UPMSP Intermediate Geography - Code 129 cheat sheet

Earth's interior layers: crust (continental ~35 km, oceanic ~5-10 km), mantle to ~2900 km, outer core liquid (S-waves cannot pass), inner core solid; discontinuities are Mohorovicic (crust-mantle), Gutenberg (mantle-core), Lehmann.

Plate boundaries: divergent (mid-ocean ridge, sea-floor spreading), convergent (subduction, ocean trench, island arc, fold mountains), transform (conservative, e.g. San Andreas); earthquakes and volcanoes concentrate along these belts.

Weathering types: physical (frost, exfoliation, salt), chemical (carbonation, oxidation, hydrolysis), biological; erosion agents ranked by transport: water, wind, ice, gravity.

Atmospheric layers: troposphere (weather, lapse rate ~6.5 degrees C/km), stratosphere (ozone), mesosphere (coldest), thermosphere (ionosphere), exosphere; pressure decreases with altitude.

Pressure belts: equatorial low (ITCZ), subtropical high (~30 degrees), subpolar low (~60 degrees), polar high; winds blow from high to low pressure deflected by Coriolis force (right in N hemisphere, left in S).

Ocean currents: warm currents flow from equator poleward (Gulf Stream, Kuroshio), cold currents poleward to equator (Labrador, Humboldt); gyres clockwise in N hemisphere, anticlockwise in S; upwelling brings nutrients.

Biosphere and ecology: ecosystem = biotic community + abiotic environment; food chain energy transfer ~10 percent per trophic level; biomes determined by temperature and precipitation.

Rock cycle: igneous (intrusive/extrusive), sedimentary (stratified, fossils), metamorphic (heat and pressure); soils form from parent rock, climate, relief, organisms and time.

Human geography studies spatial distribution of human activities and their relation to environment; subfields include population, settlement, economic, cultural and political geography.

Demographic transition stages: high birth/high death (stage 1), early expanding (2), late expanding (3), low birth/low death (4); stage 5 may show below-replacement fertility.

Population density = total population / area (persons per sq km); arithmetic, physiological (per unit arable land) and agricultural density differ in meaning.

Population pyramids: broad base = high birth rate (expansive); narrow base = ageing population (constrictive); stationary = rectangular shape.

Malthus (arithmetic food vs geometric population growth) versus Boserup (population pressure induces agricultural innovation).

Push factors (poverty, unemployment, conflict) and pull factors (jobs, education, safety) drive migration; Ravenstein's laws describe distance, step migration and return migration.

Sex ratio, dependency ratio and literacy rate are key population indicators; dependency ratio = (young + old) / working-age population x 100.

Primary activities directly extract from nature: hunting/gathering, pastoralism, fishing, forestry, agriculture, mining.

Secondary activities process raw materials: manufacturing, smelting, construction; classified as cottage, small-scale and large-scale industry.

Tertiary activities provide services: trade, transport, banking, education, health, tourism; quaternary activities involve knowledge and decision-making (research, IT, consultancy).

Types of agriculture: subsistence (shifting cultivation, intensive wet rice), commercial (plantation, ranching, dairy), and mixed farming.

Industrial location factors: raw material, power, market, transport, labour, capital and government policy (Weber's least-cost theory).

Agro-climatic and industrial regions result from combination of physical and economic factors; footloose industries locate near markets or labour.

Quaternary sector growth reflects knowledge economy; outsourcing and IT-enabled services illustrate global division of labour.

Transport modes: road (flexible, door-to-door), rail (bulk, long distance), water (cheapest for heavy goods), air (fastest, costly), pipelines (continuous liquids/gases).

Communication types: mass media (radio, TV, press), personal (telephone, internet); internet has reduced distance friction and enabled e-commerce.

International trade: balance of trade = exports minus imports; favourable when exports exceed imports; balance of payments includes trade plus invisibles.

Trade blocs and agreements: WTO regulates global trade; examples of regional groupings include EU, ASEAN, NAFTA/USMCA, SAARC; tariffs, quotas and subsidies are trade barriers.

Major commodities traded: petroleum, machinery, textiles, food grains; developing countries often export raw materials and import manufactures.

Ports and nodes (hinterland, entrepot) are key to trade; containerisation lowered transport costs and expanded global supply chains.

India's major trade partners and exports (engineering goods, petroleum products, gems, textiles) and imports (crude oil, gold, electronics).

Settlement types: rural (dispersed, nucleated, linear) and urban (town, city, metropolis, megacity); site and situation determine location.

Urban functions: residential, commercial, industrial, administrative; central business district (CBD) has high land value and accessibility.

Urban models: concentric zone, sector, multiple nuclei; urbanisation level = urban population / total population x 100.

Human Development Index (HDI) combines life expectancy, education (mean and expected years of schooling) and GNI per capita; ranges 0 to 1.

Other indices: Gender Inequality Index (GII), Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI); development is both economic and social.

Sustainable development balances economic growth, social equity and environmental protection (Brundtland definition: meeting present needs without compromising future generations).

Settlement hierarchy relates population size to number of services; higher-order settlements offer specialised services and larger hinterlands.

Physiographic divisions: Himalayas (young fold mountains), Indo-Gangetic Plain, Peninsular Plateau (old, stable), Coastal Plains, Islands (Andaman & Nicobar, Lakshadweep).

Himalayan ranges: Trans-Himalaya (Karakoram, Ladakh), Greater Himalaya (Himadri), Lesser Himalaya (Himachal), Shiwaliks; passes and valleys (Kashmir, Kullu, Duns).

Peninsular features: Deccan Plateau, Western and Eastern Ghats, Aravalli (oldest fold), Vindhya, Satpura; black soil region of Deccan traps.

Drainage systems: Himalayan rivers (Indus, Ganga, Brahmaputra) perennial, snow-fed; Peninsular rivers (Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Narmada, Tapi) seasonal, rain-fed.

Ganga basin: Bhagirathi and Alaknanda join at Devprayag; tributaries Yamuna, Ghaghara, Gandak, Kosi; delta at Sunderbans.

West-flowing Narmada and Tapi flow through rift valleys into the Arabian Sea; east-flowing rivers form deltas into Bay of Bengal.

Coastal plains: Konkan, Kanara, Malabar (west, narrow); Coromandel and Northern Circars (east, wide with deltas).

India's climate is monsoon type: southwest monsoon (June-September) brings rain; northeast monsoon (Oct-Dec) gives rain to Tamil Nadu coast; retreating monsoon and winter seasons follow.

Monsoon mechanism: differential heating, ITCZ shift, Tibetan plateau heating, jet stream and El Nino/La Nina influence rainfall variability.

Rainfall distribution: heavy (>200 cm) Western Ghats, NE India; low (<50 cm) Rajasthan, Ladakh; rain shadow on Deccan leeward side.

Soil types: alluvial (fertile, Indo-Gangetic plain), black/regur (cotton, Deccan, moisture-retentive), red (iron oxide, leached), laterite (heavy rain, acidic), arid, forest and mountain soils.

Soil conservation: contour ploughing, terracing, strip cropping, shelter belts, check dams, crop rotation.

Natural vegetation: tropical evergreen (heavy rain), deciduous/monsoon (teak, sal), thorn and scrub (dry), montane, mangrove (Sunderbans), and grassland.

Forest policy and conservation: reserved, protected and unclassed forests; biosphere reserves, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries protect biodiversity.

India's population is large and young; demographic dividend depends on education, health and employment of working-age population.

Distribution is uneven: high density in Indo-Gangetic plain, Kerala and coastal deltas; low in Rajasthan desert, Himalayan and NE hill states.

Migration streams: rural-to-urban dominates; push (agrarian distress) and pull (industrial jobs) factors; circular and seasonal migration common.

Census concepts: urban agglomeration, metropolitan city (above 1 million), literates (age 7+), workers and non-workers.

Human development in India varies by state; Kerala and Goa lead on HDI indicators; gender gaps persist in literacy and workforce participation.

Population policy: National Population Policy goals on fertility, health and education; family welfare programmes.

Urbanisation challenges: slums, infrastructure, transport, sanitation; planned development through master plans and smart cities.

Scale types: statement (1 cm = 1 km), representative fraction (1:50,000), graphical/linear; large scale shows more detail, small scale shows larger area.

Map types: topographic (physical and cultural detail), thematic (climate, soil, population), cadastral (land parcels), choropleth and isopleth maps.

Grid reference: latitude/longitude for location; eastings and northings read right then up on a grid; contour interval gives elevation difference.

Contour patterns: closely spaced = steep slope; widely spaced = gentle; concentric closed loops = hill or depression; V-shape points upstream for valleys.

Survey of India topographical sheet symbols: settlement, road, railway, canal, temple, post office; conventional signs aid interpretation.

Field techniques: questionnaire, interview, observation, sampling; data presented via tables, bar graphs, pie charts and flow maps.

Direction and bearing: compass points and bearings measured clockwise from north; magnetic declination corrects compass to true north.

Cross-section and profile drawing from contours reveals relief; slope and gradient = vertical difference / horizontal distance.