Geography of India (Part -II) (UPSC)

Total Questions: 50

31. Consider the following statements: [2003]

1. Longitude of Jabalpur's location is between those of Indore and Bhopal.

2. Latitude of Aurangabad's location is between those of Vadodara and Pune.

3. Bangalore is situated more southward than Chennai

Which of these statements is/are correct?

Correct Answer: (c) 2 & 3
Solution:The longitude of Jabalpur's location is to the east of Bhopal, Bangalore is north of Channai.
Latitudes
It refers to the angular distance of a particular location on the Earth from the equator. Latitudes are imaginary lines running parallel to the equator,
The latitude of a location on the earth's surface is its distance north or south of the equator, measured as an angle from the earth's centre along that location's meridian. Parallels are lines that connect locations with the same latitude The equator is the imaginary line that divides the Earth into two halves, the Northern Hemisphere and the Southem Hemisphere.
Longitude
Longitude is an angular distance measured in degrees along the east or west of the Prime (or First) Meridian. On the globe, longitude is shown as a series of semicircles that run from pole to pole, passing through the equator. Such lines are also called meridians. In contrast to latitude parallels, all meridians are the same length.
Prime Meridian, It is the primary reference point for measuring longitudes, designated as O' longitude. The Prime Meridian, as established by an international agreement, passes through the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London, England. It serves as the baseline from which all other longitudes are measured

32. Which one among the following states is smallest in area? [2003]

Correct Answer: (d) Tamil Nadu
Solution:The area of Andhra Pradesh is 160,205 sq km, area of Gujarat is 196,024 sq km, the area of Karnataka is 191, 791 sq km and Tamil Nadu is 130, 058 sq km.
Area of India
  • India covers an area of 32,87,263 sq. km, extending from the snow-covered Himalayan heights to the tropical rain forests of the south.
  • As the 7th largest country in the world, India stands apart from the rest of Asia, marked off as it is by mountains and the sea, which give the country a distinct geographical entity.
  • Bounded by the Great Himalayas in the north, it stretches southwards and at the Tropic of Cancer, tapers off into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal on the east and the Arabian Sea on the west.
  • Lying entirely in the northern hemisphere, the mainland extends between latitudes 8" 4' and 37" 6' north, longitudes 68" 7' and 97° 25' east and measures about 3,214 km from north to south between the extreme latitudes and about 2,933 km from east to west between the extreme longitudes.
  • It has a land frontier of about 15,200 km. The total length of the coastline of the mainland, Lakshadweep Islands and Andaman & Nicobar Islands is 7,516.6 km.

33. Among the following cities, which one is nearest to the Tropic of Cancer? [2003]

Correct Answer: (b) Kolkata
Solution:The Tropic of Cancer located at 23.5° north. Location of Kolkata is 22°33' N. So, Kolkata is nearer to Tropic of Cancer. Delhi is 28.38°N.
Tropic of Cancer
  • Location: Situated at 23.5 degrees north of the equator, the Tropic of Cancer passes through 16 nations across three continents and six water bodies, including Mexico, Egypt, India, and the Gulf of Mexico.
  • Sun's Position: During the summer solstice, typically on June 21st, the sun is directly overhead at noon at the Tropic of Cancer, making it the northernmost point where this phenomenon occurs
  • Seasons: Experiences summer solstice in June and winter solstice in December, affecting the seasonal variations in temperature and climate in the northern hemisphere.
  • Temperature: Generally warmer temperatures prevail due to the proximity to the equator, contributing to the tropical climate zone

34. In which one of the following Union Territories, do people of the Onge tribe live? [2004]

Correct Answer: (a) Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Solution:Onge is the major tribes of the union territory of Andaman and Nicobar. They were fully dependent on hunting and gathering. They belong to the Negrito race.
  • Andaman and Nicobar Islands which have originally been the abode of six aboriginal tribes Le, the Andamanese, Onges, Jarawas, Sentinelese, Nicobarese and Shompens
  • Except Nicobarese, the rest of the 05 tribes are Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs). The tribes of the islands belong to two different races.
  • The Andamanese, Jarawas, Onges and the Sentinelese living in the Andaman group of islands belong to the Negrito group while the Nicobarese and Shompens, living in Nicobar Islands belong to the Mongoloid group.
  • The tribes in the two regions have shown a marked difference in racial, linguistic and cultural terms as also the way of life adapted by them over the centuries.

35. Consider the following statements: [2004]

1. National Thermal Power Corporation has diversified into hydropower sector

2. Power Grid Corporation of India has diversified into telecom sector

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: (a) 1 only
Solution:Statement 'l' is correct, because National Thermal Power Corporation has diversified into the hydro projects. Presently it has undertaken Koldem project in Himachal Pradesh.
NTPC Ltd is India's largest government-owned electric utility company with an installed capacity of 63925 MW (including JVs) plans to become a 130 GW company by 2032. The company is engaged in the business of generation and sale of bulk power. The company operates their stations at a level of efficiency that exceeds the average in India based upon availability factor and average plant load factor (PLF).
Other details: They have developed a long term technology roadmap for the induction of high efficiency equipment including supercritical and ultra-supercritical machines at their new plants. Their subsidiaries include NTPC Electric Supply Company Ltd NTPC Hydro Ltd NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd Pipavav Power Development Company Ltd Kanti Bijlee Utpadan Nigam Ltd and Bhartiya Rail Bijlee Company Ltd.
What is POWERGRID?
1 Originated in 1989 under the Companies Act of 1956, the Power Grid Corporation of India Limited was incorporated as the National Power
  • Transmission Corporation of India limited.
    2. its name was changed in 1992 to the Power Grid Corporation of India Limited.
    3. It was established with an authorized share capital of Rs. 5,000 Crore (subsequently enhanced to Rs. 10,000 Crore in Financial Year (FY) 2007-08).
    4. Powergrid was incorporated as a public limited company, wholly owned by the Government of India.
    5. Now, PowerGrid is a Maharatna company.
    6. The electric utility company is headquartered in Gurugram.
    7. The CPSEs in india are divided in three major categories:
  • Maharatna
  • Navratna
  • Miniratia (Further categorised in Category I & Category 2)
    8. Powergrid is responsible for the transmission of more than 50% of the total power generated in India through its network.
    9. Its businesses include power transmission and distribution and energy trading.
  • Its subsidiary company POSOCO (Power System Operation Corporation Ltd.) engages in power management.
  • It also has a telecom business named POWERTEL

36. Consider the following statements: [2004]

1. Damodar, Valley Corporation is the first multi-purpose river valley project of independent India

2. Damodar Valley Corporation includes thermal and gas power stations

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: (a) 1 only
Solution:Damodar Valley Corporation's (DVC) is first multi-purpose river valley project of independent India was in the year 1954. The joint venture projects are Maithon Power Limited, Panchat and Tilayiya are hydroelectric power station. The DVC has under its operation four coal based thermal power stations, three hydel power stations and one gas turbine station so both the statement are correct.

37. Consider the following statements: [2004]

Among the Indian States:

1. Andhra Pradesh has the longest coastline

2. Gujarat has the highest number of airports

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: (b) 2 only
Solution:Gujarat has longest coast line (1214.7 km) followed by Andhra Pradesh (973.7 km); Gujrat, with 10 airports, tops the list of states with the most number of operational airports.
India's coastline has increased from 7,516 km to 11,098 km, a rise of 3,582 km (nearly 48%). This change is due to improved measurement techniques, not territorial expansion. Though the actual land has not changed, the updated coastline data holds strategic and administrative value, improving mapping accuracy and planning for coastal development and security..

38. Match List-I (Minerals) with List-II (Location) and select the correct answer using the codes given below: [2004]

List-I List-II
A. Coal1. Giridih
B. Copper2. Jayamkondam
C. Manganese3. Alwar
D. Lignite4. Dharwar

कूट:

ABCD
(a)1432
(b)2341
(c)1342
(d)2431
Correct Answer: (c)
Solution:
MineralsLocation
A. Coal1. Giridih
B. Copper2. Alwar
C. Manganese3. Dharwar
D. Lignite4. Jayamkondam

39. Which among the following National Highway routes is the longest? [2004]

Correct Answer: (c) Kolkata-Hajira
Solution:Length of Agra-Mumbai NH-1161 km

Length of Chennai-Thane NH-1235 km

Length of Kolkata-Hajira NH-1946 km

Length of Pune-Machilipatnam NH-841 km.

40. Consider the following: [2004]

1. Mahadeo Hills

2. Sahyadri Parvat

3. Satpura Range

What is the correct sequence of the above from the north to the south?

Correct Answer: (c) 1, 3, 2
Solution:Sequence of North to South hills is Mahadeo Hills, Satpura Range and Sahyadri Parvat.
  • Mahadeo Hills: These hills are located in central India (Madhya Pradesh) and are a northern part of the Satpura Range.
  • Satpura Range: This is a central Indian mountain range that runs broadly east-west, and it is south of the Mahadeo Hills, making it the middle feature in this north-to-south sequence.
  • Sahyadri Parvat: Also known as the Western Ghats, this mountain range is located to the south of the Satpura Range and runs along India's western coast.