Essential Geography Study Materials for Competitive Exams

Geography

Origin and Development of Geography

The Beginning of Geography The word Geography was first used by the Greek scholar Eratosthenes (276–194 B.C.). The word Geography has been derived from two Greek words – Geo and Graphos, which jointly mean the descrip

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The Solar System & Universe

The Solar System Overview The solar system consists of the Sun, the eight planets and their satellites (or moons), and thousands of other smaller heavenly bodies such as asteroids, comets, and meteors. The Sun is at the centre

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All 7 Continents of the World - Geography

Asia Origin of the Name The word 'Asia' is derived from the word 'Asu' (of Hibru language), which means "the rising sun". Geographical Importance Asia is the largest of the seven continents o

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Oceans of the World and Their Currents

  Oceans of the World There are four oceans. In order of their size, they are: 1. Pacific Ocean 2. Atlantic Ocean 3. Indian Ocean 4. Arctic Ocean Pacific Ocean The explorer Ferdinand Magellan, who circumnavigate

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Time Zones, Latitude & Longitude in Geography

Latitude and Longitude Any location on Earth is described by two numbers- its latitude and its longitude. Latitude Any location on Earth is described by two numbers—its latitude and its longitude. On a globe of the Ea

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Understanding Earth’s Atmosphere

Overview The envelope of air that surrounds the Earth is known as the atmosphere. The atmosphere extends to about 1000 km from the surface of the Earth. But 99% of the total mass of the atmosphere is found within 32 km. T

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Earthquakes and Volcanoes

Earthquakes The sudden tremors or shaking of the Earth's crust are called an earthquake. When a part of the earth's surface moves backward and forward or up and down, the earth's surface 'quakes', and these are called 

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Various Landforms – Mountains, Plateaus, Plains, Glaciers, Rivers, Groundwater etc. / India Physical Features

Mainly there are three types of landforms - Mountains, Plateaus, Plains. Mountains The height of mountains is over 600 m and haveconical peaks. On the basis of origin there are four types of mountains: Block Mountains, Residual Mountains, A

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Soil Resources of the Indian Sub-continent

Soil Soil forms the upper layer of the earth's crust capable of supporting life. It is made up of loose rock materials and humus. The soil forming processes are mainly influenced by the parent rock, climate, vegetation and animal li

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Agriculture in India

Kinds of Agriculture Sericulture Silk Farming Apiculture keeping (rearing Honeybees) Pisciculture Fish farming Flor

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Minerals in India

Geological Survey of India (HQ: Kolkata), Indian Bureau of Mines (HQ; Nagpur), Oil and Natural Gas Commission-ONGC (HQ: Dehradun), Mineral Research Corporation Limited-MRCL (HQ: Nagpur), National Mineral Development Corporation-NMDC (HQ: Hyder

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Major Industries of India

Iron & Steel Industry The Ministry of Steel is responsible for planning and development of iron and steel industry, development of essential inputs such as iron ore, limestone, dolomite manganese ore, chromites, ferro-alloys, sponge iron e

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India State of Forest Report 2019

On December 31, 2019 the biennial "India State of Forest Report (ISFR)", published by the Forest Survey of India (FSI) was released. Starting from 1987, 16 assessments have been completed so far. ISFR 2019 is the 16th report in the s

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The Drainage System of India

The Drainage System The flow of water through well-defined channels is known as 'drainage' and the network of such channels is called a 'drainage system'. The drainage pattern of an area is the outcome of the geological time

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Transport in India (Road, Rail, Air)

The present transport system of the country comprises several modes of transport including rail, road, coastal shipping, air transport etc. The share of transport sector in the GVA for 2017-18 was about 4.77% of which the share of road transport

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India Facts and Figures- States, UTs and their Capitals

The state and union territory capitals are sorted according to the administrative, legislative and judicial capitals. The administrative capital is where the executive government offices are located. The legislative capital is where the state as

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Census - Population, Literacy, Sex Ratio

Census 2011 was the 15th census of its kind since 1872. It was held in two phases: House listing and Housing Census (April to September, 2010) and Population Enumeration (February 9 to 28, 2011 with Revisional round during 1st to 5th March, 20

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Wildlife Sanctuaries and National Parks in India

S. Name Location Important Species 1 Bandipur National Park Chamarajanagar, Karnataka Elephant, Tiger, Bear, Sambhar, Panther

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RAMSAR Wetland Sites

The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands, recognizing the fundamental ecological functions of wetlands and their economic, cultural, scientific and recreational value.  

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Important Irrigation and Power Projects

Name of the Project Location State Purpose Nagarjuna Sagar Multipurpose Project River Krishna Andhra Pradesh Irrigation, Hydr

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Mount Everest

Mt. Everest was named after Sir George Everest, the then Surveyors General of India (from 1830 to 1843 A.D.). Sir G. Everest discovered the location of Mt. Everest, earlier known as Peak-15. Location of Mt. Everest: Longitude: 85° 55'

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Indian Subcontinent, Union Territories & Border with Neighboring Countries

Indian Subcontinent India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka collectively constitute the Indian subcontinent. These six countries are India's closest and nearest neighbours and shar

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Project Tiger & Tiger Reserves

Project Tiger was launched by the Government of India in the year 1973 to save the endangered species of tiger in the country. Starting from nine (9) reserves in 1973-74 the number has grown up to fifty (50). A total area of 71,027.10 km² (i

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Cities at the Bank of River

City / Town River City / Town River Kabul Kabul Guangzhou  Canton Pearl River Allahabad

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Wonders of the World - Ancient, Medieval, New & Others

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World 1 Hanging Garden of Babylon 2 Temple of Diana at Ephesus (Rome) 3 Statue of Jupiter at

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Some Important Industries

World’s Manufacturing Industries Industry Leading Countries Cotton Textile Industry Britain, India, China, Russia Iron & Steel Industry

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Famous Sites of India & World

Famous Sites of India Site Location Ajanta Maharashtra Akabar's Tomb Agra (UP.) Amarnath Cave Kashmir

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Major Straits of the World that Connect & Separate

Major Straits of the World (Connects) S. Name Connects Location 1. Malacca Strait Andaman Sea & South China Sea In

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Important Discoveries (World)

Roald Amundsen (Norway): First person to reach South Pole (December 14, 1911). Robert Peary (America): First person to reach Geographical North Pole (April 6, 1909). Christopher Columbus (Italy): Found Western Islands (in 1492), South America (

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Major Island, Canals, Dams & Deserts of the World

Major Canals of the World S. Name Location Connects 1 Soo Locks USA Lake Huron and Lake Superior

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Aquatic Area, Coastline, Boundary Lines & Geographical Epithets

Top 10 Countries with Largest Aquatic Area S. Country Aquatic Area (km 2) 1 Canada 8,91,163 2 Russia

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Some Important Tribes and their Homeland (World)

Tribes Eskimos: Greenland, North Canada, Alaska, N. Siberia Homeland Koryaks: N. Siberia, Eurasian Tundra, North-East Asia Aleuts: Alaska (US), Kamchatka Krai (Russia) Bus

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Some Important Places in the World

Place Country Importance White Sands USA Trinity' was the code name of the first detonation of a nuclear device. It was conducted by the United Stat

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Major Waterfalls and Lakes of India & World

Major Waterfalls of India Waterfalls Height River Place Kunchikal Falls 455 Varahi Karnataka Jog

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Country, Capital and Currency

Country, Capital and Currency Country Capital Currency Afghanistan Kabul Afghani Albania Tirana

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Glossary of Geographical Terms

Ablation: Loss of ice in the body of a glacier through melting etc. Abrasion: Erosion of rocks by water, wind or ice (glacier). Alluvium: The fine debris transported and deposited by a river. Landforms formed by deposition of such material are

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Miscellaneous - Geography

Chhattisgarh is the highest producer of tin in India. The valley of Kashmir is located in between the Zaskar and Pir Panjal ranges. Siachen glacier is located in the Karakoram Range. Jindhagada is the highest peak of the Eastern Ghats. Sia

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Planets and Moons Facts

Mercury Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun. It is an extremely hot planet. It is visible two hours before sunrise. Its special feature is the presence of a magnetic field in it. It is the smallest and lighte

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India’s Chandrayaan Missions

Chandrayaan-1 Launch Date & Location On 22nd October, 2008 Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) successfully established CHANDRAYAAN-1 in the Moon's orbit from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota of Andhra Pradesh by th

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Facts & Figures About Asteroids and Comets

Some Facts and Figures about the Planets (As on August 17, 2022) Name of Planet Distance from the Sun Orbital Period (time taken for one revolution around the sun) Rotation Period (Tim

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Facts About Earth’s Shape and Size

The Earth: Shape and Size Shape of the Earth Pythagoras (572–500 B.C.), a Greek philosopher and mathematician, was among the first to suggest that the Earth was shaped like a globe. The Earth is not flat: If

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Understanding Winds - Geography

Winds Wind is the movement of air caused by the uneven heating of the Earth by the Sun. Sometimes the wind blows gently, refreshing us. At other times, it blows strongly, creating storms that cause widespread damage. We

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Cloud Formation, Rain Types & Island

Clouds  Clouds are defined as aggregates of innumerable tiny water droplets, ice particles, or a mixture of both in the air, generally much above the ground surface. They play a vital role in the heat budget of the Earth. Based on the

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Internal Structure of Earth and Rocks

Internal Structure of the Earth Crust The Earth's Crust, the outermost solid cover or shell of the Earth, is known as the Earth's crust. The thickness of the crust is about 30-100 km. It is thicker in the regio

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Mountains, Plateaus and Plains – Geography Basics

Mountains The height of the mountains is over 600 m, and they have conical peaks. Based on origin, there are four types of mountains: Block Mountains, Residual Mountains, Accumulated Mountains, and Fold Mountains. Block Mountains T

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Landforms Created by River System

V-shaped Valley A river flows with a greater velocity in the mountainous region, and big, pointed fragments of rock also flow with a great speed along with the water. The river bed is scoured and down-cutting starts, ultimately giving

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Landforms by Wind, Groundwater & Waves

Land Forms Created by the Action of Wind Mushroom Rock The wind blowing in desert regions erodes the rock near the ground surface to a great extent. At the same time, the upper part of the rock gets eroded to a lesser extent. As th

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Geography of Indian Subcontinent

Location of the Subcontinent The mainland of the Indian subcontinent, comprising India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan, extends between 8°4'N and 37°6'N latitudes and between 68°7'E and 97°25'E lo

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India’s Coastal Plains, Plateaus and Deserts

The Great Northern Plains The northern plains are divided into three subdivisions. These are the Punjab and Haryana plains, the Ganga plains, and the Brahmaputra valley. The Ganga plains form the largest lowland drained by the Ga

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