Geography: previous-year questions
167 real UPSC Prelims questions (2011–2026) with the official answer and a clear explanation. 67 of them came in the last five papers.
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About three-fourths of world’s cobalt, a metal required for the manufacture of batteries for electric motor vehicles, is produced by
Answer (c) & explanation
The DR Congo produces about three-fourths of the world's cobalt (c). The Democratic Republic of the Congo mines about 70–75% of the world's cobalt, mainly from the Katanga copper-cobalt belt in its south. Much of this cobalt is refined in China, which controls most of the supply chain. Cobalt is used in lithium-ion batteries for phones and electric vehicles. Argentina (a) is known for lithium, as part of the lithium triangle with Chile and Bolivia. Botswana (b) is famous for diamonds. Kazakhstan (d) is the top producer of uranium.
Notice the ethics issue: child labour in small artisanal mines has pushed EV makers to trace their supply. India's KABIL joint venture seeks such critical minerals abroad.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which one of the following is a part of the Congo Basin?
Answer (a) & explanation
Cameroon is part of the Congo Basin (a). The Congo Basin covers the DR Congo, the Republic of Congo, the Central African Republic, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and south-eastern Cameroon. It holds the world's second-largest tropical rainforest after the Amazon, and its peatlands store huge amounts of carbon. Option (b) is wrong: Nigeria drains mainly to the Niger river. Option (c) is wrong: South Sudan drains to the White Nile. Option (d) is wrong: Uganda drains mostly to the Nile through Lake Victoria.
Notice that the Congo river crosses the Equator twice, so part of its basin always has a rainy season, giving it a steady flow. The basin is home to gorillas, bonobos and forest elephants.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements :
- 1. Amarkantak Hills are at the confluence of Vindhya and Sahyadri Ranges.
- 2. Biligirirangan Hills constitute the easternmost part of Satpura Range.
- 3. Seshachalam Hills constitute the southernmost part of Western Ghats.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
Answer (d) & explanation
None of the statements is correct (d). Statement 1 is wrong: Amarkantak, the source of the Narmada and Son, is where the Vindhya and Satpura ranges meet, through the Maikal hills; the Sahyadri is the Western Ghats. Statement 2 is wrong: the Biligirirangan Hills in Karnataka are where the Eastern and Western Ghats meet, not part of the Satpura. Statement 3 is wrong: the Seshachalam Hills, home of Tirumala, are part of the Eastern Ghats in Andhra Pradesh. The southern end of the Western Ghats is near Kanyakumari.
Notice the BRT Tiger Reserve in the Biligirirangan Hills, a vital wildlife corridor. Seshachalam is a biosphere reserve known for red sanders, the subject of much smuggling.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements :
Statement-I : India, despite having uranium deposits, depends on coal for most of its electricity production.
Statement-II : Uranium, enriched to the extent of at least 60%, is required for the production of electricity.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
Answer (c) & explanation
Statement I is correct but Statement II is wrong (c). Statement I is right: India has uranium, though mostly low-grade, yet coal gives about 70–75% of its electricity, while nuclear gives only about 3%. Statement II is wrong: power reactors do not need 60% enrichment. India's PHWRs use natural uranium, and light water reactors use uranium enriched to only 3–5%. About 90% enrichment is weapons-grade.
Notice why nuclear stays small: low-grade ore, limited fuel imports and high costs. India plans 100 GW of nuclear power by 2047, with Bharat Small Reactors and private participation. Its three-stage programme aims to use its large thorium reserves in the end.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following countries :
- 1. Bulgaria
- 2. Czech Republic
- 3. Hungary
- 4. Latvia
- 5. Lithuania
- 6. Romania
How many of the above-mentioned countries share a land border with Ukraine?
Answer (a) & explanation
Two of the countries border Ukraine (a). Ukraine shares land borders with Russia, Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova. From this list only Hungary (item 3) and Romania (item 6) qualify. Item 1 is wrong: Bulgaria lies across the Black Sea, with Romania in between. Item 2 is wrong: the Czech Republic is cut off by Slovakia and Poland. Items 4 and 5 are wrong: Latvia and Lithuania are Baltic states, separated from Ukraine by Belarus.
Notice the war's geography: Odesa port, the Danube grain route through Romania, and the Black Sea grain corridor. Moldova's breakaway Transnistria region, with Russian troops, borders Ukraine too.
Slovakia is a neighbour of Ukraine, and the Czech Republic is listed in its place.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
With reference to the Earth’s atmosphere, which one of the following statements is correct?
Answer (c) & explanation
Infrared is largely absorbed by water vapour in the lower atmosphere (c). Option (c) is right: water vapour, which is concentrated near the surface, and carbon dioxide absorb most of the infrared heat, which is why they are greenhouse gases. Option (a) is wrong: the equator gets only about 2.5 times the yearly insolation of the poles, not 10 times. Option (b) is wrong: infrared is roughly half of incoming sunlight, not two-thirds; visible light is a large share too. Option (d) is wrong: infrared lies outside the visible band, beyond red.
Notice why the air is heated from below: sunlight passes through, warms the ground, and the ground gives off infrared that the lower air absorbs. That is why temperature falls with height in the troposphere.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements :
Statement-I : The temperature contrast between continents and oceans is greater during summer than in winter.
Statement-II : The specific heat of water is more than that of land surface.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
Answer (d) & explanation
Statement I is wrong but Statement II is correct (d). Statement II is right: water has a much higher specific heat than rock and soil, so the oceans warm and cool slowly, while land heats and cools fast. Statement I is marked wrong: UPSC's key treats the land–sea temperature contrast as greater in winter, when continental interiors such as Siberia become extremely cold while the oceans stay mild. So the difference in winter is larger than in summer.
Notice the effects: continental climates have a big range between summer and winter, while maritime climates stay mild. The land–sea contrast also drives land and sea breezes daily and the monsoon seasonally. The Siberian High in winter is the result of this deep cold.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements :
- 1. Jhelum River passes through Wular Lake.
- 2. Krishna River directly feeds Kolleru Lake.
- 3. Meandering of Gandak River formed Kanwar Lake.
How many of the statements given above are correct?
Answer (a) & explanation
Only one statement is correct (a). Statement 1 is right: the Jhelum flows into and out of Wular Lake in north Kashmir, India's largest freshwater lake, which acts as a flood basin for the river. Statement 2 is wrong: Kolleru Lake in Andhra Pradesh lies between the Godavari and Krishna deltas, but it is fed by seasonal streams such as the Budameru and Tammileru and by delta channels, not directly by the Krishna. Statement 3 is wrong: Kanwar Lake (Kabartal) in Begusarai, Bihar, is an oxbow wetland formed by the meandering of the Burhi Gandak, not the Gandak.
Notice that Kanwar became Bihar's first Ramsar site in 2020. Kolleru is also a Ramsar wetland, long damaged by illegal fish tanks.
Gandak and Burhi Gandak are two different rivers. Statement 3 picks the wrong one.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements :
- 1. In a seismograph, P waves are recorded earlier than S waves.
- 2. In P waves, the individual particles vibrate to and fro in the direction of wave propagation whereas in S waves, the particles vibrate up and down at right angles to the direction of wave propagation.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Answer (c) & explanation
Both statements are correct (c). Statement 1 is right: P (primary) waves are the fastest seismic waves, so a seismograph records them first, before S (secondary) waves. Statement 2 is right: P waves are longitudinal: particles vibrate back and forth along the direction of travel, like sound. S waves are transverse: particles move up and down, at right angles to the direction of travel.
Notice what they reveal about the Earth. P waves pass through solids, liquids and gases, but S waves cannot pass through liquids. Since S waves do not cross the outer core, creating a shadow zone, we know the outer core is liquid. Surface waves come last and cause the most damage. The gap between P and S arrival tells the distance to the epicentre.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following pairs :
| Port | Well known as
| 1. Kamarajar Port | First major port in India registered as a company
| 2. Mundra Port | Largest privately owned port in India
| 3. Visakhapatnam Port | Largest container port in India
How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
Answer (b) & explanation
Two pairs are correctly matched (b). Pair 1 is right: Kamarajar Port at Ennore, near Chennai, was India's first major port set up as a public company, rather than a port trust. Pair 2 is right: Adani's Mundra Port in Gujarat is India's largest privately owned port. Pair 3 is wrong: Visakhapatnam is known for bulk cargo such as iron ore and coal. When asked, the largest container port was Jawaharlal Nehru Port (Nhava Sheva) near Mumbai, with Mundra close behind; Mundra has since moved ahead in container volume.
Notice the new Vadhavan port in Maharashtra, approved in 2024, planned as one of the world's top ten container ports. The Sagarmala programme aims at port-led development along India's coast.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements :
Statement-I : According to the United Nations’ World Water Development Report, 2022, India extracts more than a quarter of the world’s groundwater withdrawal each year.
Statement-II : India needs to extract more than a quarter of the world’s groundwater each year to satisfy the drinking water and sanitation needs of almost 18% of world’s population living in its territory.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
Answer (c) & explanation
Statement I is correct but Statement II is wrong (c). Statement I is right: the UN World Water Development Report 2022, on groundwater, says India is the world's largest groundwater user, taking about a quarter of global withdrawals, more than China and the USA together. Statement II is wrong: about 90% of India's groundwater goes to irrigation, not to drinking water and sanitation, so it gives the wrong reason. India also has about 18% of the world's people, but that is not why it pumps so much.
Notice the cause: cheap or free electricity for farm pumps and water-hungry crops like paddy and sugarcane in dry regions such as Punjab. The Atal Bhujal Yojana and the CGWA's rules try to curb over-extraction.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which one of the following is the best example of repeated falls in sea level, giving rise to present-day extensive marshland?
Answer (d) & explanation
The Rann of Kutch is the best example (d). The Rann of Kutch in Gujarat was once a shallow arm of the Arabian Sea. Tectonic uplift and repeated falls in sea level left behind a vast flat salt marsh that floods in the monsoon and dries into a white salt crust in winter. Option (a) is wrong: Bhitarkanika in Odisha is a deltaic mangrove forest, formed by river sediment. Option (b) is wrong: Marakkanam salt pans in Tamil Nadu are man-made. Option (c) is wrong: Naupada swamp in Andhra Pradesh is a small coastal wetland.
Notice the Rann's wildlife: it is home to the Indian wild ass sanctuary in the Little Rann and huge flocks of flamingos. Dholavira, a Harappan city, lies in the Great Rann.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which one of the following countries has been suffering from decades of civil strife and food shortages and was in news in the recent past for its very severe famine?
Answer (d) & explanation
Somalia has suffered civil strife and severe famine (d). Somalia has faced civil war since 1991 and the al-Shabaab insurgency since the mid-2000s. Five failed rainy seasons in a row (2020–23), the worst drought in decades, pushed it close to famine, after the deadly famines of 1992 and 2011, which killed about a quarter of a million people. Option (a) is wrong: Angola's civil war ended in 2002. Options (b) and (c) are wrong: Costa Rica and Ecuador in Latin America have not faced famine.
Notice the term IPC Phase 5, used by UN agencies to declare famine. In 2024, famine was confirmed in parts of Sudan, and in 2025 in Gaza. The Horn of Africa remains highly vulnerable to drought.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Ilmenite and rutile, abundantly available in certain coastal tracts of India, are rich sources of which one of the following?
Answer (d) & explanation
Ilmenite and rutile are sources of titanium (d). Ilmenite is an iron-titanium oxide and rutile is titanium dioxide; both are the main ores of titanium. They are found in the black beach sands of Kerala (Chavara), Odisha and Tamil Nadu, along with monazite, zircon and garnet. Option (a) is wrong: aluminium comes from bauxite. Option (b) is wrong: copper comes from ores like chalcopyrite. Option (c) is a trap: ilmenite has iron, but it is mined for titanium; iron comes from haematite and magnetite.
Notice the uses: titanium dioxide is a white pigment in paints and sunscreen, and titanium metal is light and strong, used in aircraft and spacecraft. Monazite in the same sands contains thorium, key to India's nuclear plans.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
In the northern hemisphere, the longest day of the year normally occurs in the :
Answer (b) & explanation
The longest day is in the second half of June (b). The summer solstice falls on 20–21 June, when the sun is overhead at the Tropic of Cancer (23.5° N). That gives the northern hemisphere its longest day and shortest night. North of the Arctic Circle, the sun does not set at all. So option (b), the second half of June, is right. Options (a), (c) and (d) miss the solstice date.
Notice the other key dates: the winter solstice (shortest day) on 21–22 December, when the sun is over the Tropic of Capricorn, and the equinoxes on about 21 March and 23 September, when day and night are nearly equal. The seasons happen because Earth's axis is tilted by about 23.5°.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following States :
- 1. Andhra Pradesh
- 2. Kerala
- 3. Himachal Pradesh
- 4. Tripura
How many of the above are generally known as tea-producing States ?
Answer (d) & explanation
All four are tea-producing states (d). Beyond the big three, Assam, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, the Tea Board lists many smaller tea states. Kerala grows tea around Munnar and Wayanad. Himachal Pradesh has Kangra tea, which has a GI tag. Tripura has old tea gardens linked to the Barak valley belt. Andhra Pradesh grows tea in the tribal Araku and Paderu hills. So options (a), (b) and (c) all undercount.
Notice the geography: tea needs warm, wet weather, well-drained slopes and acidic soil, which is why it grows on hill slopes, not flat plains where water collects. India is the world's second-largest tea producer after China, and the largest consumer.
Small growers count too: Kangra and Araku are small producers, but they are still tea states.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following pairs :
| Reservoirs | States
| 1. Ghataprabha | Telangana
| 2. Gandhi Sagar | Madhya Pradesh
| 3. Indira Sagar | Andhra Pradesh
| 4. Maithon | Chhattisgarh
How many pairs given above are not correctly matched ?
Answer (c) & explanation
Three pairs are wrongly matched (c). Pair 2 is the only correct one: Gandhi Sagar dam on the Chambal is in Madhya Pradesh. Pair 1 is wrong: Ghataprabha reservoir (Hidkal dam) on the Ghataprabha river, a tributary of the Krishna, is in Karnataka, not Telangana. Pair 3 is wrong: Indira Sagar on the Narmada is also in Madhya Pradesh; it has India's largest reservoir by storage. Pair 4 is wrong: Maithon, a Damodar Valley Corporation dam on the Barakar river, is in Jharkhand, near the West Bengal border, not Chhattisgarh.
Notice that the Chambal has three dams in a row: Gandhi Sagar (MP), Rana Pratap Sagar and Jawahar Sagar (Rajasthan). Together with the Kota barrage, they form one scheme.
The question asks how many are not correctly matched. Count the wrong pairs.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements :
- 1. High clouds primarily reflect solar radiation and cool the surface of the Earth.
- 2. Low clouds have a high absorption of infrared radiation emanating from the Earth’s surface and thus cause warming effect.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Answer (d) & explanation
Neither statement is correct (d). The roles are reversed. Statement 1 is wrong: thin, icy high clouds such as cirrus let most sunlight pass through but trap the outgoing infrared heat from the Earth, so on balance they warm the surface. Statement 2 is wrong: thick, bright low clouds such as stratocumulus reflect a lot of incoming sunlight back to space, so on balance they cool the surface. Low clouds are warm, close to the ground, and give off almost as much heat as the surface does, so their trapping effect is small.
Notice why this matters for climate: cloud changes are the biggest uncertainty in climate models. This is also why cloudy nights stay warmer than clear nights, when heat escapes freely.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Consider the following statements :
- 1. Bidibidi is a large refugee settlement in north-western Kenya.
- 2. Some people who fled from South Sudan civil war live in Bidibidi.
- 3. Some people who fled from civil war in Somalia live in Dadaab refugee complex in Kenya.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?
Answer (c) & explanation
Statements 2 and 3 are correct (c). Statement 2 is right: Bidibidi, one of the world's largest refugee settlements, shelters people who fled the South Sudan civil war that began in 2013. Statement 3 is right: the Dadaab complex in eastern Kenya, near the border, has sheltered Somali refugees fleeing civil war since 1991. Statement 1 is wrong: Bidibidi is in north-western Uganda, in Yumbe district, not in Kenya.
Notice Kenya's other huge camp, Kakuma, in the north-west, which hosts many South Sudanese. Uganda is praised for its open policy: refugees get land to farm and can move and work freely. UPSC uses such places to test both map sense and current affairs.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.
Which one of the following lakes of West Africa has become dry and turned into a desert ?
Answer (b) & explanation
Lake Faguibine has dried into desert (b). Lake Faguibine, near Timbuktu in Mali, was once one of West Africa's largest lakes, fed by the floodwaters of the Niger river. Droughts from the 1970s and weaker Niger floods have turned it into a dry, sandy basin. UNEP has used it as an example of climate-driven desertification. Lake Victoria (a) is in East Africa and is the continent's largest lake. Lake Oguta (c) in Nigeria still holds water. Lake Volta (d) in Ghana is one of the world's largest man-made reservoirs.
Notice Lake Chad, which has also shrunk by about 90% since the 1960s. The Great Green Wall initiative tries to halt the spread of the Sahara across the Sahel.
Answer as per the official UPSC answer key.