Geography (CDS-Solved Paper)

Mediterranean climate is characterised by dry summer, mild and wet winters. The climate receive its name from the mediterranean basin, where this climate type is most common. Climate zones are located along the Western sides of continents, between 30° and 45° North and South of the equator.

Brahmaputra originates on the Angsi Glacier located on the Northern side of the Himalayas as Yarlung Tsangpo river and flows in Southern Tibet to break through the Himalayas in great Gorges. Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) enters India after taking a ‘U’ turn at Namcha Barwa and flows in Arunachal Pradesh where it is known as ‘Dihang’ or ‘Siang’ rivers.

India is the 7th largest country in the world and it is the only country in the Indian subcontinent to share its land frontiers with every member country of the subcontinent .
Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, China, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan are bordering countries of India. Chhattisgarh do not have any international boundary.

Agra is a city in the State of Uttar Pradesh in India situated on the banks of river Yamuna. Bhagalpur is one of the important city of the State of Bihar. It is situated on the banks of the river Ganga. Kanpur is situated in State of Uttar Pradesh, it is situated on Ganga river. Hence, Bhopal is not situated on a river bank.

Jhumri Telaiya is a city in Koderma district of Jharkhand (India). Geographically, it is located in the Damodar River valley. The city is known for Mica Production and Telaiya dam.

The dam was constructed on River Barakar by the Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) and opened in the year 1953. It is a part of Damodar Valley Project. Mandar Hill is a small mountain situated in Banka district under Bhagalpur division of state of Bihar.

This hill has many references in Hindu mythology as Mandarachal Parvat. As per references found from Puranas and Mahabharata this hill was used for ‘Samudra Manthan’.

South Indian regions have a tropical climate with the monsoons playing a major part. Diurnal range of temperature is less in South India. Annual range of temperature is also due to proximity to equator.

Temperature is high throughout the year. Climatic conditions are not extreme here as they are in Northern part of India. Hence, option (d) is not correct.

Citrus fruits are the highest value fruit crop in terms of international trade. They are produced all over the world. Mediterranean region is an important supplier of citrus fruits. Oranges account for the majority of citrus production, but the industry also sees significant quantities of grape fruits, pomelos, lemons.

According to Tamil literature, the basic unit of ethnic identification in Dravidian culture was ‘Nadu’ and these were divided into five types on the basis of natural sub-region.

Cultivation of cotton requires a growing period of atleast 200 frost free days, and not just 100 frost free days. Other requirements for cotton cultivation include, temperature reaching 25°C or more in summer, moderate to light rainfall (55-100 cm), medium loam soil with good drainage and high water retention capacity.

Rainfall during harvesting season is harmful for its production. India is the largest producer of cotton in the world.

Temperate coniferous forest are found in areas with cool winters, warm summers and abundant rainfall. Trees like spruce, pine and cedar grows here, but they have little undergrowth.

They have a growing period of 50 to 100 days in a year. Rainfall is abundant but there is high range in spatial distribution of annual precipitation. Thus, option (a), (b) and (d) are correct. These areas have moderate temperature but experiences seasonal changes and considerable valuation.

Temperate coniferous forest biome has high (and not low) variation in annual temperature. It ranges from an average of −40°C in winters to 10°C in summers. Hence, option (c) is not correct.