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Artificial Mt. Godwin Austin (K2) Al-Azizia (Libya) Varanasi - Kanyakumari
Short Notes
Geography of India Fill in the Blanks 1. The Indian river which carries greatest amount of water is ............. 2. Which is the highest hill station in India? 3. Which river flows through the Corbett National Park in Uttaranchal? 4. The Chambal is a tributary of the ............. river. 5. ............. is the highest peak in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. 6. Sugar bowl of India is ............. 7. The topographical maps of India are prepared by ............. 8. The Lakshadweep are an example of ............. type of islands. 9. ............. separates India from Pakistan. 10. The Mc Mahon line is a boundary between ...... and .......... 11. .............river is sometimes referred to as ‘Dakshin Ganga’.
12. Nagarjunasagar Dam was built on river ............. 13. Chennai harbour is a/an ............. harbour. 14. Name the highest peak of India ............. 15. The wettest place in the world is Mawsynram in Meghalaya. The hottest place is ............. 16. The longest National Highway NH-7 links ............. with ............. Answers 1. Brahmaputra 2. Gulmarg, Jammu & Kashmir 3. Ram Ganga 4. Yamuna 5. Saddle Peak (Great Nicobar) 6. Uttar Pradesh 7. Survey of India 8. Coral 9. Radcliffe Line 10. India and China 11. Kaveri 12. Krishna 212
1. Discuss the size and location of India. What is Indian Standard Time (IST) and what is the difference between IST and GMT? 2 Why are the rivers of northern India more important than those of southern India? 3 Jhum Cultivation 4. What is the significance of Himalayas for the land and people of Indian subcontinent? 5. Write notes on Deccan Plateau, Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats and the Deccan Trap. 6. What is Desert Development Progra mme? 7. What are Mangroves 8. Write a note on the occurrence of refractory minerals in India? 9. What is Gypsum? Where is it found in India and what are its uses? 10. Why is the Western Ghats considered to be a “‘hot spot” of biodiversity? 11. What are the types of environmental problems faced in India? 12. Where are the following situated and why are they famous for? 1. Singrauli 2. Jaykaynagar, 3. Rishra 4. Bokaro 13. What is “sponge iron” and where is it used? Where is it produced in India? 14 What is a rift valley? Name a rift valley in India?
15. What is the HBJ pipeline? Which States in India benefit from this? 16. Why is Kandla port not being favoured by shipping companies? 17. Which has been declared as India’s National Waterway No.1? 18. What is the great Rann of Kutch and how was it formed? 19. What is the “Deccan trap” and in which areas has it been formed? 20. Why is the Arabian Sea branch of the monsoon more spectacular than the Bay of Bengal branch? 21. What are fuel minerals? 22. What are multipurpose river projects;
Answers 1. India, with an area of 32,87,782 sq km, is the seventh largest country after Russia, Canada, China, USA, Brazil and Australia and the second most populous (next to China) country in the world. It extends between 8° 4' and 37° 6' North latitudes and 68° 7' and 97° 25' East longitudes, lying north of the equator and thus belongs to Northern Hemisphere. The Tropic of Cancer (23° 30' N) divides the country into almost two equal halves. While the southern half coinciding with peninsular India lies in the tropical zone, the northern half, somewhat continental in nature, belongs to the subtropical zone. Situated to the east of the Prime Meridian, India also belongs to the Eastern Hemisphere.
The country is of vast size. The north-south extension of India covers about 30° of latitude or measures about 3,214 km and the east-west extention covers almost 30° of longitude or measures about 2,933 km which is one-twelfth of the Earth’s circumference at the Equator. India has a land frontier of 15,200 km and a coastline of about 6,100 km. India takes its standard time from the Meridian of 82° 30' E, which is 5½ hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (0° longitude). 2. The rivers of northern India have a perennial source of water, which is utilised for irrigation and producing electricity. These rivers provide fertile soil and are good water ways for communication, etc. But the rivers of the Deccan are fed by the monsoons. Most of the year, they are mere trickles in beds of stone and sand. 3 Jhum Cultivation is shifting cultivation practised by the tribals of North-East India, where the farmers usually clear the land for planting by slashing the vegetation and burning the debris. It leads to environmental degradation, soil-erosion, loss of fertility of soil and growth of secondary vegetation. 4. The Himalayas are of great significance for the land and people of the subcontinent. i. Physical Barrier: The Himalayas act as physical barrier between the subcontinent and the rest of Asia. ii. Birthplace of Rivers: The massive snowfields and glaciers of the Himalayas 213
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are sources of many perennial rivers upon whose water depends much of irrigation and hydroelectric power of the Indo-Gangetic plain. The silt brought by these rivers have made the IndoGangetic plain very fertile. Influence on Climate: The Himalayas protect the Indo-Gangetic plain from the bitterly cold winds which blow from Central Asia and Tibet during winter. It compels the rainbearing winds blowing from the sea in the south to shed all their load of rain on the Northern plain. Flora and Fauna: The slopes of these mountains are forested and provide shelter to a wide variety of wild life. Mineral Resources: The Himalayas have commercially valuable minerals such as copper, lead, zinc, bismith, antimony, nickel, cobalt and tungsten. They are also the storehouse of precious and semi-precious stones. Coal and petroleum are the other mineral fuels found in this region. Other Economic Resources: Green pasture of lower Himalayas have enabled sheep and goat rearing an important occupation. Tourist Abode: The lower and upper range of Himalayas, because of their height, enjoy a cool and pleasant climate thus attracting a large number of tourists during spring and summer seasons.
5. The Deccan Plateau extends from the Vindhyas to the southern tip of the peninsula. This triangular plateau is at its widest in the north. The Vindhya range and its eastern extension namely Mahadev Hills, Kaimur Hills and Maikal Range are its northern edge. Towards the west, the plateau has a steep slope which is considered to be the result of faulting. This steep slope forms the Western Ghats which extends at most continuously up to the end of the peninsula near Kanyakumari over a distance of 1280 km. The Western Ghats are known by different regional names such as the Sahyadris in Maharashtra and Karnataka, the Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu, and Annamalai and the Cardamom hills along the Kerala and Tamil Nadu border. The elevation of the Ghats increases towards the south. The highest peak, Anamudi (2,695 m) is in Kerala. The most important gap in the Western Ghats is the Palghat gap which links Tamil Nadu with Kerala. The Deccan plateau is the highest along its western edge and gently slopes towards by Bay
of Bengal in the east. The eastern edge of the Deccan plateau is marked by a series of scattered hills known as the Eastern Ghats. These hills rise steeply from the Coromandal coastal plain. The Eastern Ghats are well developed in the region between the Godavari and Mahanadi rivers. The Eastern Ghats and Western Ghats converge in the Nilgiri hills. Dodda Betta (2,637 m) is the highest peak in the Nilgiri hills. The surface of the Deccan plateau slopes gradually towards the east. While all the major rivers of the peninsular block flow into the Bay of Bengal. Narmada and Tapti are the only two rivers flowing in the opposite direction to fall in the Arabian Sea. The northwestern part of the Deccan plateau in Maharashtra consists of an extensive lava plateau known as the deccan trap region. This consists of flat topped hill ranges forming on their flanks series of terraces. 6. The Desert Development Programme (DDP) was started in 1977-78 with the objective of controlling desertification, restoring
ecological balance and creating conditions to improve the economic level of people in desert areas. These objectives are sought to be achieved through activities such as: (1) afforestation with special emphasis on shelterbelt plantation, grassland development and ,sand dune stabilisation; (2) development and productive use of water resources; and (3) construction of water harvesting structures and development of agriculture and horticulture etc. It covers both hot and cold desert areas: Gujarat, Haryana and Rajasthan (hot deserts) and Himachal Pradesh and J&K (cold deserts). 7. Mangroves are salt tolerent forest ecosystem found mainly in tropical and subtropical inter-tidal region of the worls. They are reservoires of a large number of plant and animal species associated together over a long revolution period and exhibitery remarkable capacity of salt tolerance. They stabilise the shoreline and act as bulwark against encroachment by the sea. As per state of forest Report 2001
Important Sanctuaries and Parks Name Bandipur Corbett Dachigam Ghana Bird Sanctuary Gir Forest
Location Karnataka Nanital, Uttaranchal Kashmir Bharatpur, Rajasthan Gujarat
Kaziranga Ranthambore Sariska Manas
Assam Rajasthan Rajasthan Assam
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Reserve for Tiger, Elephant, Panther etc. Tiger, Leopards etc. Kashmiri Stag Water birds Gir Lion (India’s biggest wildlife Sancutary) Rhinoceros Tiger, Leopard etc. Tiger, Panther, Sambar etc. Rhinoceros
Mangrove eco system
Mangroves cover area of 4,482 sq.km (0.14% of total geographical area) 8. Materials which are resistant to heat at high temperatures (1500° C) are called refractories. They are used for making firebricks which line the walls of high heat furnaces. Refractory minerals include fireclays, magnesite, graphite and aluminium silicates such as sillimanite and kyanite. Magnesite occurs in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan. Fireclays are found in Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. Magnesite is used in blast furnaces and other industrial furnaces and also for producing liquid carbon dioxide. Sillimanite which occurs in Meghalaya, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Bihar is used for glass tank furnaces, where high temperatures are developed and also in electric furnaces
because of its strength and low electrical conductivity. Kyanite found in Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Orissa, Rajasthan and Maharashtra is used for lining copper smelting furnaces. Graphite, scarce in India, is found in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Bihar, Karnataka and Orissa and is used in foundries, graphite crucibles and lead pencils. 9. Gypsum is a hydrated sulphide of calcium (CaSO4. 2H2O). It occurs in massive lumps or transparent plates in sedimentary rock formations. Over 90 per cent of the gypsum reserves of India are found in Rajasthan mainly in the western districts of Bikaner, Ganganagar, Bharatpur, Churu, Jaisalmer, Banner, Pali and Jodhpur. Other states which have gypsum reserves are Jammu and Kashmir, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. High quality 215
gypsum is used in the manufacture of ammonium sulphate fertiliser. The cement industry also uses gypsum but of lesser purity than that required for fertiliser industry. Other uses of gypsum are in agriculture where it is used as surface plaster for conserving moisture in soil and for helping in the process of nitrogen absorption. It is also used for making plaster of Paris, partition block sheets, insulating boards etc. 10. The eco-system of the Western Ghats is specially suited for the preservation of biodiversity. With altitudes varying from 900 to 1100 metres they form a continuous barrier of rugged topography with heavy monsoon rainfall. The vegetation is generally forested and changes from evergreen to deciduous with a great variety of trees and plants. The Ghats south of the Palghat gap are the most complex mountain ranges of the peninsula. The southern complex includes Nilgiris, Anamalais and Palani Cardamom hills. The sholagrasslands in this complex have existed for a very long period. This eco-system has preserved fragmented forests like the sholas surrounded by grasslands (or Savannah). Large animals like sambhar and birds move from shola to shola, whereas smaller animals remain in a shola. The Western Ghats are therefore able to sustain an immense variety of fauna and flora in the evergreen forests and the semi evergreen forests on the lower slopes.
11. India generally faces two broad categories of environmental problems (a) problems associated with the process of development and (b) problems which arise from the conditions of poverty and underdevelopment. The country lacks financial resources for rapid development and the latest advanced technologies are therefore not easily available to us. In our efforts to improve our economic conditions as quickly as possible, we are forced to adopt projects which are poorly planned. Schemes which do not incorporate the latest environmental protection technologies are implemented in order to get the benefits of development eg: Power Houses without electrostatic precipitators to arrest discharges of smoke and ash, chemical factories without affluent treatment plants etc. The other group of environmental problems springs from poverty and low standards of living. Pollution of rivers by human actions are all too common due to the lack of awareness of the people. As the poor have hardly any resources, they degrade natural resources. 12. 1. Singrauli is in Uttar Pradesh and is the site of the super-thermal power station established by the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) with a capacity of 2000 MW. 2. Jaykaynagar in West Bengal is the place where the first unit to produce aluminium from indigenous bauxite was established in 1942.
3. Rishra is in West Bengal near Calcutta. It is the site where India’s first jute mill was established in 1854. 4. Bokaro in Jharkhand is situated near the Jharia and Ranigunj coal fields. A modern integrated steel plant with collaboration of the former Soviet Union was established here in the public sector with an ultimate capacity of 10 million tonnes. 13. “Sponge iron” is directly reduced iron made by converting iron ore directly to iron with non-coking coal or natural gas. The normal iron making in integrated steel plants is by melting iron ore with coke and limestone. The coke is produced from coking coal which is scarce. Limestone serves to remove the impurities. “Sponge iron” is used as alternate or supplement to scrap iron for producing steel in mini-steel plants with electric furnaces. The most important project for making “sponge iron” is located at Kothagudam in Andhra Pradesh with a final capacity of 60,000 tonnes per annum. Other plants have been set up in Orissa and Maharashtra. 14 Rift valleys are steep-sided depressions on the earth’s surface resulting from geological faults due to fracturing of the surface. Narmada valley is a rift valley in India. 15. The Hazira-Bijaipur-Jagdishpur (HBJ) pipeline transports natural gas from Gujarat’s offshore oilfields to Uttar Pradesh. It benefits industries in 216
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Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Kandla is a tidal port suffering from heavy siltation requiring frequent dredging. It has also inadequate linear services to various countries. Hence it is not fully utilised. The Ganga Waterway from Haldia to Allahabad is India’s National Waterway No. 1. It is a broad plain formed by dark silt and salt encrustations on the sea that once surrounded the Kutch peninsula when it was an island. The volcanic lava of the Deccan peninsula filled up the pre-existing topography about one million years ago. It is the Deccan trap occurs in parts of Maharashtra, Saurashtra, and Madhya Pradesh. The Arabian Sea branch is Spectacular, because(1) the Arabian Sea is larger (2) the entire Arabian Sea branch reaches India while the Bay of Bengal branch divides into Myanmar, Malaysia and Thailand also. Minerals which are useful for generating energy are called fuel minerals. Such minerals include coal, petroleum, lignite, uranium, thorium etc. Multipurpose river projects are projects that aim to benefit our population and society in more than one way. The objectives are (1) extension of irrigation facilities by constructing dams (2) power generation (3) flood control and making river navigable. Some of the major multipurpose projects are Damodar Valley Project, Bhakra Nangal etc.
Selected One word Questions 1 2 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.
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The world’s biggest ocean is the .......... ocean. .......... is the deepest lake in the world. Hyetology refers to the study of .......... . Meteorology may be described as the study of .......... The highest of all plateaus in the world is the .......... plateau. The largest city founded on the river Ravi is .......... The state in the world occupying the smallest area is .......... What was Japan formerly known as? On which river is Warsaw, the capital of Poland, situated? Which of the following cities has the largest zoo in India? Jawahar Sagar, Rana Pratap Sagar and Gandhi Sagar dams are all constructed on the river .......... With which of the rivers is the Sardar Sarovar project (SSP) associated? The Machkunda hydroelectric project is a joint venture of the states of ........ and .......... The first oil well in the world was drilled at .......... Pearl Harbour, (the target of Japanese attack on the American fleet) is in ..........Islands. Westerly winds blowing through out the year over the oceans of the southern hemisphere between 40° and 60° latitudes are called ..........
17. Nahorkatiya oilfields are located in the state of .......... 18. Which is the largest island of the Philippines? 19. The Telungu - Ganga Projects runs through the state of .......... and ........... 20. The finest natural harbour in India is ........... 21. Which country is known as the “Cockpit of Europe”? 22. Which country is known as the “Emerald Island”? 23. .......... Canal is gateway to the Pacific. 24. What is the type of rock formed by loose and broken fragments of pre-existing rocks? 25. The country that celebrates Christmas in the summer season is .......... 26. With what type of region are volcanoes and earthquakes associated? 27. The type of soil that has a marked capacity to retain water is the .......... 28. What is the local time of a place known with reference to? 29. The winds getting deflected due to the rotation of the earth are termed as .......... 30. The atmospheric humidity is measured by means of the 31 What is the tide at its maximum height known as? 32. The region that specializes in the cultivation of citrus fruits is the .......... region. 33. The Mc Mohan line is a boundary between .......... and .......... 34. Nagarjunasagar Dam was built on .......... river. 35. The first river valley project started in India is .......... 217
36. The Savannas of Orinoco basin are termed as .......... 37. Name the state that is famous for evergreen sandalwood? 38. Which physical regions of India manifests a vegetation spectrum ranging from the Tropical to the Alpine Type? 39. The sun always rises in the east because the earth revolves around the sun from the .......... to the .......... 40. Chandka Elephant Sanctuary is in .......... 41. What is the currency of Thailand? 42. What does the take off stage denote in an economy? 43. The first shore-based steel plant in India is in .......... 44. The first large-scale jute mill in India was established at .......... 45. The Indian state that is the largest in terms of area is .......... 46. Name the three groups of tribals which live exclusively in Meghalaya? 47. Where is the Korba Super Thermal Power Station, the largest in the country, located? 48. Name the river on which the Krishnaraja Sagar Dam has been built? 49. Name the canal that irrigates a portion of the Thar desert. 50. Which region is known as the ‘rice bowl of India’? 51. The most fertile milkproducing breed of goat in India is named as .......... 52. Which species constitutes the largest livestock, in terms of number, in India? 53. In India, the density of cattle population per 100 hectares
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of gross cropped area is the highest in .......... To which country does Greenland the largest island in the world belong? Cuttack is located on the banks of the river .......... The country also known as ‘the land of golden fleece’ is .......... Where in India is the Integral Coach Factory located? The continent referred to as ‘Dark Continent’ is .......... The Malanjhand copper mines are located in the state of .......... In India Lac is found in ................ What is the average time interval between two successive high and low tides On which date does the thermal equator coincide with the Tropic of Cancer? For what are the Zawar mines of Udaipur famous? In which state of India is the largest bauxite plant in Asia located? Where is the natural energy of hot springs, i.e. geothermal energy, used to produce power? Solar energy has been put to practical use in .......... The state accounting for the maximum quantity of asbestos in India is .......... Diamond mines in India are chiefly located in .......... The oil-bearing areas in India are mostly associated with .......... rocks. Where is India’s oldest oil refinery located?
71. The country with the world’s largest diamond mines as well as highest gold production is .......... 72. A cyclone occurs when there is .......... pressure in the centre and .......... pressure all around it. 73. A cyclone in the northern hemisphere would move in an .......... direction. 74. What is the Beaufort scale used to measure? 75. Some people in Manipur live in houses built on floating islands of weeds and decaying vegetation, held together by suspended silt. Such islands are called .......... 76. Ferozabad in Uttar Pradesh is famous for its .......... industry. 77. Which is the most sparsely populated state in India? 78. What is viticulture and where is it generally practised? 79. The Konkan Railway project has been completed in a record time of .......... years. 80. In which country is the RhurComplex, a major industrial centre, located? 81. Which strait divides Europe from Africa? 82. The winter rains in Tamil Nadu are caused by the .......... monsoons. 83. The second-most populous nation in the world is .......... 84. Mineral deposits on the ocean-floor are characterized by the occurrence of .......... 85. What was Ethiopia earlier known as? 86. Rubber plantations in India are located mostly in .......... and .......... 218
87. The tobacco cultivated in Gujarat is mostly used for the manufacture of .......... 88. In India, the maximum edible oil is produced from .......... 89. Which radioactive mineral is abundantly found in the beach sands of coastal Kerala? 90. The petroleum refinery at Koyali is located in state of .......... 91. The world’s largest producer of synthetic rubber is .......... 92. Sink holes are a phenomenon of .......... regions. 93. Coal, being an organic sedimentary rock formed from the remains of plants, is often described as .......... fuel. 94 Next to oil, the most important mineral produced from the sea is .......... 95. Stalagmites and stalactites are features of the .......... regions. 96. Areas, where grasses and twisted shrubs are grown, are called .......... 97. River Rhine of Europe drains into the .......... 98. Simoon is a hot and dry wind blowing in the Sahara and .......... 99. Neyveli power project is a .......... power project. 100. Name the mountain that separates France and Spain. 101. Milan, Turin and Genoa industrial triangle is in the country of .......... 102. Canals serve as passage of communication in the city of .......... in Italy 103. The highest navigable lake in the world is .......... 104. Moho discontinuity refers to a discontinuity between the
.......... and .......... layers of the earth. 105. Name the volcanic island of India. 106. Monsoons that alternately blow from the sea to the land and from the land to the sea for a period of six months each are called .......... 107. .......... is the world’s greatest silk producer. 108. The retreating monsoons blow in a northeasterly direction over .......... 109. The term ‘midnight sun’ refers to the sun shining in the .......... and .......... circles. 110. Which state is famous for the cultivation of rubber, coconut and black pepper? 111. The city that is also referred to as ‘the city of palaces’ is .......... 112. Which city is known as ‘the golden city’? 113. Where is the public sector Nepa newsprint factory located? 114. The deepest mine in India is located in .......... 115. In which part of India is Dogri spoken? 116. The seasonal movement of people along with their cattle in the mountains iscalled .......... 117. A narrow strip of land connecting two large land masses is known as .......... 118. Podsol is a type of soil which is characteristic of a region under the cover of .......... forest. 119. Name the river along which Tokyo is located?
120. A line on a map connecting points receiving equal amounts of sunshine is called an ........... 121. The area of ocean falling beyond the territorial waters of any nation is termed .......... 122. Isohyets are lines on maps joining places having equal .......... 123. What was Ghana called prior to her independence? 124. Lines on maps linking places of equal altitude are named as .......... 125. The length of the shadow of a specific structure at noon would be the same all through the year only at the .......... 126. The port of India connected to the interior through the Palghat gap 127. Which is called the “Land of the Morning Calm”? 128. The river which rises in the Kamarpet hill in Chhotanagpur’ Plateau of Jharkhand and called ``Sorrow of Bengal” is .......... 129. “Land of Fishermen” refers to .......... 130. The National Geophysica1 Research Institute is located in .......... 131. .......... is known as the “Queen of Arabian Sea”. 132. The smallest Union Territory of India is .......... 133. Which of the following is the world’s largest lake? 134. Teak and sal represent the principal trees in the forests called .......... 135. Pastaz is the name of temperate grasslands found in .......... 219
136. The Elephant Pass is located in .......... 137. Which of the following does the Kiel Canal link? 138. The largest archipelago in the world is .......... 139. India ranks the .......... in the world, in terms of annual milk production. 140. The State called the ‘granary of India’ is .......... 141. The State leading the others in the production , of marine fisheries is 142. The largest producer of fresh water fish in India is .......... 143. The type of climate most suited for the cultivation of spices in India is .......... 144. In the Gulf of Kutch, a coral land is used for nesting green turtles, which is called .......... 145. Periyar Wild life Sanctuary is located in .......... state. 146. The highest gravity dam in India is the .......... dam. 147. The most typical Australian tree which sheds its bark instead of leaves is .......... 148. The strait that separates Tasmania from the mainland of Australia is .......... 149. The debris of fragments of rock material brought down with the movement of a glacier is called .......... 150. Which country is the world’s largest jute producer? 151. Clouds that stem from a uniform base and extend like a dark grey sheet from one side of the horizon to the other are called ..........
152. The world’s leading sugarcane grower is .......... 153. Which country has the highest yield per hectare of sugarcane in the world? 154. The method mostly used for mining iron ore and limestone is .......... 155. The Damodar Valley, Inner Mongolia and Pennsylvania are all important mining centres of .......... 156. The leading producer of coal in former soviet Union is .......... 157. The most important agricultural region of the United States is the .......... 158. The Hawaiian Islands specialise in the cultivation of .......... 159. Narimanam oil field is located in 160. Where is the Forest Research Institute located? 161. Natural vegetation that is marked by pine, fir and spruce trees would denote .......... forests. 162. What is the white liquid obtained from rubber trees called? 163. The Rhine is the busiest inland waterway of Europe, primarily because its course is never frozen ......... 164. What is the Brandenburg Gate? 165. Trees with sharp, needle-like leaves are typical of .......... forests. 166. The world’s largest newsprint producer is ........... 167. The Green Revolution in India has been the most successful in the case of .......... and ..........
168. The famous Trimurti statue with the faces of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva is found in the .......... caves. 169. The major proportion of agricultural land in India is under .......... crops. 170. The Indian state that is the largest producer of large cardamom is .......... 171. The equatorial rain forests of Brazil are known as the .......... 172. Prairies refer to extensive treeless tracts covered with tall coarse grass found in .......... 173. Carbonoceous rocks that produce coal and oil belong to the category named .......... 174. The world’s leading shipbuilding nation is .......... 175. Gold and silver are both extracted from .......... rocks. 176. Doldrums refer to the areas that lie between the latitudes 5° to the north and south of the .......... 177. The world’s largest tin producer is .......... 178. Inversion of temperature refers to ........ in temperature with height. 179. Yercaud, a hill station of South India, is situated on the .......... hills. 180. Rihand Valley Project is located in the State of .......... 181. Boll-Weevil is a pest that attacks the .......... crop. 182. The desert regions of the world occupy about .......... part of the land surface of the earth. 183. Tokyo, the capital of Japan, is situated in the island of .......... 184. Which Indian state occupies the first place in literacy? 220
185. Which country assisted India in the launching of her first satellite ``Aryabhatta”? 186. What is called the study of lakes and ponds? 187. The approximate equatorial circumference of the earth is .......... 188. The manufacture of diesel locomotives takes place in .......... 189. Electric locomotives are built in 190. Where in India is the CRRI (Central Rice Research Institute) located? 191. Where is India’s biggest railway marshalling yard located? 192. Which river is called a river between the two mountains? 193. The Rourkela Steel Plant had been constructed with .......... help. 194. Where is the Cogentrix Thermal Power Project proposed to be set up? 195. Krivoy Rog, Kerch Peninsula, Magnito-gorsk are major producers of .......... in former Soviet Union . 196 Berlin is situated on the river canal .......... 197. Pedology is a science of the study of .......... 198. The Khasi and Jaintia Hills are located in .......... 199. The loktak lake, a big lake of North-East India is located in .......... 200. Which is the busiest airport of the world? 201. The Duncan Passage is situated between .......... and .......... islands. 202. With which reference was the biggest ever environme-
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ntal protest made by the people against the destructive aspects of development? The country that uses its old name of Helvetia on its postage stamp is .......... For which is the Kourou city well known? With how many countries India has a common border? The .......... river valley is dominated by ravines. The ‘’Tehri dam’’ is being constructed at the confluence of the rivers .......... and .......... Which is the animal that the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) has adopted as its symbol? The state with the maximum number of people living below the poverty line is .......... How many national water ways are there in India? The plateau, which has an average elevation of about 4 kilometres above the sea level is the .......... plateau. India’s largest industrial cluster is located in and around .......... What is the mean density of the earth? The .......... type of fog is the one commonly occurring along the seacoasts. The process of the disintegration of rocks without any change occurring in their chemical composition is called .......... The tropical cyclones often follow the direction of movement from .......... to .......... Name the capital city of Somalia.
218. Which Indian state is the smallest in terms of area? 219. The daily weather map showing isobars is an example of a/an .......... map. 220. The average salinity of sea water is .......... 221. The variety of coal in which the deposit contains recognizable traces of the original plant material is .......... 222. What is condensation? 223. The largest Inland water way in India is ........... 224. The time required for moonlight to reach the earth is .......... seconds. 225. African name of Rhodesia which is dominated by white minority is ........ 226. Port Louis is the capital of .......... 227. Natural gas is a mixture of .........., .......... and ........... 228. The largest entreport of the world is .......... 229. The first district in India to have telephones in all its villages is .......... 230. Which is known as the human’s most useful tree? 231. Which countryis known as Island of Cloves? 232. The largest island in the Indian ocean is .......... 233. The largest river delta of India is of the river .......... 234. The artificial lake ‘Govind Sagar’ is in the state .......... 235. The number of states in India is .......... 236. To which country would the title “garden in the desert” refer? 237. A narrow stretch of sea connecting two extensive areas of sea is called a .......... 221
238. The world’s largest port is .......... 239. India’ s fastest train is the Shatabdi Express between .......... and .......... 240. Organisms that live in the soil are refered to as .......... 241. World’s largest solar power plant is located in .......... 242. The continent through which the Equator, Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn pass, is .......... 243. The shipping canal that connects the North Sea and the Baltic sea is called the .......... 244. Sriharikota, and important unit of the Indian Space Research Organisation, is located in the state of .......... 245. According to 1991 census the % of literacy in India is about .......... 246. The number of officially recognised languages in India is .......... 247. Mt. Dhaulagiri, one among the high peaks of Himalayas, lies in the country of .......... 248 The great one horned Indian Rhino is found in .......... Game Sanctuary. 249. The ‘Rhur of India’ is ..........Valley region. 250. An important gas in the atmosphere that absorbs sun’s ultraviolet rays is .......... 251. The .......... route is the busiest ocean route of the world. 252. The .......... railway is the largest railway route in the world. 253. The point below the surface where an earthquake originates is called ..........
254. ‘Schist’ is the metamorphic equivalent of .......... 255. Doldrum is an area of .......... pressure. 256. The .......... mountains crossing the Great Plains and the Sea further south separate Europe from Asia 257. The .......... river in Europe has the largest volume of traffic. 258. Suez Canal was completed in the year .......... 259. Zuari and Mandovi are navigable Indian rivers in the state of .......... 260. The Pacific terminal of Trans-Siberian Railway is .......... 261. The Sea that separates Greece and Italy is .......... 262. The only port in erstwhile Soviet Union, that is ice free throughout the year is .......... 263. The biggest railway junction in the United States is .......... 264. Western Gateway to the United States is ___. 265. The National Highway 1 connects Delhi to .......... 266. The deepest land locked and protected port in India is ....... 267. .......... islands are the “Cross roads of the Pacific’’. 268. Tin Bigha corridor is an issue between India and .......... 269. The National Institute of Oceanography is located at .......... 270. The Internationally recognised scale for describing wind speed is .......... 271. In winter the Eskimos of the Tundra region live in ..........
272. Foehn is a local wind of the country .......... 273. The 90° East Ridge lies in the .......... Ocean. 274. Imaginary lines connecting places in oceans having equal salinity are called .......... 275. Which state is called the 'agricultural epitome of India. 276. The inclination of the earth’s axis to its plane of orbital is .......... 277. What is the wind system in the equatorial areas known as? 278. The constituent of the atmosphere that causes the greatest changes in weather and climate is .......... 279. What are clouds showing a vertical development called? 280. The rock that gets transformed into marble is .......... 281. The planet of the solar system that spins at the fastest rate is .......... 282. Who are the Fellahins? 283. What is the Richter scale used for measuring? 284. What is the capacity of a rock to allow water to pass through it called? 285. The Central Building Research Institute is located at .......... 286. Name the biggest Indian port? 287. What does the term ‘certified seed’ denote? 288. The word ‘monsoon’ is derived from the .......... word .......... 289. The castes of Lingayats and Okkaligas are associated with the state of ..........
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290. Soft wood trees are mostly found growing in .......... forests. 291. The country that is the largest supplier of meat in the world is .......... 292. The nuclear power plant that provides power mainly for agriculture is located at .......... 293. Name the union government agency that is responsible for the mapping and exploration of minerals? 294. The international airport in Tamil Nadu is in .......... 295. The longest passenger rail route in India connects Jammu Tawi with .......... 296. Nava Sheva, a major Indian port, is in the state of .......... 297. The saltiest sea in the world is .......... 298. New Moore Island is situated in the .......... 299. The strait that separates Asia from North America is .......... 300. The strait connecting the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea is 301. What does large-scale deforestation result in? 302. The most important means of irrigation in Tamil Nadu is .......... 303. The soil that is the most suitable for the cultivation of tea is .......... soil. 304 Vidyasagar Setu, India’s longest cable stayed bridge, is built across the river .......... 305. The construction of the Sunkosh multipurpose hydroelectric project is a cooperative effort between India and ..........
306. The longest dam in India? 307. The Himalayan mountain system belongs to which type of mountains. 308. Around which mountains does the river Brahmaputra turn into India? 309. The .......... forms the western boundary of the Indian subcontinent. 310. The Konkan coast stretches between Goa and .......... 311. The Siachen glacier is in ........... 312. The retreating monsoons exercise the most effect on the state of .......... 313. In which months do the retreating monsoons cause rainfall? 314. Which is the smallest Indian UT (Union Territory)? 315. The state that is on the easternmost part of India is .......... 316. The great Indian bustard is found in the state of .......... 317. In which country will you find the Mansarovar lake? 318. The country that is famous for its pyramids is .......... 319. Most of the world’s requirement of newsprint is supplied by the .......... type of forest belt. 320. New York is situated on the bank of the river 321. The first stage in the formation of coal is represented by the type .......... 322. The Maikal range is situated in the state of .......... 323. The important line that divides India quite neatly into two climatic regions is ..........
324. The functional classification of Indian cities has been done by .............. 325. The Salal hydroelectric project is in ........... 326 The Rajiv Gandhi air terminal is situated in .......... 327. Mesopotamia is the former name of .......... 328. Volcanoes that are not currently active but have the potential of future eruptions are called .......... volcanoes. 329. Next to Iran, which is the largest manufacturer of carpets. 330. Fog characterized by large particles of moisture is called .......... 331. What is Rome also known as? 332. Which country is referred to as ‘the playground of Europe’? 333. Where are the Negritos, the earliest arrivals in India, mainly to be found now? 334 The forces responsible for movements of the earth’s crust, the eruption of volcanoes and the causing of earthquakes are called .......... 335. The marshy and forested land in northern part of Uttar Pradesh is callled ....... 336. The Indian states were first delimited lingustically on ............ 337. Which country leads the world in wool production? 338. What percentage of the globe is covered by water? 339. A narrow inlet of sea between cliffs or steep slopes, particularly associated with Scandinavia, is called a/an ..........
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340. What is the boundary line between Pakistan and Afghanistan called? 341. Lines drawn on a map linking places having the same atmospheric pressure are called .......... 342. A reversal in the direction of wind, with the change of seasons, is a characteristic feature of the .......... 343. Where is the Tulu language spoken? Answers to Selected Questions 1. Pacific 2 Lake Baikal 3. Rain and snow 4. Atmosphere 5. Tibetan 6. Lahore 7. Vatican City 8. Nippon 9. Vistula 10. Kolkatta 11. Chambal 12. Narmada 13. Orissa, Andhra Pradesh 14. Pensylvania, the USA 15. Hawaiian 16. Roaring Forties. 17. Assam 18. Luzon 19. Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu 20. Mumbai 21. Belgium 22. lreland 23. Panama 24. Sedimentary rocks 25. Australia 26. Faulted and folded regions 27. Regur soil 28. Its longitudinal position 29. Geostrophic winds
30. 31 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53. 54. 55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70.
Hygrometer Spring Tide Mediterranean lndia and China Krishna Damodar Valley Project Llanos Karnataka The Himalayas West, East Orissa Baht It denotes the period when the steady growth begins. Vishakhapatnam Rishra Rajasthan Garos, Khasis and Jaintias Chhattisgarh Cauveri Indira Gandhi Canal The Krishna-Godavari delta Beetal Goats Haryana Denmark Mahanadi Australia Perambur Africa Chhattisgarh West Bengal 24 hours and 52 minutes 21st June Zinc Orissa Manikaran, Himachal Pradesh Rajasthan Rajasthan Panna Sedimentary Digboi, Assam
71. 72. 73. 74. 75. 76. 77. 78.
South Africa Low; high anticlockwise Wind velocity Phoomdis Glass Arunachal Pradesh The science of growing grapes, in the Mediterranean region. 79. 9 80. Germany 81. Gibraltar 82. Northeast 83. lndia 84. Manganese nodules 85. Abyssinia 86. Kerala, Karnataka 87. Beedi 88. Groundnut 89. Monozite 90. Gujarat 91. The USA 92. Limestone or Karst 93. Fossil 94 Gas 95. Karst (or limestone) 96. Moorlands 97. North Sea 98. The Arabian Desert 99. Thermal 100. Pyrenees 101. Italy 102. Venice 103. Titicaca 104. Crust, Mantle 105. Narcondam 106. Periodical winds 107. Japan 108. The Bay of Bengal 109. Arctic, Antarctic 110. Kerala
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111. 112. 113. 114. 115. 116. 117. 118. 119. 120. 121. 122. 123. 124. 125. 126. 127. 128. 129. 130. 131. 132. 133. 134. 135. 136. 137. 138. 139. 140. 141. 142. 143. 144. 145. 146. 147. 148. 149. 150. 151.
Kolkatta Johannesburg Madhya Pradesh Kolar, Karnataka Jammu and Kashmir Transhumance Isthmus Coniferous Arokawa Isohel High seas Rainfall Gold Coast Contours Equator Cochin Korea Damodar. Norway. Hyderabad Cochin Lakshadweep Caspian Sea Tropical moist deciduous Hungary Sri Lanka North Sea and Baltic Sea Indonesia first Punjab West Bengal West Bengal Hot and moist Bhydar Kerala Bhakra Eucalyptus Bass strait Moraine Bangladesh Stratus clouds
152. 153. 154. 155. 156. 157. 158. 159. 160. 161. 162. 163. 164. 165. 166. 167. 168. 169. 170. 171. 172. 173. 174. 175. 176. 177. 178. 179. 180. 181. 182. 183. 184. 185. 186. 187. 188. 189. 190. 191. 192.
Cuba Hawaii Opencast mining Coal Donetz basin Corn belt Sugarcane Cauvery basin Dehradun Coniferous Latex throughout the year The main gate between East and West Berlin Coniferous Canada Rice, wheat Ellora Food Sikkim Selvas North America Sedimentary Japan Igneous Equator Malaysia increase Shevaroy Hills Uttar Pradesh cotton l/3rd Honshu. Kerala Former USSR Limnology 40,000 km Varanasi Chittaranjan Cuttack Kapurthala Narmada
193. 194. 195. 196 197. 198. 199. 200. 201. 202. 203. 204. 205.
206. 207. 208. 209. 210. 211. 212. 213. 214. 215. 216. 217 218. 219. 220. 221. 222. 223. 224. 225. 226. 227. 228. 229.
German Mangalore lron Ore Spree soils Meghalaya Manipur New York South Andaman and Little Andaman Tehri Dam Project Switzerland Satellite launching 7 [Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Bangladesh] Chambal Bhagirathi and Bhilangana Panda. Bihar 5 Tibetan Ahmedabad-Vadodara 5.5 g/cc Advection Exfoliation East to West Mogadishu Goa Isopleth 35% Peat Change of vapour into liquid Kerala 1.3 Zimbabwe Mauritius methane, butane, propane Singapore Dakshin Kannada
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230. 231. 232. 233. 234. 235. 236. 237. 238. 239. 240. 241. 242. 243. 244. 245. 246. 247. 248 249. 250. 251. 252. 253. 254. 255. 256. 257. 258. 259. 260. 261. 262. 263. 264. 265. 266. 267. 268. 269. 270. 271.
Teak Zanzibar (Africa) Madagascar Ganga Himachal Pradesh 28 Ethiopia Strait New York/New Jersey New Delhi and Jhansi Terricolous Majave Desert, USA. Africa Kiel Canal Andhra Pradesh 52% 22 Nepal Kaziranga Damodar Ozone North Atlantic Trans-Siberian Focus Shale low Ural Rhine 1869 Goa Vladivostok The Adriatic Murmansk Chicago San Francisco Amritsar Vishakhapatnam Hawaiian Bangladesh Goa The Beaufort Scale Igloos
272. 273. 274. 275. 276. 277. 278. 279. 280.
Switzerland lndian Isohalines Uttar Pradesh 66½° Trade winds Water vapour Cirrocumulus Limestone
281. 282. 283. 284. 285. 286. 287.
Jupiter Farmers of the Nile Valley Intensity of earthquakes Permeability Roorkee Mumbai Seeds approved by the National Seeds Corporation Arabic; mausim Karnataka Coniferous Argentina Narora The GSI (Geological Survey of India) Meenambakkam Kanyakumari Maharashtra Dead Sea Bay of Bengal Bering Strait Palk Strait Soil erosion Canals Laterite Hooghly Bhutan Hirakud Fold Namcha Barwa Hindukush
288. 289. 290. 291. 292. 293. 294. 295. 296. 297. 298. 299. 300. 301. 302. 303. 304 305. 306. 307. 308. 309.
310. 311. 312. 313. 314. 315. 316. 317. 318. 319. 320. 321. 322. 323. 324. 325. 326 327. 328. 329. 330. 331. 332. 333. 334 335.
Daman Ladakh Tamil Nadu October and November Lakshadweep Arunachal Pradesh Rajasthan China Egypt Coniferous Hudson Peat Madhya Pradesh The Tropic of Cancer Ashok Mitra Jammu & Kashmir Hyderabad Iraq Dormant lndia Mist The City of Seven Hills Switzerland Andaman Islands Tectonic forces Tirai
Hindu Kush The Hindu Kush is a mountain range in Afghanistan as well as in the North-West Frontier Province and Northern Areas of Pakistan. It is the westernmost extension of the Pamir Mountains, the Karakoram Range, and the Himalayas. The name Hindu Kush is usually applied to the whole of the range separating the basins of the Kabul and Helmand rivers from that of the Amu Darya (or ancient Oxus), or more specifically, to that part of the range to the northwest of Kabul.
336. 337. 338. 339. 340. 341. 342. 343.
1956 Australia 71% Fjord Durand Line lsobars Monsoon regions Karnataka
Ladakh Ladakh is a province in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir sandwiched between the Kunlun mountain range in the north and the main Great Himalayas to the south, inhabited by people of IndoAryan and Tibetan descent. It is one of the most sparsely populated regions in Kashmir. Historically, the region included the Baltistan (Baltiyul) valleys, the Indus Valley, the remote Zanskar, Lahaul and Spiti to the south, Ngari including the Rudok region and Guge in the east, and Nubra valleys to the north over Khardung La in the Ladakh mountain range. Contemporary Ladakh borders Tibet to the east, the Lahaul and Spiti to the south, the Vale of Kashmir, Jammu and Baltiyul regions to the west, and the Trans -Kun lun territory of East Turkistan in Central Asia on the other side of the Kun lun range in Kashmir to the north. Running southwest to northeast, the Altyn Tagh converges with the Kun Lun range in Kashmir which runs southeast to northwest forming a “V” shape which converges at Pulu.
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Selected Short Questions 1. What is continental drift? The ‘Theory of continental drift’ expounded by Alfred Wegner in 1915 holds that portions of the original continent which comprised the entire landmass of the world, underwent a series of horizontal displacement before the present continents ever formed. According to Wegner after the breaking of the super continent (Pangea), the movement of the continents took place in two directions one towards the equator due to centrifugal force of the earth which gave rise to fold mountains like the Himalayas etc and another towards west due to tidal force of the sun and the moon which gave rise to Andes and Rockies. 2. What is Plate tectonis? Plate tectonics deals with rock structures which are in the form of plates and it is not only the continents which are in motion but the ocean as well. These plates not only carries the earths upper crust but also the part of denser mantle below. They have an average thickness to 100 km. They float on the plastic upper mantle called Asthenosphere and carry the continents and oceans as well. The edge of the plates are designed as boundaries and margins where movements occur. 3. Define ‘Ring of Fire’? About 68% of the earthquakes on earth is experienced in the region around pacific known as
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‘Ring of Fire’. This is the region of crustal dislocation and volcanoes. Where are the following volcanoes situated? (1) Mt. Vesuvius (2) Mt. Etna (3) Mt. Stromboli (1) Italy (2) Sicily of Italy (3) Italy What is epicentre? Epicentre is the point on the earth surface, vertically above the focus, the most affected area of the earthquake. What is Isoseismal Line? The line joining places which experiences the earthquake at the same time. What is the percentage of the following gases in atmosphere (1) Nitrogen (2) Oxygen (3) Argon (4) Carbon Dioxide (1) 78% (2) 21% (3) 0.93% (4) 0.03% What are jet streams? Jet streams are high speed wind which blow from the west in the upper atmosphere over mid latitude area. It has an important role in the formation of weather conditions. Define dew point? Dew point is the temperature at which a parcel of air would have to bee cooled in order to reach saturation. The favourable conditions are moist air, light winds and clear night skies to ensure maximum cooling by radiation. Name the area where the following tropical cyclones are seen (1) Cyclone (2) Typhoon (3) Hurricane (4) Willy Willies
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(1) South Indian Ocean (2) Phillipines, Japan and China (3) West Indies and USA (4) Australia Define Humidity. Humidity refers to the content of water vapour present in air in gaseous form at a particular time and place. Hygrometer is used to measure humidity What is sleet? Sleet is the mixture of rain and snow What is hail? Hail is small pieces of ice with a diameter ranging from 5 to 50 mm. What is fog? Fog is microscopically small drops of water condensed in form and suspended in the air near the earth surface in sufficient number to reduce visibility. What is smog? Smog is formed when dirt and polluted air is mixed with smoke. It is generally found in large industrial centres. What is barrier reef? Barrier reef is the largest and most extensive of all reefs. The reef itself grows from the deep bottom and lie at distance away from the coast. Hence a shallow and broad lagoon develops between the reef and shore. eg: Great Barrier Reef of Australia Ozone Depletion Ozone Depletion is the thinning of ozone layer in the stratosphere of earth’s atmosphere.
