UPSC Prelims Geography Syllabus
Indian and World Geography – Physical, Social, Economic Geography of India and the World.
As you can see, the syllabus mentions only 1 line. Let us look at the details now.
Indian Geography
- Basics of India
- Location, latitude, longitude, time zone, etc.
- Neighbours
- Important straits
- States and their position
- States with international boundaries
- Physical features
- The Himalayas – geological formation, climate, vegetation, soil, biodiversity, physiographic divisions, major passes, significance
- The Great North Indian Plains – geological formation, physiographic divisions, climate, vegetation, soil, biodiversity, significance
- Peninsular Plateau – geological formation, Central Highlands, Deccan Plateau, Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats
- Indian Desert
- Coastal plains and islands
- River systems
- Himalayan rivers
- Peninsular rivers
- River basins
- Regional development and planning
- Hydropower projects, major dams
- West-flowing and east-flowing rivers
- Interlinking of rivers
- Climate
- Monsoons – driving mechanism, El Nino, La Nina
- Seasons
- Cyclones
- Minerals and industries – mineral distribution, industrial policies, location
- Agriculture
- Land utilisation
- Types of agricultural practices
- Green revolution
- Soils and crops
- Irrigation
- Land reforms
- Animal husbandry
- Government schemes
- Natural vegetation and fauna
- Classification of natural vegetation
- Rainfall distribution
- Biosphere reserves, national parks, etc.
- Red-listed species
- Economic infrastructure
- Transportation (highways, inland waterways, etc.)
- Power and energy sector
- Conventional and non-conventional sources of energy
- Energy conservation
- Human Geography
- Demographics
- Recent census
World Geography
- Major natural regions
- Regional geography of developed countries
- Regional geography of developing countries
- Regional geography of South Asia
Physical Geography
- Geomorphology
- Origin of the earth
- Interior of the earth
- Types and characteristics of rocks
- Folding and Faulting
- Volcanoes, earthquakes
- Interior of the earth
- Weathering
- Landforms formed by fluvial, aeolian and glacial actions
- Climatology
- Atmosphere – structure and composition
- Temperature
- Pressure belts
- Wind systems
- Clouds and types of rainfall
- Cyclones and anti-cyclones
- Major climatic types
- Oceanography
- Ocean relief
- Temperature, salinity
- Ocean deposits
- Ocean currents
- El Nino and La Nina
- Waves and tides
- Biogeography
- Soil – origin and types
- Major biomes of the world
- Ecosystem, food chain
- Environmental degradation and conservation
Human Geography
- Man & environment; relationship, growth and development of human geography; determinism and possibilism
- Population, tribes, migration
- Economic activities – agriculture, manufacturing, industries, tertiary activities
- Settlements, urbanisation, functional classification of towns, million-cities and megacities
Location-based questions pertaining to India and the world are also asked in the prelims.
UPSC Mains Geography Syllabus
Geography is part of the GS paper I in the IAS mains exam. The syllabus for GS Geography is given below:
- Distribution of key natural resources across the world including South Asia and the Indian sub-continent; factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world including India
- Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, Tsunami, Volcanic activity, cyclone etc., geographical features and their location- changes in critical geographical features (including water-bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes
- Salient features of the world’s physical geography (geomorphology, climatology, oceanography, biogeography and environmental geography)
- Geomorphology – the interior of the earth, tectonics, physical phenomenon, mountain building, volcanoes, earthquakes, weathering & erosion, rocks, landforms
- Climatology – atmosphere, temperature distribution, jet streams, pressure & wind systems, airmasses, fronts, cyclones, humidity, precipitation, geographical phenomenon, climatic regions of the world
- Oceanography – ocean relief, temperature distribution, ocean currents, salinity, coral bleaching, marine pollution, sea level change, UN laws, etc.
- Biography – soil profile, degradation, conservation), biotic regions, deforestation and conservation of forests, changes in critical geographical features, environmental pollution
Books on Geography
- NCERT: Physical Geography of India for X - XII Std
- School Atlas: Oxford or Orient Blackswan
- Khullar: India- A Comprehensive Geography
- National Journal - Kurukshetra, Yojana, Down to earth
- Certificate Physical and Human Geography Goh Cheng Leong (Geography)