Indian and World Geography — UPSC Civil Services Prelims Previous Year Questions

Which of the following with reference to Indian States is/are not correct?

1. Uttar Pradesh shares its boundary with the highest number of other Indian States.
2. Rajasthan shares the longest international border among all Indian States.
3. Sikkim is the only State that shares its boundary with just one other Indian State.

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Which of the following geographical features or phenomena is/are associated with the Peninsular Block of India ?

1. Submergence of parts of the western coast due to tectonic activity
2. Presence of residual mountain ranges such as the Veliconda hills and Mahendragiri hills
3. Deep, V-shaped river valleys formed by fast-flowing rivers

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Which of the following statements with reference to Lake Turkana is/are correct ?

1. It is the largest desert lake in the world.
2. The lake is situated in South Sudan along the eastern fringe of the Sahara desert.
3. The lake is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is also referred to as the 'Jade Sea'.

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Identify the river of the Indian sub-continent on the basis of the following information:

1. It has an antecedent drainage system.
2. It flows through three countries.
3. It originates in the Tibetan Plateau and is an important river for irrigation.
4. It does not form distributaries.

Select the answer from the following:

With reference to the climate of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which of the following statements is/are correct ?

1. The climate can be defined as a humid, tropical coastal climate.
2. It receives rainfall from both South-west monsoon and North-east monsoon.
3. Maximum precipitation is between December and May.

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Ships from which of the following countries have to cross the Strait of Hormuz to reach out to the Indian Ocean?

1. Bahrain
2. Syria
3. Qatar
4. Egypt

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Tungurahua Volcano, which was declared a Global Geopark by UNESCO in 2025, is situated in which one among the following countries ?

Consider the following assertion :

In the Pleistocene period either the Yamuna once flowed into the Indus, or the Sutlej flowed into the Yamuna and one major tributary of either had shifted from the Ganga to the Indus or vice versa.

Which of the following is/are the basis of the above assertion ?
1. The Nadi-Sukta of the Rigveda
2. The explorations of the Sutlej and the Yamuna by Robert Bruce Foote
3. The presence of the same species of dolphins in both the Indus and the Ganga river systems

Select the answer using the code given below :

Consider the following water bodies:

I. Lake Tanganyika
II. Lake Tonlé Sap
III. Patos Lagoon

Through how many of them does the equator pass?

Consider the following pairs:

Country – Resource-rich in
I. Botswana : Diamond
II. Chile : Lithium
III. Indonesia : Nickel

In how many of the above rows is the given information correctly matched?

Consider the following statements:

I. Anadyr in Siberia and Nome in Alaska are a few kilometers from each other, but when people are waking up and getting set for breakfast in these cities, it would be different days.
II. When it is Monday in Anadyr, it is Tuesday in Nome.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Consider the following statements:

Statement I:
The amount of dust particles in the atmosphere is more in subtropical and temperate areas than in equatorial and polar regions.

Statement II:
Subtropical and temperate areas have less dry winds.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Which of the following are the evidences of the phenomenon of continental drift?

I. The belt of ancient rocks from Brazil coast matches with those from Western Africa.
II. The gold deposits of Ghana are derived from the Brazil plateau when the two continents lay side by side.
III. The Gondwana system of sediments from India is known to have its counterparts in six different landmasses of the Southern Hemisphere.

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

Consider the following statements:

Statement I:
In the context of effect of water on rocks, chalk is known as a very permeable rock whereas clay is known as quite an impermeable or least permeable rock.

Statement II:
Chalk is porous and hence can absorb water.

Statement III:
Clay is not at all porous.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Consider the following countries:

I. United Kingdom
II. Denmark
III. New Zealand
IV. Australia
V. Brazil

How many of the above countries have more than four time zones?

Consider the following statements:

Statement I:
In January, in the Northern Hemisphere, the isotherms bend equatorward while crossing the landmasses, and poleward while crossing the oceans.

Statement II:
In January, the air over the oceans is warmer than that over the landmasses in the Northern Hemisphere.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

Consider the following statements about turmeric during the year 2022–23:

I. India is the largest producer and exporter of turmeric in the world.
II. More than 30 varieties of turmeric are grown in India.
III. Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are major turmeric producing States in India.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

Consider the following pairs:

Region – Country
I. Mallorca : Italy
II. Normandy : Spain
III. Sardinia : France

In how many of the above rows is the given information correctly matched?

India is one of the founding members of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), a multimodal transportation corridor, which will connect

Consider the following countries:

I. Bolivia
II. Brazil
III. Colombia
IV. Ecuador
V. Paraguay
VI. Venezuela

Andes mountains pass through how many of the above countries?

41. The total fertility rate in an economy is defined as :

9. Consider the following information :

Waterfall | Region | River
1.Dhuandhar |Malwa | Narmada
2. |Hundru |Chota Nagpur|Subarnarekha
3. |Gersoppa |Western Ghats |Netravati

In how many of the above rows is the given information correctly matched ?

13. Consider the following description :

1. Annual and daily range of temperatures is low.
2. Precipitation occurs throughout the year.
3. Precipitation varies between 50 cm — 250 cm.

What is this type of climate ?

89. Consider the following statements :

1. The Red Sea receives very little precipitation in any form.
2. No water enters the Red Sea from rivers.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

15. On June 21 every year, which of the following latitude(s) experience(s) a sunlight of more than 12 hours ?

1. Equator
2. Tropic of Cancer
3. Tropic of Capricorn
4. Arctic Circle

Select the correct answer using the code given below :

5. Which of the following countries are well known as the two largest cocoa producers in the world ?

6. With reference to the Himalayan rivers joining the Ganga downstream of Prayagraj from West to East, which one of the following sequences is correct ?

67. Consider the following countries :

1. Italy
2. Japan
3. Nigeria
4. South Korea
5. South Africa

Which of the above countries are frequently mentioned in the media for their low birth rates, or ageing population or declining population ?

8. Consider the following countries :

1. Finland
2. Germany
3. Norway
4. Russia

How many of the above countries have a border with the North Sea ?

4. Which of the following is/are correct inference/inferences from isothermal maps in the month of January ?

1. The isotherms deviate to the north over the ocean and to the south over the continent.
2. The presence of cold ocean currents, Gulf Stream and North Atlantic Drift make the North Atlantic Ocean colder and the isotherms bend towards the north.

Select the answer using the code given below :

10. Consider the following information :

Region | Name of the mountain range | Type of mountain

1.|Central Asia | Vosges | Fold mountain
2.|Europe |Alps |Block mountain
3. | North America| Appalachians | Fold mountain
4. |South America | Andes | Fold mountain

In how many of the above rows is the given information correctly matched ?

12. With reference to "water vapour", which of the following statements is/are correct ?

1. It is a gas, the amount of which decreases with altitude.
2. Its percentage is maximum at the poles.

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88. Consider the following statements :

Statement-I : Sumed pipeline is a strategic route for Persian Gulf oil and natural gas shipments to Europe.

Statement-II : Sumed pipeline connects the Red Sea with the Mediterranean Sea. |

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements ?

14. With reference to "Coriolis force", which of the following statements is/are correct ?

1. It increases with increase in wind velocity.
2. It is maximum at the poles and is absent at the equator.

Select the answer using the code given below :

2. Consider the following statements : Statement-I : Thickness of the troposphere at the equator is much greater as compared to poles. Statement-II :At the equator, heat is transported to great heights by strong convectional currents. Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements ?

1. Consider the following statements :

Statement-I : The atmosphere is heated more by incoming solar radiation than by terrestrial radiation.
Statement-II : Carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are good absorbers of long wave radiation.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements ?

3. Consider the following :

1. Pyroclastic debris
2. Ash and dust
3. Nitrogen compounds
4. Sulphur compounds

How many of the above are products of volcanic eruptions ?

7. Consider the following statements :

Statement-I : Rainfall is one of the reasons for weathering of rocks.
Statement-II : Rain water contains carbon dioxide in solution.
Statement-III :Rain water contains atmospheric oxygen.

Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements ?

79. The longest border between any two countries in the world is between :

71. Consider the following countries: 
1 Bulgaria 2 Czech Republic 3. Hungary 4. Latvia 5. Lithuania 6. Romania 
How many of the above-mentioned countries share a land border with Ukraine?

39. Consider the following statements:

1. Amarkantak Hills are at the confluence of Vindhya and Sahyadri Ranges. statements2. Biligirirangan Hills constitute the easternmost part of the Satpura Range.

3. Seshachalam Hills constitute the southernmost part of the Western Ghats.
How many of the statements given above are correct?

35. Which one of the following is the best example of repeated falls in sea level, giving rise to present-day extensive marshland?

75. Consider the following statements: 
1. In a seismograph, P waves are recorded earlier than S waves. 2. In P waves, the individual particles vibrate to and fro in the direction of wave propagation whereas in S waves, the particles vibrate up and down at right angles to the direction of wave propagation.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

73. Consider the following statements:
Statement- I:The soil in tropical rainforests is rich in nutrients.
Statement- II:The high temperature and moisture of tropical rainforests cause dead organic matter in the soil to decompose quickly.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

37. About three-fourths of the world's cobalt, a metal required for the manufacture of batteries for electric motor vehicles is produced by

32. Consider the following pairs:
Port
Well known as

1. Kamarajar Port
First major port in India registered as a company

2. Munda Port
Largest privately owned port in India

3. Visakhapatnam Port
Largest container port in India
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?

34. Consider the following statements:

1. India has more arable area than China.

2. The proportion of irrigated area is more in India as compared to China.

3. The average productivity per hectare in Indian agriculture is higher than that in China.
How many of the above statements are correct?

72. With reference to the Earth's atmosphere, which one of the following statements is correct?

36. Ilmenite and rutile, abundantly available in certain coastal tracts of India, are rich sources of which one of the following?

74. Consider the following statements: 
Statement-1:The temperature contrast between continents and oceans is greater during summer than in winter. 
Statement-II: The specific heat of water is more than that of the land surface.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

38. Which one of the following is a part of the Congo Basin?

96. Consider the following statements: 
Statement-I: According to the United Nations World Water Development Report. 2022, India extracts more than a quarter of the world's groundwater withdrawal each year.
Statement-II: India needs to extract more than a quarter of the world's groundwater each year to satisfy the drinking water and sanitation needs of almost 18% of world's population living in its territory. 
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

31. Consider the following statements:

1. Jhelum River passes through Wular Lake2. Krishna River directly feeds Kolleru Lake3. Meandering of Gandak River formed Kanwar Lake
How many of the statements given above are correct?

70. Consider the following pairs:Reservoirs – States1. Ghataprabha — Telangana
2. Gandhi Sagar — Madhya Pradesh
3. Indira Sagar — Andhra Pradesh
4. Maithon — Chhattisgarh
How many pairs given above are not correctly matched?

23. Which one of the following lakes of West Africa has become dry and turned into a desert?

28. With reference to India, consider the following statements:
1. Monazite is a source of rare-earth.
2. Monazite contains thorium.
3. Monazite occurs naturally in the entire Indian coastal sands in India.
4. In India, Government bodies only can process or export monazite.
Which of the statements given above are correct?

62. Consider the following States:
1. Andhra Pradesh2. Kerala
3. Himachal Pradesh
4. Tripura
How many of the above are generally known as tea-producing States?

26. The term "Levant" often heard in the news roughly corresponds to which of the following regions?

25. Consider the following pairs :

Peak Mountains
1. Namcha Barwa — Garhwal Himalaya
2. Nanda Devi — Kumaon Himalaya
3. Nokrek — Sikkim Himalaya

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

27. Consider the following countries:
1. Azerbaijan2. Kyrgyzstan
3. Tajikistan
4. Turkmenistan
5. Uzbekistan
Which of the above have borders with Afghanistan?

29. In the northern hemisphere, the longest day of the year normally occurs in the:

85. With reference to the United Nations Convention on the Law of Sea, consider the following statements:
1. A coastal state has the right to establish the breadth of its territorial sea up to a limit not exceeding 12 nautical miles, measured from a baseline determined in accordance with the convention.
2. Ships of all states, whether coastal or land-locked, enjoy the right of innocent passage through the territorial sea.
3. The Exclusive Economic Zone shall not extend beyond 200 nautical miles from the baseline from which the breadth of the territorial sea is measured.
Which of the statements given above are correct?

24. Gandikota canyon of South India was created by which one of the following rivers?

Q35. Consider the following rivers: (1) Brahmani (2) Nagavali (3) Subarnarekha (4) Vamsadhara
Which of the above rise from the Eastern Ghats?

Q11. The vegetation of the savannah consists of grassland with scattered small trees, but extensive areas have no trees. The forest development in such areas is generally kept in check by one or more or a combination of some conditions. Which of the following are such conditions?(1) Burrowing animals and termites(2) Fire(3) Grazing herbivores(4) Seasonal rainfall(5) Soil properties
Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Q14. The black cotton soil of India has been formed due to the weathering of

Q33. With reference to the Indus river system of the following four rivers, three of them pour into one of them, which joins the Indus direct. Among the following, which one is such river that joins the Indus direct?

Q37. Among the following which one is the least water-efficient crop?

Q12. With reference to the water on the planet Earth, consider the following statements: (1) The amount of water in the rivers and lakes is more than the amount of groundwater. (2) The amount of water in polar ice caps and glaciers is more than the amount of groundwater.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Q34. With reference to India, Didwana, Kuchaman, Sargol, and Khatu are the names of

Q38. Consider the following statements: (1) In the tropical zone, the western sections of the oceans are warmer than the eastern sections owing to the influence of trade winds. (2) In the temperate zone, westerlies make the eastern sections of oceans warmer than the western sections.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Q51. What are the advantages of fertigation in agriculture?

1.Controlling the alkalinity of irrigation water is possible.
2. Efficient application of Rock Phosphate and all other phosphatic fertilizers is possible.
3. Increased availability of nutrients to plants is possible.
4. Reduction in the leaching of chemical nutrients is possible.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Q67. "The crop is subtropical in nature. A hard frost is injurious to it. It requires at least 210 frost -free days and 50 to 100 centimeters of rainfall for its growth. A light well-drained soil capable of retaining moisture is ideally suited for the cultivation of the crop." Which one of the following is that crop?

Q59. Consider the following statements:

1. Jet Streams occur in the Northern Hemisphere only.

2. Only some cyclones develop an eye.

3. The temperature inside the eye of a cyclone is nearly 10 degree Celsius lesser than that of the surroundings.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Q53. With reference to Ocean Mean Temperature(OMT),which of the following statements is/are correct?
1. OMT is measured upto a depth of 26 degree Celsius isotherm which is 129 meters in the south-western Indian Ocean during January-March.

2. OMT collected during January-MArch can be used in assessing whether the amount of rainfall in monsoon will be less or more than a certain long-term mean.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Q69. With reference to the current trends in the cultivation of sugarcane in India, consider the following statements:

1. A substantial saving in seed material is made when ‘bud chip settlings are raised in a nursery and transplanted in the main field.

2. When direct planting of setts is done, the germination percentage is better with single-budded setts as compared to setts with many buds.

3. If bad weather conditions prevail when setts are directly planted, single-budded setts have better survival as compared to large setts.

4. Sugarcane can be cultivated using settlings prepared from tissue culture.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Q52. Consider the following minerals:

1. Bentonite

2. Chromite

3. Kyanite

4. Sillimanite

In India, which of the above is/are officially designated as major minerals?

Q56. Siachen Glacier is situated to the

Q66. With reference to pulse production in India ,consider the following statements:

1. Black gram can be cultivated as both Kharif and rabi crop.

2. Green-gram alone accounts for nearly half of pulse production.

3. In the last three decades, while the production of kharif pulses has increased, the production of rabi pulses has decreased.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Q78. Consider the following pairs:

River Flows into

1. Mekong – Andaman Sea

2. Thames – Irish Sea

3. Volga – Caspian Sea

4. Zambezi – Indian Ocean

Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Q82 What is common to the places known as Aliyar, Isapur and Kangsabati?

Q63. Consider the following pairs

Famous Place	River
Pandharpur	Chandrabhaga
Tiruchirappalli	Cauvery
Hampi	Malaprabha

Q80. On 21st June, the Sun

Q84. Why are dewdrops not formed on a cloudy night?

Q96. Consider the following pairs

Sea—Bordering Country
1. Adriatic Sea — Albania
2. Black Sea — Croatia
3. Caspian Sea — Kazakhstan
4. Mediterranean Sea – Morocco
5. Red Sea — Syria

Which of the pair given above are correctly matched?

Q61. Which one of the following groups of plants was domesticated in the ‘New World' and introduced into the ‘Old World'?

Q2
3. With reference to the cultivation of Kharif crops in India in the last five years, consider the following statements:
1. Area under rice cultivation is the highest.
2. Area under the cultivation of Jowar is more than that of oilseeds.
3. Area of cotton cultivation is more than that of sugarcane.
4. Area under sugarcane cultivation has steadily decreased.
Which of the statements given above are correct?

Q98. Consider the following pairs:

Glacier River
1. Bandarpunch Yamuna
2. Bara Shigri Chenab
3. Milam Mandakini
4. Siachen Nubra
5. Zemu Manas

Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

27. Consider the following statements:

1. In India, State Governments do not have the power to auction non-coal mines.
2. Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand do not have gold mines.
3. Rajasthan has iron ore mines.
   Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

59. With reference to the circumstances in Indian agriculture, the concept of "Conservation Agriculture" assumes significance. Which of the following fall under the Conservation Agriculture ?

1. Avoiding the monoculture practices
2. Adopting minimum tillage
3. Avoiding the cultivation of plantation crops
4. Using crop residues to cover soil surface
5. Adopting spatial and temporal crop sequencing/crop rotations
   Select the correct answer using the code given below :

57. Consider the following statements :

1. The Earth's magnetic field has reversed every few hundred thousand years.
2. When the Earth was created more than 4000 million years ago, there was 54% oxygen and no carbon dioxide.
3. When living organisms originated, they modified the early atmosphere of the Earth.
   Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

77. Which one of the following is an artificial lake ?

29. Among the following cities, which one lies on a longitude closest to that of Delhi ?

85. Consider the following statements :

1. The Barren Island volcano is an active volcano located in the Indian territory.
2. Barren Island lies about 140 km east of Great Nicobar.
3. The last time the Barren Island volcano erupted was in 1991 and it has remained inactive since then. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

71. Which of the following practices can help in water conservation in agriculture?

1. Reduced or zero tillage of the land
2. Applying gypsum before irrigating the field
3. Allowing crop residue to remain in the field
   Select the correct answer using the code given below :

54. Mediterranean Sea is a border of which of the following countries?

1. Jordan
2. Iraq
3. Lebanon
4. Syria

55. Select the correct answer using the code given below :

19. At one of the places in India, if you stand on the seashore and watch the sea, you will find that the sea water recedes from the shore line a few kilometres and comes back to the shore, twice a day, and you can actually walk on the sea floor when the water recedes. This unique phenomenon is seen at

49. If you travel by road from Kohima to Kottayam, what is the minimum number of States within India through which you can travel, including the origin and the destination?

58. Consider the following statements :

1. In India, the Himalayas are spread over five States only.
2. Western Ghats are spread over five States only.
3. Pulicat Lake is spread over two States only.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

30. With reference to river Teesta, consider the following statements :

1. The source of river Teesta is the same as that of Brahmaputra but it flows through Sikkim.
2. River Rangeet originates in Sikkim and it is a tributary of river Teesta.
3. River Teesta flows into Bay of Bengal on the border of India and Bangladesh.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

66. With reference to 'Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD)' sometimes mentioned in the news while forecasting Indian monsoon, which of the following statements is/are correct ?
1. IOD phenomenon is characterised by a difference in sea surface temperature between tropical Western Indian Ocean and tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean.
2. An IOD phenomenon can influence an El Nino's impact on the monsoon.
Select the correct answer using the code given below :

98. Which of the following is geographically some of the lions from their natural habitat in closest to Great Nicobar ? Gujarat to which one of the following sites ?

94. In which of the following regions of India are shale gas resources found?

1. Cambay Basin
2. Cauvery Basin
3. Krishna-Godavari Basin

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

79. Which of the following is/are tributary/tributaries of Brahmaputra?

1. Dibang
   2, Kameng
2. Lohit

76. Which of the following is/are the advantage/advantages of practising drip irrigation?

1. Reduction in weed
2. Reduction in soil salinity
3. Reduction in soil erosion

4. Which of the following pairs of famous places and their regions are correctly matched?

1. Bodhgaya Baghelkh and
2. Khajuraho Bundelkhand
3. Shirdi Vidarbha
4. Wasik (Nashik) : Malwa
5. Tirupati- Rayalaseema

78. Recently, linking of which of the following rivers was undertaken?