Geography (Indian and World)
Geography covers Indian and world physical, economic and human geography. Questions favour maps, rivers, climate, soils, minerals and global straits.
India
- Latitudes: the Tropic of Cancer (23°30′N) passes through eight states, from Gujarat to Mizoram.
- The Himalayas, Indo-Gangetic Plain and Peninsular Plateau are the three major physiographic divisions.
- Monsoon: the south-west monsoon (June–September) brings most rain; Mawsynram and Cherrapunji record extreme rainfall.
- Rivers: the Ganga is the longest river within India; the Sundarbans is the largest delta; the Godavari is the longest peninsular river.
- Soils: alluvial, black (regur), red, laterite and desert soils.
World
- Continents: Asia is the largest; Africa has the most countries; Antarctica is the coldest.
- Oceans: the Pacific is the largest and the Arctic the smallest; the Strait of Malacca links the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
- The Equator, Prime Meridian and International Date Line are key reference lines.
Worked example
Question: “The Tropic of Cancer passes through how many Indian states?” It crosses Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura and Mizoram. Answer: eight.
Traps
- Saying the Ganga is the world’s longest river; the Nile–Amazon length debate is separate.
- Confusing the largest delta (Sundarbans) with the largest river island (Majuli).
- Mixing the Tropic of Cancer with the Equator.
- Forgetting that the Godavari, not the Ganga, is the longest peninsular river.