World Political Geography (UPSC) (Part-II)

Total Questions: 45

31. Turkey is located between [2014 - I]

Correct Answer: (b) Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea
Solution:About Turkey:
  • Turkey, also called Türkiye, lies partly in Asia and partly in Europe.
    It is surrounded on three sides by the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Aegean Sea.
  • The main portion of the Turkish state is located on the Anatolia peninsula, also known as Asia Minor, the westernmost part of Asia.
    Turkey covers an area of 783,562 km² and has a population of 83.2 million people.
  • There are two narrow straits in northwestern Turkey, the Bosporus, which connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara, and the Dardanelles, which connect the Aegean arm of the
    Mediterranean Sea with the Sea of Marmara.
  • Capital: Ankara
  • Largest city: Istanbul
  • Bordering countries: It is bordered by Bulgaria and Greece to the west; Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran to the east, Georgia to the northeast: Syria to the south; and Iraq to the southeast.
  • Religion: More than 99 percent of the population is Muslim, mostly Sunni.
  • Spoken Languages: Turkish (official), Kurdish, and Arabic.

32. Consider the following pairs: [2014 - I]

Region often in newsCountry
1. ChechnyaRussian Federation
2. DarfurMali
3. Swat ValleyIraq

 

Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?

Correct Answer: (a) 1 only
Solution:
  • Chechnya, officially the Chechen Republic, is a republic of Russia. It is situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe, between the Caspian Sea and Black Sea.
  • The Darfur region constitutes Western Sudan, present-Eastern Chad, and the present-Northern part of the Central African Republic Region
  • Swat District, also known as the Swat Valley, is a district in the Malakand Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. The valley was a major centre of early Buddhism of the ancient civilisation of Gandhara, mainly Gandharan Buddhism, with pockets of Buddhism persisting in the valley until the 17th century, after which the area became largely Muslim

33. What is the correct sequence of occurrence of the following cities in South-East Asia as one proceeds from south to north? [2014 - I]

  1. Bangkok
  2. Hanoi
  3. Jakarta
  4. Singapore

 

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Correct Answer: (c) 3-4-1-2
Solution:The correct sequence of occurrence of the following cities in South-East Asia as one proceeds from south to north is Jakarta-Singapore-Bangkok and Hanoi.
  • Jakarta (Indonesia): Located south of the equator on the island of Java.
  • Singapore: A city-state located just north of the equator on the Malay Peninsula.
  • Bangkok (Thailand): Located on the Indochina peninsula, north of Singapore.
  • Hanoi (Vietnam): Located in the northern part of the Indochina peninsula, further north than Bangkok.

34. Which one of the following countries of South-West Asia does not open out to the Mediterranean Sea? [2015 - I]

Correct Answer: (b) Jordan
Solution:Jordan does not open out to the Mediterranean Sea.
About Jordan:
Jordan is a country in West Asia, located at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe in the Levant region.
Bordered by Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Syria, and the Palestinian West Bank and Israel, Jordan has a coastline on the Gulf of Aqaba's Red Sea.
Amman is the capital. Inhabited since the Paleolithic period, Jordan saw the rise of kingdoms like Ammon, Moab, and Edom.
It is a constitutional monarchy, a founding member of the Arab League, and known for tourism and medical tourism.

35. With reference to the ‘Trans-Pacific Partnership,’ consider the following statements: [2016 - I]

  1. It is an agreement among all the Pacific Rim countries except China and Russia.
  2. It is a strategic alliance for the purpose of maritime security only.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Correct Answer: (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Solution:All 12 Pacific Rim Countries have signed Trans - Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. These 12 countries are: Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Darussalam, Japan, Canada, United States, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Australia and New Zealand. Objectives of TPP:

(i) Lower track barriers such as tariffs.

(ii) Establish a common framework for intellectual property.

(iii) Enforce standards for labour low and environmental low.

(iv) Establish an investor - state dispute settlement mechanism.

36. Which of the following is geographically closest to Great Nicobar? [2017 - I]

Correct Answer: (a) Sumatra
Solution:In the map, Sumatra is quite closer to Great Nicobar than Sri Lanka. See:

37. The Mediterranean Sea is a border of which of the following countries? [2017 - I]

  1. Jordan
  2. Iraq
  3. Lebanon
  4. Syria

 

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Correct Answer: (c) 3 and 4 only
Solution:In the map, you can see Mediterranean Sea doesn't touch Jordan and Iraq so, by elimination, we are left with answer "c".

38. Which of the following has/have shrunk immensely/dried up in the recent past due to human activities? [2018 - I]

  1. Aral Sea
  2. Black Sea
  3. Lake Baikal

 

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

Correct Answer: (a) 1 only
Solution:The Aral Sea, in Central Asia, used to be the fourth largest lake in the world, after the Caspian Sea, and Lakes Superior and Victori(a) Now barely 10% of it is left. BBC-2014. Lake Baikal's has been crippled by a series of detrimental phenomena. They include the disappearance of the omul fish, rapid growth of putrid algae and the death of endemic species of sponges across its vast 3.2 million-bectare, but there is no mention of immensely drying up. Hence answer A: I only.

39. Consider the following pairs: [2019 - I]

 

SeaBordering Country
1. Adriatic SeaAlbania
2. Black SeaCroatia
3. Caspian SeaKazakhstan
4. Mediterranean SeaMorocco
5. Red SeaSyria

Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

Correct Answer: (b) 1, 3 and 4 only
Solution:Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Italy, Montenegro and Slovenia. Hence, statement 1 is correct. Black Sea is a large inland sea situated at the south-eastern extremity of Europe. It is bordered by Ukraine to the north, Russia to the northeast, Georgia to the cast. Turkey to the south, and Bulgaria and Romania to the west. Black Sea is not bordered by Croatia, Hence, statement 2 is not correct. Caspian Sea is bound by Kazakhstan to the northeast, Russia to the northwest, Azerbaijan to the west, Iran to the south, and Turkmenistan to the southeast. Hence, statement 3 is correct,

40. Consider the following countries: [2022 - I]

  1. Azerbaijan
  2. Kyrgyzstan
  3. Tajikistan
  4. Turkmenistan
  5. Uzbekistan

 

Which of the above have borders with Afghanistan?

Correct Answer: (c) 3, 4 and 5 only
Solution:Option (c) is correct: Afghanistan does not share border with Azerbaijan so #1 is wrong. Therefore by elimination the answer is (c).
  • Afghanistan is a mountainous land-locked country located in South-Central Asia.
  • Afghanistan is divided into 34 provinces. The largest city and capital is Kabul.
  • It is bordered by India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to the north, and Tajikistan and China to the northeast.
  • It is inhabited by ethnic Pashtuns, Tajiks, Hazaras, and Uzbeks.
  • Afghanistan is known for it's mountainous terrain. The huge Hindu Kush mountains form a barrier between the Northern provinces and the rest of the country. This mountain range has also divided Afghanistan int three very different geographic regions known as: The Central Highlands, The Northern Plains, and the Southwestern Plateau. The altitude, climate, and soil conditions in