World Political Geography (UPSC) (Part-I)

Total Questions: 50

11. About 50% of the world population is concentrated between the latitudes of: [1997]

Correct Answer: (b) 20°N and 40°N
Solution:About 50% of the world population is concentrated between the latitudes of 20°N and 40°N because most populous countries and areas like Asia, the U.S.A, Europe, and India lie within this latitude.

Key Facts on World’s Population

  • The world's population has increased by over three times since the middle of the 20th century.
  • According to the UN, there were 8.2 billion people on the planet as of July 2025.
  • The population is predicted to peak at 10.4 billion in the middle of the 2080s, having reached 9.7 billion in 2050.
  • India leads globally with 1.46 billion people, followed by China’s 1.41 billion.
  • India's total fertility rate has fallen below the replacement level.
  • India's population is expected to grow to approximately 1.7 billion before beginning to decline around 40 years from now, as stated in the UN Population Fund's (UNFPA) 2025 State of World Population Report.

12. "....They are people of yellow complexion, oblique eyes, high cheek bones, sparse hair and medium height." The reference here is to: [1997]

Correct Answer: (d) Mongoloids
Solution:Mongoloids are inhabitants of northern, eastern, and southeast Asia. Their eyes have a characteristic fold of skin on the upper lid, hair is lank and straight, and the height is medium. The group also includes the Chinese, Japanese, Burmese, Thais, Vietnamese, and Malays.

Mongoloid

  • This racial lineage is predominantly found in North-Eastern India. Dr. Guha categorises this race into two types:
  • The Palaeo – Mongoloid
  • The Tibeto – Mongoloid
    The Palaeo – Mongoloid
  • This racial type is further subdivided into two varieties, one with long hair and the other with wide hair.
  • The Palaeo – Mongoloid race's Angami Nagas are of the long-headed kind.
  • People living in the Himalayan foothills from Kashmir to Assam are reported to be of the Palaeo – Mongoloid race, with large heads.
  • These races are characterised by medium height, light brown skin, a medium nose, and sparse body hair.

The Tibeto – Mongoloid

  • The Tibeto – Mongoloid lineage of the Mongoloid race is supposed to include the inhabitants of Sikkim and Bhutan.
  • Long height, pale yellow colour, hairy body, oblique eyes, long nose, and flat face are all common characteristics.

13. Consider the map given below: [1997]

The river shown on the map is:

Correct Answer: (d) Salween
Solution:The Salween River is located in the eastern part of Myanmar. This river is situated on the Shan Plateau of Myanmar. Its basin covers 320,000 sq km. This river forms the border between Burma and Thailand.
Salween River
A 1,491-mile-long river called the Salween originates in the Tibetan Plateau. It enters the Andaman Sea in Southeast Asia after passing through three nations. It drains a 320,000-square-kilometre watershed that is spread throughout China, Myanmar, and Thailand.
Almost 7 million people live along the Salween, one of the longest free-flowing rivers in the world, and are spread across 13 different ethnic groups. Moreover, the river is home to 25% of all animal species in the world, as well as 140 fish species and 7000 plant species. UNESCO rates the upper section of the river, which is in China, as the most biodiverse temperate ecosystem on Earth.

14. "From Aceh in the far north west to Torres Strait in the east is 5000 miles, almost as far as from London to Baghdad. The archipelago has 14,000 islands, some mere equatorial rocks, others some of the largest in the world." This description best fits: [1997]

Correct Answer: (d) Indonesia
Solution:Indonesia consists of 13,677 islands (nearly 14,000) and this country is 5000 miles from Torres Strait. It is the 4th largest country in Asia.
  • Indonesia is an archipelagic nation located off the coast of mainland Southeast Asia, situated between the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
  • Positioned across the Equator, it lies in both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.
    Bordering Nations
  • Land Borders: Shares borders with Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and Timor-Leste.
  • Maritime Borders: Shares maritime boundaries with India, Australia, Palau, Singapore, Philippines, Vietnam, and Thailand.

15. Consider the geographical details given in the following figure: The point marked by A in the above figure indicates the countries in: [1997]

Correct Answer: (c) Europe
Solution:The geographical details given in the figure indicate England, which is situated in Europe.
Europe is the second-smallest continent after Australia, but still it ranks third in population, with over 750 million people. Geographically, it lles entirely in the Northern Hemisphere, with most of its land is positioned in the Eastern Hemisphere. Europe is also part of the larger landmass known as Afro-Eurasia, which it shares with both Africa and Asia. The continent comprises 50 European Countries and, as of 2021, had a population of around 745 million people, making up nearly 10% of the global population. Europe has played a major role in shaping Western civilization, with its cultural and historical influence since many centuries.

16. Which one of the following countries is the largest producer of fuel wood in the world? [1997]

Correct Answer: (c) India
Solution:According to FAO:

India - 305,485,093 cubic meters

China - 191,042,128 cubic meters

Indonesia - 73,719,856 cubic meters

Russia - 47,000,000 cubic meters

17. Which one of the following countries has replaced Italy as the major importer of bauxite from India? [1998]

Correct Answer: (a) Canada
Solution:Canada is the largest importer of bauxite from India.
Bauxite
  • Bauxite is an important ore that is used for making aluminium, it is an oxide of aluminium. it is not a specific mineral but a rock consisting mainly of hydrated aluminium oxides.
  • The deposits of Bauxite are mainly associated with laterites and occur as capping on hills and plateaus, except in coastal areas of Gujarat and Goa.
  • Production of Aluminum from Bauxite: This industry is divided into 2 segments. The plants for obtaining alumina from bauxite ore, such plants are located near bauxite mines and plants for reduction of Alumina into Aluminum, such plants are located near the cheap source of electricity.
  • For producing 1 ton of aluminum, 6 tons of bauxite is required (which produces 2 tons of alumina).
  • In this process, aluminium ore is treated with concentrated sodium hydroxide. Soluble sodium aluminate is formed which is filtered off. The filtrate on heating with water gives aluminium hydroxide which gives alumina on strong heating.

18. Indonesian forest fire in 1997 was caused by:

Correct Answer: (d) None of these
Solution:It's a blame game, with everyone pointing the finger at someone else. Environmental group WWF Indonesia, which has been highlighting the problem of Indonesia's recurrent fires for years, says that the fires are caused by the "collective negligence" of companies, smallholders, and the government (which isn't investing sufficiently in preventative measures).

Many blame big business. According to a recent analysis of World Resources Institute data in September, more than one-third (37%) of the fires in Sumatra are occurring on pulpwood concessions. A good proportion of the rest are on or near land used by palm oil producers.

"Many of these fires are a direct result of the industrial manipulation of the landscape for plantation development," says Lindsey Allen, executive director of the conservation organization Rainforest Action Network.

19. When there is noon at I.S.T. meridian people at another place of the earth are taking their 6 O' clock morning tea. The longitude of the place is: [1998]

Correct Answer: (e) b & d
Solution:Here, I.S.T. can have two meanings: International Standard Timeline
  • If IST = International Standard Timeline, then the correct answer is 90° W.
  • If IST = Indian Standard Timeline, then the correct answer is 7° 30' W.
    Standard Time is the time that is set uniformly within a region by law or general usage. It is calculated using the mean solar time at the time zone's central meridian. A time zone is an area of the earth where consistent standard time should be maintained for commercial, social, and transportation needs. The world time zone was formed by relating longitude and the rotation of the earth. The Prime Meridian is the centre of the time zone, extending from 7%º W and 7% E longitudes
    Number of Time Zones: The 24-hour time zone system was developed so that all the time zones should be referred to in terms of Greenwich Mean Time (each zone for one hour of the day).
    Time Zone Adoption: Some nations have more than one standard time because of their extensive longitudinal history. For example, France has the most time zones (13), primarily due to its various territories around the world.

20. Which one of the following port cities in Venezuela has been developed as an oil port? [1999]

Correct Answer: (b) Maracaibo
Solution:Puerto Miranda is an oil port situated on the east side of Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela, and it is the largest crude oil export port in South America.