked by a change in seismic wave velocity.

10. What are the three main types of rocks?

    Igneous (from cooled magma/lava), Sedimentary (from compacted sediments), and Metamorphic (formed by heat/pressure transformation).

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

    Igneous: Granite/Basalt; Sedimentary: Sandstone/Limestone; Metamorphic: Marble (from limestone)/Slate (from shale).

12. What is the theory of Plate Tectonics?

    The theory that Earth's lithosphere is divided into rigid plates that move over the asthenosphere, causing earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountain building.

13. Differentiate between a convergent and a divergent plate boundary.

    Convergent: plates move toward each other (collision/subduction, forming mountains/trenches). Divergent: plates move apart (forming mid-ocean ridges/rift valleys).

14. How are fold mountains formed? Give an example.

    By compression of crustal rocks at convergent plate boundaries causing folding. Example: the Himalayas, Alps, Andes.

15. What is the focus and epicentre of an earthquake?

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

16. Which scale measures earthquake magnitude, and which measures intensity?

    Richter scale measures magnitude (energy released); Mercalli scale measures intensity (observed effects).

17. What is the 'Ring of Fire'?

    A belt around the Pacific Ocean with frequent earthquakes and volcanic activity, marking active plate boundaries.

18. Differentiate between active, dormant, and extinct volcanoes.

    Active: erupts frequently/recently; Dormant: not erupted for a long time but may erupt again; Extinct: no eruption in historic time and unlikely to erupt.

19. What is the composition of the Earth's atmosphere by volume (major gases)?

    Nitrogen about 78%, Oxygen about 21%, Argon about 0.93%, Carbon dioxide about 0.04%, plus trace gases.

20. List the layers of the atmosphere from the surface upward.

    Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere (Ionosphere), and Exosphere.

21. In which atmospheric layer does weather occur, and in which is the ozone layer found?

    Weather occurs in the Troposphere; the ozone layer is in the Stratosphere.

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

    About 6.5 degrees C decrease per 1,000 metres (or 1 degree C per 165 metres) of altitude.

23. Define 'isobars' and 'isotherms'.

    Isobars are lines joining places of equal atmospheric pressure; isotherms are lines joining places of equal temperature.

24. What are the Trade Winds and from which direction do they blow?

    Permanent winds blowing from subtropical high-pressure belts toward the equatorial low; NE in the Northern Hemisphere and SE in the Southern Hemisphere.

25. What is the Coriolis effect?

    The deflection of moving air/water due to Earth's rotation, to the right in the Northern Hemisphere and to the left in the Southern Hemisphere.

See more Geography flashcards →

Planning Geography for UPSC NDA

Geography (UPSC NDA) FAQ