NTA UGC NET/JRF Exam, June, 2025 Geography

The concept of a city region was coined by Dickinson. A city's greatest influence is on the areas surrounding the city center, and as distance from the center increases, its influence diminishes. Beyond a certain point, a city's influence ends, and that is where the influence of another city begins. The independent existence of a dynamic urban system is unimaginable, as cities derive their life from their surrounding areas. Therefore, Dickinson termed cities as regional capitals. Dickinson and Harris considered the term "city region" more appropriate than "Amaland."

Many international borders follow rivers, both large and small, such as the Sutlej River between India and Pakistan, the Salween River between Myanmar and Thailand, the Amur River and the Ussuri River between China and Russia, while the Congo River does not form a border between Zambia and Congo. Therefore, option (d) is correct.

In the past, the tradition of headhunting led to dense settlements on the hilltops and ridges of the state of Nagaland. Due to warfare and headhunting among various Naga tribes, villages were often located on high hills and ridges to protect themselves from attacks by enemy tribes. This practice has now ceased, but its influence can be seen in the architecture and cultural history of Naga society. Some tribes in Tamil Nadu, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh live on hills, but this tradition of headhunting is not found among them.

Language is a major form of socialization. It is a crucial social element and essential for historical communication and cultural accumulation. Language is a powerful means of socialization or cultural dissemination. Language facilitates and effectively mobilizes interactions between members of a human group, closely binding them. It is an important means of communication, both oral and written.
Language is the most important tool in the transmission of culture from generation to generation, preserving cultural elements in the form of stories, authentic ideas, songs, sermons, genealogies, etc. Language is one of the key symbols of culture, which is especially helpful for geographers in understanding the spatial variations in society and culture. Language facilitates the exchange of ideas and the conduct of socioeconomic and cultural-political activities.

Humboldt called his new scientific geography "Erdbescheibung." The great geographer of the nineteenth century, Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), was a revolutionary and versatile scholar. Humboldt published numerous collections and books from 1789 until his death in 1859. His last and most important work is "Cosmas."
Humboldt's major works include: (i) Rhineland Basalts; (ii) Geognosia; (iii) Central Asia; and (iv) Regional Geography of Mexico and Cuba. Ratzel was a great geographer of the modern era. Ratzel was the first geographer to pioneer the importance of giving humans a permanent and significant place in geographical studies. He established human geography as a distinct science. Therefore, Ratzel is known as the father of human geography. Ritter used the German word "Erdkunde" for geography.

Ullman was a renowned American geographer who did important work on the principles of "spatial interaction" related to urban planning. This model is used to understand the relationship between urbanization, transportation, and economic activity.
The following concepts are proposed in this model: (i) complementarity/complementarity-the balance of supply and demand between two locations; (ii) transferability-the easy transportation of goods and |services; (iii) intermittent opportunity-interactions are reduced when there is a better alternative, such as not purchasing from a distant market when a nearby market is available. Therefore, it is clear that concepts like distance decay are not included in this model.

NavIC is designed with a constellation of 7 satellites and a network of ground stations that operate 24×7. To meet the positioning, navigation and timing requirements of the country, ISRO has established a regional navigation satellite system called Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavLC). NavLC was earlier known as Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS). NavLC provides two services: Standard Positioning Service (SPS) for civilian users and Restricted Service (RS) for strategic users.