STAM Posty WE RIT LATINDIAN GEOGRAPHY Subjective & Objective For All Competitive exams CSAT, IES, NDA/NA, CDS, SCC, NCERT, Railway, Banking, State Services, etc. Objective Questions with Answers © COPYRIGHT RESERVED PRICE :; 150.00 M MAXCURIOUS Editorial Board Soko i bb bab a abo a aba bb be a ok ab a abo ab ob bE CONTENTS CLICK THE FOLLOWING HEADINGS TO GO TO THE CHAPTER INDIAN GEOGRAPHY » Physical Divisions+ Earthquakes + River System « Climate + Forest . Ag riculture - Mineral Resources . Transport Communication and Trade - Indian Town - Wind Energy Power Plants + Geothermal Fields + Tidal, Wave and Solar Energy Plants + Thermal Plants + Famous Tourist Sites + Major Sanctuaries . National Parks + National Wildlife Conservation Projects + Biosphere Reserves + Tiger Reserves - Elephant Reserves » Ramsar Sites + Critically Endangered Animal Species INDIAN GEOGRAPHY OBJECTIVE MCQs ob sb ob aba bob sb obat abobot abot ab abet bob tbat ob tabetha bob ab abba:INDIAN GEOGRAPHY we = te er - - Ba wr PHYSICAL Pe a aw a>, INDIA on Seay FAST FACTS OF INDIAN GEOGRAPHY Continent & Region | Asia, South Asia, Indian subcontinent Tectonic plate Indian Plate; is moving northeast at 5 cm/yr Longitude 68° 7'and 97° 25' east longitude Latitude 8° 4' and 37° 6'north latitude 3,287,263 km’, 7th in World Rank Population 1,210,193,422, 2nd in World Rank (2011 census)No. of States 29 No. of UTs 7 Territorial Sea 12 nm (nautical miles) Contiguous Zone 24nm National park 103 Wildlife sanctuaries | 515 North-South extent | 3,214km East-West extent 2,933 km Land Frontiers 15,200 km Highest point Lowest point Northern most point Southern most point Southern most point of India (Mainland) Kanchenjunga: 8,586 m (28,169 ft) Kuttanad, Kerala: -2.2m (-7.2 ft) Karakoram Pass, near the Siachen Glacier, Indian- administered Kashmir Indira Point, Great Nico- bar, Andaman & Nicobar Islands Cape Comorin near Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu Eastern most point ‘Western most point Kibithu, Arunachal Pradesh Guhar Moti in Kutch, Gujarat Coastline length Land boundaries Border Countries 7,517 km; 5,423 km belong to peninsular India and 2,094 km to the An- daman, Nicobar, and Lak- shadweep island chains. 13,888 km Afghanistan and Pak- istan to the north-west; China, Bhutan and Nepal to the north;Myanmar to the east; and Bangladesh to the east of West Bengal. Sri Lanka is separated from India in the south by a narrow channel of sea, formed by Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar. Terrain The mainland comprises of four regions, namely the great mountain zone, plains of the Ganga and the Indus, the desert region, and the southern peninsula. Longest River The Ganges or Ganga (Length 2,525 km) Chilika Lake, Odisha (Length 64.3 km) 4 times largest than Pakistan 12 times larger than UK 8 times larger than Japan. Largest Lake Largest than other countries Uttar Pradesh border maximum number of states: 8 (Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhat- tisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar) 8 states; Gujarat, Ra- jasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura and Mizoram. State with maxi- mum borders states Tropic of Cancer passes throughEURASIAN PLATE PHYSICAL DIVISIONS OF INDIA India is a country of physical diversity. Border Countries with Indian States Caan Indian States situated on the ¥ border Afghanistan | Jammuand Kashmir Bangladesh | West Bengal, Mizoram, Megha- Jaya, Tripura and Assam Bhutan West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam China Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim & Arunachal Pradesh Myanmar Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram Nepal Bihar, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Sikkim and West Bengal Pakistan Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Ra- jasthan and GujratThere are high mountain peaks in some areas while in others, lie the flat plains formed by rivers. On the basis of physical features, India can be divided into following six divisions: 1. The Northern Mountains The Northern Plains or Indo Gangetic Plains The Peninsular India The Indian Desert The Coastal Plains The Islands Sieg pe bs THE NORTHERN MOUNTAINS + The northern mountains were formed by the ongoing tectonic collision of the Indian and Eurasian plates. - It contains of the Himalayas, Hindu Kush, and Patkai ranges which marks the northern Indian subcontinent. + These mountains are the boundary between two of the Earth's great ecozones: the temper- ate Palearctic that covers most of Eurasia and the tropical and subtropical Indomalaya eco- zone which includes the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and Indonesia.- It is divided into three groups. These are : the Himalayas, the Trans Himalayas and the Pu- ranchal hills Important Features of Mountains - Pass is a natural gap or a route between a ridges, hill. + Range is the large landmass consisting of mountains, ridges and peaks. + Peak is the highest point or tip of a mountain range. + Valley is a depression or a flat land between two elevated areas. + Dun is the longitudinal valleys existing be- tween Himachal and Shiwaliks. The Himalayas and its Origin + The Himalayas is the highest and one of the youngest mountain ranges in the world. It acts as natural barrier. + The extreme cold, snow and rugged topogra- phy discourage the neighbors to enter India through Himalayas. + They run from west-east direction from Indus to Brahmaputra along the northern boundary of India covering a distance of 2500 km. Their width varies from 400 in the west and 150 km in the East. » Its origin can be traced in the Jurassic Era, which is about 80 million years ago. + This mountain ranges are mostly formed of sedimentary and metamorphic rocks, it has been subjected to intense folding and faulting. » The Geosynclinal Origin has been supported by Argand, Kober and Suess. - The Plate Tectonic Origin of the Himalayas was put forward by W.J. Morgan in 1967. The Himalayas may be divided into three parallel ranges:1. Greater Himalayas or Himadari 2. Lesser Himalayas or Himachal 3. Outer Himalayas or Siwaliks. The Greater Himalayas or Himadari + It comprises of the northern most ranges and peaks. - It has an average height of 6000 metres and width lies between 120 to 190 Km. - It is the most continuous range. It is snow bound and many glaciers descend from this range. « It has high peaks like Mt, Everest, Kanchen- junga, Makalu, Dhaulagiri, Nanga Parbat etc. having a height of more than 8000 metres. + Mt. Everest (8848 m) is the highest peak of the world and Kanchenjunga is the highest peak of Himalaya in India. + High Mountain passes also exist in this range, namely, Bara Lacha-La, Shipki-La, Nathu-La, Zoji-La, Bomidi-La etc. The Ganga and Ya- muna rivers originates from this Himalayas. The Lesser Himalayas or Himachal + The altitude of this range lies between 1000 and 4500 metres and the average width is 50 km. + The Prominent ranges in this are Pir Panjal, Dhaula Dhar and Mahabharata ranges. - It compresses of many famous hill stations like Shimla, Dalhousie Darjeeling, Chakrata, Mussoorie, Nanital etc. + It also comprises of famous valleys like Kash- mir, Kullu, Kangra etc. The Outer Himalayas or the Siwaliks - Itis the outer most range of the Himalayas. + The altitude varies between 900 to 1100 me- ters and the width lies between 10 to 50 km. + They have low hills like Jammu Hills, etc.- The valleys lying between Siwalik and Lesser Himalayas (Himachal) are called ‘Duns’ like Dehra Dun, Kotli Dun and Patli Dun. The Trans-Himalayan ranges + It extends north of greater Himalaya and par- allel to it is called Zaskar Range. - North of Zaskar range lies Ladakh range. The Indus River flows between Zaskar and Ladakh range. + The Karakoram range lie extreme north of the country. K2 is the second highest peak of the world. The Purvanchal hills + It comprises Mishami, Patkoi, Naga, Mizo hills which are located in eastern side. + The Meghalaya plateau is also part of these hills which includes the hills of Garo, Khasi and Jaintia. The Significance of the Himalayas The Himalayas comprise the most dominating ge- ographical feature of India. The Himalayas are the body and soul of India. The following few points are the significance of the Hi- malayan Mountains to India. Climatic Influence + By virtue of their high altitude, length and direction, they effectively intercept the sum- mer monsoons coming from the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea and cause precipitation in the form of rain or snow. - Besides, they prevent the cold continental air masses of central Asia from entering into India. - According to the latest meteorological stud- ies, the Himalayas are responsible for splitting the jet stream into two branches and these inturn play an extremely important role in bring monsoons in India. Defence + The Himalayas have been protecting India from outside invaders since the early times thus serving as a defence barrier. - But the Chinese aggression on India in Octo- ber, 1962 has reduced the defence significance of the Himalayas to a considerable extent. - In spite of advancement in modem warfare technology, the defence significance of the Hi- malayas cannot be ignored altogether. Source of Rivers + Almost all the great rivers of India have their sources in the Himalayan ranges. + Abundant rainfall and vast snow-fields as well as large glaciers are the feeding grounds of the mighty rivers of India. + Snow melt in summer provides water to these rivers even during dry season and these are perennial rivers. + The Himalayan Rivers, along with hundreds of their tributaries, form the very basis of life in the whole of north India. Fertile Soil - The great rivers and their tributaries carry enormous quantities of alluvium while de- scending from the Himalayas. This is de- posited in the Great Plain of North India in the form of fertile soil, making the plain one of the most fertile lands of the world. » It has been estimated that the Ganga and the Indus carry 19 and 10 lakh tonnes of silt, per day respectively and the silt carried by the Brahmaputra is even more. Hydroelectricity- The Himalayan region offers several sites which can be used for producing hydroelec- tricity. - There are natural waterfalls at certain places while dams can be constructed across rivers at some other places. Forest Wealth + The Himalayan ranges has vegetal cover from the tropical to the Alpine, in their altitude. + The Himalayan forests provide fuel wood and a large variety of raw materials for forest based industries, - Many medicinal plants grow inthe Himalayan region. Agriculture + The Himalayas do not offer extensive flat lands for agriculture but some of the slopes are terraced for cultivation. Rice is the main crop on the terraced slopes. - The other crops are wheat, maize, potatoes, to- bacco and ginger. + Tea is a unique crop which can be grown on the hill slopes only. + A wide variety of fruits such as apples, pears, grapes, mulberry, walnut, cherries, peaches, apricot, etc. are also grown in the Himalayan region. Tourism - By virtue of their scenic beauty and healthy environment, the Himalayan ranges have de- veloped a large number of tourist spots. + Srinagar, Dalhousie, Dharamshala, Chamba, Shimla, Kulu, Manali, Mussoorie, Nainital, Ranikhet, Almora, Darjeeling, Mirik, Gangtok, etc. are important tourist centres in the Hi- malayas.Pilgrimage - The Himalayas are proud of being studded with sanctified shrines which are considered to be the abodes of the Gods. Large number of pilgrims trek through difficult terrain to pay their reverence to these sacred shrines. + Kailas, Amarnath, Badrinath, Kedamath, Vaishnu Devi, Jwalaji, Uttarkashi, Gangotri, Yamunotri, etc. are important places of pil- grimage. Minerals - There are vast potentialities of mineral oil in the tertiary rocks. + Coalis found in Kashmir. + Copper, lead, zinc, nickel, cobalt, antimony, tungsten, gold, silver, limestone, semi-pre- cious and precious stones, gypsum and mag- nesite are known to occur at more than 100 lo- calities in the Himalayas. Mountain Ranges of india Major Himalayan peaks Elevation in Elevationin Peak Name Peak Name (m) Gn) ‘Everest 8,848 Gyachung Kang 7,952 K2 (Godwin 8,611 Gasherbrum IV 7,925 Austen)“Tkangchenjnga | 8,586 Nuptse 7,861 Lhotse 8,516 Masherbrum 7,821 Makalu 8,462 Nanda Devi 7,817 Che Oyu Rakaposhi Dhaulagiri 8,167 Tirich Mir 7,708 ‘Manaslu 8,156 Gangkhar Puensum | 7,570 Nanga Parbat 8,126 Ismoil Somoni Peak | 7,495 Annapuma 8,091 ‘Langtang Lirung 7,227 Gasherbram T 8,080 Machapuchare 6,993 Broad Peak 8,047 Dorje Lakpa 6,966 Gasherbrum II 8,035 ‘Ama Dablam 6,848 Shishapangma | 8,013 Kailash 6,638 Mt. Everest base camp MAP : | conto wrermes endear aber Major Himalayan Passes and Routes Pass or route pigyason Location and facts in(m) | Aghil Pass | 5000 Situated to the north of KiXinjiang (Sinkiang) Prov- ince of China. Banihal Pass 2835 Situated in the Pir-Panjal Range; joins Jammu with Srinagar. Jawahar Tunnel (inaugurated in Decem- ber 1956) or Banihal Tunnelis a road tunnel of Jammu and Kashmir. Bara Lacha 4843 Situated in Jammu and Kashmir ; connecting Manali and Leh. Bomdi La 4331 Situated to the east of Bhutan; connects Arunachal Pradesh with Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. Burzail Pass 4100 Itis an ancient pass and caravan route between Srinagar in Kashmir and Gilgit. This route was active up to Pakistan's independence. Chang-La 5360 It is a high mountain pass in Ladakh Debsa Pass 5360 It is a high mountain pass in Greater Himalayas between the Kulluand Spiti districts of Himachal Pradesh Diphu Pass 4587 It is a mountain pass at the tri-point of the bor- ders of India, China, and Myanmar. Gangtok 4310 Itis in Sikkim to Lhasa in Tibet, via the Nathu La and Jelep La Passes elep La 3 it connects Sikkim wit! lep Li 4538 I Sikki ith Lhasa. It passes through Chumbi Valley. Khardung La 6000 It is the highest motorable pass in the country. It joins Leh with Siachin glacier.Khunjerab Pass | 4693 Itis a high mountain pass in the Karakoram Mountains in a strategic position on the north- ern border of Pakistan's Gilgit-Baltistan Hunza - Nagar District on the southwest border of the Xinjiang region of China. Situated in the Aksai- Chin (Ladakh); connects Ladakh with Lhasa. Lanak La 5466 Lipu Lekh 5334 Situated in the Pithoragarh District (Ut- tarakhand); connects Ut- tarakakhand with Tibet. The pilgrims of Manaso- ravar Lake travel through this pass. It is one of the most important border post for trade with China. Mana Pass 5545 Located in Uttarakhand, itis a border between India and Tibet. Located in the Siwalik Hills, the southernmost and geologically youngest foothills running parallel to the main Himalayas in Sikkim. Situated on the Indo- China border; connects the Indian state of Sikkim with China's Tibet Auton- omous Region. After the 1962 war it was opened in 2006. Pensi La 4400 Situated in the Ladakh region of Jammuand Kashmir, which is known as the Gateway to Zan- skar. It connects the Valley of Kashmir with Kargil (Ladakh). Mohan Pass 800 Nathu La 4310 Rohtang Pass 3979 Located on the eastern Pir Panjal Range of theHimalayas; connects the Kullu, the Lahul and Sipti valleys of Himachal Pradesh. s Shipki La 5669 Located in Kinnaur district in the state of Himachal Pradesh, India, and Tibet, China. The Sutlej river enters India through this pass. Thang La 5328 It is amountain pass in Ladhak. It is the second highest motorable moun- tain pass in Indian after Khardung La. Traill's Pass 5212 Located between Nanda Deviand Nanda Kot peaks in the Uttarakhand. Zoji La 3528 It joins Srinagar with Kargil and Leh. THE NORTHERN PLAINS or INDO GANGETIC PLAINS The Northern Plains are located between south of the Himalayas and north of the Peninsular plateau. It is formed by the deposition of the sediments brought by three main river systems namely : the Indus, the Ganga and the Brahmaputra. The plains encompass an area of 700,000 km?. From Punjab in the west to Assam in the east, this plain is about 2400 km long. Its width varies from about 300 km in the west to about 150 km in the east. It mainly includes the states of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam. This plain is very fertile due to alluvial sediments brought by the rivers from the Himalayas.- This plain is one of the largest and most fertile plains of the world. Major crops such as wheat, rice, sugarcane, pulses, oil seeds and jute are grown here. + The major rivers of this system are the Ganga and the Indus along with their tributaries; Beas, Yamuna, Gomti, Ravi, Chambal, Sutlej and Chenab, + The northern plain is divided into three sec- tions, i.e. the Punjab Plain, the Ganga Plain and the Brahmaputra Plain. Punjab Plains - This plain is formed by five important rivers of Indus system. Punjab literally means “(The Land of) Five Waters” referring to the follow- ing rivers: the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Sutlej, and Beas. » The plain is primarily made up of ‘doabs’ - the land between two rivers. + The total area of this plain is about 1.75 lakh sq km. - The average elevation of the plain is about 250 m above mean sea level. « The area between the Ghaggar and the Ya- muna rivers lies in Haryana and often termed as ‘Haryana Tract’. It acts as water-divide be- tween the Yamuna and the Satluj rivers. + The only river between the Yamuna and the Satluj is the Ghaggar which is considered to be the present day Successor of the legendary Saraswati River. Ganga Plains + This is the largest unit of the Great Plain of India stretching from Delhi to Kolkata (about 3.75 lakh sq km).- The northern states, Haryana, Delhi, UP, Bihar, part of Jharkhand and West Bengal in the east lie in the Ganga plains. - The general slope of the entire plain is to the east and south east. + Almost all the rivers keep on shifting their courses making this area prone to frequent floods. The Kosi river is very notorious in this respect. It has long been called the ‘Sorrow of Bihar’. Brahmaputra Plains « This is also known as the Brahmaputra valley or Assam Valley or Assam Plain as most of the Brahmaputra valley is situatedin Assam. » Its western boundary is formed by the Indo- Bangladesh border as well as the boundary of the lower Ganga Plain. Its eastern boundary is formed by Purvanchal hills. + It is an aggradation plain built up by the de- positional work of the Brahmaputra and its tributaries. Physical Features of the Northern plains Bhabar Region or belt + It is 8 to 16 km wide, region lies along the foothills of Himalayas between Indus and Teesta rivers. - It contains pebbles & stones which are ex- tremely pervious. - Small river and streams disappear under- ground on reaching this region. Terai Region or belt + 15 to 30 km wide belt found south of the Bhabar region is called as Terai. * It is a marshy tract and zone of excessive dampness with the thick grown of forests and high biological diversity.- The speed of river flow in Terai region is slow. - In Terai region rice is grown mostly of the lands for cultivation. e.g: Sitapur, Rampur, Lakhimpur, Philibhit, Bareilly region of Uttar Pradesh. Bangar Region or belt - It is the higher part of the plains, where the floodwater cannot reach. - It is made up of old alluvium and it contains pebbles and coarser sediments. « These plains are less fertile. In this region, whenever the high lands are created by stones and sand, it is locally called as ‘Bhur’. e.g. Bhurs are found in the upper parts of Ganga-Yamuna doab. Khadar Region or belt + It lies in lowland areas after the Bangar belt. - It is made up of new alluvium. In this region, floods bring new alluvium every year. - It is mainly found along the river banks and contains fine particles or clays so it is fertile region. Deltaic Plain » Itis an extension of the Khadar land. + It covers about 1.9 lakh sq km of area in the lower reach of the Ganga River. + It formed by very fine alluvial soils formed by river deltas contain mainly clays. - The uplands are called ‘Chars’ while the marshy areas are known as ‘Bels’ in the delta regions. + These are very fertile and are suitable for jute & rice cultivation. e.g. The Ganga-Brahmapu- tra delta, spread in India and Bangladesh. Significance of the Great Plains of India- It is the most productive region of India and literally called as the ‘Granary of India’. - Farming on the Indus-Ganga Plain primarily consists of rice and wheat grown in rotation. Other crops include maize, sugarcane, and cotton. + These plains have sedimentary geological structure, these plains have large deposits of fossil fuels. Road and rail transport can be de- veloped in this region, relatively with ease, due to its little or no slope gradient. - The great plain of India with its deep, fertile, stoneless, alluvial soil and its many rivers, is the most favourable and most desirable part of the sub-continent. The five rich states of the plain (Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal), which contain about one- third of the total land area, but in which about 40% of the country’s population lives, support one of the densest populations in the world. + The plains have a fertile soil and because of the slow moving perennial water cour- ses and favourable climate and they are, the great agricultural tracts of the country, raising bumper crops of rice, wheat, oilseeds, sugar- cane, tobacco and jute. - These plains have given birth to and nursed and nourished the unique Hindu civilizations in its river valleys—the Harappa, Mohenjo- daro, Pilibanga, Lothal civilizations. THE PENINSULAR INDIA » It is the largest physiographic division of India, covering an area of about 16 lakh sq km. + It constitutes an irregular triangle with its base lying between the Delhi Ridge and the Rajmahal Hills and the apex formed by Kanyakumari.- It is bounded by the Aravallis in the north- west, Maikal Range in the north, Hazaribagh and Rajmahal Hills in the northeast, the West- ern Ghats (Sahayadri Mountains) in the west, the Eastern Ghats in the east. + The highest peak of peninsular India is Ana- mudi (Elevation : 2695 m) in Kerala. Physical Features of the Peninsular India The Peninsular India is dived into Central Highlands and the Deccan Plateau. Central Highlands Aravallis Range It is a range that runs from north-east to south-west for about 800 km between Delhi to Palanpur (Gu- jarat). Its highest peak Guru-Sikhar is only 1722 me- tres in height. Malwa Plateau + It is bordered by the Aravallis in the South, the Vindhyan Range in the south andthe Bundelk- hand Plateau in the east. - It is spread across Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. The average elevation of the Malwa plateau is 500 metres, and the land- scape generally slopes towards the north. + Most of the region is drained by the Cham- bal River and its tributaries; the western part is drained by the upper reaches of the Mahi River. Vindhya Range + It extends from Jobat (Gujarat) and Chittor- garh (Rajasthan) to Sasaram in Bihar. It ex- tends for about 1050 km with the average el- evation of these hills is from 300 m to 600 m and rarely goes above 700 meters.- Apart from the Kaimur Hills in the east, the Maikal Range forms a connecting link be- tween the Vindhyans and the Satpura moun- tains. - It separates northern India from southern India. Satpura Range + It begins in eastern Gujarat near the Arabian Sea coast and runs east across Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. - It extends 900 km with many peaks rising above 1,000 m (3,300 ft). - It is triangular in shape, with its apex at Rat- napuri and the two sides being parallel to the Tapti and Narmada rivers. - It runs parallel to the Vindhya Range, which lies to the north, and these two east-west ranges divide the Indo-Gangetic plain from the Deccan Plateau located north of River Nar- mada. Chotanagpur Plateau - It is situated in eastern India, covering much of Jharkhand and adjacent parts of Odisha, Bihar and Chhattisgarh. Its total area is ap- proximately 65,000 km? and is made up of three smaller plateaus — the Ranchi, Hazarib- agh, and Kodarma plateaus. - The plateaux at the highest elevation of about 1100m in the mid-western part are known as Pat lands. The average elevation of the plateau is 700 m above sea level. + The Kathiawar peninsula in western Gujarat is bounded by the Gulf of Kutch and the Gulf of Khambat. + The Barakar, the Damodar, the Subarnarekha and Koel rivers drain the Chhotnagpur Plateau.The Meghalaya Plateau and Mikir Hills - It has been separated from the main block of the peninsular plateau by a wide gap known as the Garo-Rajmahal Gap. + It slopes down to Brahmaputra valley in the north and the Surma and Meghna valleys in the south. + Its western boundary more or less coincides with the Bangladesh border. » The western, central and the eastern parts of the plateau are known as the Garo Hills (900 m), the Khasi-Jaintia Hills (1500 m) and the Mikir Hills (700 m). * Shillong (1961 m) is the highest point of the plateau. + Norkek (1515 m) is the highest peak of the Garo Hills. + Mawsynram about 16 km of Cherrapunji records the highest rainfall in the world. Deccan Plateau + Itisa large triangular plateau, bounded by the Vindhyas to the north and flanked by the East- ern and Western Ghats. + It covers a total area of 1.9 million km?. « It is mostly flat, with elevations ranging from 300 to 600 m. + It is divided into two parts such as north Dec- can Plateau or Maharashtra plateau and the south Deccan consisting of Karnatak, Telan- gana and Tamil Nadu Plateaus. + It slopes gently from west to east and gives rise to several peninsular rivers such as the Godavari, the Krishna, the Kaveri and the Ma- hanadi which drain into the Bay of Bengal. Western Ghats and Eastern GhatsKnown as Sahyadri Purva Ghat or Ma- hendra Parvatam Length 1,600 km 1,450km Average elevation | 1000m 520m, States Gujarat, Maharashtra, Odisha, Andhra Goa, Karnataka, Kerala Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and Tamil Nadu Highest point Anamudi (2,695 m) Arma Konda (1,680 m) Peaks Kudermukh (1892m) Deomali (1672 m) Puspagiri (1714m) Gali Konda (1643 m) Kalsubai (1646 m) Sinkram Gutta (1620 Salher (1567 m) m) Mahabaleshwar (1438 m) | Dewodi-Munda Harischandra (1424 m) (1598 m) Singa-Raju (1561 m) Mahendragiri (1,501 m) Rivers flowing Godavari, Tungabhadra, | Godavari, Kaveri, through Krishna, Thamiraparani | Krishna, Mahanadi and Kaveri. and Tungabhadra Major Waterfalls | Thoseghar Falls, Jog Barehipani Falls, Falls, Kunchikal Falls, Kiliyur Falls, Nu- Dudhsagar Falls, ranang Falls, Lalguli Sivasamudram Falls, Un- | Falls, Thalaiyar Falls challi Falls. Highest waterfall | Thoseghar Falls (500m) | Barehipani Falls (399) * Inthe Nilgiris the Western Ghats joins the Eastern Ghats. Major Passes in Peninsular India Pass Location Amba Ghat Ratnagiri-Kolhapur road (NH 204) in Maharashtra Bhor Ghat or Karjat and Khandalain Bor Ghat MaharashtraChorla Ghat It is a nature destination located on the intersection of the borders of Goa, Kar- nataka and Maharashtra. Haldighati pass | connects Rajsamand and Pali district of Rajasthan Kasara Ghat or Kasara in Maharashtra, is Thal Ghat located on the busy Mum- bai-Nashik route Kumbharli Ghat | Connects the coastal Ratnagiri District of Ma- harashtra with the Satara District in Desh region. Malshej Ghat Thane district of Maha- rashtra Nane Ghat Junnar in Pune district of Maharashtra Palakkad Gap or | between Coimbatore in Palghat Gap Tamil Nadu and Palakkad in Kerala Varandha Ghat | located between NH4 and Konkan in Maharashtra Significance of Peninsular Plateau + The Peninsular region of India is rich in both the metallic and non-metallic minerals. About 98% of the Gondwana coal deposit of India is found in the peninsular region. + A substantial part is covered by black earth (Regur soil) facilitating rich harvest of cotton, millet, maize, pulses, oranges etc. + Some areas are also useful for cultivation of rubber, tea, coffee, citrus fruits, spices, to- bacco, groundnut and oilseeds. - On the southern and eastern parts of Penin- sular India are large stretches of Archaean,Dharwar, Cuddapah and Vindhyan formations in which red, brown and laterite soils have de- veloped over time. - The Western Ghats, Nilgiris and the Eastern Ghats are covered by thick tropical moist de- ciduous and semi-evergreen forests. The rivers flowing eastward into the Bay of Bengal make several gorges, waterfalls, rapids and cataracts, which have been harnessed for the generation of hydro-electricity. The rivers originating from the Western Ghats offer great opportunity for the generation of hydel power and irrigation of agricultural crops and orchards. There are numerous hill stations and hill resorts, of which Ooty, Udhagaman- dalam, Kodaikonal, Mahabaleshwar, Khan- dala, Metheron, Pachmarhi, and Mount Abu are the most important. + The hilly and mountainous areas of the Penin- sula are the abodes of many scheduled tribes. South of the Vindhyans is a predominance of Dravidian culture. THE INDIAN DESERT or THAR DESERT It is the world's 17th largest desert, and the world's 9th largest subtropical desert. In India, it covers about 320,000 km’, of which 60% is in Rajasthan and extends into Gujarat, Punjab, and Haryana. About 85% of the Thar Desert is in India, and the remaining part in Pakistan. The desert continues into Pakistan as the Cholistan Desert. - Annual temperatures can range from O°C in the winter to over 50°C during the summer. This region gets very less rainfall which is less than 150 mm ina year.+ Luni is the only large river but some streams appear during rainy season. + The Luni is a river of western Rajasthan. It originates in the Pushkar valley of the Aravalli Range, near Ajmer and ends in the marshy lands of Ran of Kutch in Gujarat. + Crescent-shaped dunes (barchans) are found in this area. Great Rann of Kuchchh + It isa seasonal salt marsh located in the Thar Desert in the Kutch District of Gujarat, India. + In India's summer monsoon, the flat desert of salty clay and mudflats, which average 15 me- ters above sea level, fills with standing water. In very wet years, the wetland extends from the Gulf of Kutch on the west through to the Gulf of Cambay on the east. Great Rann of Kuchchh + This is one of the hottest areas of India - with summer temperatures averaging and peaking at 49,5 °C, Winter temperatures reduce dra- matically and can go below 0 °C (32 °F).THE COASTAL PLAINS - The coastal plains of India are located along the Arabian Sea coast in the west and along the Bay of Bengal coast in the east. + The coastal plains were formed by the depo- sitional action of the rivers and the erosional and depositional actions of the sea-waves. - According to their location to the east or west of the peninsular, they are called: East coastal plain, and West coastal plain. Eastern and Western Coastal Plain Eastern Coastal. Western Coastal Plain Plain Located | From TamilNaduin | From Gujarat in the the south to West north andend at Bengalinthe north. | Keralainthe south. Length | 1100km 1400km Width 100 to 130 km 10 to 80 km Parts Northern part = Northern part = Northern Circars ; Konkan (Mumbai- between Mahanadi Goa) and Krishna Central stretch = Southern part = Kanara (Coastal Coromandel Coast ; Karnataka) between Krishna and | Southern stretch Kaveri rivers = Malabar Coast (Western Konkan — Kanyakumari) Rivers Mahanadi, Godavari, | Tapi(Tapati), Nar- Kaveri,andKrishna | mada, Mandoviand Zuari. * Chilika Lake (Length : 64.3 km) is the largest brackish water in the country is located on the East Coast. It is the largest coastal lagoon in India and the second largest la- goon in the world. THE ISLANDSIndia has two group of islands (i.e. Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea and Andaman & Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal). Lakshadweep Islands + It lie 200 to 300 km off the coast of Kerala in the Arabian Sea with an area of 32 km’. + They consist of twelve atolls, three reefs, and five submerged banks, with a total of about 36 islands and islets. Andaman and Nicobar Islands + It located 1,255 km from Kolkata and 193 km from Cape Negrais in Burma. + This group of islands can be divided into two groups. The Andaman is in the north and the Nicobar is in the south. + These islands are located close to equator and thus, experience equatorial type of climate and also have thick forest cover. * These islands too have rich biodiversity (flora & fauna).+ The Barren Island in the Andaman has an ac- tive volcano. Narcondam is another volcanic island in the Bay of Bengal. Major islands of India + Chorao is an island along the river Mandovi near Panaji, Goa, India. + Elephanta Island is one of the islands in Mum- bai Harbor. + Kalpeni is an island in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep, India. + Rameswaram Island is a small island in the Gulf of Munnar. + Willingdon Island is the home of the modern port that serves Kochi in Kerala, India. + Majuli is a river island of the Brahmaputra river, Assam, India. + Sriharikota is a barrier island in Andhra Pradesh. - Salsette Island is India's most populated is- land on which the city of Mumbai is located. - Forty-two islands in the Gulf of Kutch consti- tute the Marine National Park. EARTHQUAKES IN INDIA - The major reason for the high frequency and intensity of the earthquakes is that the Indian plate is driving into Asia at a rate of approxi- mately 47 mm/year. - Center for Seismology, Ministry of Earth Sci- ences is nodal agency of Government of India dealing with various activities in the field of seismology and allied disciplines. + The earthquake zoning map of India divides India into 4 seismic zones (Zone 2, 3,4and 5) « The Modified Mercalli (MM) intensity, which measures the impact of the earthquakes onthe surface of the earth, broadly associated with various zones, is as follows: Seismic Zone Intensity on MMI scale Tl (Low intensity zone) VI (or less) III (Moderate intensity VI zone) IV | Iv (Severe intensity zone) | intensity zone) jv Vv pv Covers eenenyeoe) | severe intensity IX PS above) ra Indian Earthquake Zones Major Earthquakes in India Dates Location December 26, | off west coast northern 2004 Sumatra India Sri Lanka Maldives August 15, Arunachal Pradesh 8.6 1950June 12,1897 | Shillong, Assam 8.3 June 16,1819 | Gujarat 8.2 June 26,1941 | Andaman Islands 8.1 June 12,1897 | Shillong 8.1 December 31, | Andaman Islands 7.9 1881 April 25,2015 | Northern India, 7.8 North East India April 4, 1905 Himachal Pradesh 7.8 October 26, Northern India 1.7 2015 August 10, Andaman Islands 7.7 2009 May 31,1935 | Quetta, Baluchistan. TT October 8, Kashmir 7.6 2005 January 26, Gujarat 7.6 2001 September 18, | Kolkata 7.6 1737 May 12,2015 | Northern India, 7.3 North East India October 20, Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand | 7.0 1991 September 18, | Gangtok, Sikkim 6.9 2011 January 3, North East India 6.7 2016 RIVER SYSTEM IN INDIA [River System | Lengih (km) | Originates from | Ends in nificed indus 3100 In Tibet Kalish Range | Arabian sea id Pakivtan 5080 mits Ganga (Bhagirati) | 2480 ‘Gangothri Bay of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarak- Bengal hand, Bihar, West Bengal ‘Yarmuna Gama) [570 Garhwalla Tap at Deli, Hanyanaand UP Yamunotri Bengal [Brahmaputra 7s LakeManasarovar | Bay of North Eastern state Bengal [Raver Dakshina [805 Hills of Coorg. Tayot Earnataka and Tamilnadu | seas arGanges Kamataka Bengal | ofthe south) ‘Godavart aes ‘Nast ils Bay of South easterly part of nengal | andta Pradesh ieishna 7400 Wear Nahabaletharar | Bay of Maharani & in Maharashtra Bengal _| andhespradesh‘Amarkantak hill in Biadhya Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh Maharastra Bettul Madhya Pradesh and Maharastra ‘Amarkintak Plateau Tearkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha Cardaman Hills Madurai and Ramanatha- puram in Tamil Nadu Cardaman Hille Tamil Nach and Kerala ‘Agasthiyar Hills Thiranelval in Tamil Nadu State City Andhra Pradesh | Rajahmundry Andhra Pradesh | Vijayawada Assai Dibrugarh m Assam. Guwahati Bihar BiharDaman Daman Daman Ganga River Delhi New Delhi Yamuna Gujarat Ahmedabad Sabarmati Gujarat Bharuch Narmada Gujarat Surat Tapi Gujarat Vadodara Vishwamitri Jammu & Srinagar Jhelum Kashmir Karnataka Bagalkot Ghataprabha Karnataka Bangalore Vrishabhavathi Karnataka Bhadravathi Bhadra Karnataka Honnavar Sharavathi Karnataka Hospet Tungabhadra Karnataka Karwar Kali Karnataka Mangalore Netravati, Gurupura Karnataka Shimoga Tunga River Madhya Pradesh | Gwalior Chambal Madhya Pradesh | Jabalpur Narmada Madhya Pradesh | Ujjain Shipra Maharashtra Karad Krishna, Koyna Maharashtra Karjat Ulhas Maharashtra Kolhapur Panchaganga Maharashtra Mahad Savitri Maharashtra Malegaon Gira River Maharashtra Nanded Godavari Maharashtra Nashik Godavari Maharashtra Pune Mula, Mutha Maharashtra Sangli Krishna Odisha Banki Mahanadi Odisha Brahmapur Rushikulya Odisha Chhatrapur Rushikulya Odisha Cuttack Mahanadi Odisha Rourkela Brahmani Odisha Sambalpur Mahanadi Punjab Ferozpur Sutlej Rajasthan Kota Chambal Tamil Nadu Chennai Cooum, Adyar Tamil Nadu Coimbatore Noyyal. Tamil Nadu Erode Kaveri Tamil Nadu Madurai Vaigai Tamil Nadu Thiruchirapalli Kaveri Tamil Nadu Tiruchirapalli KaveriTamil Nadu Tirunelveli Thamirabarani Telangana Hyderabad Musi Telangana Nizamabad Godavari Uttar Pradesh Agra Yamuna Uttar Pradesh Allahabad Ganges ‘Uttar Pradesh Auraiya Yamuna Uttar Pradesh Ayodhya Saryu Uttar Pradesh Chakeri Ganges Uttar Pradesh Etawah Yamuna Uttar Pradesh Farrukhabad Ganges Uttar Pradesh Fatehgarh Ganges Uttar Pradesh Gorakhpur Rapti Uttar Pradesh Jaunpur Gomti Uttar Pradesh Kannauj Ganges Uttar Pradesh Kanpur Ganges Uttar Pradesh Kanpur Cantonment | Ganges Uttar Pradesh Lucknow Gomti Uttar Pradesh Mathura Yamuna Uttar Pradesh Mirzapur Ganga Uttar Pradesh Shuklaganj Ganges Uttar Pradesh Varanasi Ganges Uttarakhand Badrinath Alaknanda Uttarakhand Haridwar Ganges West Bengal Kolkata Hugli ra MAJOR LAKES OF INDIA 1. Largest fresh water lakes India : Wular Lake, Jammu and Kashmir (Length: 16 km) 2. Largest artificial lake in India : Bhojtal or Upper lake, Madhya Pradesh (Length: 31.5 km) 3. Largest saline water lake in India: Chilika Lake, Odisha (Length : 64.3 km) 4. Highest Lake in India : Cholamu Lake or Tso Lhamo lake, Sikkim (Altitude : 5,330 m) Other state-wise lakes‘JAndhra Pradesh Kolleru Lake, Pulicat Lake Assam. Deepor Beel, Chandubi Lake, Haflong Lake, Son Beel Bihar Gujarat Himachal Pradesh Kanwar Lake Hamirsar Lake, Kankaria Lake, Nal Sarovar, Narayan Sarovar, Thol Lake, Vastra- pur Lake, Lakhota Lake, Sursagar Lake Brighu Lake, Dashir Lake, Dhankar Lake, Kareri (Kumarwah) lake, Khajjiar Lake, Macchial Lake, Ma- harana Pratap Sagar, Man- imahesh Lake, Suraj Taal, Chandra Taal Haryana Badkhal Lake, Brahma Sarovar, Karna Lake, San- nihit Sarovar, Surajkund Lake, Tilyar Lake, Blue Bird Lake Jammu and Kashmir Dal Lake, Pangong Tso, Tso Moriri, Wular Lake, Man- asbal Lake, Mansar Lake, Sheshnag Lake Karnataka Kerala Bellandur Lake, Ulsoor Lake, Sankey Lake, Hebbal Lake, Lalbagh Lake, Agara Lake, Pampa Sarovar Ashtamudi Lake, Maanaanchira Lake, Padinjare chira Lake, Par- avur Kayal, Punnamada Lake (Vembanad lake), Shasthamkotta lake, Vadakkechira, Vellayani Lake Madhya Pradesh Upper Lake, Lower Lake‘Uttar Pradesh Moti Jheel, Kanpur Maharashtra Gorewada Lake, Lonar Lake, Pashan Lake, Powai Lake, Rankala Lake, Shivajisagar lake, Talao Pali Lake, Upvan Lake, Venna Lake Meghalaya Umiam Lake Manipur Loktak Lake Mizoram Palak Dil Lake, Tam Dil Lake Odisha Punjab Rajasthan Chilka Lake, Anshupa Lake, Kanjia lake Kanjli Wetland, Harike Wetland, Ropar Wetland Dhebar Lake, Kaylana Lake, Naki Lake, Pachpadra Lake, Pushkar Lake, Ana Sagar Lake, Rajsamand Lake, Sambhar Salt Lake, Ramgarh Lake, Siliserhlake, Alwar, Man Sagar lake, Lake Salusagar, Dudh Talai, Fateh Sagar Lake, Pichola lake, Rangsagar lake, Swa- roopsagar lake Sikkim Gurudongmar Lake, Khecheopalri Lake, Lake Tsongmo, Lake Cholamu Telangana Hussain Sagar, Osman Sagar, Himayat Sagar, Shamirpet Lake, Mir Alam Tank, Durgam Cheruvu (Secret Lake), Saroornagar Lake, Alwal Cheruvu Lake Tamil Nadu Berijam Lake, Chembaram- bakkam Lake, Kodaikanal Lake, Ooty Lake, Red Hills Lake (Puzhal lake), Sin-ganallur Lake, Sholavaram Lake, Veeranam Lake Uttar Pradesh Ramgarh Taal Lake, Keetham Lake, Belasagar Lake, Barua Sagar Tal, Sheikha Jheel Uttarakhand Bhimtal Lake, Dodital, Nainital Lake, Naukuchi- atal, Sat Tal West Bengal Rabindra Sarobar (Dhakuria Lake), Senchal Lake, East Calcutta Wet- lands, Santragachhi Lake Major River Projects and their Beneficiary States [Project River ‘Purpose ‘Beneficiary States Beas Project Beas Power and imigation | Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Hi- machal Pradesh BhakraNangal Project | Suilej Power and irrigation | Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan [Chambalpisjest Chambal Powerand ivigation | Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan Damodar valley Damodar Power, irrigation and | Jharkhand and flood control Paschim, Banga, shared by Madhya Pradesh Durgapur Barrage Damodar ‘rigation and Karnataka, Paschim navigation Banga and fhark- hand | Farakia Project Gangs, Bhagirathi Power, irrigation Paschim Banga Gandak River Project | Gandak Power and imigation | Bhar, Uttar Pradesh, Nepal (Joint Venture of India and Nepal) Hirakud Mahanadi Power and Urigation | Odisha lddukki Project Periyar Hydroclectncity | Kerala Kakrapara Project api ‘wrigation Gujarat Kosi Project Kost ‘Flood Contral, Power | Biharand Nepal and lrrigation ae Project Kundah ‘Hydroelectricityand | Tamil Nadu Inrigation Mahanadi Delta Project _| Mahanadi “mnigation Odisha Mahi Project Mahi Imnigation Gujarat Malaprabha Preject Malaprabha ‘irrigation ‘Karnataka | Mandi Project Beas Irrigation. Himachal Pradesh | Matatilla Project Batwa Mutipurpose Power | Uttar Pradesh and and Irrigation Madhya Pradesh Nagarjunasagar Project | Knshna Power and imigation | Andhra Pradesh and ‘Telangana [Foochamipad Froect [Godavari Wrigation | Telangana [eee Sutle, Beasand Ravi | irrigation Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab“"TRamganga Mutipuspose |Chisot stream near | Powerand inigation | UttarPradesh T° kala [Rihand Scheme Bihand | Hydroelectricity Uttar Pradesh [Bivasamudtam Propet | Cauveri Terigation Karnataka [Tata Hydel Scheme Bhima Hydrwelectricity | Maharashtra | Tawa Project Tawa (Narmada) Madhya Pradesh [Tehran Pipe | Shilagana, oh Hydioelecticity | Urtarkhand [Fhein Breject Ravi rigation, Pusjab [Rugabhadia Project Tungabhadra Power and ivigation | Andhra Pradesh and | Karnataka [Ukai Project Tapti ‘Power and irrigation | Gujarat CLIMATE IN INDIAN SUBCONTINENT India has 'Tropical Monsoon’ type of climate. The word monsoon has been derived from the Arabic word 'Mausim' which means seasonal reversal of the winds during the course of the year. The whole of India has a tropical monsoonal climate, since the greater part of the country lies within the trophies, and the climate is in- fluenced by the monsoons. The position of the mountain ranges and di- rection of the rain-bearing winds are the two main factors that determine the climate of India. The climate in Indian is strongly influenced by the Himalayas and the Thar Desert. During the winter season, the winds gener- ally blow from northeast to southwest (land to sea), while in summer season the winds blow from southwest to northeast (sea to land). The average annual rainfall is less than 13 em over the western Rajasthan, while at Mawsynram in the Meghalaya has as much as 1141 cm. It is the wettest place on the earth. Seasons in India Vasanta Gregorian month ~ March to MayGrishma Varsha ~ May to July ~ July to September Summer Monsoon Autumn Hemanta | Fall winter ~ September to November ~ November to January Shishira ~ January to March Cpe ot Senora i inca Factors Affecting the Climate of India Latitude India lies between 8° 4' N and 37° 6'N latitudes. The Tropic of Cancer passes through the middle of India, thus making the southern half of India in the Tor- rid Zone and the northern half in the Temperature Zone. Himalaya Mountains The Himalayas play an important role in lending a sub-tropical touch to the climate of India. The lofty Himalaya Mountains form a barrier which effects the climate of India. It prevents the cold winds of northAsia from blowing into India, thus protecting it from severely cold winters. It also traps the Monsoon winds, forcing them to shed their moisture within the sub-continent. Altitude Temperature decreases with height. Places in the mountains are cooler than places on the plains. Distance from the sea With a long coastline, large coastal areas have an equable climate. Areas in the interior of India are far away from the moderating influence of the sea. Such areas have extremes of climate. Geographical Limits Western Disturbances; The low pressure systems that originate over the eastern Mediterranean region in winter and move eastwards towards India passing over Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan are responsible for the winter rain in northern India. Conditions in the Regions Surrounding India: Tem- perature and pressure conditions in East Africa, Iran, Central Asia and Tibet determine the strength of the monsoons and the occasional dry spells. For example, high temperatures in East Africa may draw the mon- soon winds from the Indian Ocean into that region thus, causing a dry spell. Conditions over the Ocean: The weather conditions over the Indian Ocean and the China Sea may be re- sponsible for typhoons which often affect the east coast of India. Jet Streams: Air currents in the upper layers of the at- mosphere known as jet steams could determine the arrival of the monsoons and departure of the mon- soons. The Scientists are studying the jet streams and how it may affect the climate of India but much remains to be learned about this phenomena. Climatic Regions of IndiaTropical Rain Forest - This type of climate is found on the west coastal plain and Sahyadris and in parts of Assam + The temperatures are high, not falling below 18.2 degree c even during winter and rising to 29 degree C in April and May, the hottest months. Tropical savanna - Most of the peninsula, except the semiarid zone in the leeside of the Sahyadris experi- ences this type of climate. - A long dry weather lasting through winter and early summer and high temperature re- maining above 18.2 degree C even during the winter seasons and rising as high as 32 degree C in summer are the chief characteristics of this climate. - Nagpur has a mean temperature of 35.4 de- gree C for May which is the hottest month and 20.7 degree C for December the coldest month in the year. + The natural vegetation all over the area is sa- vanna. Tropical Semi-Arid Steppe Climate + The rain-shadow belt, running southward from central Maharashtra to Tamil Nadu, in the leeside of the Sahyadris and Cardamom Hills come under this type of climate of low and uncertain rainfall. - Temperature varying from 20 degree C to 23.8 degree C for December and 32.8 degree C for May. Agriculturally, the climate is suitable only for dry farming and livestock rearing. Tropical and Sub-Tropical Steppe- This type of climate occurs over a broad cres- cent from Punjab to Kachchh between the Thar Desert to its west and the more humid climates of the Ganga Plain and the Peninsula to its east and south respectively. + The climate, therefore, is transitional between these two areas. The annual rainfall is not only low but it is also highly erratic. Tropical Desert + The western part of Barmer, Jaisalmer and Bikaner districts of Rajasthan and most of the part of Kachchh form the sandy wastes of the Thar which experiences a typical desert cli- mate. » Ganganagar has recorded a maximum tem- perature of 50 degree C, the highest record. Humid Sub-Tropical with Winter - A large area to the south of the Himalayas, east of the tropical and sub-tropical steppe and north of the tropical savanna running in a long belt from Punjab to Assam with a south- westward extension into Rajasthan east of the Aravalli Range, has this type of climate. + Winers are dry except for a little rain received from the westerly depressions. Mountain Climate + The Himalayan and Karakoram ranges experi- ence this type of climate with sharp contrasts between the temperatures of the sunny and shady slopes, high diurnal range of tempera- tures and high variability of rainfall. + The trans-Himalayan region, Ladakh, where the south-west monsoon fails to reach, has a dry and cold climate and a spare and stunned vegetation. Drought in India- The dry areas of Rajasthan and the adjoining part of Haryana and Gujarat are liable to fre- quent drought conditions. - Another area liable to frequent drought lies on the leeward side of the Western Ghats. Characteristics of Rainfall in India Type of Rainfall Areas Areas of very little rainfall (lower than 50 em) Western Rajasthan, northern part of Kashmir, the Deccan Plateau and Punjab. Areas of low precipita- tion Eastern Rajasthan, Upper Ganga basin, Southern plains of Kar- (50-100cm) nataka, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh. Areas of compara- Southern areas of Gujarat, north- tively heavy rainfall eastern Peninsular region, east (100-200 cm) Tamil Nadu, eastern Maharashtra, Western Ghats, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, and the central Gangetic basin. Areas of heavy rainfall | The western seashores, the (more than 200 cm) ‘Western Ghats, Hills of Meghalaya, and the Sub-Himalayan range ter- ritories in North East. West Bengal, Assam, Western Coast, and south- ern part of east Himalayas. FOREST AND NATURAL VEGETATION India's forest cover to be about 68 million hectares, or 24% of the country's area.The types of forests in India can be divided into five major types on the basis of certain common fea- tures like dominant natural vegetation, climatic re- gions etc, These are (1) Tropical Evergreen and Semi- Evergreen forests, (2) Tropical Deciduous Forests, (3) Tropical Thorn Forests, (4) Montane Forests and (5) Littoral and Swamp Forests. Tropical Evergreen and Semi-Evergreen Forests Tropical Evergreen forests are typically found in warm and humid areas with rainfall more than 200cm and mean annual tempera- ture more than 22 degrees. These forest are found in western slopes of Western Ghats, hilly areas of N.E states, An- daman and Nicobar islands. No fixed seasons for flowering, shedding or fruiting in these forests. They are green all the year round. Very dense forests and well stratified. Very tall Trees which can go upto 60m or above are found in Tropical Evergreen forests. Major Species of Evergreen forests are Rose- wood, Ebony, Mahogany etc. Tropical Semi-Evergreen Forests are found in less rainy areas of the region. These forests have mix of Evergreen and Deciduous vari- eties.- Major species of Semi-evergreen forests are White Cedar, Hillock or Jhalna, Kail, Oak, Chestnut etc. Tropical Deciduous Forests These are the most widespread forests out of all the types of forests in India, and also known as Monsoon Forests. They are found in the regions having rainfall be- tween 70-200 cm. Tropical Deciduous Forests are further classified into two types of forests on the basis of rainfall- Tropical Moist Deciduous Forests and Tropical Dry Decidu- ous Forests. Tropical Moist Deciduous Forests are present in the areas having rainfall between 100-200 cm and found in eastern slopes of Western Ghats, foothills of Hi- malayas in North-eastern states and Odisha. Major Species : Teak, Sal, Sheshum, Amla, Kusum, Mahua, Sandalwood etc. Tropical Dry Deciduous Forests are present in the areas having rainfall between 70-100 cm and found in rainier areas of peninsula and the plains of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. During Dry seasons, Trees shed their leaves completely and the forest appears like a Grassland. Major Species: Khair, Tendu, Palas, axle- wood, bel etc. Tropical Thorn Forests - These forests are found in areas having less than 50 cm of Rainfall. - Variety of Grasses and Shrubs are found in these thorn forests. + They are present in dry and semi-dry areas of south-west Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat, Ra- jasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. » Trees remain leafless for most part of the year. - Tussocky Grass grows upto 2m in these areas. Montane ForestsThis type of Forest is found in the Mountainous or Hilly regions. Montane Forests in India can be classified in two types of forests - the Northern Montane Forests and the Southern Montane Forests. Northern Montane Forests » These forests are found in the Himalayan ranges. » The vegetation type changes with increase in altitude from Tropical To Tundra. + Deciduous forests are found at the foot-hills of the mountains. + Between 1000 —- 2000 m, wet-temperate type of Forests are found. + Evergreen broad-leaf trees such as Oak, Chest- nut are commonly found in some areas at this height. + Between 1500-1750, Pine and Deodar trees are found in some areas. Chinar and Walnut trees are present in Kashmir Himalayas at this altitude. - Between 2200-3000 m, Blue Pine and Spruce appear. - At an altitude of 3000 - 4000 m, Silver firs, Junipers, pines, birch and rhodendrons are found. + At Higher altitudes, Mosses and Lichens are present. Southern Montane Forests + They are found in three major areas in South- ern India —- Hills of Western Ghats, Nilgiri Hills and Vindhyas. + As, the Hills in Southern India are closer tothe tropics and with average height of 1500m , they only show two types of vegetation — Temperate in higher regions at sub-tropical in lower regions.- The Temperate Forests of Nilgiri, Annamalai and Panini Hills are called as Sholas. « Major Species: Magnolia, Laurel, cinchona and wattle. Littoral and Swamp Forests or Wetland Forests - India has rich variety of these types of forests. + These forests are mainly found in reservoirs of Deccan Plateau, saline coastline of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Gulf of Kachchh, eastern coast deltas, lake and rivers of Kashmir and Ladakh, swamps in north-east India etc. + Mangroves Forests grow along coast in the salt-marshes, tidal creeks and estuaries. » Mangroves are home toa large variety of Birds. - Also, contains a number of Salt-tolerant species of plants. + Mangroves in India are largely present in An- daman and Nicobar Island, - Sunderban Deltas and Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna deltas. Top 5 states of Forest Area Forest AreaNadya deh Arunachal Pradesh Maharashtra 5.06 Odisha 5.03 SOILS IN INDIA rary In India, various types of soils are found and their formations are influenced by certain factors such as altitude, climate disproportionate rainfall and many others. The major types of soils found in India are: Soil type Occurrence States | Compositions Crops Grow Alluvial Punjab, Haryana, | Richinpotashandlime, | Large variety of Uttar Pradesh Bihar, | butdeficient innitrogen | Rabi and Kharif Jharkhand and phosphoric acid cropssuch as wheat, rice, sugar- cane, cotton and jute Blackor Deccan Plateau, Val-_ | Rich iniron, lime, Cotton, sugarcane, Regur leys of Krishnaand | aluminum, magnesium, | jowar, tobacco, Godavari, Andhra —_| calcium, but lacksin ni- | wheat, rice Pradesh, Madhya | trogen, phosphorus and Pradesh andTamil | humus Nadu Red Eastern parts ofDec- | Richinironand potash, | Wheat, rice, cot- canPlateau, Tamil | butdeficientinlime, | ton, sugarcane and Nadu, Gea, Odisha | nitrogen phosphorus and | Pulses and Meghalaya humusLaterite Summits of Eastern | Richinironbut poorin | Tea, coffee, rubber, and Western Ghats, | silica, ime, phosphorus, | cashew and millets Assam hills, Andhra _| potash and humus Pradesh, Karnataka, ‘West Bengal and Odisha [Dest | WestandNorth- | Rich insolublesalts, | Lime, millets, bar | ‘West India, Ra- but deficient inorganic | ley, cotton, maize jasthan, North Gu- | matter. and pulses (with jaratand Southern | richenoughinphos- | irrigation) Punjab. phate though poor in nitrogen Mountain | Hillsoffammuand | Richinivonand humus, | tea, fruits and Kashmir but deficient in lime medicinal plants Uttarakhand and (with fertilizers) Assam hills Salineand | Drierpartsof Bihar, | Many salts suchas | Unfit for agricul- Alkaline Jharkhand, Uttar —_| sodium, magnesium and | ture Pradesh, Haryana, | calclura Punjab, Rajasthan and Maharashtra Peaty and Kerala, coastal re- Contain large amount Rice and jute Marshy gions of Odisha, of soluble salts and or- Tamil Nadu and ganic matter, but lack in Sundarbansof West | potash and phosphates Bengal AGRICULTURE IN INDIA India is the world's largest producer of many fresh fruits and vegetables, milk, major spices, select fibrous crops such as jute, staples such as millets and castor oil seed. India is the second largest producer of wheat and rice, the world's major food staples. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is the principal authority in farming and ancillary in- dustries, which comprise learning and research. For more details about AGRICULTURE, please go to In- dian Economy (Chapter - AGRICULTURE) and Gen- eral Science - Biology (Chapter - AGRICULTURE) in this book. MAJOR CROPS OF INDIA Crop Major Crop Producing States Cereals Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana West Bengal and Tamil NaduGram Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu Barley Maharashtra. Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan Bajra Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan Cash Crops Sugarcane Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra Poppy Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh Oil Seeds Coconut Kerala and Tamil Nadu Linseed Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh Groundnut Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu Rape and Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh mustard Sesame Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan Sunflower Maharashtra and Karnataka Spices Pepper Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu Cashewnuts_ | Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh Ginger Kerala and Uttar Pradesh Turmeric Andhra Pradesh and Odisha Fibre Crops Cotton Maharashtra and Gujarat Jute West Bengal and Bihar Silk Karnataka and Kerala Hemp Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh Plantations“] Coffee Karnataka and Kerala Rubber Kerala and Karnataka Tea Assam and Kerala Tobacco Gujarat, Maharashtra and Mad- hya Pradesh Karnataka, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Goa Manganese | Karnataka, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra Chromite Odisha, Bihar, Karnataka, Maha- rashtra and Andhra Pradesh Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand Odisha, Gujarat , Jharkhand, Ma- harashtra, Chhattisgarh Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh Non-Metallic Mineral MinesLimestone Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Mad- : hya Pradesh, Gujarat, Chhattis- garh Dolomite Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Gujarat, Karnataka , West Bengal Asbestos Rajasthan , Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka Gypsum Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir Graphite Odisha, Bihar Atomic Mineral Mines Uranium Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh Thorium Kerala, Jharkhand, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan Lithium Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan Zirconium | Kerala and Jharkhand Beryllium Andhra Pradesh, Sikkim, Jammu and Kashmir Antimony | Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh - TRANSPORT, COMMUNICATION AND TRADEThe transport system in India includes; Road, Rail, Inland waterways, Coastal shipping and Airways ROAD India has a road network of about 46 lakh kilometres. India has the second largest road network in the world. State Highways Major and other district roads Rural & other roads National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) The National Highways Authority of India was con- stituted by an act of Parliament, the National High- ways Authority of India Act, 1988. It is responsible for the development, maintenance and managementof National Highways entrusted to it and for matters connected or incidental thereto. The Authority was operationalised in Feb, 1995. National Highway Development Programme (NHDP) The National Highways Development Project is a project to upgrade, rehabilitate and widen major highways in India to a higher standard. The project was implemented in 1998 under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Golden Quadrilateral connects Four Metropolitan Cities (i.e. Delhi-Mumbai-Chennai-Kolkata-Delhi). NS (North-South) Corridor Connects Srinagar to Kan- niakumari and EW (East-West) Corridor Connects Porbandar to Silchar. The project-wise details NHDP all Phases as below. NHDP Phase | Particulars Length NHDP-I & II Balance work of 13,000 km GQ and EW-NS corridors NHDP-III 4-laning 10,000 km NHDP-IV 2-laning 20,000 km NHDP-V 6-laning of selected | 5,000km stretches NHDP-VI Development of 1,000 km expressways NHDP-VII Ring Roads, 700km Bypasses, Grade Separators, Service Roads etc. Major National Highways NH No. | Route mn inNH-1 New Delhi - Ambala - 456 Jalandhar - Amritsar NH-2 Delhi-Mathura-Agra | 1465 -Kanpur - Allahabad - Varanasi - Kolkata NH-3 Agra - Gwalior - Nasik- | 1161 Mumbai NH-4 Mumbai - Pune - Ban- 1235 galore - Chennai NH-5 Jharpokharia - 1533 Bhubaneshwar - Vijay- wada - Chennai NH-6 Hajira - Kolkata 1949 NH-7 Varanasi - Nagpur - 2369 Hyderabad - Bangalore - Kanyakumari NH-8 Delhi - Jaipur - Ahmed- | 1428 abad - Mumbai NH-9 Pune - Hyderabad - 841 Vijaywada NH-10 | Delhi - Fazilka 403 NH-11 | Agra-Jaipur-Bikaner | 582 NH-12 | Jabalpur - Bhopal - 890 Jaipur NH-15 Pathankot - Bikaner - 1526 Samakhiali NH-17 Panvel - Mangalore - 1269 Edapally NH-31 Barhi - Guwahati 1125 NH-76 Pindwara - Allahabad 1007 NH-86 Kanpur - Dewas 674 NH-200 | Raipur - Chandikhole 740 NH-217 | Raipur - Gopalpur 508 RAILWAYS- Rail operations in India are handled by Indian Railways, a state-owned organization of the Ministry of Railways. - It is one of the world's largest railway net- works comprising 115,000 km of track over a route of 65,808 km and 7,112 stations. Railway Network Map of India - Schematic FAST FACTS OF INDIAN RAILWAYS First Passenger Train Ran On 16th April 1853 (between Bombay to Thane) First Railway Bridge First Rail Tunnel Dapoorie Viaduct on the Mumbai-Thane route Parsik Tunnel (1865) near Thaane First Ghats Covered bythe | Thal and Bhore Ghats Rail lines | First Underground Railway | Calcutta METRO First Computerized Reser- vation System started in First Electric Train ran on Toilets on Trains were in- troduced in New Delhi (1986) 3rd Feb! 1925 (between Bombay VT and Kurla) 18911 (1st Class) & 1907 (lower classes) [ Shortest station Name qb (Gdisha) Longest Station Name Venkatanarasimharajuvariapeta (Tamil Nadu) Longest Railway Platform inthe World Gorakhpur Junction railway station (1.35 km lenght)Longest Railway Bridge Vernbanad Rail Bridge (4,620 m lenght) Longest Tunnel Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel (11,215 m lenght) Oldest Preserved Locomo- | Fairy Queen (1855), still in working tive order Indian Railway's Fastest Bhopal-Shatabdi (runs at a speed up to Train 195 km/h) Train with Maximum Howrah-Amritsar Express (115 halts) Number of Halts + The manufacture of steam locomotives in the country was stopped in 1972. + The Rail Museum in Delhi is the largest in Asia. + The longest running train covers a distance of 4273 km between Dibrugarh and Kanyakumari: It's called the Vivek Express. » The shortest distance covered between two successive stations is 3kilometers + The railway station of Navapur is built in two states; halfin Maharashtra and the rest is in Gujarat. « Indian Railways has a mascot - Bholu, the Guard Elephant. + The Maharajas' Express is a luxury train owned and operated by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation. The Ma- harajas' Express was voted "The World's Leading Luxury Train" thrice, ina row at The World Travel Awards, 2012, 2013 and 2014, + Diamond Quadrilateral is a project of the Indian railways to establish high speed rail network in India. It will connect the four metro cities in India, ic. Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata. Railway Zones in India There are 16 zones and the 68 divisions in Indian Railways. ne papier ae Date Established | Headquarters Central :CR 3905 05-11-1951 ‘Mumbai East Central: ECR 3628 01-10-2002 Hajipur East Coast :ECOR 2572 01-04-2003 Bhubaneswar Eastern ER 2414 14-04-1952 Kolkata North Central: NCR 3151 01-04-2003 Allahabad North Eastern : NER 3667 14-04-1952 Gorakhpur North Wester NWR | 5459 1-10-2002 Northeast Frontier :NER | 3907 15-01-1958 Guwahati Northern :NR 6568 1a-04-1952 Delhi South Central :SCR 5803 02-10-1966 Secunderabad sou Baer Conttals 2447 05-04-2003 Bilaspur South Eastern | SER 2631 01-08-1955 Kolkata South Western:SWR | 3177 01-04-2008 HubliSouthern :SR 5098 14-04-1951 Chennai , West Central: WCR 2965 01-04-2003 Jabalpur Western: WR 6182 05-11-1951 ‘Mumbai WATER TRANSPORT The Central Water Transport Corporation (CIWTC) formed in 1967, headquartered in Kolkata, is mainly involved in transportation of goods, and the Inland Waterways Authority of India (IWAI) formed on Oc- tober 27, 1986 forthe development and regulation of inland waterways for shipping and navigation. Number | Stretch Estd. In Distance covered NWI Allahabad - Haldia October 1986 1620km stretch of the Ganges - Bhagirathi - Hooghly river system NW2 Sadiya - Dhubri September 1988 | 891 km stretch of Brahmapu- trariver NW 3 Kottapuram - Kollam | February 1993 205 km stretch of the West Coast Canal, Cham- pakara Canaland Udyogmandal Canal NW 4 Kakinada - November 2008 | 1095km Pondicherry stretch of canals and the Kaluvelly Tank, Bhadrachalam - Ra- jahmundry stretch of River Godavari and Wazirabad - Vi- jayawada stretch of River Krishna NWS5 Talcher - Dhamra November 2008 | 623 km stretch of the Brah- mani River, the Geonkhali - Charbatia stretch of the East Coast Canal, the Char- batia - Dhamra stretch of Matai river and the Mangalgadi- Paradip stretch of the Ma- hanadi River Delta NW 6 Lakhipur to Bhanga of | 2013 121 km Tiver Barak “NW = National WaterwayPORTS - Indian coastline is about 7516.6 kilometers and it is one of the biggest peninsulas in the world. + India has 12 Major ports that handle large vol- ume of traffic and 200 minor ports in India. » The Major Ports are administered by the cen- tral government's shipping ministry. + The Minor and Intermediate ports are admin- istered by the relevant departments or min- istries in the nine coastal states. + The Coastal States in India are Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Kar- nataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat. + INDIA, auon SEA noUTES Major Ports in India Name and Coast Chennai - EC State Sea Facts Tamil Nadu Bay of Second largest port Bengal [Cochin - we Kerala ‘Arabian Sea | Natural Harbour Ennore-EC Tamil Nadu Bay of Most modern-in pri- Bengal vate hands Maharashtra Arabian Sea | Largest container Jawaharlal Nehru - we“Tkandia- we Gujarat Arabian Sea | First specialeco- nemic zone Kolkata -EC West Bengal | Bay of Oldest operating Bengal port Macrmugoa-We | Goa ‘Arabian Sea | Goa's main port Mumbai - WC Maharashtra Arabian Sea | Busiest and biggest port New Mangalore - Karnataka Arabian Sea | Exports Kudremukh we iron-ore Paradip -EC Odisha Bay of Exports raw iron to Bengal Japan Tuticorin - EC Tamil Nadu Bay of Southernmost Bengal Vishakhapatnam | Andhra Pradesh | Bay of Despest Port -EC Bengal * WC: Western Coast & EC : Eastern Coast AIR TRANSPORT India has bilateral Air Service Agreement with 103 countries. There are 450 airports in the country in vari- ous stages of development. Airports Authority of India (AAI), constituted in April 1995, manages a total of 125 Airports, which include 14 International Airports, 08 Customs Airports, 81 Domestic Airports and 25 Civil Enclaves at Defence Airfields. Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Panaji, Srinagar, and Thiru- vananthapuram are international airports. The Government of India has introduced ‘Open Air Policy’ for cargo in 1992. The Air India was established in 1947 deals mainly with international air service. Indian Airlines set up in 1953, is a major domestic air career of the country.International Airports in India State/Union | aaepace City Territory ‘Veer Savarkar International 3 Andaman and Port Blair Airport Visakhapatnam Airport Rajiv Gandhi International Visakhapatnam Nicobar Islands Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad. Andhra Pradesh Airport Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi q jnturmational Ainpate Guwahati Assam Indira Gandhi International New Delhi Delhi Airport | Goa International Airport | whole state Goa Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel ‘aprnparanaa Gujarat International Airport Bengaluru International Bengaluru Karnataka Airport Mangalore International M Le Karnatak: huger angalore nataka Cochin International Kochi Kerala Airport Cali ns International Kozhikode Kerala Trivandrum Int: tional ay sl Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Airport Chhatrapati Shivaji Interna- | yo; Maharashtra tional Airport Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar 5 Ni Maharasht International Airport aEPEr SES | Tulihal Airport Imphal ‘Manipur Biju Patnaik International . ye Farmauk inbetnaniona’ | Bhubaneswar Odisha Airport Sri Guru Ram Dass JeeInter- |. iesar Punjab national Airport Jaipur International Airport Jaipur Rajasthan Chennai International Airport Chennai Tamil NaduCoimbatore International Airport Tiruchirapalli International Airport Chaudhary Charan Singh Coimbatore Tamil Nadu Tiruchirapalli Tamil Nadu Lucknow Uttar Pradesh Airport | ‘Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport | Varanasi Uttar Pradesh Netaji Subhash Chandra Bike taternationd:airgert | MORE Avast Bengal GEOGRAPHICAL EPITHETS OF INDIA (NICKNAME AND PLACES) [Nickname Place Nickname Place Abodeofthe God | Prayag(Alhebad) | HITECH City Hyderabad Athensof the East | Madurai Hollywoodof India_| Mumbai Banking Capital of | Chennai Land of Black ‘Asansal = ofindia | Chennai ‘Holy City ‘varanasi India Diamond BengalsSorrow | DarmodarRiver |LandoffiveRivers | Punjab Blue city Jodhpur Land of Sunrise Arunachal Pradesh Blue Mountains | Nilgini Hills Leather City ofthe | Kanpur World [Bostenofindia [ahmedabad Little Tibet Ladakh, Californiacf India | Nasik Manbhum City Purulia Capital of Dravida i Manchester of India | Ahmedabad Capital ofKongu | Coimbatore Kanpur Manchester of Nadu Notth India | Cashew Capitalef | Kollam Manchester of Coimbatore the World South india City of Buildings Kolkata Mango City Malda, salem City of Castles Kolkata OldGanga Godavari City of Destiny Visakhapatnam | Oldest living city on | Varanasi Earth City of fiamonds ‘Grange City Nagpur [cy of Dreams: ‘Mumbai Paris of India Jaipur [ae of Festivals Madurai Paris of the East Pondicherry City of Four Madurai DensionersParadise | Kakinada Junctions CityofGhatsand | Varanasi Pink City Jaipur Temples City ofGolden Amritsar Pittsburg ofindia | Jamshedpur Temple CityofHandloom | Panipat Poorman'sOoty — | Yercaud City ofHospitality | Siliguri Power Hub City Mundi CityofLeaming | Varanasi PrinceofArmbian | Kollam sea [= ofLights Varanasi Queen of Arabian | Cochin sea [Clty oft Nawabs Lucknow ‘Queen of Deccan Pune City of Palaces Kolkata and Queenofthe Hills | Darjeeling Chandigarh City of Pearls Hyderabad ‘Queen of the Mussoorie Mountains india [orn New Delhi Religious capitalof | Varanasi City of Sages Rishikesh Royal CityTityarseven Mumbai Ruhr of India Durgapur Islands City of Weavers | Panipat Sacred river Ganga Clty of Wrestlers | Kolhapur Scotlandofindia | Coorg Cosmopolitan City | Coimbatore Silicen Vallaey af | Bangalore India Dakshin Queen | Godavari Sleepless City Madurai Detroit of India Chennai Sorrow of Bihar Kosi river Eggbowlsofindia | Andhra Pradesh | Soyaregion Madhaya Pradesh Electronic City of | Bangalore Space city Bangalore India Engineering City | Coimbatore Spice Garden of Kerala of India India Garden City of ‘Bangalore Splitualeapitalof | varanasi India India Gateway ofindia | Mumbai Steel City of India | Jamshedpur (Tatanagar) Gateway of North | Siliguri Sun City Jodhpur East India Gateway ofSouth | chennai Switzerlandof India | Kashmir India Gateway to. Kellam Taj Nagel AERA backwaters Gateway toKerala | Kochi ‘Temple City of India | Bhubaneswar Gateway tothe | Siliguri Textile City ofindia | Surat Dooars GodsOwn Kerala Twin Cities Hyderabad Secunderabad Country [Golden city ‘Amritsar ‘Venice of East Cochin, Grape city oftndia | Nasik ‘White City Udaipur Heath Capitalet | Chennai ‘Wine capital of Wasik India India Heavenofindia | jammu&Kash- | Yoga city Rishikesh mir INDIAN TOWN ASSOCIATED WITH INDUSTRIES Town State Ahmedabad Gujarat Agra Uttar Pradesh Marble, Leather, & Carpets Aligarh Uttar Pradesh Ankleshwar Gujarat Ambernath Maharashtra Prototype Factory Amritsar Punjab Carpet, Woollen Anand Gujarat & Baby Foods Industries Cotton Textiles Stoneware, Locks Oil Machine Tools, Shawls, acid, Butter, CheeseAlwaye Kerala Aluminium, Monazite, Rare Earths Ambala Haryana Scientific goods Aliabet Gujarat Oil Well Arvi Maharashtra TV. Reception Station Avadi Tamil Nadu Heavy Vehicles Factory Bokaro Jharkhand Steel Plant Bangaluru Karnataka Telephone, Aircraft, Motors, Information Technology, Toy Batanagar West Bengal Shoes Bareilly Uttar Pradesh Resin, Industries, Woodwork Bhilai Chhattisgarh Steel Plant Barauni Jharkhand Silk Burnpur West Bengal Iron & Steel Bhurkunda Jharkhand Glass Industries Bhagalpur Bihar Silk industries Bhandara Maharashtra Explosives Bhadravati Karnataka Alloy Steel Bongaigaon Assam Petroleum Bhadoi Uttar Pradesh Carpets Bhopal Madhya Pradesh Heavy Electricals Bailadila Madhya Pradesh Iron ore, Mechanised mine Bodra West Bengal Oil Refinery Churk Madhya Pradesh Cement Cyberabad Andhra Pradesh Electronics, Computers, Information technologyChittaranjan West Bengal Locomotives Cochin Kerala Ship building, coconut oil, rubber Calicut Kerala Coffee, coconut Coimbatore Tamil Nadu Cotton industries Cambay Gujarat Petroleum Chindwara Madhya Pradesh Limestone, Coal Chennai Tamil Nadu Information Technology, Car Manufacturing Dhariwal Punjab Woolen goods Durgapur West Bengal Steel Plant, Dry Ice Digboi Assam Petroleum Delhi Delhi DDT, Textiles & Housing Factory Dalmianagar Bihar Cement Darjeeling West Bengal Tea Dindigul Tamil Nadu Cigar, Tobacco Damanjodi Orissa Aluminium Debari Rajasthan Zine Dhuvaran Gujarat Thermal Power Digboi Assam Petroleum Ernakulam Kerala Cables Firozabad Uttar Pradesh Glass Guntur Andhra Pradesh Cotton Manufacture, Tobacco Gwalior Madhya Pradesh Pottery, Textiles Gomia Jharkhand Explosives Haridwar Uttarakhand Heavy electricalsHatia Jharkhand Heavy Engineering Corporation Haldia West Bengal Chemical fertilizer Hazira Gujarat Artificial Rayon Hissar Haryana Indo - Australian sheep farm Hirzapur Uttar Pradesh Carpet, pottery, stoneware Hoshangabad Madhya Pradesh Security Paper Mill Jamshedpur Jharkhand Iron & Steel goods Jalandhar Punjab Surgical goods and sports articles Jaipur Rajasthan Embroidery Jharia Jharkhand Coal Jabalpur Madhya Pradesh Bidi industry Jainakot Jammu & Kashmir H.MT watch Japla Jharkhand Cement Jaduguda Jharkhand Uranium Ore Mill Jalsindhi Maharashtra Hydro - electric Jalahalli Karnataka Machine Tool Factory Jharia Jharkhand Coal Kolkata West Bengal Jute Manufacture, Electric lamps Kanpur Uttar Pradesh Leather, Shoes Katni Madhya Pradesh Cement Korba Chhattisgarh Coal Mine, AluminiumKoyna Koyali Generation Kolar Kota Kanchipuram Karnal Kandla Khetri Kakrapara Plant Kalol Kalpakkam Plant Kavalur Observatory Khari Kirloskarvadi Implements Kochi koodankulam Plant Kozhikode Kurukunta Ludhiana Lucknow Silver, Lac Madurai Silk Weaving Mirzapur Maharashtra Aluminium Maharashtra Power Karnataka Gold mine Rajasthan Atomic power plant Tamil Nadu Silk clothes Haryana Dairy product Gujarat Fertilizer Rajasthan Copper industries Gujarat Atomic Power Gujarat Fertiliser Tamil Nadu Atomic Power Tamil Nadu Telescopic Rajasthan Lignite Maharashtra Agricultural Kerala Ship building Tamil Nadu Atomic Power Kerala Calico, Rubber coir Karnataka Cement Plant Punjab Hosiery Uttar Pradesh Gold, Tamil Nadu Cotton and Uttar Pradesh Carpet, Pottery, Brass industries Moradabad Uttar Pradesh UtensilsMathura Uttar Pradesh Oil refinery Mysooru Karnataka Silk Meerut Uttar Pradesh Publication work, Sports goods, Scissors making Mumbai Maharashtra Cotton Textile & Industries Modinagar Uttar Pradesh Nylon thread Moorie Jharkhand Aluminium Majhagaon Maharashtra Ship building Manali Tamil Nadu Fertiliser / Oil Refinery Mithapur Gujarat Fertiliser Motipur Uttar Pradesh Mechanised Farming Nagpur Maharashtra Cotton mills, Oranges Nepanagar Madhya Pradesh Newsprint Nasik Maharashtra Security Printing Press Neyveli Tamil Nadu Lignite Noonmati Assam Oil refinery Narora Uttar Pradesh Atomic Power Plant Nangal Punjab Fertilizer, Heavy Water Plant Nagapattinam Tamil Nadu Oil Refinery Ogalewadi Maharashtra Hurricane lanterns, Stoves Panna Madhya Pradesh Diamond mining Pinjore Haryana Machines ToolsPerambur Tamil Nadu Integral coach factory Pimpri, Pune Maharashtra Antibiotics Pilani Rajasthan Thermal Power Panki Uttar Pradesh Fertilizer Pinjore Haryana Machine Tools Ranigunj Jharkhand Coal mining Rourkela Odisha Steel plant Rana Pratap Sagar Rajasthan Hydro Power Plant Renukoote Uttarakhand Aluminium Roopnarayanpur W. Bengal Cables Rishikesh Uttarakhand Antibiotic Plant Rangapur Andhra Pradesh Observatory Renukoot Uttarkhand Aluminium Rupanagar West Bengal Telephone Cables Saharanpur Uttar Pradesh Mangoes, Cigarette factory Sindri Jharkhand Chemical fertilizers Srinagar Kashmir Woolen shawl, embroidery Surat Gujarat Textiles Surajpur Haryana Cement factory Suratgarh Rajasthan Agriculture implements Singhbhum Jharkhand Copper Singareni Andhra Pradesh Coal Salem Tamil Nadu Stainless Steel Samastipur Bihar Jute, Paper, Tobacco, SugarSivakasi Tamil Nadu Fire Works, Printing Sriharikota Andhra Pradesh Satellite Station Suriyur Tamil Nadu Small Arms Tarapur Maharashtra Nuclear Power Titagarh West Bengal Paper Thiruvananthapuram Kerala Wood Carving, Coir matting Trombay Maharashtra Atomic Reactors, Plutonium, Fertilizer, Thorium Plant Tiruchirapalli Tamil Nadu Cigar, B.H.E.L Tirupati Andhra Pradesh Scooter Tanjore Tamil Nadu Silk clothes Thumba Kerala Rocket launching Tirupur Tamil Nadu Textiles Tiruverumbur Tamil Nadu Pressure Boiler Tuticorin Tamil Nadu Fertilizer, Thermal Power, Copper smelter plant Udaipur Rajasthan Zinc Project Vijaypur Madhya Pradesh Fertilizers Viiaynagar Karnataka Steel Plant Visakhapatnam Andhra Pradesh Ship building Varanasi Uttar Pradesh Rail Engines and Saari industries Worli Maharashtra Baby food Zainkot Jammu & Kashmir HMT Watches WIND ENERGY POWER PLANTS IN INDIAPower plant Location State Puthlur RCI Puthiur Andhra Pradesh Jasdan Jasdan Gujarat Lamda Danida Lamba Gujarat Jogmatti BSES Chitradurga District | Karnataka Shah Gajendragarh Gadag Karnataka Shah Gajendragarh Gadag Karnataka Acciona Tuppadahalli | Chitradurga District | Karnataka Ramakkalmedu Ramakkalmedu Kerala Jamgudrani MP Dewas Madhya Pradesh Brahmanvel windfarm | Dhule Maharashtra Dhalgaon windfarm Sangli Maharashtra Vankusawade Wind Satara District. Maharashtra Park Vaspet Vaspet Maharashtra Jath Jath Maharashtra Welturi Welturi Maharashtra Damanjodi Wind Damanjodi Odisha Power Plant Jaisalmer Wind Park Jaisalmer Rajasthan Dangiri Wind Farm Jaiselmer Rajasthan Muppandal windfarm | Kanyakumari Tamil Nadu Cape Comorin Kanyakumari Tamil Nadu Kayathar Subhash Kayathar Tamil Nadu Gudimangalam Gudimangalam Tamil Nadu Chennai Mohan Chennai, Tamil Nadu Perungudi Newam Perungudi Tamil Nadu Kethanur WindFarm | Kethanur Tamil Nadu Muppandal Madras Muppandal Tamil Nadu Poolavadi Chettinad Poolavadi Tamil Nadu Shalivahana Wind Tirupur Tamil Nadu Hyderabad TSRTC Hyderabad Telangana GEOTHERMAL FIELDS IN INDIA State Power plant Chhattisgarh Tattapani Gujrat Cambay Garben Himachal Pradesh | Manikaran Kullu, Kasol Kullu, Jammu and Puga : Kashmir Jharkhand Surajkund Hazaribagh Uttarakhand Badrinath Chamoli, Tapoban Chamoli TIDAL, WAVE and SOLAR ENERGY PLANTS IN INDIA Tidal Energy | Gulf of Khambat, Gulf of Kuchchh (Gujarat) Sunderban (West Bengal) Wave Energy | Vizhinjam (Kerala) Solar Energy | Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh) THERMAL PLANTS IN INDIA States Plants | Andhra Pradesh | Nellore, Vijayawada, Rama-_ | gundam Assam Kamrup, Bongaigaon Bihar Barauni Chhattisgarh Korba, Bhilai Delhi Badarpur, Indraprastha Gujarat Ukai, Sikka, Ahmedabad, Sabarmati Haryana Faridabad, Panipat Jammu and Pampore Kashmir Jharkhand Bokaro | Madhya Pradesh | Satpura, Amarkantak, Pench | Maharashtra Nashik, Uran , Chandrapur, Trombay, Dabhol Odisha: Punjab Bhatinda, Ropar : Kota Ennore, Tuticorin, Neyveli Kothagudam Rokhia Obra, Panki, Singrauli Kolkata, Titagarh, Durgapur Tamil Nadu Telangana Tripura Uttar Pradesh West Bengal FAMOUS TOURIST SITES IN INDIA [Tourist Sites Location Tourist Sites Location ‘Adina Marque Pandua (West Bengall Talgarh Palace Bikaner Ajanta Caves ‘Aurangabsd (Maharashtra) | Lingars) Temple Bhubaneswar “Akbars Tem Shands, Agr Mahakalechwar Temple | Ujpin Gandhinagar, Gujarat | Maheshmurti(rrimurd) | Elephanta Caves | Kashmir Mahmud Gawants ‘Bidar Mosque ‘Armber Palace Jalpur (Rajasthan) ‘Malabar Hill “Anand Bhawan ‘Allahabad Marble Rocke [Bibl Ke Maghra ‘Aurangabad Marina [Bina Planetarium Kolkata ‘Minakshi Temple Konarak (Odisha) mi nar (ain Temple) Tithadasawara Tenjore Teraple Watarsja Brindaban Gardens | Mysore Wishat Bagh Srinagar ([Buland Darwaza Fatehpur Sik Tadmanabha Temple Thiruvanthapuram Char Minar Tiderabad Talitana Tareq fa ‘Kesava ‘Bellur ‘Panch Mahal Fatehpur Sikri | tempte ([chilka Lake’ Odisha Fichola Lake Udaipur [Battie Srinagar Qutab Minar Delhi Dihvara Temples ‘Mt Abu ‘Raj Ghat Dethi Elephanta Gaver Mumba Rashtrepati Bhawan | Delht Fllora Caves ‘Aurangabad ed Fort Dethi Gateway ofindia | Mumbai Sanchi Tope Sanchi, Bhopal (The Great stupa) Golden Temple Amritear Santa Cruz Mumbai ‘Gol Gumbaz Bijapur Shakti Sthal Dethi WangingGardear | Mumbal Shalimar Bagh Srinagae Hawa Mahal Jaipur Shahi Chashma Srinagar ‘Howrah Bridge Kolkata ShantiVan “| Dethi [Tieng Palace Udaipur Shave Temple Mahabaliparam Tmadad-Daulahe | Agra Sidi Sayyid Mosque ‘Ahmedabad Tomb Jagannath Temple | Pua Somnathpar Temple | Mysore [Tahae Mahal Manda Statue of Gomateswara | Mysore Jai Stambha Chittorgarh ‘Statue of Ugea Tami (Tower af Victory) Jama Masiid Delhi Sunderbans ‘West Bengal Jantar Mantar New Den Sun Temple Kouavak [JeatGersoppa) Falls | Mysore Taj Mahal Agra ‘Kullasa Temple Bllora ‘Tehaeeb Mahal Srinagar Kalan Masjid Delhi Tirupati Temple ‘Andhra Pradesh ‘Kanyakumari Temple | CapeComorin ‘Tower of Silence Mumbal (Tamil Nadu) (of the Parsia) "ehajuraho apa Victoria Memorial Keka ‘Lalsiimt Vilas Palace iBengatura Viley Ghat TRIBAL GROUPS IN INDIA Tribal Group | State(s) Abor Arunachal Pradesh Adiyan Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu Agaria Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra Andh Arunachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra Apatani Arunachal Pradesh Arakh Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra Asur (Gond) Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maha- rashtra, West Bengal Baiga Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maha- rashtra, West Bengal Bakarwal Jammu & Kashmir Barda Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharash- tra Bhagalia Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharash- tra, Rajasthan Chakma Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, West Bengal Chenchu Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha Gaddi Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir Galong Arunachal Pradesh Garo Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, West Bengal Gond Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, MP, Maharashtra, Odisha, West Bengal Gujjar Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & KashmirHo Bihar, Odisha, West Bengal Jaintia Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram Juang Odisha Kanikkar Kerala, Tamil Nadu Kawar Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha Kharia Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maha- rashtra, Odisha, (Lodha) West Bengal Khasi Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram Khond Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maha- rashtra, Odisha, West Bengal Kol Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh Kolam Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra Kolha Odisha Kota Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu Koya Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha Lahaula Himachal Pradesh Lepcha Sikkim, Tripura, West Bengal Mahali Odisha, West Bengal Munda Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Tripura, West Bengal Naga Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland Onges Andaman & Nicobar Islands Oraon Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maha- rashtra, Odisha, West Bengal Santal Bihar, Odisha, Tripura, West Bengal Saora Odisha Sema ManipurShom Pens Andaman & Nicobar Islands Sitlhou Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram Sonr Madhya Pradesh Tadvi Gujarat, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan Thoti Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra Uibuh Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram Uraly Kerala, Tamil Nadu Varli Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharash- tra, Goa, Daman & Diu, Dadra & Nagar Haveli Wade Maria | Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra Zou. Manipur DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NATIONAL PARK, WILDLIFE SANCTUARY AND BIOSPHERE RESERVE National Park Wildlife Sanctuary | Biosphere Reserve Ttisareservedarea | Itis areserved area It is a Multipurpose for preservation of | forpreservationof | projected area to preserve natural vegetation, | endangered species. | genetic diversity in repre- wild life and natu- sentative ecosystem. ral beauty. Protected area; No | Protected area; Lim- | It is voluntary, coopera- human activity ited human activity | tive, conservation reserve is allowed; under isallowed; under created to protect the Wildlife Protection | Wildlife Protection | biological and cultural Act 1972 (India) Act 1972 (India) diversity of a region while promoting sustainable economic development. Boundaries are Boundaries are not | Boundaries are fixed by fixed by legislation, | sacrosanct. legislation. NATIONAL PARKS IN INDIA [ Area a | State ‘National Parks Started | (rncmt) | Attractions | Andaman Nicobar | " Estuarine Crocodiles, | tolends ‘Wandur National Park ross | 28050 | nut crab | ; 33 | Leopard, Gaur, Hie Arunachal Pradesh | Namdapha National Park 1989 | 1985.23 | Oe cy pear‘Kaziranga National Park 1974 arn | Shines Elephants, Tigers — ‘Assam Rooted Tue ‘Manas National Park 1990/50 Ter Chhattisgarh Indravati National Park ost | 1258.37 ae Leopard, Blue 5 Gir National Fark 1973 [256.71 | AsiatieLion Gujarat . ‘Marine National Park 1980 | 167.89 GeatBimalayanHetional | yogq | 14:40 Himachal Pradesh See Fin ValloyNational Park — | 1987 [67s | Himalayan Snoweny 5 ; Himalayan Black — DachigamNational Park — | 19st | 141 Tana Jamra — eae emis National Park Tai | 4100 Seeraapel KishtwarNationalPark — [1981 [400 | Hamslivanfunele Hazaribagh National Fark | 1976 [ee | Theers Wild Bou, Nilgai Hecthant Tigers, Dhol, alana National Park wm [aes [eee Tandipar Nationalfark | 157 [ 87420 | Asian Elephants, Tiger Ramaraka annerghatta atonalPark [197 | 10d27 [Tiger Lion —————*Y ‘Nagarhole Natienal Park 1988 643,39 | Elephant, Jackal, Tiger ‘ailgn tahr, Atlas Eravikulam Notional Pak [1978 | 97 Pein Kerala eriyar National Par rar | 350 Nilgizt Langur, Flying Squirrel ; Nilgin Tahr Miligit silent Valley National ark [1904 | en.52 | MENTE! ‘Dandhavgath National Park | 1982 | 448.85 | Tigers, Leopards, bears ‘ Tigers, Leopards, Kanha National Park Pe Cc Indian Gazelle, Nilgai, Madhya Pradesh | Mba Sstional ark isso [ava | nn Tiger, Walt, Chital, ana National Park aera | sazer | ER Wal Pench National Parke 1975 | 202.95 adil ‘ivegaonNationalPak [1975 | 195.88 _| Tiger, Panther, Bisons Maharashera 7 ad ‘Tadoba National Park 19ss | 116.55 | T8er, Leopards, Sloth Bears Elephant, Hital Bear, Chandaka Flephant Reserve [1982 | 175.79 lta, Best, : -phant Reserve oe i ‘Nandan Kanan National White Tiger, Asiatic one Park 1960 | 4006 | Lian, crocodiles Sa Tiger, Leopard, Simlipal National Park reso feaszo | ee ten Desert National Park rosa | sea: | Greet Tncian Buster, Harriers " ‘Siberian Cranes, 3 : Keoladeo NationalPark = / 1981 | 28.73 Soe Rajasthan ae - Ranthambore National Park | 1960 [392 | Tigers, Leopards, Bours sah Four Horned Dee, Saciska National Park 19e2 | 273.0 : Wild Ass, Snow Sikkim anne pdzonga National i597 | 2999 | Leopard, Musk Deer, Himalayan Tar Uttar Pradesh _| Dudhwa National Park 1977 | 49029 _ | Tiger, Rhinooeras 5 Tigers, Leopards, Corbett National Park is36 | szo.sa | DESEO ; Black Bear, Leopard, Govind National Park 1990 [avz.ce | BackBear, uttarakhand ‘Nandadewi National Park | 1988 | 388069 | Tiger, Leopard = Tigers, Leopards, Rajaji National Park 196s [szoag [Tee leo Valey of lowers National [555 [gz aq | Snow Leopard Musk Deer, fed Fox 353010" | Royal Bengal ThNATIONAL WILDLIFE CONSERVATION PROJECTS Project Year Project Hangul 1970 Project Gir 1972 Project Tiger 1973 | Project Olive Ridley Turtles | 1975 Crocodile Breeding Scheme | 1975 Project Manipur Thamin 1977 Project Rhino 1987 [ProjectElephant | ——~*«Xwii992 [ProjectRedPanda —=*|-:-1996 Project Vulture 2006 MAJOR SANCTUARIES IN INDIA State/UTs Name Andaman and Spike Island Wildlife Nicobar Islands Sanctuary Andhra Pradesh Nelapattu Bird Sanctuary, Gundla Brahmeswaram Wildlife Sanctuary Arunachal Pradesh | Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary Assam Hoollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary Bihar Kaimur Wildlife Sanctu- ary, Bhimbandh Wildlife Sanctuary Chandigarh Sukhna Chhattisgarh Achanakmar Wildlife SanctuaryDelhi Indira Priyadarshini Goa Bhagwan Mahavir Gujarat Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary, Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary Haryana Chautala Himachal Pradesh | Rupi Bhabha Sanctuary, Sechu Tuan Nala Wildlife Sanctuary, Tundah Wildlife Sanctuary Jammuand Karakoram Wildlife Sanc- Kashmir tuary, Lachipora, Chang- tang Wildlife Sanctuary Karnataka Dandeli Wildlife Sanctu- ary Kerala Periyar National Park, Waynad Madhya Pradesh Bori Wildlife Sanctuary, Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary, Pachmarhi Sanctuary Maharashtra Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary Manipur Yagoupokpi Lokchao Meghalaya Nongkhyllem Mizoram Dampa Tiger Reserve Nagaland Intanki Odisha Badrama Sanctuary, Baisi- palli Wildlife Sanctuary, Chilika Bird Sanctuary, Nalbana Bird Sanctuary, Satkosia Gorge Wildlife Sanctuary, Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary Punjab Abohar Rajasthan Keladevi Wildlife Sanctu- ary, KumbhalgarhSikkim Barsey Rhododendron Sanctuary Tamil Nadu Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary Telangana Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary, Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary Tripura Gumti Wildlife Sanctuary Uttar Pradesh Kaimoor Sanctuary Uttarakhand Askot Musk Deer Sanctu- ary West Bengal Murti Wildlife BIOSPHERE RESERVES OF INDIA Name State Type Great Rann of Kutch Gujarat Desert Gulf of Mannar Tamil Nadu Coasts Sundarbans ‘West Bengal Gangetic Delta Cold Desert Himachal Pradesh Western Himalayas Nanda Devi National Uttarakhand Western Himalayas Park & Biosphere Reserve Nilgiti Biosphere Reserve | Tamil Nadu, Keralaand Western Ghats Karnataka Dihang:-Dibang “Arunachal Pradesh Eastern Himalaya Pachmarhi Biosphere Madhya Pradesh Semi-Arid Reserve Seshachalam Hills Andhra Pradesh Eastern Ghats Simlipal Oadisha Deccan Peninsula Achanakamar - Amarkan- tak Madhya Pradesh,Chhattisgarh | Maikala Hills Manas Assam East Himalayas Khangehendzonga Sikkim, East Himalayas Agasthyamalal Blosphere | Kerala, Tamil Nadu ‘Western ghats Reserve Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve Andaman and Nicobar Islands | Islands Nokrek Meghalaya East Himalayas Dibru-Saikhowa ‘Assam East Himalayas Panna Madhya Pradesh Catchment area of the Ken River TIGER RESERVES IN INDIA The largest tiger reserve by area is 3,568 km? Nagar- junsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve in Andhra Pradesh.State Tiger Reserve (TR) Andhra Pradesh Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam TR Arunachal Pradesh | Namdapha TR, Pakhui TR Assam Manas TR, Nameri TR, Kaziranga TR Bihar Valmiki TR Chhattisgarh Udanti and Sitanadi TR, Achanakmar TR, Indra- vati TR Jharkhand Palamau TR Karnataka Bandipur TR, Bhadra TR, Dandeli-Anshi TR, Na- garhole TR, Biligiri Ran- gaswamy Temple TR Kerala Periyar TR, Parambiku- lam TR Madhya Pradesh Kanha TR, Pench TR, Bandhavgarh TR, Panna TR, Bori-Satpura TR, San- jay Dubri TR Maharashtra Melghat TR, Tadoba-And- hari TR, Bor TR, Pench TR, Sahyadri TR, Nawegaon- Nagzira TR Mizoram Dampa TR Odisha Simlipal TR, Satkosia TR Rajasthan Ranthambhore TR, Sariska TR, Mukundara Hills TR Tamil Nadu Kalakad-Mundathurai TR, Mudumalai TR, Sathya- mangalam TR, Anamalai TR Telangana Kawal TR eshTR, Pilibhit TR Fn Come AR West Bengal Buxa TR, Sunderbans TR ELEPHANT RESERVES IN INDIA Range Reserve Name State Eastern India Mayurjharna ER West Bengal fone ened Singhbhum ER Jharkhand Mayurbhanj ER Odisha Mahanadi ER Odisha Sambalpur ER Odisha Baitarni ER [Odisha ‘| SouthOdishaER |Odisha ‘| North Brahamputra Kameng ER Arunachal (Arunachal - Assam) Sonitpur ER Assam South Brahamputra Dihing-Patkai ER Assam (Assam — Arunachal) Deomali ER Arunachal Kaziranga (Assam — Kaziranga — Karbi Assam Nagaland) Anglong ER Dhansiri-Lungding | Assam ER Intanki ER Nagaland Eastern Dooars (Assam - | Chirang-Ripu ER Assam W. Bengal) Eastern DooarsER | W. Bengal E. Himalayas (Megha- Garo Hills ER Meghalaya laya) Khasi Hills ER [Meghalaya _| Nilgiri-Eastern Ghat Mysore ER Karnataka (Karnataka - Kerala - Bhadra ER [Karnataka | Tamil Nadu- Andhra) Wayanad ER eenla. Nilgiri ER Tamil Nadu Rayala ER Andhra South Nilgiri (Kerala - Nilambur ER Kerala Tamil Nadu) Coimbatore ER [TamilNadu | ‘Western Ghat (Tamil Anamalai ER Tamil Nadu Nadu- Kerala) Anamudi ER [Kerala _—| Periyar (Kerala - Tamil Periyar ER Kerala Nadu) Srivilliputtur ER Tamil Nadu Northern India Shivalik ER Uttarakhand(Uttarakhand-Uttar Pradesh) RAMSAR SITES IN INDIA Location Name Andhra Pradesh Kolleru Lake Assam Deepor Beel Gujarat Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary Himachal Pradesh | Pong Dam Lake, Renuka Wetland, Chandra Taal Jammu and Hokera Wetland, Surinsar- Kashmir Mansar Lakes, Tsomoriri, Wular Lake Kerala Sasthamkotta Lake, Vem- banad-Kol Wetland, Ashta- mudi Wetland Madhya Pradesh Bhoj Wetland Manipur Loktak Lake Odisha Chilika Lake, Bhitarkanika Mangroves Punjab Harike Wetland, Kanjli Wetland, Ropar Rajasthan Keoladeo National Park, Sambhar Lake Tamil Nadu Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary Tripura Rudrasagar Lake Uttar Pradesh Upper Ganga River (Bri- jghat to Narora Stretch) West Bengal East Calcutta Wetlands CRITICALLY ENDANGERED ANIMAL SPECIES OF INDIABirds Jerdon’s Courser, Forest Owlet, White-bellied Heron, White- backed Vulture, Slender-billed Vulture, Long-billed Vulture, Red- headed Vulture, Bengal Florican, The Himalayan Quail, Pink- headed Duck, Sociable Lap- wing, Spoon Billed Sandpiper, Siberian Crane, Great Indian Bus- tard Mammals Pygmy Hog, Andaman White- toothed Shrew, Jenkin’s An- daman Spiny Shrew, Nicobar White-tailed Shrew, Kondana Rat, Large Rock Rat, Namdapha Flying Squirrel, Malabar Civet, Sumatran Rhinoceros, Javan Rhi- noceros, Red Panda, Snow Leop- ard, Asiatic Lion, Nilgiri Lan- gur, Indian Wild Dog, Black buck, Bengal Tigers Reptiles Gharial, Hawksbill Turtle, Leatherback Turtle, River Ter- rapin, Red-crowned Roofed Tur- tle, Sispara day gecko Amphibians Anamalai Flying Frog, Gundia Indian Frog, Kerala Indian Frog, Charles Darwin’s Frog, Amboli Bush Frog, Chalazodes Bubble- Nest Frog, Small Bush Frog, Green-eyed Bush Frog, Resplen- dent Shrub Frog, Tiger toad Fish Spiders Pondicherry Shark, Ganges Shark, Knife-tooth Sawfish, Large-tooth Sawfish, Ganges River Dolphin Rameshwaram Parachute Spider, Peacock Tarantula Corals Fire coralsHH INDIAN GEOGRAPHY OBJECTIVE MCQs 1. Which one of the following lives the three largest states of India (in terms of geo- graphical area) in the correct descending order? (a) Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra (b) Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh (c) Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh (d) Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan Ans: (a) 2. One of the states not bisected by the Tropic of Cancer is (a) Odisha (b) Gujarat (c) West Bengal (d) Rajasthan Ans: (a) 3. The southern moat point of Indian terri- tory is in (a) Tamil Nadu (b) Lakshadweep (c) Trivandrum (d) Andaman and Nicobar Islands Ans: (d)4, Which of the following do not have a com- mon boundary with Bangladesh? (a) Meghalaya (b) Mizoram (c) Tripura (d) Arunachal Pradesh Ans: (d) 5. India lies (a) mainly in the northern hemisphere (b) entirely in the northern hemisphere (c) onthe Equator (d) more in the southern hemisphere Ans: (b) 6. The Arabian Sea lies to (a) North-East of India (b) South-West of India (c) South-East of India (d) North-West of India Ans: (c) 7. Palk Strait separates India from (a) Pakistan (b) China (c) Andaman Island (d) Sri Lanka Ans: (d) 8. Which time of the day is generally the hottest period all over India? (a) Noon (b) 1pm (c) 3pm (d) One cannot say Ans: (c) 9. The retreating monsoon withdraws itself from (a) The west coast to the east coast (b) North-East India to the west coast (c) The north to the south(d) North-West India to Bengal and then to Kerala Ans: (d) 10. How do dust storms in summer affect the temperature? (a) Increase it (b) Decrease it (c) No effect (d) Cannot say Ans: (b) 11. At which place will you find maximum sunlight in December? (a) Kanyakumari (b) Pune (c) Kolkata (d) Leh Ans: (a) 12. There is heavy rainfall on the western coast of India but very little in the Dec- can because (a) the Deccan plateau is situated in the rain shadow of the Western Ghats (b) the region is bypassed by the south-west monsoons (c) lack of high mountains in the Deccan (d) of some unknown reason Ans: (a) 13. Which of the following does not have in- fluence over the climate in India? (a) Nearness to Equator (b) Presence of Indian Ocean (c) Monsoons (d) Ocean currents Ans: (d) 14. The place in India receiving the lowest rainfall is (a) Leh(b) Jaisalmer (c) Bikaner (d) Jodhpur Ans: (a) 15. Lakshadweep Islands are situated in (a) Arabian Sea (b) Palk Strait (c) Indian Ocean (d) Bay of Bengal Ans: (a) 16. India's latitudinal and longitudinal ex- tent measured in degrees are almost the same, but its north-south extent mea- sured in km is greater than its east-west extent. This is due to the fact that (a) longitudes are not parallel lines (b) the distance between latitudes remains the same but the distance between longitudes is greatest at the Equator and nil at the poles where all longitudes join (c) all longitudes with their opposites form great circles (d) the earth is not a perfect sphere Ans: (b) 17. The territorial waters of India extends up to (a) 5 nautical miles (b) 12 nautical miles (c) 15 nautical miles (d) 2 nautical miles Ans: (b) 18. Which of the following States of India do not lie entirely in the Tropical Zone of the Earth? (a) Kerala and Tamil Nadu (b) Gujarat (c) Karnataka (d) Maharashtra and Andhra PradeshAns: (b) 19. The Indian States which have common borders with Pakistan are (a) Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Jammu & Kashmir (b) Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab and Rajasthan, (c) Jammu & Kashmir, Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab (d) Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Rajasthan Ans: (b) 20. Which or the following Indian islands lies between India and Sri Lanka? (a) Elephanta (b) Rameshwaram (c) Nicobar (d) Salsette Ans: (c) 21. The sun rises in Arunachal Pradesh two hours before it does in Dwaraka in Gu- jarat. This is because the former is (a) higher in elevation than Dwaraka (b) situated further north than Dwaraka (c) situated further east (about 30° longitude) than Dwaraka (d) situated about 30 ° east of Dwaraka and the earth rotates from west to east Ans: (d) 22. Which of the Indian states has the max- imum number of common borders with other Indian States? (a) West Bengal (b) Madhya Pradesh (c) Uttar Pradesh (d) Karnataka Ans: (b)23. What is the most important geographic use of the Himalayas to India? (a) Prevention of invasions (b) Valuable source of timber (c) They prevent the monsoons from crossing to the north and also serve as a reservoir of water from which our perennial rivers flow (d) They protect India from the icy cold north winds Ans: (c) 24, Which of the following mountains are the oldest according to geological his- tory? (a) Nilgiris (b) Satpura Range (c) Vindhyas (d) Aravalli Ans: (d) 25. The general physical relief is likely to be the boldest in (a) the Himalayan Mountain Complex (b) the Indus Ganga Plain (c) the Deccan Plateau (d) the Central Indian Plateau Ans: (a) 26.The Garo, Khasi and Jaintia hills were formed in the same age as the (a) Himalayas (b) Shiwalik Range (c) Malwa Plateau (d) Himachal Range Ans: (c) 27. The Ganga-Brahmaputra Plain widens (a) from east to west (b) from west to east (c) at the middle (d) No whereAns: (b) 28. The Peninsular Plateau of India extends upto (a) Mizo Hills (b) Himachal Himalayas (c) Assam Valley (d) Maghalaya Hills Ans: (d) 29. What is the most important characteris- tic of the islands (Indian) located in the Arabian Sea? (a) They are all very small in size (b) They are all of coral origin (c) They have a very dry climate (d) They are extended parts of the mainland Ans: (b) 30. The main difference between the Eastern Ghats and the Western Ghats is the mat- ter of (a) continuity (b) proximity of coast (c) ending in Nilgiris (d) height Ans: (a) 31. The Nilgiris are part of the (a) Eastern Ghats (b) Western Ghats (c) Vindhyachal (d) Tamil Nadu Hills Ans: (b) 32. Which of the following is character- ized by excessive dampness with a thick growth forest and a variety of wild life? (a) Bhabar (b) Bhangar (c) Tarai (d) KhadarAns: (c) 33. Which of the following is a trans-Hi- malayan river? (a) Ganga (b) Yamuna (c) Sutlej (d) Ravi Ans: (c) 34. Which of the following rivers lies in a rift valley? (a) Luni (b) Chambal (c) Son (d) Tapi Ans: (d) 35. Narmada originates from its source situ- ated in the State of (a) Maharashtra (b) Uttar Pradesh (c) Madhya Pradesh (d) Andhra Pradesh Ans: (c) 36. The Jog Fails are situated on the (a) Tapiriver (b) Saravathi river (c) Cauvery river (d) Bhima river Ans: (b) 37. Why is the Delta of the Indus small com- pared to the Delta of the Ganga? (a) The Indus traverses a shorter distance than the Ganga (b) The Indus is not as broad as the Ganga (c) The path of the Indus is through arid area, whereas the Ganga collects more water alone its path of the sea (d) None of the aboveAns: (c) 38. The Indian riven of the Indus Basin are (a) Sutlej, Beas and Ravi (b) Ganga, Beas and Sutlej (c) Betwa, Sone and Kosi (d) Gomati, Kosi, Gandak Ans: (a) 39. Beas flows through the State of (a) Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan (b) Punjab, Haryana, and Jammu (c) Punjab and Himachal Pradesh (d) Punjab and Haryana Ans: (d) 40. River Cauvery flows through the state of (a) Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu (b) Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu (c) Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu (d) Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh Ans: (b) 41.Ganga beyond Farakka when it enters Bangladesh is known as (a) Padma (b) Meghna (c) Hugli (d) Swarn Ganga Ans: (a) 42. Which of the following have almost the same point of beginning? (a) Ganga and Indus (b) Ganga and Brahmaputra (c) Beas and Tapi (d) Indus and Brahmaputra Ans: (d) 43. Which of the following rivers makes an estuary? (a) Cauvery(b) Krishna (c) Narmada (d) Ganga Ans: (c) 44, The river Damodar ends in (a) River Ganga (b) River Hugli (c) The Bay of Bengal (d) Salt Lake Ans: (b) 45. Which of the following is an east flowing river of the Peninsula? (a) Tapi (b) Narmada (c) Mahanadi (d) None of the above Ans: (c) 46. Which of the following group of rivers in India are likely to show the least ero- sional activity? (a) Himalayan rivers (b) Those rising in the Great Plain of India (c) The thin streams flowing into the Arabian Sea (d) The eastward flowing Peninsular rivers Ans: (d) 47.The youngest rivers in India originate from (a) Eastern Ghats (b) Western Ghats (c) Himalayas (d) Deccan Plateau Ans: (c) 48. The source of the Brahmaputra is (a) Pindari glacier (b) A glacier near the Mansarovar Lake (c) Somewhere near Tibet(d) Punjab Ans: (b) 49. Which of the following rivers divides the ‘Deccan Tableland' from Central High- land in northern India? (a) Chambal (b) Krishna (c) Godavari (d) Narmada Ans: (d) 50. Which of the following is not a character- istic of Peninsular rivers? (a) Seasonal flow (b) Meandering tendency often shifting their beds (c) Flow through shallow valleys (d) Little erosional activity Ans: (b) 51. Tochi, Gilgit anet Hunza are tributaries of (a) Ganga (b) Indus (c) Brahmaputra (d) Yamuna Ans: (b) 52. The right Ganga tributaries of the plain do not include (a) Alakananda (b) Yamuna (c) Son (d) Tons Ans: (a) 53. Most rivers flowing west from the West- ern Ghats do not Corm deltas because of (a) lack of eroded material (b) the high gradient (c) lack of vegetation free area(d) low velocity Ans: (b) 54. Which of the following is not a tributary of the Krishna? (a) Tungabhadra (b) Malaprabha (c) Ghataprabha (d) Amravati Ans: (d) 55. India has an endless growing season be- cause (a) it experiences the monsoonal type of cli- mate (b) the distribution of rainfall is uneven (c) temperatures throughout the year are favourable for growth of plants (d) its soilis very fertile the greater part being alluvial Ans: (c) 56. ‘October Heat' is caused due to (a) the absence of rain (b) combination of high temperature and ex- cessive humidity (c) dry hot weather (d) None of the above Ans: (b) 57. The weather office predicts "depression" over a certain area. It means (a) cloudy skies (b) atmospheric pressure in that area is lower than that in the surrounding areas (c) heavy weather causing a feeling of depres- sion (d) low atmospheric pressure over a large area Ans: (b) 58. The western disturbances which cause winter rain in India originate in(a) Pakistan (b) Bay of Bengal (c) West Asia (d) Himalayas Ans: (c) 59. How do the western disturbances affect the crops in north India? (a) They cause heavy damage to the standing crops (b) They bring in locusts which destroy the crops (c) They are beneficial to the crops by causing winter rain (d) They help in keeping the plants warm to some extent in winter Ans: (c) 60.How do the Central Asian highlands affect the Indian climate? (a) The low pressure in these areas intensifies the cold during the winter (b) The atmospheric pressure in this region has an effect on the Indian atmosphere in sum- mer (c) Dry continental air is blowing towards India throughout (d) The atmospheric pressure in this region has an impact on the onset of monsoon in India Ans: (d) 61. The amount and Intensity of monsoon rainfall is determined by the frequency of (a) western disturbances (b) dust storms (c) cyclones (d) tropical depressions Ans: (d)62. Rajasthan receives very little rain be- cause (a) itis too hot (b) there is no water available and thus the winds remain dry (c) the monsoons fail to reach this area (d) the winds do not come across any barrier to cause the necessary uplift to cool the winds Ans: (d) 63.Which of the following indicates the types of soil erosion in decreasing order of damage caused In India (a) Ravine erosion .and gullies, alkalinity and salinity weeds and water-logging (b) Alkalinity and water-logging, ravine ero- sion and weeds (c) Water-logging, weeds, salinity and ravine erosion (d) Allare equally damaging Ans: (a) 64. Which of the weathering agents is almost peculiar to the Indian Himalayas? (a) Wind (b) Glaciers (c) Snowfall (d) Running water Ans: (b) 65. Which of the following states has very little alluvial soil? (a) Bihar (b) Madhya Pradesh (c) Tamil Nadu (d) Punjab Ans: (b) 66. The soils of the plains have not been de- rived (a) from the Himalayan rocks (b) from the Peninsular rocks(c) only from the rocks existing locally (d) from material brought by the rivers Ans: (c) 67. Which of the following soils is formed under typical monsoonal conditions? (a) Black Soils (b) Red Soils (c) Laterite Soils (d) None of these Ans: (c) 68. Which of the following is incorrect? (a) Red soils are rich in iron (b) Black soils are rich in phosphorus nitrogen and organic matter (c) Alluvial soils are rich in potash but poor in phosphorus (d) Red soils are suitable for cultivation of pulses and coarse grains Ans: (b) 69. Which is the chief characteristic of the soil of the Indo-Gangetic plain? (a) It is derived from Himalayan rocks (b) It is rich in humus (c) It is formed of peninsular rocks (d) Itis derived from local rocks Ans: (a) 70. Tropical moist deciduous vegetation la to be found in Sahyadris, north-east plateau of the Peninsula and in the Shiwaliks. Which of the following is not a tree species of this group? (a) Teak (b) Sal (c) Sandalwood (d) Deodar Ans: (d)71. The Indo-Gangetic Plains of India are fer- tile due to (a) the heavy and timely rains and forests (b) alluvial soils brought by the rivers from the mountains (c) hard labour of the farmers over the genera- tions (d) better irrigation facilities Ans: (b) 72. Khaddar soils are found (a) in piedmont plains (b) in flood plains (c) over low plateaux (d) over steep slopes Ans: (b) 73. "Reserved Forests" are forests (a) reserved for hunting (b) reserved for commercial exploitation and prohibited for grazing (c) reserved for local use (d) reserved for growing medicinal herbs Ans: (b) 74. Black soils are ideal for cultivation of cot- ton as (a) their colour is black (b) they can retain moisture (c) they are made of lava (d) they are found on plateau regions Ans: (b) 75. A person of mixed European and Indian blood in Latin America is called a (a) Mulatto (b) Mestizo (c) Meiji (d) Mau Mau. Ans: (b)76. Where will you expect to find bamboo growing (a) Ata great height from sea level (b) Ata medium height from sea level (c) Ata very low height from sea level (d) There is no such condition; it can grow any where Ans: (c) 77. The soils which have supported agricul- ture for centuries without much manur- ing or fallowing are (a) alluvial and late rite soils (b) red and laterite soils (c) black and alluvial soils (d) laterite and black soils Ans: (c) 78. The minimum fore at cover necessary to maintain ecological balance is (a) 50% of the total land area (b) 40% of the total land area (c) 33% of the total land area (d) 25% ofthe total land area Ans: (c) 79. Which of the following is not a part of the Great Plains? (a) Indo-Gangetic Divide (b) Ganga Delta (c) Assam Valley (d) Kerala Coastal Plain Ans: (d) 80. The Cudappah Ranges lie between (a) Godavari and Palkonda Range (b) Godavari and Jamshedpur (c) Palar and Cauvery (d) Satpura and Mohadeo-Maikal range Ans: (a)81.In our country, the Tropic of Cancer passes through the (a) Central part (b) Northern part (c) Southern part (d) Western part Ans: (a) 82. The tribal population in Andaman and Nicobar Islands belongs to the (a) Astraloids (b) Caucasoids (c) Mongoloids (d) Negroids Ans: (d) 83. The bridge of sand and rock in the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka is (a) Palk Isthmus (b) SriLanka Bridge (c) Adam's Bridge (d) Pamban Bridge Ans: (c) 84. Littoral forests occur (a) on hills (b) along the sea coasts and tidal creeks (c) where the rainfall is heavy (d) at elevated places Ans: (b) 85.___ is not situated on the banks of the Ganga. (a) Agra (b) Kanpur (c) Allahabad (d) Varanasi Ans: (a) 86. The largest and the most important soil group of India contributing to the coun- try's major agricultural production is(a) Laterite (b) Alluvial (c) Red (d) Peaty Ans: (b) 87. Wind erosion is common in (a) desert (b) cold areas (c) areas where there is thick vegetation (d) areas of heavy rainfall Ans: (a) 88. Panchmarhi is near the highest point on the range of (a) Vindhyas (b) Aravallis (c) Nilgiris (d) Satpuras Ans: (d) 89. Arainshadow region gets (a) large quantity of rainfall (b) rainfall six months in a year (c) rainfall all through the year (d) scanty or no rainfall Ans: (d) 90.Which of the following physiographic features of India is 'geologically the old- est? (a) Himalayan Mountain Chain (b) Indus-Ganga Brahmaputra Plain (c) The Peninsular Plateau (d) The Coastal Plains Ans: (c) 91. What is the standard time of India with reference to Greenwich Mean Time? (a) 5.5 hours slow (b) 11 hours fast (c) 5.5 hours fast(d) 11 hours slow Ans: (c) 92. The Satpura range is situated between two west flowing rivers, They are (a) Narmada and Luni (b) Narmada and Tapi (c) Tapi and Mahi (d) Mahiand Luni Ans: (b) 93. The Sunderbans are found in (a) The Luni Basin (b) Godavari Delta (c) Ganga Delta (d) Mahanadi Delta Ans: (c) 94, The Narmada river originate a in (a) Vindhyan Range (b) Maikal Range (c) Satpura Range (d) Mahadeo Range Ans: (b) 95. The second largest east-flowing Peninsu- lar river is (a) Godavari (b) Krishna (c) Cauvery (d) Mahanadi Ans: (b) 96. The highest point in the Aravalli range is (a) Dodabetta (b) Anaimudi (c) Guru Sikhar (d) Panchmarhi Ans: (c) 97. Ahmedabad is situated on the river bank of(a) Sabarmati (b) Mahi (c) Luni (d) Nannada Ans: (a) 98. The Water Fall with the highest fall in India is the (a) Jog Falls, Karnataka (b) Courtallam Falls, Tamil Nadu (c) Beraghat Falls, Madhya Pradesh (d) Ettipotala Falls, Andhra Pradesh Ans: (a) 99. The glacier of the Nubra Valley the long- est one with a length of over 72 km is called the glacier. (a) Hispar (b) Siachen (c) Biafo (d) Baltaro Ans: (b) 100. Narmada and Tapi flow into the (a) Gulf of Khambat (b) Palk Strait (c) Bay of Bengal (d) Gulf of Kachchh Ans: (a) 101. Sivasamudram waterfalls is on the river (a) Krishna (b) Godavari (c) Mahanadi (d) Cauvery Ans: (d) 102. They are people of yellow com- plexion, oblique eyes, high chick bones, spare hair and medium height," The ref- erence here is to(a) Nordic Aryans (b) Austrics (c) Negroids (d) Mongoloids Ans: (d) 103. The first range of Himalayas to the North of Ganga Plains is the (a) Satpura Mountains (b) Shiwaliks (c) Garo Hills (d) Khasi Hills Ans: (b) 104. Kalbaisakhis or Norwesters origi- nate in (a) Chhota Nagpur Plateau (b) Karnataka Coast (c) Coromandal Coast (d) Malwa Plateau Ans: (a) 105. Bhim Talis a (a) river in West Bengal (b) lake around Nainital (c) strike valley (d) pass in Kashmir Ans: (c) 106.Chandra and Bhaga the two streams jointo form _____ river. (a) Jhelum (b) Indus (c) Ravi (d) Chenab Ans: (d) 107. The Yamuna and the Sone are the tributaries of the river (a) Jhelam (b) Beas (c) Ravi(d) Ganga Ans: (d) 108. River is called ‘The Sorrow of the Bengal'. (a) Sone (b) Damodar (c) Hooghly (d) Kosi Ans: (b) 109. The Coromandel Coast of India re- ceives good rains from cyclonic storms in the months of (a) February and March (b) July and August (c) November and December (d) None of the above Ans: (c) 110. The Sahyadris commencein___. (a) Maharashtra (b) Kerala (c) Karnataka (d) Gujarat Ans: (a) 111. The highest point of the Nilgiri Hills is (a) Kalsubai (b) Salher (c) Doda Betta (d) Pushpagiri Ans: (c) 112. A prominent break in the continu- ity of the Sahyadris is (a) Doda Betta (b) Anamudi Peak (c) Anaimalai Hills (d) Palghat Gap Ans: (d)113. The longest of all the Indus tribu- taries is the (a) Ravi (b) Beas (c) Chenab (d) Jhelum Ans: (c) 114. The second largest river system in India, next to the Ganga system, is that of___. (a) Godavari (b) Krishna (c) Brahmani (d) Baitarni Ans: (a) 115. The Tropic of Cancer which passes through India is to/of the equator. (a) at right angles (b) 2#%'to the North (c) #4*to the South (d) 902 to the South Ans: (b) 116.The Himalayas are considered as type of mountains. (a) relief (b) submarine (ec) volcanic (d) tectonic Ans: (d) 117. The famous Naki lake is in (a) Nainital (b) Mussorie (c) Rishikesh (d) Pushkar Ans: (a) 118. The original home of the gypsies was(a) Egypt (b) Russia (c) India (d) Persia Ans: (c) 119. The Himalayan forests include (a) European Oak Forests (b) Coniferous Forests (c) Alpine Vegetation (d) All the three Ans: (d) 120. The river which rises in the Ka- marpet hill in Chhotanagpur Plateau of Bihar and called "The River of Sorrow" is (a) Mahanadi (b) Damodar (c) Krishna (d) Godavari Ans: (b) 121.____ is known as the Queen of the Arabian Sea. (a) Cochin (b) Mumbai (c) Mangalore (d) Surat Ans: (a) 122. The wont affected state of India by the menace of sea erosion is (a) Kerala (b) Odisha (c) Gujarat (d) Andhra Pradesh Ans: (a) 123.The smallest Union Territory of India (area wise) is (a) Lakshadweep (b) Puducherry(c) Daman and Diu (d) Dadar and Nagar Haveli Ans: (a) 124. The total area of the Republic of India is of the order of . (a) 2.3 million sq km (b) 3.3 million sq km (c) 4.3 million sq km (d) 5.3 million sq km Ans: (b) 125. Blue Mountain (peak) is located in (a) Tamil Nadu (b) Kerala (c) Mizoram (d) Kamataka Ans: (c) 126. The Khasi and Jaintia Hills are lo- cated in a (a) Arunachal Pradesh (b) Meghalaya (c) Manipur (d) Nagaland Ans: (b) 127.The Mountain Peak located where the Tsangpo-Brahmaputra river takes a hairpin bend from West-East trend to North-South trend is (a) Saramati (b) Shillong (c) Namcha Barwa (d) Karbi Ans: (c) 128. Loktak Lake, a big lake of North East India, is located in (a) Assam (b) Arunachal Pradesh(c) Manipur (d) Tripura Ans: (c) 129. The Outer Himalayas correspond with (a) the Karakoram range (b) the Shiwalik range (c) the Kailas range (d) the Hindukush range Ans: (b) 130. The mangrove forests are present in (a) the Eastern Ghats (b) the Sunderbans (c) the Western Ghats (d) the Aravallis Ans: (b) 131.A rain shadow zone is present in India (a) along western flanks of the Aravallis (b) along the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats (c) along the western slopes of the Eastern Ghats (d) along the northern flanks of the Vindhyas Ans: (b) 132. The Laccadives are an example of (a) Islands resulting from submarine earth- quakes (b) Volcanic Islands (c) Coral Islands (d) None of the above Ans: (c) 133. river is sometimes referred to as "Dakshin Ganga". (a) Panner (b) Godavari(c) Krishna (d) Cauvery Ans: (b) 134. The part of India receives maxi- mum insolation. (a) northern (b) eastern (c) western (d) southern Ans: (d) 135. Which of the following regions has almost all prevalent types of natural vegetation in India? (a) The Coastal Plains (b) The Deccan Plateau (c) The Himalayas (d) The Ganga Plain Ans: (c) 136.The river Tsangpo flows through before entering India? (a) Myanmar (b) Pakistan (c) Tibet (d) China Ans: (c) 137.The Periyar Game Sanctuary in Kerala is renowned for (a) tiger (b) lion (c) wild elephant (d) spotted deer Ans: (c) 138. Which sanctuary has been selected as an alternative home for the Indian lion? (a) Bandipur Sanctuary (Karnataka) (b) Ghana Sanctuary (Bihar)(c) Periyar Sanctuary (Kerala) (d) Chandra Prabha Sanctuary (UP) Ans: (d) 139.In which of the following areas is Konkani spoken as the local language? (a) Kerala and Karnataka (b) Maharashtra and Goa (c) Odisha and West Bengal (d) Andhra Pradesh Ans: (b) 140. Where do Birhors live? (a) Chhattishgrah (b) Assam (c) Nagaland (d) Tamil Nadu Ans: (a) 141.In general it la observed that the rate of population growth has been in the densely populated areas compared to sparsely populated areas. (a) Low (b) High (c) Negligible (d) Almost the same Ans: (a) 142. After which one of the following tribes of India has a supercontinent of ancient geological history of the world been named? (a) Santhals (b) Khonds (c) Bhils (d) Gonds Ans: (d) 143. Where is the Black Pogoda? (a) Konark (b) Khajuraho(c) Madurai (d) Egypt Ans: (a) 144. Mudumalai Sanctuary famous for elephants and deer is situated in (a) Assam (b) Gujarat (c) Tamil Nadu (d) Karnataka Ans: (c) 145. Which of the following combina- tions of riven and cities situated on their banks is wrong? (a) Lucknow - Gomati (b) Ayodhya - Saryu (c) Badrinath - Alaknanda (d) Vijayawada - Narmada Ans: (d) 146.The Bhutia group of languages does not include (a) Laddakhi (b) Tibetan (c) Lepcha (d) Sherpa Ans: (c) 147. Economically the most important forests of India are (a) Tidal forest (b) Thorn forest (c) Evergreen forest (d) Tropical deciduous forest Ans: (d) 148. A few showers of rain during the months of December and January are beneficial to the rabi crops because they (a) make the plant strong (b) protect the crops from frost(c) cause fallin temperature (d) provide moisture for the germination of seeds Ans: (b) 149. The correct sequence of the east- ward flowing rivers of the penisular India from north to southis (a) Subarnarekha, Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Pennar, Cauvery and Vaigai (b) Subarnarekha, Mahanadi, Krishna, Go- davari, Cauvery, Vaigai and Pennar (c) Mahanadi, Subarnarekha, Godavari, Krishna, Cauvery, Pennar and Vaigai (d) Mahanadi, Subarnarekha, Krishna, Go- davari, Cauvery, Vaigai and Pennar Ans: (a) 150. The main hydroelectric power po- tential of the Indus river system lies in India and not in Pakistan because (a) the need for hydroelectric power is greater in India than the Pakistan (b) India has superior technology to develop hydroelectric power (c) India has a greater labour force to develop hydroelectric power (d) the mountain stages of these rivers lie in India Ans: (d) 151. Which multipurpose project was taken up first of all after independence? (a) Bhakra Nangal Project (b) Damodar Valley Project (c) Kosi Project (d) None of these Ans: (b) 152. Which of the following states is the “Sugar Bowl" of India? (a) Uttar Pradesh(b) Himachal Pradesh (c) Tamil Nadu (d) Andhra Pradesh Ans: (a) 153.Which of the following are not kharif crops? (a) Bajara and Maize (b) Rice and Jowar (c) Sugarcane and Groundnut (d) Barley and Mustard Ans: (d) 154. The world's longest masonry dam is (a) Hirakud (b) Bhakra Nangal (c) Nagarjuna Sagar (d) Aswan Ans: (a) 155. The Koal Project is aimed towards (a) irrigation (b) drainage and power generation (c) power generation and load control (d) irrigation, flood control and power genera- tion Ans: (d) 156.The Farakka Project la mainly aimed towards (a) irrigating more land in West Bengal (b) utilizing maximum of Ganga water (c) preserving the port of Kolkata (d) production of electricity Ans: (c) 157. Which is India’s largest multipur- pose river valley project? (a) Bhakra Nangal (b) Damodar Valley (c) Nagarjunasagar(d) Thungabhadra Ans: (a) 158. Mahi Project will greatly benefit (a) Maharashtra (b) Punjab (c) Gujarat (d) Uttar Pradesh Ans: (c) 159. Which of the following projects is administered by more than one State? (a) Nagarjunasagar (b) Kosi (c) Hirakud (d) Tungabhadra Ans: (d) 160. Which region in India is known as the 'Rice Bowl of India’? (a) Indo-Gangetic Plain (b) Krishna-Godavari Delta region (c) North-East region (d) Kerala and Tamil Nadu Ans: (b) 161. The States involved In the Dan- dakaranya Project are (a) Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka (b) Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu (c) Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh (d) Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh Ans: (c) 162.Which of the following hydro- electric stations is situated in Uttar Pradesh? (a) Mayurakshi (b) Rihand (c) Kangsabati(d) Hirakud Ans: (b) 163. Hidkal Dam is on the river (a) Krishna (b) Cauvery (c) Pennar (d) Ghataprabha Ans: (d) 164. The multipurpose project irrigat- ing maximum area in India is (a) Beas (b) Bhakra Nangal (c) Damodar Valley (d) Hirakud Ans: (d) 165.The Rajasthan Canal (now called the Indira Gandhi Canal) draws its water from the (a) Yamuna (b) Chambal (c) Sutlej (d) Sutlej and Beas Ans: (d) 166. Canal irrigation la moat Important in north India because the (a) soil is porous (b) level of underground water is high (c) sources of the canals are the perennial rivers (d) regions is densely populated Ans: (c) 167.The first marine sanctuary in India, having within its bounds coral reefs, mollusca, dolphins, tortoises and various kinds of sea birds, has been es- tablished in (a) Sundarbans(b) Chilka Lake (c) Gulf of Kachchh (d) Lakshadweep Ans: (b) 168. Gypaum is round in (a) Rajasthan (b) Odisha (c) Assam (d) Madhya Pradesh Ans: (a) 169. In India, diamonds are found at (a) Panna (MP) (b) Golkonda (AP) (c) Khetri (Rajasthan) (d) None of these Ans: (a) 170. The Himalayan region is poor in mineral resources because (a) it is made up of crystalline rocks (b) displacement of rock strata has disturbed the arrangement of rocks and made it complex (c) the climatic conditions are not suitable for exploitation of minerals (d) the terrain makes exploitation of minerals difficult and very costly due to transport diffi- culties Ans: (b) 171. Where in India is mica mined? (a) Nasirabad (Rajasthan) (b) Gaya (Bihar) (c) Nellore (Andhra Pradesh) (d) All the above Ans: (d) 172. Which of the following is associ- ated with the recent discovery of tung- sten by the Geological Surveyor India? (a) Agucha in Rajasthan(b) Thar Desert in Rajasthan (c) Tuensang in Nagaland (d) Sirohi in Rajasthan Ans: (d) 173. What is Bailadila famous for? (a) Bauxite (b) Iron ore (c) Copper (d) Coal Ans: (b) 174. India has eight coastal states but more than half the sea salt is made along the Gujarat coast because (a) Gandhiji started the salt movement in Gu- jarat (b) Low rainfall and relative humidity are ideal for the production of salt through evapo- ration of sea water (c) Kandla port exports salt (d) The salinity of sea water is very high near the Gujarat coast Ans: (b) 175. Gondwana coalfields are found in (a) Assam (b) Madhya Pradesh (c) Meghalaya (d) Jammu and Kashmir Ans: (b) 176. Which central government agency is responsible for the mapping and ex- ploration of minerals? (a) The Geological Survey of India (b) Surveyor General of India (c) National Mineral Development Corporation Ltd (d) Indian Bureau of Mines Ans: (a)177.What is Gomia in Jharkhand fa- mous for? (a) Coal fields (b) Manganese mines (c) Fertilizer plant (d) Explosives factory Ans: (d) 178. India's forest sponge iron plant is at (a) Kothagudam (b) Kurnool (c) Cuddappah (d) Kavaratti Ans: (a) 179. The Indian city famous for glass bangle industry is (a) Lucknow (b) Sikandrabad (c) Firozabad (d) Agra Ans: (c) 180. The first machine made paper was manufactured (a) in 1870 near Kolkata (b) in 1903 in Mumbai (c) in 1910 at Delhi (d) After independence Ans: (a) 181. The first cotton mill was set up at Fort master in Kolkata in (a) 1919 (b) 1926 (c) 1818 (d) 1854 Ans: (c) 182. HMT industries are set up at (a) Kalamassery(b) Hyderabad and Bengaluru (c) Pinjore and Ajmer (d) All of the above Ans: (d) 183. The nuclear power plant in India which will provide power mainly for agriculture is located at (a) Kalpakkam (b) Narora (c) Kota (d) Tarapur Ans: (b) 184. The first fertilizer plant was set up at (a) Nangal (Punjab) (b) Sindri (Bihar) (c) Alwaye (Kerala) (d) Trombay (Maharashtra) Ans: (b) 185. Penicillin is produced at (a) Bengaluru (b) Alwaye (c) Poona (d) Pimpri Ans: (d) 186. Tanks are manufactured at (a) Kanpur (b) Chittaranjan (c) Perambur (d) Avadi Ans: (d) 187. Passenger and merchant ships are constructed at (a) Mazagaon Docks (b) Hindustan Shipyard at Visakhapatnam (c) No place; the Indian docks only make navy ships(d) Goa shipyard Ans: (b) 188. Railway passenger coaches are manufactured at (a) Varanasi (b) Chittaranjan (c) Perambur (d) Kolkata Ans: (c) 189. The Bokaro steel plant has been set up with the assistance of (a) Former USSR (b) UK (c) USA (d) Germany Ans: (a) 190. The first Alumina plant in India is situated at (a) Kiriburu (Jharkhand) (b) Ratnagiri (Maharashtra) (c) Sirpur (Andhra Pradesh) (d) Korba (Madhya Pradesh) Ans: (d) 191. The major thermal power station fed on natural gas is at (a) Lunej (b) Trombay (c) Naharkatiya (d) Digboi Ans: (c) 192. Which one of the following east flowing rivers of India has rift valley due to down warping (a) Damodar (b) Mahanadi (c) Sone (d) YamunaAns: (a) 193.'Saddle peak' the highest peak of Andaman and Nicobar islands is located in (a) Great Nicobar (b) Middle Andaman (c) Little Andaman (d) North Andaman Ans: (d) 194. The Alamatti is on the river (a) Godavari (b) Cauvery (c) Krishna (d) Mahanadi Ans: (c) 195.Which of the following is not renowned for the manufacture of silk? (a) Bhagalpur (Bihar) (b) Srinagar Jammu and Kashmir) (c) Moradabad (Uttar Pradesh) (d) Mysore (Karnataka) Ans: (c) 196. The first cement factory was built in India in 1904 at (a) Ranchi (b) Hazaribagh (c) Chennai (d) Hyderabad Ans: (c) 197.The first shore based integrated steel project in India is coming up at (a) Ernakulam (b) Tuticorin (c) Visakhapatnam (d) Mangalore Ans: (c) 198. The first coal mine in India(a) Dhanbad (b) Jharia (c) Raniganj (d) Asansol Ans: (c) 199. What is Obra? (a) Copper project in Rajasthan (b) Super thermal power project in Uttar Pradesh (c) Atomic power plant at Kalpakkam (d) Hydroelectric project in Uttar Pradesh Ans: (b) 200. Geothermal energy may serve as an important source of energy in (a) The Konkan Coast (b) Ladakh District (c) Aravalli Hills (d) Narmada Valley Ans: (b) 201.The State having the maximum number of oil wells on its land portion is (a) Gujarat (b) Maharashtra (c) Assam (d) Bihar Ans: (a) 202.The advantage of micro-hydel projects is that they (a) make use of water of the perennial hill streams and irrigation canals (b) prevent flash floods (c) save water (d) involve less cost Ans: (d) 203. Which of the following is a wrong combination of location and hydroelec- tric projects undertaken by the NHPC?(a) Baira Siul-Himachal Pradesh (b) Salal-Jammu and Kashmir (c) Loktak-Sikkim (d) Devi Ghat-Nepal Ans: (c) 204. Which industry provides jobs to the maximum number of people? (a) Iron textiles (b) Cotton textiles (c) Sugar industry (d) Tea processing Ans: (b) 205. Which of the following is not an in- ternational airport? (a) Palam (b) Dum Dum (c) Meenambakkam (d) Ahmedabad Ans: (d) 206. India has the world's highest road which connects (a) Leh and Srinagar (b) Leh and Manali (c) Srinagar and Jammu (d) Sikkim and Darjeeling Ans: (b) 207.Where is Arvi earth station for satellite communication? (a) Uttar Pradesh (b) Tamil Nadu (c) Maharashtra (d) Gujarat Ans: (d) 208. Where was India's rocket launch- ing station set up? (a) Sriharikota (b) Arvi(c) Thumba (d) Port Blair Ans: (c) 209. The first nuclear reactor of India is named (a) Urvashi (b) Apsara (c) Kamini (d) Rohini Ans: (b) 210. Which one of the following ship- yards makes warships for the Indian Navy? (a) Cochin Shipyard, Cochin (b) Hindustan Shipyard, Visakhapatnam (c) Mazagaon Dock, Mumbai (d) Garden Reach Workshop, Kolkata Ans: (c) 211. India provides ideal conditions for air travel because (a) itis a vast country (b) it has a huge population. (c) its climatic conditions are favourable (d) it has extensive mountain tracks Ans: (c) 212. Which one of the following towns is not situated along the Grand Trunk Road? (a) Allahabad (b) Lucknow (c) Agra (d) Kanpur Ans: (b) 213.The commodity which accounts for the maximum volume of goods transported by the railways in India is (a) iron and steel(b) coal (c) mineral oil (d) metallic ores (other than iron ore) Ans: (b) 214. Wheels and exles for railways are produced (a) at Bengaluru (b) at Chennai (c) at Varanasi (d) Nowhere in India Ans: (a) 215. Which of the following is not a navigable river in India? (a) Brahmaputra (b) Godavari (c) Narmada (d) Chenab Ans: (d) 216. The National highways system is the responsibility of (a) State Governments (b) Central Government (c) Aspecial Roads Authority (d) State and Central Government Ans: (b) 217.How many major ports are there on the east coast of India? (a) 6 (b) 4 (c) 3 (d) 5 Ans: (a) 218. India has one land-locked and pro- tected port which is at (a) Paradeep (b) Chennai (c) Kolkata(d) Visakhapatnam Ans: (d) 219. The air transport industry was na- tionalized in the year (a) 1953 (b) 1950 (c) 1948 (d) 1947 Ans: (a) 220. Which one of the following rivers thrice forks into two streams and reunites a few miles farther on, thus forming the islands of Sriran- gapatanam, Sivasamudram and Sri- rangam? (a) Cauvery (b) Tungabhadra (c) Krishna (d) Godavari Ans: (a) 221. The port commanding the largest hinterland in India is (a) Mumbai (b) Kandla (c) Kolkata (d) Chennai Ans: (c) 222.The EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) of India is (a) 12 miles (b) 360km (c) 140km (d) None of these Ans: (b) 223. The satellite construction centre in India is at (a) Peenya(b) Sriharikota (c) Thumba (d) Bengaluru Ans: (a) 224. Where is the MIG engine manufac- tured in India? (a) Koraput (b) Bengaluru (c) Ozar (d) Hyderabad Ans: (a) 225. Which of the following Railway zones and their Headquarters is not cor- rect? (a) North-Eastern-Gorakhpur (b) South-Central-Hyderabad (c) Eastern-Kolkata (d) Western-Mumbai Ans: (b) 226. Lac is secreted by (a) trees like rubber (b) certain kinds of birds (c) some animals (d) acertain type of insect which feeds on the saps of trees such as Palas, Ber and Kusum Ans: (d) 227. Lac is used in making (a) Gramophone records (b) Varnish (c) Sealing wax and lithographic ink (d) All the above Ans: (d) 228.The chief competitor of India in the field of lac is (a) Thailand (b) The United States of America (c) Japan(d) China Ans: (a) 229. Gujarat is noted for the cultivation of (a) Cotton (b) Sugarcane (c) Saffron (d) Jute Ans: (a) 230. Black soil derived from volcanic rocks with humus is suitable for grow- ing (a) rice (b) wheat (c) cotton (d) grapes Ans: (c) 231. Which of the following is a rabi crop? (a) Cotton (b) Mustard (c) Maize (d) Rice Ans: (b) 232. The Nagarjunasagar Project is an important multipurpose project on the river in the district of Andhra Pradesh. (a) Godavari, West Godavari (b) Mahanadi, Krishna (c) Krishna, Nalgonda (d) Tungabhadra, East Godavari Ans: (c) 233.The Satpura Thermal Power Sta- tion is in (a) Uttar Pradesh (b) Jammu and Kashmir(c) Madhya Pradesh (d) Maharashtra Ans: (c) 234. Tobacco was introduced into India by the (a) Chinese (b) Portuguese (c) English (d) French Ans: (b) 235.In which of the following areas of India is there an overlapping plantation of tea and coffee? (a) North-east (b) North-west (c) South-west (d) South-east Ans: (c) 236. The Hirakud Project harnesses the waterofthe__ river. (a) Ganga (b) Sutlej (c) Mahanadi (d) Tapi Ans: (c) 237.The Talcher Thermal Power Sta- tion is in (a) Odisha (b) Maharashtra (c) West Bengal (d) Meghalaya Ans: (a) 238.The Damodar Valley Project con- cerns two states (a) Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh (b) West Bengal and Bihar (c) Maharashtra and Karnataka(d) Haryana and Punjab Ans: (b) 239. Mayurakshi Project is an undertak- ing of the Government of (a) Maharashtra (b) West Bengal (c) Andhra Pradesh (d) Uttar Pradesh Ans: (b) 240. Rabi crop is sown in (a) October - November (b) April - May (c) January - February (d) August - September Ans: (a) 241. The 'Todas' are one of the major tribes found in (a) Sikkim (b) Assam (c) Nilgiris (d) The Andaman and Nicobar Islands Ans: (c) 242. The Matatilla Project is (a) executed by Uttar Pradesh (b) executed by Madhya Pradesh (c) a joint venture by Uttar Pradesh and Mad- hya Pradesh (d) ajoint venture by Uttar Pradesh and Bihar Ans: (c) 243. The Sharavati Project is a/an (a) thermal project (b) hydro-electric project (c) multipurpose project (d) irrigation project Ans: (b) 244. Arable lands refer to(a) pasture land (b) fallow land (c) woodland (d) cultivable land Ans: (d) 245.In India economically exploitable lignite deposits occur at (a) Neyveli, Tamil Nadu (b) Singareni, Andhra Pradesh (c) Talcher, Odisha (d) Jharia, Bihar Ans: (a) 246. The Peninsular rivers which do not join the Arabian Sea are (a) Narmada and Tapi (b) Narmada and Cauvery (c) Godavari and Krishna (d) Tapiand Cauvery Ans: (c) 247. The highest peak in India is (a) Mt Everest (b) Kanchenjunga (c) Mt Godwin Austin (K2) (d) Dhaulagiri Ans: (c) 248.The two northeastern hills that block the South West Monsoon winds and cause heavy rains in Assam are (a) Arakan Yoma and Pegu Yoma (b) Garo, Khasi and Jaintia hills (c) Barail and Patkai hills (d) Khasi and Pegu Yoma Ans: (b) 249. “Himadri" is the term by which the ___ are known. (a) Western Ghats (b) Siwalik Ranges(c) Middle Himalayas (d) Greater Himalayas Ans: (d) 250. The chief coal bearing formation in India is known as the (a) Siwaliks (b) Gondwanas (c) Vindhyans (d) Cuddappahs Ans: (b) 251. An active volcano was reported at ____ India in 1991. (a) Barren Island, Andaman and Nicobar Is- lands (b) Aliabet Island, Gujarat (c) Rameshwaram Island, Tamil Nadu (d) Mumbai Island, Maharashtra Ans: (a) 252.The city located on the river Ya- muna is (a) Varanasi (b) Lucknow (c) Patna (d) Agra Ans: (d) 253. The driest part in India is in (a) Jaisalmer (Western Rajasthan) (b) Bhatinda (Punjab) (c) Darbhanga (Bihar) (d) Gandhinagar (Gujarat) Ans: (a) 254. Jamshedpur city is located at the confluence site of rivers (a) Subarnarekha and Korkai (b) Ganges and Yamuna (c) Kosi and Brahmaputra (d) Damodar and MayurakshiAns: (a) 255.The plateau rich in minerals in India is (a) Malwa Plateau (b) Chhotanagpur Plateau (c) Deccan Plateau (d) Mysuru Plateau Ans: (b) 256.A famous hill station in Uttar Pradesh is (a) Nainital (b) Darjeeling (c) Dalhousie (d) Kulu Ans: (a) 257. The tropical cyclones of the Bay of Bengal are usually called (a) Typhoons (b) Hurricanes (c) Depressions (d) Tornadoes Ans: (b) 258. The river with its tributaries drains the state of Sikkim. (a) Gandak (b) Kosi (c) Tista (d) Brahmaputra Ans: (c) 259. Yercaud, a hill station of South India, is situated on the (a) Cardamom Hills (b) Nilgiris (c) Shevaroy Hills (d) Javadi Hills Ans: (c)260. State has the biggest area in India. (a) Maharashtra (b) Madhya Pradesh (c) Rajasthan (d) Uttar Pradesh Ans: (c) 261. Which of the following cities is not located on a river bank? (a) Surat (b) Agra (c) Cuttack (d) Mysore Ans: (d) 262. Marmagao port is linked to the in- terior by means of cheap transport on rivers (a) Zuari and Mandovi (b) Bhima and Kalinadi (c) Varada and Malaprabha (d) Gangawali and Savitri Ans: (a) 263.Where is Pygmalion Point also known as Indira Point? (a) Lakshadweep (b) Andman and Nicobar Islands (c) Rameswaram (d) Point Calimere Ans: (b) 264. The finest natural harbour in India is (a) Chennai (b) Mumbai (c) Kolkata (d) Cochin Ans: (b)265. Black cotton soil of the Deccan re- gion of India is associated with rocks. (a) Volcanic rocks (b) Plutonic rocks (c) Sedimentary rocks (d) Hypabysal rocks Ans: (a) 266. The Lake of India has very high salinity. (a) Sambhar (Rajasthan) (b) Wular Jammu & Kashmir) (c) Chilka (Odisha) (d) Pulicut (Tamil Nadu) Ans: (a) 267.Throughout the Ages the maxi- mum number of streams of people came to India via (a) The western Himalayan passes (b) Tibet (c) The sea (d) The eastern Himalayan passes Ans: (a) 268.The earliest arrivals in India are believed to be Negritos. At which one of the following places are they mainly found now? (a) Punjab (b) Rajasthan (c) Uttar Pradesh (d) Andaman Islands Ans: (d) 269. Which one of the following racial groups is popularly known as the Aryans? (a) The Proto-Australoids (b) The Mediterraneans (c) The Brachycephals(d) The Nordics Ans: (d) 270. The Indus Valley Civilization was based on the racial stocks of (a) Mediterraneans (b) Nordics (c) Negritos (d) None of the above Ans: (a) 271.The maximum percentage of the tribal population in India consists of (a) Santhals (b) Bhils (c) Mundas (d) Nagas Ans: (a) 272. The Bhils and the Kols live (a) along the Vindhya ranges (b) inthe Nilgiris (c) inthe North-East frontiers of India (d) All over India Ans: (a) 273. In the Andaman Islands live the (a) Todas (b) Onge (c) Gonda (d) Lepcha Ans: (b) 274. Where are the Lepchas mainly to be found staying? (a) Meghalaya (b) Mizoram (c) Sikkim (d) Arunachal Pradesh Ans: (c) 275. The Mopplah are to be found in(a) Manipur (b) Assam (c) Kerala (d) Andhra Pradesh Ans: (c) 276. The Abhors are (a) an Adivasitribe in Bastar (b) aclan of dacoits (c) atribe of Mongoloid blood (d) extinct now Ans: (c) 277. During which decade did the popu- lation record a negative growth rate? (a) 1921-31 (b) 1911-21 (c) 1941-51 (d) 1931-41 Ans: (b) 278. In which area are Zoroastrians con- centrated? (a) Tamil Nadu (b) Andhra Pradesh (c) Maharashtra (d) Madhya Pradesh Ans: (c) 279. Which of the following is wrongly matched? (a) Shompens - Andaman and Nicobar (b) Minicoy - Lakshadweep (c) Khasi - Mizoram (d) Garo-Chhatisgarh Ans: (d) 280.In which of the following states would you not find Bhils? (a) Gujarat (b) Karnataka (c) Madhya Pradesh(d) Uttar Pradesh Ans: (d) 281.Where would you find Oraon, Munda, Santhal, Gonds and Asurs? (a) Chhattishgarh (b) Andhra Pradesh (c) Mahrashtra (d) Jharkhand Ans: (d) 282. Among the following the most ur- banised community in India is (a) Muslim (b) Hindu (c) Parasi (d) Gujarati Ans: (c) 283. Nanda Devi peak forms a part of (a) Assam Himalayas (b) Kumaon Himalayas (c) Nepal Himalayas (d) Punjab Himalayas Ans: (b) 284. What is the correct sequence of the riven Godavari, Mahanadi, Narmada and Tapi in the descending order of their lengths? (a) Godavari- Mahanadi- Narmada - Tapi (b) Godavari - Narmada -Mahanadi-Tapi (c) Narmada - Godavari-—Tapi-Mahanadi (d) Narmada - Tapi - Godavari- Mahanadi Ans: (b) 285. Which is the croup of languages spoken by the largest number of people in India? (a) Indo-Aryan (b) Dravidian (c) Austro-Asiatic(d) Sino-Tibetan Ans: (a) 286. To which group do belong? (a) Negritoes (b) Proto-Australoids (c) Mongoloids (d) Western Brachycephals Ans: (b) 287. The Rajasthan Canal Project coven (a) Punjab (b) Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan (c) Haryana (d) Rajasthan Ans: (b) 288. The land-locked natural harbour along the east coast of India is (a) Visakhapatnam (b) Chennai (c) Kolkata (d) Paradeep Ans: (a) 289. Oilfield of India has the largest quantity of recoverable re- serves. (a) Moran Oilfield (b) Mumbai High (off shore) Oilfield (c) Ankaleshwar Oilfield (d) Naharkatiya Oilfield Ans: (b) 290. The Palk Bay lies between (a) Gulf of Kachchh and Gulf of Khambhat (b) Gulf of Mannar and Bay of Bengal (c) Lakshadweep and Maldive Islands (d) Andaman and Nicobar Islands Ans: (b)291. The National Metallurgical Labora- tory of India is at (a) Jamshedpur (b) Dhanbad (c) Roorkee (d) Ranchi Ans: (a) 292. Forest Research Institute is at (a) Mumbai (b) Cambay (c) Dehradun (d) Simla Ans: (c) 293.The moat important commercial forests of India are (a) Tropical evergreen (b) Mangrove (c) Tropical deciduous (d) Coniferous Ans: (c) 294. Which is common to Guwahati, Barauni, Koyali, Haldia, Digboi and Mathura? (a) Public sector refineries, owned by the In- dian oil corporation are located in these places (b) They are prominent game sanctuaries (c) They are hill stations (d) Oil and natural gas commission has its units in all these places Ans: (a) 295. Among sources of power India has largest of (a) coal (b) oil (c) natural gas (d) lignite Ans: (a)296. HBJ pipe line is being laid for a dis- tance of 1730 km in order to (a) provide cooking gas for villages (b) provide employment for rural population (c) provide feedstock for six large fertilisers (d) serve the power requirements of many states Ans: (c) 297.India is particularly poor in re- serves of (a) coal (b) iron ore (c) non-ferrous metals (d) limestone Ans: (c) 298. The HBJ pipe line serves the fertil- izer plant(a) at (a) Hazira (Gujarat) (b) Bijaipur (Madhya Pradesh) (c) Jagdishpur (Uttar Pradesh) (d) All the three Ans: (d) 299.of Indian tea production comes from Assam, West Bengal, Kerala and Tamil Nadu (a) 50% (b) 75% (c) 98% (d) 30% Ans: (c) 300.The Indian sub-continent was originally part of a huge landmass called (a) Jurassic landmass (b) Aryavarta (c) Indiana (d) Gondwana continentAns: (d) 301. Anjuna, Baga, Colva, Majorda, and Miramar are beaches in (a) Chennai (b) Goa (c) Mumbai (d) Visakhapatnam Ans: (b) 302. Iron ore mines are located in (a) Salem, Bhadravati, Raniganj (b) Hazaribagh, Jharia, Kudremukh (c) Monghyr, Balaghat, Hazaribagh (d) Singhbhum, Mayurbhanj, Bastar Ans: (d) 303. 'IC' chips for computers are usually made of (a) Gold (b) Lead (c) Chromium (d) Silicon Ans: (d) 304. Mumbai High refers to the (a) Greater Mumbai area (b) Highest place in Mumbai (c) Slopes of Western Ghats (d) Oil field below seabed off Mumbai island Ans: (d) 305. All example of a mineral occurring as layers in sedimentary rocks is (a) lignite (b) gold {c) lead (d) tin Ans: (a) 306. Which city is served by Diamond Harbour? (a) Mumbai(b) Visakhapatnam (c) Kolkata (d) Rangoon Ans: (c) 307. Operation Flood refers to (a) Blue revolution (b) Green revolution (c) White revolution (d) All the three Ans: (c) 308. In the agricultural resources, cere- als comprise (a) rubber, oil seeds, groundnut (b) cotton, Jute, hemp (c) tea, coffee, cocoa (d) rice, wheat, millets Ans: (d) 309. 'Black Gold' refers to (a) Coal (b) Petroleum {c) Gold (d) Diamond Ans: (b) 310. Ganges, Brahmaputra, Mahanadi, Cauvery, Narmada, Godavari and Krishna are extensive areas of (a) Inland fisheries (b) Estuarine fisheries (c) Coastal fisheries (d) Deep sea fisheries Ans: (a) 311. The National Geophysical Research Institute is located in (a) Pilani (b) Goa (c) Lucknow (d) HyderabadAns: (d) 312. The Institute of Petroleum Reser- voir Studies is located in (a) Ahmedabad (b) Badodara (c) Kolkata (d) Lucknow Ans: (a) 313.The four important ports of the West Coast of India, from South to North, in that order, are (a) Kandla, Mumbai, Goa, Cochin (b) Goa, Mumbai, Cochin, Kandla (c) Mumbai, Kandla, Goa, Cochin (d) Cochin, Goa, Mumbai, Kandla Ans: (d) 314. For transporting large quantities of crude oil on land, over long distances the moat economical mode is (a) by pipelines (b) by rail tankers (c) by road tankers (d) by river barges Ans: (a) 315.Economically exploitable lignite occurs in (a) Andhra Pradesh (b) Tamil Nadu (c) Karnataka (d) Kerala Ans: (b) 316. Economically exploitable Gypsum occurs in (a) Andhra Pradesh (b) Bihar (c) Rajasthan (d) MaharashtraAns: (c) 317. The McMahan Line is a boundary between (a) India and China (b) India and Pakistan (c) India and Bangladesh (d) India and Nepal Ans: (a) 318. Nagarjunasagar Dam was built on (a) Mahanadi river (b) Damodar river (c) Krishna river (d) Cauvery river Ans: (c) 319. The state which tops in the produc- tion of rubber is (a) Tamil Nadu (b) Karnataka (c) Kerala (d) Odisha Ans: (c) 320.The first river valley project started in India is (a) Bhakra Nangal Project (b) Damodar Valley Project (c) Kosi Project (d) Hirakud Project Ans: (b) 321. Which among the following is not araw silk producing state? (a) Bihar (b) Himachal Pradesh (c) Karnataka (d) Jammu and Kashmir Ans: (a) 322. Coir, Copra, Coconut, Cashew are mainly exported from(a) Mumbai (b) Cochin (c) Tuticorin (d) Chennai Ans: (b) 323. The Himalayas are formed of par- allel fold range a of which the oldest range is (a) the Shiwalik Range (b) the Lesser Himalayas (c) the Great Himalayan Range (d) the Dhaula Dhar Range Ans: (c) 324. Which one of the following soil types of India is rendered infertile by the presence of excess iron? (a) Desert sand (b) Alluvial (c) Podzolic (d) Lateritic Ans: (d) 325. Hampi isin (a) Andhra Pradesh (b) Tamil Nadu (c) Karnataka (d) SriLanka Ans: (c) 326.Singhbhum where copper ore is mined isin (a) Uttar Pradesh (b) Jharkhand (c) Andhra Pradesh (d) Odisha Ans: (b) 327. Hindustan Machine Tools has its factories at (a) Bengaluru (Karnataka)(b) Kalamassery (Kerala) (c) Pinjore (Haryana) (d) All the three places above Ans: (d) 328. Naharkatiya oilfields are located in (a) Tripura (b) West Bengal (c) Assam (d) Madhya Pradesh Ans: (c) 329. Which country assisted India in the launching of her first satellite ‘Aryabhatta'? (a) USA (b) United Kingdom (c) Former USSR (d) Germany Ans: (c) 330. Which of the following fertilizer plants is not in the public sector? (a) Bhatinda (b) Nangal (c) Kota (d) Gorakhpur Ans: (c) 331. The deepest mine in Asia is (a) Jaduguda mine (b) Kolar Gold mine (c) Suladesi mine (d) West Irian mine Ans: (b) 332."The Dowlaiswaram Anicut" is an important canal system in the (a) Godavari Delta (b) Krishna Delta (c) Ganga Delta (d) Cauvery DeltaAns: (a) 333.One-tenth of the total salt pro- duced in India comes from (a) Tamil Nadu Coast (b) Sambhar Lake (c) Chilka Lake (d) Wular Lake Ans: (b) 334. In which part of India is Dogri spo- ken? (a) West Bengal (b) Assam (c) Jammu and Kashmir (d) Rajasthan Ans: (c) 335. The Gobindsagar Reservoir is in (a) Mettur Dam (b) Bhakra Dam (c) Ranjit Sagar Dam (d) Rajasthan Canal Ans: (b) 336. ‘Sagar Samrat’ is (a) an oil drilling platform in Mumbai High (b) anisland in Indian Ocean (c) aship used for Antarctica expedition (d) aspace craft Ans: (a) 337. Which one of the following types of erosion is responsible for the forma- tion of Chambal Ravines? (a) Splash (b) Sheet (c) Rill (d) Gully Ans: (d)338.The longest distance covered by one Broad Gauge train in India is be- tween (a) Kanniyakumari and Jammu Tawi (b) Guwahati and Tiruvananthpuram (c) New Delhiand Chennai (d) Gorakhpur and Cochin Ans: (a) 339. The system or shifting cultivation in the north eastern region of India is called (a) Jnuming (b) Bewar (c) Taungya (d) Ladang Ans: (a) 340. Diamond mine are being worked at (a) Hazaribagh, Jharkhand (b) Kolar, Karnataka (c) Neyveli, Tamil Nadu (d) Panna, Madhya Pradesh Ans: (d) 341.The Portuguese possessions Goa, Daman and Diu were liberated in (a) 1961 (b) 1971 (c) 1981 (d) 1951 Ans: (a) 342. Sriharikota, an important unit or the Indian Space Research Organisation is located in State. (a) Kerala (b) Karnataka (c) Andhra Pradesh (d) Tamil NaduAns: (c) 343. Which among the following pairs of places have most marked difference in total rainfall per annum even though located approximately along the same latitude? (a) Bengaluru and Chennai (b) Mumbai and Visakhapatnam (c) Ajmer and Shillong (d) Nagpur and Kolkata Ans: (c) 344. Loktakisa (a) Valley (b) Lake (c) River (d) Mountain Range Ans: (b) 345. Periyar Wild Life Sanctuary is lo- cated in State. (a) Andhra Pradesh (b) Tamil Nadu (c) Kerala (d) Karnataka Ans: (c) 346.The highest dam in India is the dam. (a) Maithan (b) Bhakra (c) Hirakud (d) Machkund Ans: (b) 347. Hazaribagh district in Jharkhand has rich deposits of (a) gold (b) mica (c) gypsum (d) leadAns: (b) 348. The oldest nuclear power plant at Tarapur is located on the border be- tween (a) Maharashtra and Karnataka (b) Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh (c) Maharashtra and Gujarat (d) Gujarat and Rajasthan Ans: (c) 349. Nayveli Power Project is a Power Project. (a) Hydro-electric (b) Nuclear (c) Thermal (d) Non-conventional Ans: (c) 350.In Thanjavur delta crop is cultivated three times in a year. (a) Wheat (b) Rice (c) Sugarcane (d) Groundnut Ans: (b) 351.The National Atlas and Thematic Mapping Organisation (NATMO) is lo- cated at (a) Kolkata (b) Lucknow (c) Dehradun (d) New Delhi Ans: (a) 352. The great one horned Indian Rhino is round in (a) Corbett National Park (b) Kanha National Park (c) Kaziranga Game Sanctuary (d) Periyar Game SanctuaryAns: (c) 353. The ‘Ruhr or India’ is (a) Mumbai-Pune region (b) Damodar Valley region (c) Chennai-Bengaluru region (d) Delhi-Kanpur region Ans: (b) 354.In India the yield per hectare is very low in (a) intensive farming (b) extensive farming (c) commercial cultivation (d) plantation agriculture Ans: (b) 355. The Manchester or South India is (a) Chennai (b) Coimbatore (c) Bengaluru (d) Madurai Ans: (c) 356. Rihand Valley Project is located in the state of (a) Uttar Pradesh (b) Jharkhand (c) Odisha (d) Madhya Pradesh Ans: (a) 357. is a planned city in India. (a) Varanasi (b) Srinagar (c) Pune (d) Chandigarh Ans: (d) 358. ICF (Integral Coach Factory) is at (a) Alwaye (b) Coimbatore (c) Chennai(d) Bhadravati Ans: (c) 359.The Grand Trunk road between Mumbai and Chennai passes through and (a) Pune and Bengaluru (b) Sholapur and Hubli (c) Ahmednagar and Hyderabad (d) Barsiand Guntur Ans: (a) 360. The main drawback of the railway network in India is (a) lack of rolling stock (b) existence of single track in many areas (c) lack of coal (d) the presence of three types of gauges Ans: (d) 361. Air travel has become very impor- tant for the north eastern part of India mainly because, (a) the region is mountainous (b) population density is low (c) surface transport routes have to go around Bangladesh (d) airtransport is cheaper Ans: (ce) 362. Soil of Western Rajasthan have a high content or (a) Aluminium (b) Calcium (c) Nitrogen (d) Phosphorus Ans: (b) 363. The National Highway - 1 connects Delhi to (a) Chennai (b) Kolkata(c) Mumbai (d) Amritsar Ans: (d) 364. A rainy day as defined by the In- dian Meteorological department is a day when the rainfall at a point received is (a) 0.5 mm to 1 mmin 24 hours (b) 1.1mm to 1.5 mmin 24 hours (c) 1.6mm to 2 mmin 24 hours (d) above 2.5 mm in 24 hours Ans: (d) 365. The deepest land locked and pro- tected port in India is (a) Marmugoa (b) Visakhaptanam (c) Mumbai (d) Cochin Ans: (b) 366. The width or the broad gauge track in Indian railway is (a) 1.676m (b) 1.114m (c) 1.98m (d) 2.55m Ans: (a) 367. The Damodar-Tribeni Canal which serves as an irrigation-cum-navigation canalis___long. (a) 137km (b) 147km (c) 157km (d) 167km Ans: (a) 368. The roadways linking Mumbai and Agra passes through (a) Nasik and Gwalior(b) Pune and Bhopal (c) Badodara and Jhansi (d) Jaipur and Kanpur Ans: (a) 369.The Buckingham Canal runs through (a) Tamil Nadu and Karnataka (b) Kerala and Andhra Pradesh (c) Tamil Nadu and Kerala (d) Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu Ans: (d) 370. Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is in (a) Mumbai (b) Kolkata (c) Bengaluru (d) Chennai Ans: (c) 371. Prince, Victoria and Alexandria are the three important and busy docks at (a) Cochin (b) Visakhapatnam (c) Chennai (d) Mumbai Ans: (d) 372. Railways are more in North Indian plains because (a) the area is more productive (b) itis densely populated (c) the region offers least physical resistance (d) All the above Ans: (d) 373. Tin Bigha Corridor is an issue, be- tween India and (a) Pakistan (b) Nepal (c) Myanmar(d) Bangladesh Ans: (d) 374. Which one among the following states is smallest in area? (a) Andhra Pradesh (b) Gujarat (c) Karnataka (d) Tamil Nadu Ans: (d) 375.Which of the following sets of three ports is on the east coast of India? (a) Cochin, Goa, Mumbai (b) Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai (c) Paradeep, Kakinada, Nagapattinam (d) Machilipatnam, Kandla, Aleppey Ans: (c) 376. The National Institute of Oceanog- raphy is located at (a) Kandla (b) Mumbai (c) Cochin (d) Goa Ans: (d) 377. Plants are associated with the so- cial forestry programmes in India? (a) Teak (b) Neem (c) Eucalyptus (d) Banyan Ans: (c) 378. The Buckincham Canal is an inland water way in (a) United Kingdom (b) Australia (c) India (d) New Zealand Ans: (c)379. The Chennai - Bengaluru - Coim- batore - Madurai region is (a) A major industrial region (b) A major agricultural region (c) Mangrove forest region (d) Dry Mountainous (Hilly) region Ans: (a) 380. In which of the following states are the Aravalli mountains located (a) Jammu and Kashmir (b) Rajasthan (c) Himachal Pradesh (d) Madhya Pradesh Ans: (c) 381. Which of the following is not one of the reasons why the northern moun- tains are of great importance to India (a) They protect the country from invasion (b) They influence the climate (c) They provide water to the plains (d) They possess valuable vegetation and ani- mal life Ans: (a) 382. Which of the following statements about the Himalayan rivers is not cor- rect? (a) They have very large basins (b) Many of them pass through giant gorges (c) They perform very little erosion activity (d) Over the plain they display a strong mean- dering tendency and often shift their beds Ans: (c) 383. Which of the following rivers of India carries the most water (a) Ganga (b) Brahmaputra (c) Yamuna (d) GodavariAns: (b) 384. Which of the following south In- dian rivers has the largest basin? (a) Godavari (b) Krishna (c) Cauvery (d) Mahanadi Ans: (a) 385.Through which of the following States the Ganga does not pass? (a) Madhya Pradesh (b) Bihar (c) West Bengal (d) Uttar Pradesh Ans: (a) 386. Through which of the following sets of states does Krishna river flow? (a) Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh (b) Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh (c) Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh (d) Maharashtra, Karnataka Ans: (d) 387. Which of the following rivers flows between Vindhya and Satpura ranges? (a) Mahanadi (b) Tapi (c) Narmada (d) Chambal Ans: (c) 388. The Ganga plain widens from (a) south to north (b) west to east (c) north to south (d) east to west Ans: (d) 389. Which of the following is a dis- tributary of the Ganga?(a) Yamuna (b) Sone (c) Chambal (d) Hugli Ans: (d) 390. Which of the following States does not share the drainage basin of the Krishna? (a) Maharashtra (b) Karnataka (c) Andhra Pradesh (d) Tamil Nadu Ans: (d) 391. Which of the following states does not share the drainage basin of the Cau- very? (a) Andhra Pradesh (b) Karnataka (c) Kerala (d) Tamil Nadu Ans: (a) 392.Which of the following clties/ towns does not lie on the banks of the Ganga? (a) Kanpur (b) Fatehpur (c) Ghazipur (d) Farrukhabad Ans: (b) 393. Which of the following places does not lie on the banks of Godavari? (a) Nanded (b) Bhadrachalam (c) Rajhamundry (d) Kakinada Ans: (d)394.By what name is India's eastern coast known? (a) Coromandel Coast (b) Bay of Bengal (c) Eastern Ghat Coast (d) Kolkata Chennai Coast Ans: (a) 395. Which of the following represents the southernmost geographical unit of India? (a) Cape Comorin (Kanyakumari) (b) Rameshwaram (c) Lakshadweep (d) Great Nicobar Island Ans: (d) 396.Who demarcated the boundary line between India and Pakistan? (a) Lord Curzon (b) Lord Canning (c) Cyril Radcliffe (d) Stafford Cripps Ans: (c) 397.In which of the following States is Sambhar lake located? (a) Madhya Pradesh (b) Maharashtra (c) Gujarat (d) Rajasthan Ans: (d) 398. The boundary between India and China is known as (a) Radcliffe Line (b) Durand Line (c) McMahan Line (d) Maginot Line Ans: (c)399.The Duncan Pass is located be- tween (a) Afghanistan and India (b) Pakistan and Afghanistan (c) South Andaman and Little Andaman (d) Shivalik and Karakoram Ans: (c) 400. The Valleys of Peninsular India are generally (a) U-Shaped (b) V-Shaped (c) Deep (d) Not so deep Ans: (a) 401.The river system which depends more on melting of snow for its water supply is the (a) Ganga (b) Indus (c) Godavari (d) Brahmaputra Ans: (b) 402.Which of the following is not one of the traditional Indian seasons (ritus)? (a) Vasant (b) Grishma (c) Margsheersha (d) Sharad Ans: (c) 403.Who introduced the term 'mon- soon'? (a) The British (b) The Mughals (c) The Arabs (d) The Chinese Ans: (c)404. Monsoon is caused by (a) Temperature changes (b) Seasonal reversal of winds (c) Humidity difference (d) Pressure differences Ans: (d) 405. To which kind of rock does marble belong? (a) Metamorphic rock (b) Sedimentary rock (c) Igneous rock (d) Volcanic rock Ans: (a) 406. Which of the following types of soils is found throughout India in all cli- matic zones? (a) Saline and Alkaline soils (b) Red soils (c) Laterite soils (d) Alluvial soils Ans: (a) 407. Which of the following is the most fertile soil in India? (a) Black soil (b) Alluvial soil (c) Red soil (d) Laterite soil Ans: (b) 408. For the cultivation of which crop is black soil moat suitable? (a) Cotton (b) Rice (c) Jute (d) Wheat Ans: (a) 409. Which of the following can be used to correct acidic soil?(a) Gypsum (b) Lime (c) Vegetable compost (d) Calcium superphosphate Ans: (b) 410. Which type of soil retains maxi- mum water? (a) Sandy soil (b) Clayey soil (c) Loamy soil (d) Rocky soil Ans: (b) 411. Which of the following is an ore of iron? (a) Bauxite (b) Haematite (c) Dolomite (d) Alunite Ans: (b) 412. Bauxite is the ore of (a) Aluminium (b) Copper (c) Zinc (d) Mica Ans: (a) 413.Mekong Ganga Co-operation Project is (a) an irrigation project involving India and Myanmar (b) a joint tourism initiative of some Asian countries (c) a hydroelectric power project involving India, Bangladesh and Myanmar (d) a defence and security agreement of India with its eastern neighbours Ans: (b)414.Some people in Manipur live in houses bunt on floating islands of weeds and decaying vegetation held to- gether by suspended slit. These islands are called (a) Tipis (b) Barkhans (c) Phoomdis (d) Izba Ans: (c) 415. The national highway from Amrit- sar to Kolkata via Delhi is numbered (a) 1 (b) 2 (c) 4 (d) 8 Ans: (a) 416.What is the main attraction of Kaziranga Sanctuary located in Assam? (a) Tiger (b) Spotted deer (c) Nilgai (d) One horned Rhinoceros Ans: (d) 417. What is Bandipur Sanctuary situ- ated in Karnataka particularly noted for (a) Wild Elephant (b) Indian Bison (c) Rhinoceros (d) Spotted Deer Ans: (d) 418.In ancient times the name Rat- nakar denote (a) Arabian Sea (b) Bay of Bengal (c) Indian Ocean (d) Confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and SaraswatiAns: (a) 419. According to historical geography Bharata Varaha is a part of (a) Pushkharadweepa (b) Jambudweep (c) Kraunchidweepa (d) Kushadweepa Ans: (b) 420. Which of the following is not pri- marily a kharif crop in India? (a) Wheat (b) Rice (c) Maize (d) Cotton Ans: (a) 421. Which of the following is not pri- marily a rabi crop in India? (a) Wheat (b) Gram (c) Jute (d) Linseed Ans: (c) 422. Which State in India is known as the 'Granary of India’? (a) Haryana (b) Andhra Pradesh (c) Punjab (d) Kerala Ans: (c) 423.What is the main advantage of transplantation method in rice cultiva- tion? (a) This method ensures maximum utilization of land (b) It is helpful in achieving an economical use of water and a higher yield of grain (c) It helps in early harvesting(d) The draining of water from the field before harvesting is made easy Ans: (b) 424. With reference to the area devoted to its cultivation pulses hold the third place in India. Which crops occupy the first and second places respectively? (a) Rice and Wheat (b) Rice and Cotton (c) Jowar and Cotton (d) Jowar and Bajara Ans: (a) 425. Which of the following types of soils is most suited for tea cultivation? (a) Laterite soils (b) Red soils (c) Black soils (d) Alluvial soils Ans: (a) 426. Which of the following is not one of the important steps in processing tea leaves? (a) Withering (b) Rolling (c) Fermenting (d) Drying Ans: (c) 427. What is the best source of pure cel- lulose? (a) Coir (b) Cotton fibre (c) Jute fibre (d) Hemp Ans: (b) 428. Which is the best irrigated State in India? (a) Andhra Pradesh(b) Uttar Pradesh (c) Punjab (d) Maharashtra Ans: (c) 429.Which of the following is not a multi-purpose project involving more than one State in India? (a) Nagarjunasagar (b) Damodar Valley Corporation (c) Bhakra Nangal (d) Chambal Ans: (a) 430.0n which of the following sets of rivers are Nagarjunasagar, Ukai, Hi- rakud, and Thein Dam located respec- tively? (a) Krishna, Mahanadi, Godavari, Tapi (b) Cauvery, Krishna, Narmada, Beas (c) Krishna, Tapi, Mahanadi, Ravi (d) Godavari, Brahmaputra, Narmada, Ya- muna Ans: (c) 431. What was the primary purpose of constructing the Farakka Barrage? (a) Preservation and maintenance of Kolkata port for navigation (b) To supply Ganga water to Bangladesh (c) To bring additional area of West Bengal under irrigation (d) To meet the chronic power shortage in Kolkata Ans: (a) 432.Which dam in India has the dis- tinction of being the longest main stream dam in the world? (a) Bhakra Nangal Dam (b) Rihand Dam (c) TehriDam(d) Kosi Project Ans: (c) 433.Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar which has the distinction of being the largest man-made lake in Asia, forms part of (a) Damodar Valley Project (b) Chambal Project (c) Tehri Dam (d) Kosi Project Ans: (b) 434. Which one of the following pro- vides the correct sequence of occur- rence of four towns/cities as one pro- ceeds from west to east? (a) Rajkot, Baroda, Kharagpur, Bilaspur (b) Bikaner, Aligarh, Darbhanga, Nowgong (c) Indore, Rourkela, Agartala, Jamshedpur (d) Nasik, Aurangabad, Berhampur, Nanded Ans: (b) 435. Which of the following is not one of the non-conventional sources of en- ergy in India? (a) Solar Energy (b) Geo-Thermal Energy (c) Thermal Energy (d) Tidal Power Ans: (c) 436.Which of the following non-con- ventional sources of energy holds out the maximum promise in India? (a) Solar Energy (b) Geothermal Energy (c) Tidal Energy (d) Wind Energy Ans: (a) 437. In India the most important source of energy is(a) Petroleum (b) Coal (c) Nuclear (d) Hydro-electricity Ans: (b) 438. What is meant by ‘energy crisis‘? (a) Shortage of hydro-electricity (b) Malnutrition leading to short supply of en- ergy in the human body (c) Shortage of the thermal power (d) Impending danger of total exhaustion of fossil fuels like coal and petroleum Ans: (b) 439.The Bhadravati Steel Plant is the only plant which is managed by a State Government. Which is that State Gov- ernment? (a) Tamil Nadu (b) Odisha (c) Andhra Pradesh (d) Karnataka Ans: (d) 440. Which of the following is the major centre of production of railway wagons? (a) Asansol (b) Chittaranjan (c) Jamshedpur (d) Perambur Ans: (a) 441. Which of the following fertilisers provides maximum amount of nitro- gen? (a) Calcium Nitrate (b) Urea (c) Ammonium Sulphate (d) Nitrolium Ans: (b)442.Which sugar is obtained from grapes (a) Lactose (b) Maltose (c) Glucose (d) Sucrose Ans: (c) 443. Which one of the following regions of India is now regarded as an 'ecologi- cal hot spot'? (a) Western Himalayas (b) Eastern Himalayas (c) Western Ghats (d) Eastern Ghats Ans: (c) 444. Which of the following is not one of the reasons for concentration of jute mills in Kolkata? (a) Cheap and abundant power supply (b) Availability of coal (c) A large supply of cheap labour and water required for industry (d) The port of Kolkata can easily export all the jute goods Ans: (a) 445. The thermal power plant of Bokaro is located in (a) Bihar (b) Chhattisgarh (c) Jharkand (d) Odisha Ans: (c) 446.Khetri project in Rajasthan has been set up for producing (a) Zinc (b) Manganese (c) Copper (d) SaltAns: (c) 447. What is Pimpri, a place in Maha- rashtra, known for (a) Leather goods (b) Soaps (c) Electric goods (d) Penicillin Ans: (d) 448. Where was the first cotton mill set up in India? (a) Mumbai (b) Coimbatore (c) Surat (d) Kolkata Ans: (d) 449. With which one of the following in- dustries is Coimbatore associated? (a) Gold (b) Gujarat (c) Cotton Textile (d) Sericulture Ans: (c) 450.Where was India's first rocket launching station set up? (a) Sriharikota (b) Arvi (c) Thumba (d) Port Blair Ans: (c) 451.India conducted its first nuclear explosion at (a) Apsara (b) Pokharan (c) Koyana (d) Kalpakkam Ans: (b)452. Which one of the following railway zones has the maximum route length in kilometres? (a) Northern (b) Southern (c) Central (d) Western Ans: (a) 453.Where is the headquarters of South-Central Railway located? (a) Itarsi (b) Mumbai (c) Secunderabad (d) Vijayawada Ans: (c) 454. Which one of the following is the most important port of Gujarat? (a) Porbandar (b) Surat (c) Kandla (d) Diu Ans: (c) 455. The airport of Mumbaiis called (a) Dum Dum (b) Sahar (c) Palam (d) Meenambakkam Ans: (b) 456. Which one of the following towns is not situated along the Grand Trunk Road? (a) Allahabad (b) Lucknow (c) Agra (d) Kanpur Ans: (b)457.Which one among the following has the largest shipyard In India? (a) Kolkata (b) Kochi (c) Mumbai (d) Visakhapatnam Ans: (b) 458. Which language next to Hindi is spoken by the largest number of people in India? (a) Bengali (b) Marathi (c) Tamil (d) Telugu Ans: (a) 459. What is the official language of Na- galand? (a) Nagali (b) English (c) Assamese (d) Chinese Ans: (b) 460. Which one of the following gives the two largest Union Territories of India (in terms of geographical area) in the correct descending order? (a) Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Delhi (b) Chandigarh, Lakshadweep (c) Delhi, Puducherry (d) Delhi, Chandigarh Ans: (a) 461. The water of the Luni river is (a) Fresh (b) Fresh in upper reaches and salty in the lower reaches (c) Salty (d) Fresh in rainy season and salty in other seasonsAns: (b) 462. Rain shadows are associated with (a) Convectional rainfall (b) Orographic rainfall (c) Cyclonic rainfall (d) Orographic cyolonic rainfall Ans: (b) 463. Which one of the following is a fa- mous hill station of South India? (a) Panchmarhi (b) Ootacamund (c) Madurai (d) Araku Valley Ans: (b) 464. Rayalaseema is a region of which one of the following States? (a) Karnataka (b) Maharashtra (c) Andhra Pradesh (d) Tamil Nadu Ans: (c) 465."Konkan" is a region of which one of the following States? (a) Karnataka (b) Maharashtra (c) West Bengal (d) Kerala Ans: (b) 466.To check the expansion of Thar desert which one of the following meth- ods is expected to yield the best results? (a) Artificial rain (b) Construction of canals (c) Afforestation (d) Construction of Dams Ans: (c)