GS PRELIMS ANALYSIS & DISCUSSION | 10 YEARS (2015-2024) UPSC PYQ | GEOGRAPHY I Part-1

If a landlocked country wants to access the coast, it has to cross one country. If one country is crossed, the coast will be reached. That is what a landlocked country is. For example, Nepal. Cross India, you are in the Bay of Bengal. Okay? A doubly landlocked country has to cross a minimum of two countries to reach the coast. That means it is surrounded by landlocked countries. So, the part of Israel that was created after World War II. It was created after World War II. Because those people were, you know, so they were chased away from there long, long ago. Right? So, Britain suddenly remembered its moral duty, don't know from where. Said that they have to be given justice. Brought them back. They were given the state of Israel there. It's an elevated region. An elevated region is strategically very important because it has borders with all four countries. Until 1967, it was located inside Syria. Kazakhstan is above, Uzbekistan is below. Between the two, this sea, right? So, earlier this entire region was a big, big lake. People call it a sea, but actually, it is a lake. It was a very big lake. Both of these have completely dried up because multiple dams and projects have been constructed over there, and because of that, over a period of time, the entire lake has dried up. Okay? So, therefore, the questions are like moderate to difficult. Some questions are difficult because if you don't know, you can't do anything. You cannot take a guess here. It becomes totally random. So, I would never suggest you to take a random guess here, particularly for UPSC Prelims. [Music] So, we are going to discuss the last 10 years of questions from the Geography section as part of your Prelims preparation. So, the overall objective of this session is to understand the overall expectation of UPSC, the demand of UPSC in terms of the questions, the type of questions, the weightage in terms of, you know, so year-wise how it has changed over a period of time, and the analysis of the conceptual part, static part, so that we can come to a conclusion regarding the sources which we have to use, right? And so, so that we can better orient our preparation according to the direction of, you know, so UPSC expectation. So, before that, I want to know how many of you are giving this time? Raise your hands. Yes. Okay. So, good, good. Yeah. So, for this time, it is going to be very useful in all to understand the trend analysis as well as, you know, PYQs are always considered to be a very important aspect of your preparation. Here, we will discuss not only the questions, we will also discuss many of the options which are given as part of the questions, and this has been a common practice in UPSC that many times the options are reframed as questions again. Okay? So, when you go through the PYQs, you will understand this in full. So, the utility of such kind of analysis. So, before you start, let me give you a brief analysis of the syllabus so that that will make our understanding of the, you know, PYQ analysis better because there is no point of just discussing the questions randomly year-wise. We need to see which section carries how much of weightage, right? So, let's go through that. Beginning with the syllabus of the subject of Geography. So, this is the Prelims syllabus. This is what is mentioned in the syllabus as the subject of Geography. Prelims, it is mentioned as Indian and World Geography. This is the name of the subject, and the components which are included here are Physical, Social, and Economic Geography of India as well as World. Okay? So, there are three components, three major parts of this. Okay. So, one is the Physical, second is Social, third is Economic Geography. And we have to study that both from India as well as World point of view. Okay? So, it means Indian Physical, World Physical, Indian Social, World Social, Indian Economic, World Economic. The Physical Geography includes the physical aspects like Geomorphology, Climatology, Oceanography, Biogeography, and Environmental Geography. Okay? The five major aspects. Right? However, the Environmental Geography, which is usually traditionally part of Physical Geography, has been made as a separate subject in UPSC syllabus. So, therefore, I will not be including the Environmental Geography questions here. Okay? That is a separate analysis which we have already done. 10 years of analysis which is there in the YouTube. Okay? So, I have taken that for Vision. So, you can see that if you go to Vision IAS YouTube channel, you will also find 10 years of Environment analysis. Social Geography mainly talks about Population, Settlement, Tribes, Language, Culture, all these aspects. Okay? So, from the Prelims point of view, Economic Geography includes two main parts. One is Resources. Another one is Economic Activities. Resources include various different types of resources: Water Resources, Mineral Energy Resources, as well as Natural Vegetation. Okay? So, and Economic Activities include Agriculture, Mining, right, and also Industrial, Industrial Activity, and Transportation, Trade, Communication, all of these. Okay? So, these are the basic areas which have to be covered by anyone who is preparing for UPSC from Prelims point of view, and for the sake of simplicity, I have divided this into three different sections. So, one is Physical Geography of World, Physical Geography of India, second one is Human. Third one is Human Geography. Human Geography. So, I have included as a single section because it is difficult to prepare also and difficult to interpret also in terms of India and World. So, even our analysis will also go in the same manner. Our analysis will also be done by me in three sections. So, World's Physical Geography, Physical Geography of India, and then Human Geography. Human Geography mainly includes all the economic aspects as well as the social aspects. Economic and Social together will be called as Human Geography. The Physical Geography of the World includes the Cosmology part that includes Earth, Solar System, and Universe. The very basic aspects. Okay? So, and then Geomorphology, Climatology, Oceanography, Biogeography, and then World Mapping aspect. Okay? So, the locations which are relevant and important from the current point of view as well as otherwise also important locations, we will cover in World Mapping. The Physical Geography of India includes Physiography of India, Drainage System of India, Climate of India, and Soils of India, and then the India Mapping part. Okay. So, and the third aspect would be the Natural Resources. Natural Vegetation. Vegetation is also a type of Natural Resource only, but I have separated this just to understand the nuances of the study of vegetation here. Okay? So, I have also separated the questions here. Natural Vegetation. Okay? And then Agriculture, Industries, and Transportation, and then Population and Social Aspects. Okay? So, these are the overall units. We will be discussing the questions unit-wise. Okay? Okay. So, I have all the 10 years of questions separated into unit-wise. Okay? So, we will take it up one by one. And before that, let me show you the analysis part. This is the number of questions which have been asked in the, you know, so in Prelims Geography sections. Geography section between 2015 to 2024, that is last 10 years. In the last 10 years, you can see that initially, like, for example, if you see even before the year of 2015, the number of questions which were asked were a little bit higher. Okay? The syllabus was changed in 2011. 2011 mein change hua tha Prelims ka syllabus. 2011 se lekar 2015 tak sufficiently high proportion mein tha. Okay? So, the number of questions of Geography, it varied between 15 to 20 also. Once it has gone up to 22 also, I think if I am not wrong, it should be 2012, right? After that, if you see, the overall weightage has decreased to some extent, approximately around 10 questions on an average of 10 questions were there till the year 2021. Okay? So, from 2022, again, it has drastically increased. Okay? So, 2022 was 18, 2023 was 21, and last year it was 22 questions. Okay? So, it carried the highest weightage among all the sections of GS Paper One. Okay? So, that shows the overall weightage of Geography in GS. Okay? This is the number of questions, not marks. Out of 100, how many number of questions have been asked. For marks, you have to multiply by two. So, the trend is that usually what happens with UPSC is that once a trend is followed, usually it is followed for a few years. Okay? If you see from 2015, 2011 to 2015, there was high weightage. 2016 to 2021, so moderate weightage. Again, it has increased consistently. I have been telling this since 2022, whenever our annual session happens, then I have said that there was moderate weightage for a long period of time. I expected high weightage here. Okay? As per expectation, it came, and that was also repeated here as well as here. Okay? So, that means please give some more importance to, you know, the subject of Geography and try to orient your preparation time accordingly. Okay? So, I have got a total of 141 questions in the last 10 years, that means on an average of 14 questions per year. Okay? So, I have tried to include some of the questions which are related to Geography, which can be dealt in other sections also. If, for example, some questions related to resources can also come in Economics, can come in Geography. I have taken the liberty to include it here. Because when we can cover it, then it is done. Right? So, okay. So, and some of the questions related to IR which can be covered through mapping. I have taken the liberty to include those also as part of Geography. So, because without Geography, what is IR? Right? So, it is part of everything is the same study, right? Okay? So, so basically the mapping aspect have included here. Okay? Okay. So, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, R related mapping aspects which can be studied through atlas and maps, I have included here. Okay? So, that's why. So, if you see even if you see our document, the 10 years document from Vision, it has around 90 to 100 questions, approximately around 100 questions. So, considering the peripheral areas, the weightage increases. Okay? So, and I have not included any core questions of Environment here. Okay? So, the part of Environment, National Parks, Wildlife, right? So, or even the wetlands, all this, I have not included. If that is also included, then it will be even more. Okay? So, we should not encroach that much. Okay? So, let's try to limit here. So, from the subject of Geography, what we can study. So, these are the number of questions. Okay? So, that shows a very good number of weightage here. What do AIR 2? Harshita Goyal and AIR 3 Dongre Harshad Parag have been common. 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So, we will come back here and show the individual sections and its weightage. Okay? These are the graphs which show the section-wise. Okay? So, three sections: World Physical Geography, India Physical Geography, Human Geography. In terms of 141, 141 questions, if you see, a total of 46 questions have, 46% of the questions have been asked from World Physical Geography only. Okay. So, meaning approximately 45% let's say, 45% out of 100 is World Physical Geography only, including the World Mapping. Okay? So, World Mapping included, you get such a good weightage. When we talk about Indian Physical Geography, so it covers around 23%, 23 to 25% let's say. Okay? So, the rest around 30% you will get in Human Geography. Okay? So, that shows the weightage of Physical Geography in Prelims. Physical Geography carries a very high weightage. Human Geography slightly lower. Among those also, when we go into detail of Human Geography, we will understand that the Social Geography, Population, Settlement, questions on those are very few. Okay? So, this is in terms of the broad section weightage. And when I talk about the Physical Geography of the World, in that, 50% of the questions are related to Mapping. Physical Geography of the World, 50% of the questions are related to Mapping. Rest of the 50% of the questions, you can see, so around 10% of Cosmology, then around 8% of Geomorphology, and a maximum of 22% of Climatology, around 10% of Oceanography, and a very, very little number of questions from Biogeography. Okay? So, meaning overall, in Physical Geography of the World, Biogeography is the least. There was only one question in the last 10 years. Okay? Because only one question has come, and that too is very general. So, if you have a broader idea of soils, you will be able to understand that. And otherwise, the highest is Climatology. Other than Mapping, of course, Mapping is an exercise which you have to do it separately. So, other than that, Climatology carries a very high weightage. The nature of Climatology as a section, if at all you have seen, so you could have understood by now that it is highly conceptual in part. Okay? This is a very conceptual part. And this has always been my prediction. If the paper is conceptual, then the number of questions in Climatology will always increase. Okay? So, I have sent multiple occasions. Last year, it was proven, right? Okay? So, last year, out of 22 questions, nearly six to seven questions were exclusively from Climatology only, and most of them were conceptual in nature. Most of them were conceptual in nature. If you had studied Climatology well, then you could have marked all seven out of seven. Okay? So, that will increase the scoring part also. Okay? So, in addition to that, Geomorphology, we study a lot. So, you must have given enough time. Meaning, you must have studied a lot. Okay? So, Plate Tectonics, Volcanism, Earthquakes, right? All these things, but their weightage is higher in terms of Mains analysis. The Mains paper, it has a lot. In Prelims, to some extent, it is fine. Around 8%. And the least time we give. So, in terms of, right? Biogeography, let alone, the section itself is small. Among all of these, the least time we give to Cosmology, right? So, there, very direct and pretty simple questions come. And most of them have come in seasons. Okay? So, in the last 10 years, three questions on the same topic of seasons. Okay? So, there are questions on seasons. Apart from that, there are a few more questions also. Oceanography is also a comparatively smaller area. In Oceanography, your main focus will be on ocean currents, El Niño, La Niña, right? So, coral reefs, questions have come on these. Okay? So, the area is limited, and questions are guaranteed here. So, the most productive area is Climatology. Okay? Work hard, you will understand. You can study very well. You will also enjoy it if you show a little interest while studying. And it has returns. Geomorphology returns are a bit less. The effort is more, but its effort will be visible in Mains. Okay? Particularly, many of the disaster, disaster management, when you sit to study, then this will help. Okay? Okay. So, basically, Physical Geography of the World, you cannot ignore. Right? Physical Geography of India, you can see. Okay? So, very interesting nature. You will understand the nature of the questions from Physical Geography of India. There is a very high role in mapping. Exclusively mapping, around 40% I have written here. But if you see, most of the questions on Physiography, what is in Physiography? Mountains, Plateaus, Plains. Most of the questions can be answered using an atlas only. Okay? Most of the questions can be answered using an atlas. And the drainage system, around 37% of the questions, even out of those, maximum can be covered through mapping. Meaning, basically, Indian Physical Geography in Prelims is almost mapping only. This is exclusively mapping. This is mapping from Physiography. This is mapping from river systems. Okay? So, out of the questions, whatever questions have come, so here, if you see, so around 15, 15 + 21, 22 questions, right? So, a total of, yeah, 22 questions, you get all mapping-related questions, at least 18 to 19, right? So, meaning mapping has a very important role in Physical Geography of the World. And another interesting thing is that all of it is available from the 11th standard NCERT textbook. Okay? You have two textbooks in 11th standard NCERT for Physical Geography. One is "Fundamentals of Physical Geography" (World Physical Geography). Second one is "India: Physical Environment". Most of the questions you will find over there. "India: Physical Environment", cover it thoroughly. So, basically, you can cover many of these without using an atlas. 50% of the Indian Physical Geography, you can cover using that book without using an atlas. But atlas will make it easier for you. Okay? Mapping will make it easier for you. And there are a few questions which are directly from atlas also. Okay? So, that is the nature of India Physical. Talking about, sorry. So, talking about Human Geography. So, we have around 30% of the questions coming from Natural Resources. In Natural Resources, which are the topics here? Water Resources, Mineral Resources, Energy Resources. Okay? These are the Natural Resources. And if you include Natural Vegetation also, its weightage increases further. Okay? Okay. So, nearly, you can see, around 45% of the questions have come from Resources only. Okay? So, almost 45% of questions have come from Resources. Among them, Vegetation has a major role. Vegetation of India, Vegetation of the World, you have to study in a little bit detailed manner. You have to study characteristics, distribution, all these things. Okay? So, other than this, Agriculture carries good weightage. Agriculture, in Mains, you will have the Agriculture topic as part of GS 3. But in Prelims, it is part of GS only. Sorry, Geography only. And here, the focus area mainly was on crops, cropping pattern, cropping conditions. Okay? So, it is mainly about the crops only. And here, you need to take the help of Economic Survey. Some data-related questions have also come. So, please remember, you need to add some data from Economic Survey. Other than this, Industries and Transportation almost carry equal weightage as that of Agriculture. So, here we discuss regarding the various different types of industries and the raw materials that are used in these industries and their status, present status, which raw material has import dependency, which raw material is produced in India, so if it is produced, then where is it mainly produced, all these things. Okay? So, in Transportation, mainly current-related aspects, transportation corridors, highway corridors, okay? So, freight corridors, railway corridors, ports, airports, okay? So, it's mainly about that only, right? And and Population and Social Aspects, as I told you, it has the least weightage. Till last year, there was only one question. Last year, they asked two questions. So, total of three questions are there since last 10 years. Three to four questions, I guess. Okay? So, it is not necessary to study them specifically. So, it can be solved with general knowledge, a little bit of general awareness. And last year's questions were mainly related to some of the aspects of population. Population settlement-related terms, whatever is given in NCERT, that is enough. You don't need to go into detail over there. Okay? So, otherwise, people spend too much of time over there studying because, you know, so in population, right? So, there is so many things related to that because it is one of the major aspects, social aspects, right? So, in Prelims, we have given in the syllabus, so they have given Physical, Social, and Economic. Physical and Economic carry a very high weightage. Social has very, very low weightage. Right? But it is justified in terms of classes, number of hours you spend, as well as based on the material available, it is justified because UPSC has never focused much on this aspect. And next year, it will become important for 2026, it is going to be important because of the census. Okay? So, you have to focus more on the census. The new census and the terms which are going to be used and the overall data from the census. If it is going to be out before the next year's Prelims, it will be useful for you. Okay? Yes. Now, you come back here, you will understand a bit better. These things which we saw through the graph. Okay? So, the Physical Geography of the World, mapping aspect carries the highest weightage, nearly 32 questions out of 141 were from mapping of the World. And Cosmology, six questions. Geomorphology, five. Climatology, highest, 14. Biogeography, only one question. Okay? So, rest all like there is sufficient weightage. And in terms of India. So, again, the mapping of India, Physiography of India, Drainage System, all this is mapping. I have separated it by name and for explanation, but it can be covered very easily through mapping. Okay? Climate of India, zero questions. Okay? So, Climate of India from Prelims point of view, I am telling. In Climate of India, what do we study? Monsoon, factors affecting India's climate, rainfall distribution, Western Disturbances, these are all Mains-related topics. Okay? Related to Prelims, there have been no questions in the last 10 years so far. Soil of India, there is only one question on black soil. So, that also can be solved if you study Biogeography properly. Okay? Natural Resources, good number of questions, 13. Natural Vegetation, eight. Agriculture, 10. Industries, Transportation, 10. Population, Social Aspects, I told you, three questions are there. Okay? Last year, there were two questions. Before that, there was one. So, a total of 141 questions. Okay? What will be our sources to cover this? Based on my analysis of this, what are the sources which we have to use? For Physical Geography of the World, this is a very good book. Please cover this 11th Standard NCERT Part One, "Fundamentals of Physical Geography". Most of the things which are asked from the Physical Geography of the World can be answered using this. Okay? For some topics, you may need a little bit more advanced sources. You will have to go a little advanced, particularly the topics in Climatology. In Climatology, some topics will require going a bit advanced. So, there, my recommendation is, please refer to GC. GC Leong is the best source of material for Climatology. You will not find a better source than this. Particularly the chapters from chapter number 15 to 25, there are a total of 11 chapters, talks about climatic regions. Each chapter talks about each climatic region, and you will find a wonderful explanation where the climatic conditions are related to human aspects also. You will find Human Geography there, you will find Physical Geography there. Okay? Please don't miss that. And you have seen that in Physical Geography of the World, Climatology carries the highest weightage. Okay? Otherwise, going into more detail, so there is no need to read very advanced books. Revise what you read thoroughly, and that will be very much helpful, you know, in developing clarity. Okay? Sound. If you have any class notes, so that will be much useful for you. And okay. So, "India: Physical Environment" as I told you, so it is a very small book but very effective. Most of the questions related to Indian physical aspects will be covered from here. Okay? So, most of them are covered from here. Please read line by line. Read it, underline it, read it again and again. This is in addition to what you study from the class. Usually, in the class, you must have already done that, like you must have already seen that most of the focus is mainly related to the Mains aspect, and the rest is covered through mapping. You have to give sufficient time to mapping. Okay? So, and whatever you find here, each and every location, please open atlas and mark it over there. Okay? So, for example, here, we are talking about Physiography of India, mountains. For example, peaks, glaciers will come. Whatever small examples you find, pick them up and mark them. There is a chance that a question might come on them sometime. It has come many times. Okay? So, please don't miss this book. This is very important. If you have covered it thoroughly even now, covered class notes, covered mapping class, still I recommend you to go through this. Okay? Please don't miss it. Cover it line by line. Okay? So, many things must have already been covered, but still, you will get a little bit extra. And GC, I have already told you. For Human Geography, we have two books. Okay? So, 12th Standard. Okay? So, Human Geography of World, Human Geography of India. Okay? So, you have to cover this broadly. Here, underline line by line. There is no need to cover very specifically. Because it is not too updated. Okay? Particularly in the context of UPSC, what is the requirement of UPSC, in that context, it is not covered. Okay? So, that's why I give an alternative here. "Total Geography", 10th Standard ICSE syllabus. Okay? This covers the entire Indian Geography. It covers the entire Indian Geography. So, that's why you need to read the entire book here. Okay? But you can focus upon Agriculture, Mineral Resources, Resources, Agriculture, and Industries and Transportation. Okay? There are four chapters, so cover them thoroughly. You will get the latest data. Any latest book is fine. Okay? So, but otherwise, this broad coverage should be there. And here, you will get a little bit of population aspects. Population and Settlement aspect, whatever broad terms we need, you will find them there. Okay? So, we need to talk a little separately about the mapping aspect. Okay? So, out of 140 questions, how many questions have been asked from mapping? Out of 141, 34 are mapping-related. When you see the questions, you will understand. Okay? So, how much is this? 19, 29, 31. Okay? So, a total of 31 questions are there. Let's keep some questions for this, at least 25, you can get from here easily. 25 can be easily obtained from the atlas. Okay? So, 32 + 25 = 57. 57 out of 141. So, 57 out of 141, meaning approximately 40%, 35%, right? So, 40. That shows the weightage of locations and mapping aspect in Geography section. On an average, how many questions are there? 14 questions are there. Okay? So, on an average, there are 14 questions. So, out of them, you will get five to six questions related to mapping. Meaning, in the last 10 years, you have got 57 questions. 5.7 on an average, six questions per year mapping-related. Okay? So, in some papers, you have got 7-8 questions. Okay? So, up to 50-60% mapping is also found. Okay? So, it is very, very important. Give some focus on mapping. So, usually people do what? So, they leave the mapping aspect. They think that it will be done along with Geography. Right? So, why to read it separately? Why to give extra time? Okay? So, a little bit will be done, but the answer will not come. Okay? So, you will see the question and think that you have seen it somewhere, heard it somewhere, but the answer will not come from that. So, you need to practice it separately. That's why I always recommend to my students, whoever is coming to the class, along with the class notes, please bring an atlas. Okay? So, because along with the class, whenever you see some location, whenever I tell you an example, immediately if you open the atlas and try to mark it over there, so that is a very good, you know, so exercise of mapping only. Immediately, it will register on the map, register in the mind. That is how you have to cover it. On a daily basis, you know, mapping is not something which you do it all together, right? As an exercise which you just sit at a particular place and mark everything, then remember it. It is absolutely not like that. So, how to approach this mapping? Okay? So, it is something which you have to do it on a daily basis. Daily basis, you will hear some location. Okay? So, from the textbook, from the newspaper, you will keep hearing. Please try to add it here. Okay? So, it's an exercise which you do it on a daily basis. Okay? Where will you add this? You must be having a wall map. You must have a wall map, right? This is the first thing you would have done. Right? So, after deciding to prepare for UPSC. Right? So, put a wall map on the wall. Everyone knows that. Okay? So, now the person is preparing for UPSC. This is not a ritual. It has some purpose. Okay? So, you have to see this wall map on a daily basis and identify at least a few locations. Which you have studied before. It's not that you will keep searching for new locations. There are so many. On what basis will you be able to identify them? No. You should be able to identify those, identify those locations which you had studied earlier in some context and tried to recall them. Okay? So, for example, if at all your Geomorphology was completed, then while looking at it, you have to recognize here. Right? There is the Andes Mountains, there is the Rocky Mountains, so here are the Alps Mountains, right? So, if apart from that, you see some passes here, then identify the passes too. Right? So, identify the ridges, identify the islands. You have to do this exercise on a daily basis. What are the benefits of this? The most important benefit is you will become more familiar with the map, the world map. It will gradually, gradually imprint in your mind. Where is which location? Where is which continent? Which country is where? So, what is the most important advantage of this? Whenever you see next, whenever you see a location in the news, sometime or the other you will read it in the news, right? So, then it will be mentioned that it is in this part, in this country. Then, while reading that location, that map will come to your mind. And you will try to imagine that location on that map. If you don't have that visualization in your mind, it is just a fact for you, right? That makes remembering the locations easier. If you have that map in your mind, whenever you hear about a location, whenever you hear this location, immediately you will start imagining that location on that map. That is the way of doing mapping. Location. Okay? This is something which you have to do it on a daily basis. Make it a habit, a practice. Okay? So, daily, immediately after waking up. Okay? So, identify two or three locations, or immediately before sleeping, or while eating, just while strolling, look at it once or twice. Right? So, or while going to class, before going to class, after coming from class.

Fix a time that suits you, but do it daily. Please do it. And its added advantage will be that you will be able to draw the world map and India map very beautifully. Okay? Very easily, very quickly. You must have heard about many such shortcuts. So many people must have created them on online platforms. Like, "Draw World Map in 30 Seconds," "Draw India Map in 10 Seconds." Why do they make them like that? Okay? Okay, so there is no gimmick in that. Whatever shortcuts they create, they are not gimmicks. They have a very clear mind of that, a very clear map of that, whatever the map of India or the world is, it is very well ingrained in their minds. They are just reproducing that. You are just listening to a story. Do this, do that. You also have to draw. Draw well. You have to get an extra mark or two in your answers. So please see this map on a daily basis. You will be able to draw this map very quickly and easily. Right? Now, this will also be useful for your Mains. For Prelims, mainly, it will make your mapping exercise easier. So, what are the sources? How to identify this. Okay? So, the first and foremost best thing you are doing is that you have come to today's session. So, these are the best things. We will analyze all the mapping locations of the last 10 years. We will do all the shortlisted questions related to mapping first. Let's cover all the mapping-related locations first. And once this is done, your mapping locations for 10 years will be secured. And whenever you hear a location in the news, you will be immediately able to identify it. A question like this came then. Okay? They can ask a question like this. Okay? Whenever you see a location, whenever you hear a location, you will be able to identify it. Questions can come from this or not. If they can come, then what things do you need to remember? What you have to remember. This is the first and foremost thing. Okay? And second, after that exercise, keep a separate note for mapping. Keep a separate note. On a daily basis, you will get locations from two sources: one from your geography textbook or class notes. Whenever there is an example in class. So, when we read in your textbook and get an example, you must immediately write it in that note and mark it on the atlas. Do not mark it on the wall map. Start marking on this. The entire wall map will become yellow. Then, okay? Do not mark on this. So, our intention is to identify the location, right? That's why we need to carry an atlas. Pick up any atlas, just highlight it and write the location in the notebook. Location and significance. Significance is just two lines. Where is it located? Why is it important? There is no need for much research in this. Because whatever questions come related to location, they come very straightforward from the top. They will not be in much detail. If you remember the location, if you know the location, you will get the answer. Is it clear? That is one part. What you get on a daily basis. The second one is from current affairs. From your newspaper, from your current affairs, magazines, whatever location you find, immediately mark it on the atlas and highlight it and write it in the notebook. That is how you cover these mapping locations on a daily basis. If you do these things, usually, we conduct a mapping session before the Prelims. This year's is also almost done, right? So, then there will be a consolidation. Okay? So, your entire year's mapping locations will be consolidated. If you do this exercise on a regular basis. Right? Otherwise, it will feel very burdensome to cover everything at once. So, this has always been my approach towards geography. I always tell this to students. Okay? So, whenever you read geography, always start with the basics. Okay. Only then will you understand. Otherwise, when you start to read everything, so much information is overloaded at once, so all the information comes, right? You will not be able to remember anything. Always start with the basics. Develop a conceptual clarity. Most of the physical geography questions are concept-based. Okay? And try to apply it in the real world. That will give you more clarity. Okay? More understanding. And then try to remember the facts and information. Okay? So, maps and diagrams will also help in bringing clarity as well as for Mains. Okay? Connection with current affairs is, you know, so that makes geography complete. Okay? This is the way of approaching geography. Okay? So, that is a brief analysis from the PYQs. Any doubts? Anything you want to ask before we start the discussion on the question? PYQ questions. Okay? So, we will be going section-wise here. Let's start section-wise from here. Okay? So, let's start with physical geography today. Okay? So, India mapping, let's do it tomorrow. Because physiography and drainage system locations are also map-related. If we start this, it's better to do it all together. Okay? So, let's start with the physical geography of the world from here. Let's try to complete it today, tomorrow, and the day after. We have three sessions, so it should be done. So, any doubt? Somebody was asking something. So, let's start with the first section, that is, World Mapping part. World Mapping: A total of 32 questions have been asked in the last 10 years. In the last 10 years, we have got 32 questions, an average of 3.2 questions per year. Okay? So, you will get at least three questions. Sometimes it has gone up to four or five. And the difficulty level has been moderate to difficult. Okay? So, in world geography, it's very difficult to get easy questions. Because most of you may not be familiar with the current aspects. Because the main focus in world mapping is, so let me just break this down. World mapping, we can divide into three sections: physical, sorry, political aspect, first, political mapping. Then, mapping of physical features. And then, economic angle. The economic angle is very limited. So, we could have included it in the economic aspect, but since it's map-related, I have included it in one place. Among these, the most questions have come from political. What is political mapping? Borders? The borders and the zones along the seas. Okay? So, and any country in news, any region in news, regions in conflict. Okay? So, and also international organizations, international groupings in news, right? Among these, the most favorite theme, which has a question every year, is regions in conflict. On one side, they give a country, and on the other side, regions in conflict, conflicted regions, which ones are they? Okay? So, here you have to link it with international relations, IR. You will read about this in current affairs. You read in current affairs news. Okay? So, regions in news, conflicted regions in news, from there you have to connect it with mapping and mark it. Okay? This has been a very favorite common thing. Otherwise, it's all about the borders. What are the bordering countries of the Mediterranean Sea? What are the bordering countries of the Red Sea? Right? So, or if we talk about cooperation groupings, which countries are in the Mekong cooperation? Right? So, all this can be covered very easily with mapping. There are very few questions in physical. So, mainly related to mountains, rivers, deserts, okay? So, and some regions, plateaus, and regions. In economic, you will mainly find resources. Resources related, which you can also read in economic geography. You can read about that. Okay? So, but doing it through mapping will be a bit easier. Okay? So, that is one thing. Other than this, some of the vegetation-related aspects. We have got some questions related to vegetation. Okay? So, therefore, the questions are like moderate to difficult. Difficult. Some questions are difficult because if you don't know, you can't do anything. You cannot take a guess here. It becomes totally random. So, I would never suggest you to take a random guess here, particularly for UPSC Prelims. The nature is of course factual. There is no concept part here. So, if at all you had read something and you are able to co-relate, that's a different matter. But most of them are factual. Okay? So, and locations which are in news are the recent trend. Okay? As I told you. So, regions in conflict, conflicted regions are where the main questions come from. Okay? So, in this, let's cover it from the political mapping aspect, then physical aspect, and then economic mapping aspect. Okay? So, let's start with 2024 itself. In 2024, there was a question from world political mapping. So, we in fact had three questions from world political mapping itself. Okay? So, please go through the first question. Try to give the answer. The longest border between any two countries in the world is between Canada and USA, Chile and Argentina, China and India, Kazakhstan and Russian Federation. What is the answer here? Canada and USA. Okay? So, let's see. So, talk about the world political aspect. So, we need to give some attention to these international borders. Okay? So, among all these countries, the longest land border is there between Canada and USA. Okay? So, this region, you can see, this is the longest land border between any two countries, and half of it is completely a straight line. This entire straight line is drawn. And this straight line passes through the 49th parallel North. The 49th parallel North is this straight line. And the rest of the line passes through the five Great Lakes. It passes through the five Great Lakes. Okay? They are called the Great Lakes. Okay? They are huge lakes, freshwater lakes. And in that, four are located just along the border, and the fifth one is located completely inside the USA. What are these five lakes through which this border passes? Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario. Okay? So, shortcut: Superman helps everyone. Okay? So, tell me the five lakes. Superior, Michigan. Okay? So, let me show it here. Superior, Michigan, Huron, Huron, sorry. Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario. Okay? In this, Michigan is located completely inside. The rest, everything is shared between USA and Canada. Between these, at one particular location, between these two, see, the border is still going on. Exactly near the border, there is a very beautiful waterfall located, Niagara Falls. Niagara Falls is located between Erie and Ontario, at the border of USA and Canada. Okay? And then the border goes like this and ends in the Atlantic Ocean. So, basically, the border connects the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. This is how you have to analyze the options. Right? It's not like you read the question. Okay? USA, Canada. Let's move on. Next time when a question is asked, it will be based on this extra information. Okay? And among these, Canada's importance. See, Canada has the longest maritime coast in the world. Okay? Canada's coast, the longest coastline, much longer than Russia. Longer than Russia too. Because there are so many islands from the top, if you count all of them, it will be very long. So, other than this, Chile and Argentina. Why are they in competition? Because they have the longest land border in South America. But this is the land border of South America only. This is Chile, and this is Argentina, because they have a very long land border. Okay? Not from the top, from the top to the bottom. But USA-Canada is much longer. But still, they are the longest land border of South America. Okay? So, other than this, China and India. What about China and India? China and India is not even the longest land border of India itself. It's not the longest of India. Where is India's longest? Bangladesh. Right? So, this is very far. Kazakhstan and Russia. Can this be? Yes. This is also very long. This is the Kazakhstan and Russia border. Okay? This is the longest land border of Asia. But in the world, the longest land border is USA and Canada. The answer is A. How many of the next question? How many of the above countries have a border with the North Sea? Let me tell you a shortcut for reading questions. See. So, what do people do? So, they start from the beginning. First, they read. Consider the following countries: Finland, Germany, Norway, Russia. Then they read this: How many of the above countries have a border with the North Sea? After reading this question, you will feel like reading it again. Right? So, you are wasting time. First, focus on the question. Sometimes the question is asked here or here. Sometimes it is here, sometimes it is here. If it's not here, read this first. Then go to the options. How many of the above countries have a border with the North Sea? Okay? Where is the North Sea? Where is the North Sea? Europe. Okay? Okay, it's near Europe. So, which countries in Europe have a border? Finland, Germany, Norway, Russia. Okay? So, tell me the answer. That is why you should do the mapping exercise regularly. Only then will the map of Europe come to your mind whenever you see these kinds of questions. Right? So, you know that an atlas is not given, right? So, they don't give you an atlas in the exam. You have to carry the atlas in your mind. Okay? So, where is the North Sea? Okay. So, this is the North Sea. Okay? So, let me show the detailed map here. This is the northern part of Europe. In that, we have the North Sea between the British Isles and Western Europe and Scandinavia. Okay? So, this is Scandinavia, the northern part is Scandinavia. Okay? This is Western Europe, and this is the British Isles. British Isles, they call it. So, it's between these three regions, the North Sea. Okay? From the western side, we have the UK. Okay? So, let's mark it from here. So, from the western side, we have the UK, United Kingdom. Okay? So, from the eastern side, here we have Norway, and here it is Denmark. This is Norway. This is Denmark. Look from below. We can start from here. In fact, there is a small part of France having a border here at the North Sea. So, we can include France also. And then there is a small country here, Belgium. Remember World War II? In World War II, they showed a lot of bravery, the Belgians. Okay? They tried to stop Germany when it was approaching France. Okay? This is our Belgium. After Belgium, there is the Netherlands, which they call Dutch. Right? So, half of the Netherlands is actually the delta of the Rhine River. There is a very important Rhine River here in Western Europe. Its delta is the Netherlands. After the Netherlands, Germany. Okay? Above Germany is Denmark, and above Denmark is Norway. These are the countries which are having coasts in the North Sea. What is the North Sea known for? Petroleum. There are huge reserves of petroleum and natural gas here. One of the best petroleum in the world. It's called the Brent crude oil. They call it Brent. The world's petroleum price is decided by Brent crude. If the price of Brent crude is this much, then what should be the price of petrol? They calculate it like that. That comes from the North Sea. Very, very important, very, very strategic location. Right? So, which countries? UK, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, and Norway. Now, come to the... No, Sweden will not come. Now, come to the answer. Where is Finland? Finland is further inside. Okay? Norway, Sweden. Then behind them is Finland. Finland is not there. Is Germany there or not? Yes. Norway is there. Russia. Where is Russia? Russia is also inside. Okay? Let me show Finland and Russia. Okay? This is Finland, and a small part of Russia is here. There is a small territory here, right? And the rest of Russia comes here. So, basically, there is the Baltic Sea. See, next to the North Sea, there is the Baltic Sea. All these countries will come inside the Baltic Sea. Finland will also come, Russia will also come. Okay? But they are not part of the North Sea. Okay? So, the answer here is: No Finland, no Russia. Germany and Norway. The answer is only two. So, questions like these can be very tricky. So, you can answer them only if you know all the answers, right? Okay? So, next question. This is another way of asking questions in recent times. Okay? So, closely related to IR. These are IR-related questions. Here you need some support from IR. You need a little support from International Relations. And after that, a little bit of atlas-related. Questions are framed by mixing both. This is a 2024 question. Okay? So, it may not be relevant for subsequent years because it's news from that year. Country and the reason for being in the news. See, in the last 10 years, such questions are very few. Only two or three. Otherwise, it's country and region. Country and region. This time, they asked country and the reason for being in the news. Argentina: Worst economic crisis. Okay? So, you must have heard about Argentina. Okay? So, South American countries have been facing few economic crises, that included Venezuela also, or Bolivia also. They have many issues. Chile also. Among these, Argentina was also there. Okay? So, this was correct. Sudan: War between the country's regular and paramilitary forces. Yes or no? It's been going on since 2009. Okay? It's in the news every year. North Sudan, South Sudan, Darfur region in between, right? So, their conflict is there. And Sudan was recently in the news because many Indians were also stuck there, and we evacuated them. Turkey: Rescinded its membership of NATO. This was a rumor. Okay? So, but it did not do so. Okay? So, this was wrong. The answer is only two. Okay? So, where is Argentina? South America. Where is Sudan? Africa. Let me show the location once. Okay? So, Argentina, this is it. Sudan is below Egypt. Sudan has a coast in the Red Sea. Okay? South of Sudan, they separated South Sudan. Okay? The conflict is still going on due to this. And the third one was Turkey. Turkey, you know, is an Asian country. Is it Asian or European? Both. A major part of it is in Asia, a small part of it is in Europe. Okay? So, this is Turkey, with the capital Ankara. Other than this, the small part of Europe is on the other side of it. See, the trick is like, whenever you hear news about these kinds of countries, try to open the map and try to see around. Where are the surrounding locations? That will help you remember the news and the location as well. Okay? No, no, you should absolutely not do this. This is a myth. I hope it happens this easily. Okay? It doesn't happen like that. You should not mark any question unless you are at least 50% sure about it. You should be at least 50% sure. Meaning, if you have eliminated two options, and there is one among the remaining two options. If you mark it, there is a 50% chance. Then you can mark it. It's a slight guess mark. Even then, don't think that B gets more marks. Among the two options left, mark the one that seems logical. Okay? So, never go with any of these. Okay? That never happens. Okay? So, honestly, in my opinion, it never happens. Okay? If you are left with three options, please don't take a guess here. Okay? Four options. I don't want to tell you. You should take a guess only if you are left with two options. Okay? So, that was world political from 2024. Look at 2023. There are also three questions there. 2023 was a most expected question. All of this was covered in our mapping class. So, I told you that we conduct a mapping class at the end. All of this was done. Okay? So, this was a direct question from there. And this was something everyone would have expected. Ukraine, of course. Right? So, in the context of the Ukraine-Russia war. So, the bordering countries of Ukraine. Okay? So, let's do the bordering countries of Ukraine first. Then we can come back to the answer. This is the European part, and the European part is divided into Western Europe and Eastern Europe. Ukraine comes in Eastern Europe. Okay? So, and Ukraine was part of the earlier Soviet Union. These two are fighting so much. They were very good friends before. Right? So, both were like brothers. Now they are fighting so much. See, right? So, it was part of the Soviet Union. How many countries did the Soviet Union include? 15. 15 countries were part of it. Okay? It broke up in 1991. Okay? So, then their relationship is like a love-hate relationship. Okay? What are the countries surrounding Ukraine? From the entire western side, of course, it is Russia. Okay? Russia. Come down from Russia. Here you find the Black Sea. There is a major issue going on in the Black Sea. So, that is where all these conflicts are happening. Okay? So, the Black Sea is shared by both of them. And here are some countries. Next to Ukraine, there is a small country. That is what is Moldova. Moldova. Moldova's specialty is that it is completely landlocked. It has no coast on the Black Sea. It seems like it's very close. It's not here. Okay? This is the continuous coast of Ukraine. Okay? So, Moldova is completely landlocked. And this question has already been asked in UPSC in 2009. This question came in 2009: Is Moldova landlocked or not. Okay? And next to Moldova, see, here is Romania. Okay? This is Romania. Here, there is a border. And above Romania is Hungary and Slovakia. Okay? So, let me show this. This is Ukraine. Here it is Russia. Here is the Black Sea. And next to it is Moldova, completely landlocked. And then comes Romania. Above Romania, here is Hungary. Okay? So, Hungary. And here it is Slovakia. These two are like twins. Here is the Czech Republic. Slovakia. Earlier it was Czecho-Slovakia, then it separated. Here is Austria. Hungary. Both are very closely related. Austria-Hungary. These four countries. I even gave a code word for them in our mapping class. Tell me: CASH. So, Czech, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary. Okay? Four countries. All are landlocked countries, sitting inside. So, Slovakia. Among these, Slovakia and Hungary make a border with Ukraine. And above it is Poland. Poland and Ukraine share a very long border. And next to Poland is Belarus. Poland was not part of the Soviet Union. Belarus was part of the Soviet Union. Okay? Whatever was next to Russia, all of that was part of the Soviet Union. Above this, you find Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania. Three countries we call them as Baltic countries. They have a Baltic coast. Right? So, this is the continuity. So, here you find which countries? Tell me. Russia, Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, and Belarus. Okay? Remembered? Which ones are not there? How many of the mentioned countries have a land border? Which one is not there? Which one is there? Bulgaria is there. Czech Republic is there. Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania. The answer is... Oh, sorry, Romania is not there. Yes, only two. Hungary and Romania have it. Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia. Okay? They are Baltic countries. Czech Republic is not there. Bulgaria is also not there. So, in the same way, whenever you hear a country in the news, try to see around. For example, Israel. Israel in the news. Who are Israel's neighbors? Tell me. Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt. Okay? So, it will come later. I will show it once. And this was also in the news in that context. This is the most favorite pattern of UPSC. I told you: Areas, regions in news, and the country. Okay? Region, which is it? Country, which is it? Here, it is not mandatory for you to know why it is in the news. What is the conflict? It is not mandatory to remember that. Very few questions they have asked. Otherwise, remembering that will also help you remember the location. So, think in that context a little. So, where is Donbas? Where is Donbas? Donbas is in Ukraine. Okay? So, the Donbas region, that was one of the most impacted ones during the war. Okay? Donbas, Donetsk, which was between Ukraine and Russia. Okay? So, this region, the eastern part is Donbas, Donetsk, all of this. So, the first one is wrong. Second, Kachin and Ethiopia. Is it correct? Where is Kachin? Northern part of Myanmar. Kachin. It's the Kachin province. There are Kachin people. So, internal conflict is going on there. So, it was in the news in that context. So, they have linked it with Ethiopia. Third one is Tigray and North Yemen. North Yemen. There is no North Yemen, South Yemen. Yemen. Where is Tigray? All are conflicted regions. Tigray is part of Ethiopia. Okay? It's part of Ethiopia. So, the border area with Eritrea. Okay? So, let me just show this. This is the eastern part of Africa. So, here we have Ethiopia. This is Eritrea. A small country. What do we call this region? The Horn of Africa. There are four countries in the Horn of Africa. We call it as S.C.E.D. Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti. This is what is Djibouti. In this region, Tigray comes here. Okay? It's a conflicted region of Ethiopia. So, see, Ethiopia is here. They have mismatched these two. Kachin is from Myanmar, that is also mismatched. Donbas is from Ukraine. All three are mismatched. So, the answer here is none of the above. You need Tigray here. Tigray is still in the news. Kachin is still in the news. Donbas is still in the news. All are in the news. So, please try to remember that. Regions in news and new and the region. Okay? So, I told you this. So, in the last two or three years, such questions sometimes come in between. Northern Kivu and Ituri. So, where are these? Northern Kivu and Ituri? Anyone? Congo? Yes. So, where is Congo? The Democratic Republic of Congo. This entire central part of Africa. There is a very big country. This is what is called as the DRC, Democratic Republic of Congo. Very, very rich in terms of minerals. It is the world's largest supplier of cobalt. This question also came. Okay? It is the largest supplier of cobalt. In addition to cobalt, it has huge reserves of copper as well as diamonds. And it is totally conflicted. So much ethnic conflict and internal rebellion goes on here. So, this is a totally unsettled area. And the issue going on in the northern part is what is Kivu and Ituri. North Kivu and Ituri. DRC. Nagorno-Karabakh. I have covered this in mapping classes for the last two years. So, finally, it came in 2023. Where is Nagorno-Karabakh? So, many parts of Asia. You must have heard about West Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Central Asia. There is one small part of Asia which is located between Asia and Europe. This region is called the Caucasus. There are three countries: Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan. Okay? So, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan. All three were earlier part of the Soviet Union. They were part of the Soviet Union. Okay? So, and here, between Azerbaijan and Armenia, there is a disputed region located inside Azerbaijan. It is located on the border of Azerbaijan and Armenia. That region, that region is what is called as Nagorno-Karabakh. Nagorno-Karabakh. Okay? The dispute is very simple. The people who are located inside Nagorno-Karabakh are of Armenian Christian origin. Armenia is predominantly Christian majority. Okay? And Azerbaijan is Islamic majority. All three were within Russia, meaning within the Soviet Union. When the Soviet Union broke down, all three were separated. Okay? So, during that separation, even though Nagorno-Karabakh was predominantly Armenian Christian, it was included as part of Azerbaijan. Since then, they have been planning to separate themselves from Azerbaijan and wanted to become part of Armenia. They have been fighting for that. A war started between the two two years ago. So, they almost took control. Then Russia intervened again and pacified both. Okay? Then things calmed down a bit. Okay? So, now it is completely under the control of Azerbaijan only. That is what is Nagorno-Karabakh. Third one: Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. This also came directly from our mapping class. And these are very important locations in Ukraine which were impacted due to the war. Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Okay? So, see, here is Kherson. This is what is Kherson. Okay? So, Zaporizhzhia comes in this region. Besides this, Odesa, the port of Odesa is also impacted. Perhaps this was also asked. All these are Ukraine's locations in the news. Okay? Direct questions. So, what is the answer? Northern Kivu and Ituri is wrong. Where was this? DRC. Nagorno-Karabakh. They have mismatched this. Okay? So, this is also wrong. It's not from Mozambique. Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine. This is also wrong. The answer is none. Are you able to notice the nature of questions which are being asked here? Most of them are related to borders, regions, frontiers, disputed regions. That's it. Okay? That is world political. Okay? For the 2022 questions, you can see the term Levant. Often heard in the news. Roughly corresponds to which of the following regions? Levant. What is the answer here? Region along the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. Region along the North African coast stretching from Egypt to Morocco. Region along the Persian Gulf and the Horn of Africa. Entire coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Answer is A. This region is what we call it as usually West Asia. West Asia, traditionally called as Middle East. The western part of Asia. Most of them are Arab countries. It's also called as Middle East. Middle East, the term given by the British. Right? And here we have the Mediterranean Sea. The Mediterranean Sea is located between three continents: Europe, Africa, and Asia. All three. Okay? So, on the Mediterranean coast, the part of Asia, particularly covering this West Asia part. Okay? This coastal region is called the Levant. Okay? This part of the coast of West Asia along the Mediterranean region is what is called as Levant. It's a traditionally defined region, the Levant region. In fact, the local wind coming from the Levant is called the Lēvantér. This is the Levant region, and the winds which come in this direction, the local winds which come in this direction, which are experienced here near to Gibraltar, it is called as Lēvantér. Okay? So, because a wind is always named after the direction from which it comes. It comes from the Levant, hence its name is Lēvantér. Levant is this region, the eastern coast of the Middle East, sorry, Mediterranean. Their eastern coast. Preparing for the UPSC Civil Services Examination demands strong preparation across all Mains papers, and when it comes to scoring well in the Mains, your optional subject plays a crucial role. A good performance in your optional paper can be the difference between just qualifying and securing a top rank. 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Region along the North African coast, stretching from Egypt to Morocco. This is not relevant. Okay, so they are saying this is not relevant. Okay, so this is not relevant. Region along the Persian Gulf and Horn of Africa. Where is the Persian Gulf? This is the Persian Gulf. Okay, so from here till the Horn of Africa. I already told you which countries are in the Horn of Africa, right? So this is also not relevant. Entire coastal area of the Mediterranean Sea. Of course not.

Answer is: Region along the eastern Mediterranean shores.

Which of the above have a border with Afghanistan? Simple and direct question. Yes, yes. Levant is the name of the region. It's a local name for the eastern Mediterranean coast region. They call the eastern Mediterranean coast region Levant. No, no, there is no such significance. This is... Yes, yes. Okay, so basically it is the coast of Israel, right? The coast of Israel and Lebanon is called the Levant. The coast of the Mediterranean. Afghanistan. Most important region. Part of Central Asia, right? It becomes part of Central Asia, South Asia both. So when you talk about South Asia, so basically these are SAARC countries. Okay? So from Afghanistan till India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, it's South Asia. Above this comes Central Asia. This is what is Central Asia, up till Russia. This is Central Asia. And from Iran, on this side comes West Asia. And this small region is Caucasus. Afghanistan comes between Central Asia and South Asia as well as West Asia, all three. Afghanistan is a very important region strategically. The Great Mountains, Hindu Kush Mountains are located here.

What are the countries bordering Afghanistan? Okay. So let's start from one side. Let's start from Iran. This is the border of Iran. Below Iran is Pakistan. Here, the border of Afghanistan touches India. This is the India border. India border. Here, there is a narrow corridor of Afghanistan. Can you see this? Okay. So this corridor is a very, very strategic corridor. It is called the Wakhan Corridor. Wakhan Corridor. At the Wakhan Corridor, Pakistan is from below. It forms a border with India. In the same Wakhan Corridor, it also forms a border with China. On its north side is Tajikistan. It's a very, very strategic, narrow corridor. There, two countries whose borders usually don't meet, they also meet. And this is the part where we have PoK. Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. It is not under India's control directly, but officially it is part of India only. Okay? Okay. Therefore, we share a border with Afghanistan as well as China and then Tajikistan. Look next to Tajikistan, with a small gap, Uzbekistan also comes. After that, Turkmenistan. Turkmenistan. Okay? All countries are covered. From the western side, it's Iran. From below, Pakistan, India, China. From above, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan. Which other 'stan' is left? Two 'stans' are left. Tajikistan, sorry, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. How many 'stans' are there in Central Asia? Five 'stans'. I'll tell you about that too. Look, this is Uzbekistan. Start from here. This is Tajikistan. Here is Kyrgyzstan. Above is Kazakhstan. On the western side is Turkmenistan. Below is Afghanistan. Okay? They come in this order. Uzbekistan is trapped in the center. Uzbekistan is known as the doubly landlocked country of the world. What is a landlocked country? Which has no access to the coast. It is a landlocked country. If a landlocked country wants to access the coast, it has to cross one country. If it crosses one country, it gets access to the coast. That is what a landlocked country is. For example, Nepal. Cross India, you are in the Bay of Bengal. Okay? A doubly landlocked country has to cross a minimum of two countries to reach the coast. That means it is surrounded by landlocked countries. There are only two such countries in the world which are doubly landlocked. One is Uzbekistan, another one is Liechtenstein. Okay? So, which is in Europe. Right? So that is a doubly landlocked country. So, this is the location of Uzbekistan. All of ours will be remembered. This is related to Afghanistan, right? So Afghanistan is connected to Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. Here, China, India, Pakistan, and Iran. Now tell me. Is Azerbaijan there? Azerbaijan is very far. Azerbaijan is very far. Kyrgyzstan, this is also above. Tajikistan, yes. Turkmenistan, yes. Uzbekistan, yes. Answer is 3, 4, and 5 only. Meaning, just by Azerbaijan, the answer is found. Remove Azerbaijan, the answer is found. The rest are for confirmation. Okay?

Which of the above are members of the Organization of Turkic States? It was in the news, related to international relations, and we can cover it easily through the map. Organization of Turkic States. So here, Armenia, Croatia, and Romania, they are not Turkic states. Okay? So Armenia, I told you, they are Christian. Croatia too, they are not Islamic. Romania too, they are not Islamic. Here, Azerbaijan is Islamic. Uzbekistan, obviously it is. In addition to this, we have Turkey. Turk, right? So Turkey is there, right? Turkic state. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, these are there. Okay? So in addition to these two, Turkey, Kazakh, and Kyrgyz, Kyrgyzstan. These are the members who are called the Organization of Turkic States. It was in the news, so direct questions have come. Do you remember where each country is? You should be able to recall that. Where is Romania? Which was its neighbor? Yes. Where is Croatia? Where is Croatia? In the Mediterranean Sea, there is another small sea. A small sea within the Mediterranean Sea, next to Italy. Okay? So this is the Mediterranean Sea. This is the Adriatic Sea. Next to the Adriatic Sea, there are lines. Such lines. These are all the countries. Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Albania, and Greece. Okay? So all these countries are here. Some are located a bit inland too. Look, Romania was here. Below it, Bulgaria and Serbia, Kosovo, Macedonia, and these four I mentioned. You should have a rough idea of where each is. When a country comes in the news, then go specific. If Ukraine came in the news, you should go specifically there.

2022. Which of the following statements best reflects the issue with Senkaku Islands, sometimes mentioned in the news? Senkaku Islands? Where are the Senkaku Islands? You know, around China, there are so many islands in many parts of the Pacific Ocean, and it wants to capture them, not because of the islands, but because of their significance in the trade routes. One of the very important routes, the sea route between Europe and, sorry, Asia and the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, this route runs, the route which passes through the Strait of Malacca. Okay? This route travels all the way in this part. There are many islands here. China is claiming these islands. The islands of the South China Sea. Okay? It is disputed between China and these countries. In the same way, there are some islands here too. These were Japan's islands. They are saying these are also ours. Right? So there are many such disputed regions. In that, one of them is the Senkaku Islands. It is also called as Uotsuri. Senkaku. Recently, it was in the news because it was renamed. Earlier, it was called as Diaoyu Island. Earlier called as Diaoyu Island, and it is under the control of Japan only. Japan, when this question came, in that very year, it was renamed as Uotsuri Senkaku. Therefore, the question was asked directly. And look at its location too. It is part of this entire chain of islands of Japan, which extends from Japan. From Japan, like this, the entire island arc extends. What is an island arc? An arc-shaped line of islands which are formed due to subduction. It is formed due to trenches. We will read about this in plate tectonics. Right? So look at this. This entire island is Japan's. From here to here, it is all Japan's. There is no dispute here. They are saying that its last island is mine. How can that be? It is under the control of Japan. Nobody lives there, uninhabited, but under the control of Japan. Okay? So it is also important in the news this year. Because last year, it violated the airspace over there. Okay? So China violated its airspace. Therefore, it becomes significant. Senkaku or Diaoyu Islands. China and Japan engage in military dispute over the islands in the East China Sea. Okay? So another, look, every year, you are getting one question. Come again, come again. No, no, that is based on the organization. They have an organization. It's like a grouping on behalf of, no, no, language, not religion. Again, I say, it's a close group among themselves. That group was in the news, so it came directly. Look, in all three years, you are getting one question like this. Reason for news. Where is Chad? Where is Chad? Chad was a country in the central part of Africa, which falls in the Sahara. Look, here is Chad. Central part of Africa. It also has a very large lake, Lake Chad, which is shared by four countries. Four countries border it. Setting up of a permanent military base by China. This was not in Chad. This is completely inland. China's main focus is maritime. Right? So China set up a military base near Equatorial Guinea. Where is Equatorial Guinea? Here, a small country, Equatorial Guinea. This was DRC. Next to DRC is Congo. Above Congo is Gabon? Above Gabon is Equatorial Guinea. Okay? So China set up a military base there. Okay? A little logic will also work. Look, what is the benefit of going inside the Sahara and setting up a military base? Tell me. Guinea: Suspension of constitution and government by military. Yes, this was also right. Where is Guinea? Western part of Africa? Guinea. Okay? There are three Guineas in Africa. One is Equatorial Guinea, the second is just Guinea, and above Guinea is Guinea-Bissau. Guinea-Bissau. Okay? There is another Guinea in Asia, Papua New Guinea. Third one: Lebanon: Severe and prolonged economic depression. It was there. Yes. Where is Lebanon? The neighbor of Israel, right? Okay? This is Israel, this is Lebanon. Here is a small country, just above. This is Israel, this is Lebanon. This is Syria, this is Jordan. Four countries. Tunisia: Suspension of military parliament by president. Where is Tunisia? Africa. Northernmost part of Africa, which are the Mediterranean countries, right? How many countries are there in Africa in the Mediterranean? Five countries. Okay? This is what is Tunisia. A small country. Okay? The code word is METAL. M E T A L. All five countries have a coast in the Mediterranean Sea. Among these, Tunisia is a small country. Tunisia was famous in the last decade for starting the Arab Spring. Remember? Arab Spring happened, revolutions happened. It started from Tunisia in the name of the Jasmine Revolution. So the answer here is three pairs. Tricky question. If you know, you will get the answer, otherwise not. Okay? So it was not D. Equal, but these three are correct. Region often mentioned in news and the country. Okay? So, this is the same normal theme, it will come directly. Anatolia. Where is Anatolia? Turkey. Anatolia is the entire region of Turkey in Asia. The Asian part. It is also a highly elevated plateau region. Okay? The entire plateau region is what is called the Anatolian Plateau. Okay? So can you see this? This is Anatolia. Amhara region. Where is Amhara? It is next to Tigray, which we marked in Ethiopia. Okay? So next to Tigray, this region is the Amhara region. This is also disputed. Third one: Cabo Delgado. Cabo Delgado is not a region of Spain. It is a region of Mozambique. Cabo Delgado is a disputed region of Mozambique. You know Mozambique, the country next to Madagascar. On mainland Africa. This is Madagascar. This is Mozambique. Which country is below Mozambique? South Africa. This is Mozambique. Here, in this region, there is a dispute. That is Cabo Delgado. Let me tell you an interesting part. Cabo Delgado is matched with Spain. Cabo Delgado should have been matched with Mozambique. This is a 2022 question. This is Cabo Delgado of Mozambique. Next year, they made a question by changing another option. Okay? Catalonia is part of Spain. Okay? Catalonia is basically the part of the eastern part of Spain here. Where Barcelona is. Those who watch football, watch FIFA, they know. Right? So that belongs to Catalonia. Catalonia is part of Spain, which is aiming for separation. Again, they are asking for separation from entire Spain. There was some referendum and all. And Catalonia is not the first time it was asked. It was asked once before. I will show you when it comes. Okay? Catalonia is not Italy. Spain. Anatolia, Turkey. Amhara, Ethiopia. Cabo Delgado, Mozambique. Matched with Spain. Catalonia is Spain, so it is matched with Italy. Both are wrong. Answer is 2 only. Hope you are able to read the question here. Different seas: Adriatic Sea, Black Sea, Caspian Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea. How many seas are there based on color? Which ones? Black Sea, White Sea, Yellow Sea, Red Sea. Okay? Mediterranean Sea, we know. Inside the Mediterranean Sea, I showed you the Adriatic Sea. It is next to Italy. Adriatic Sea. Black Sea, you know, it was below Ukraine and Russia. Black Sea. Where is the Caspian Sea? Next to the Black Sea, on that side is the Caspian Sea. Caspian Sea is the largest lake in the world. Completely landlocked. You know the entrance. Red Sea, you know. Albania. Is it part of the Adriatic Sea? Yes. Croatia. It's part of the Adriatic Sea only. Kazakhstan. Caspian Sea. Yes. Morocco. Mediterranean Sea. Yes. Syria. Is Syria on the Red Sea? No. Okay? So let's look once. It's important. So we are talking about the Adriatic Sea. The Adriatic Sea is surrounded by many countries here. The Adriatic Sea is part of the Mediterranean Sea only. Okay? It's a very simple code word. I told you in the mapping class too. This is the Adriatic Sea. On this side, it is Italy. On this side, we have BSC MA. After BSC, you can do MA. Here are five countries: Bosnia, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania. Greece will not come. Greece is a bit below. The Adriatic Sea ends here. Tell me the five countries? Bosnia, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania. Not in the same order. At least you got a code word. You can remember it. Here, two countries were given in this. Albania (MA) and Croatia (BSC). Both are of the Adriatic Sea. What about the Black Sea? Countries surrounding the Black Sea. Burger T. Burger T or T Burger, take it as you like. Bulgaria, sorry, B B O. I was also thinking. Bulgaria, Ukraine, Romania, and Georgia. Georgia will have E. And then Russia, and then Turkey. Okay? These are the countries surrounding the Black Sea. Okay? Will Croatia be in the Black Sea? Absolutely not. Quickly. Caspian Sea. The code word for the Caspian Sea is even simpler. TaRiKh. TaRiKh. T is Turkmenistan. A is Azerbaijan. R is Russia. I is Iran. K is Kazakhstan. Uzbekistan will not come, remember. Okay? Only five countries have a coast in the Caspian Sea. And the Caspian Sea is not a sea, it is actually a lake. It is called a sea by name, but it is a lake. Is Kazakhstan in the Caspian Sea? Yes. Mediterranean Sea. I told you the code word below. What was it? METAL. M A T L. Morocco is in it, right? Red Sea. The coast of the Red Sea. So from here, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel. It becomes a very small, narrow coast here, like this. And this is called the Gulf of Aqaba. This is only an extension of the Red Sea. They meet inside. Therefore, Jordan and Israel also have a coast here. From here come Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti. I told you a seed here. This is also a seed. Okay? Sudan, Egypt, Eritrea, Djibouti, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel. These are the countries surrounding the Red Sea. Okay? So now tell me. Is Albania on the Adriatic Sea? Yes. Black Sea. Croatia. Caspian Sea. Kazakhstan. Mediterranean Sea. Morocco. Yes. Red Sea. Syria. No. The answer is 1, 3, and 4 only.

B Political. First of all, look, here you got Catalonia. It came earlier. This is 2018. This is earlier. After that, here came Catalonia. Catalonia, Spain. Is it correct or not? Yes. Crimea. Various. Crimea was part of Ukraine, which was annexed by Russia. Right? It's a peninsula in the Black Sea. So this peninsula is what is called Crimea. The story started from here in 2013. Right? So first Russia came and annexed it and then said, we held a referendum here. 99% said they want to go to Russia. Obviously, after annexing, you will say this. Right? That was Crimea. Okay? So their story goes back before that. So it is disputed. Okay? So and that is Crimea. So Crimea belongs to Ukraine or Russia, one of them. Hungary is not there. Mindanao. Where is Mindanao? Mindanao. Philippines? Philippines. That time, you know, so it was the hub of ISIS. There was a dispute going on with ISIS there. Okay? So the Mindanao province of the Philippines. It's the southernmost part. Okay? This is what is in the Mindanao Island. Okay? So that was right. Oromia. Where is Oromia? Oromia is also from Ethiopia. Okay? The part of Ethiopia which is disputed. This is from 2018. So what are the correct answers here? Catalonia is right. Crimea is wrong. Mindanao is right. Oromia is wrong. Answer is 1 and 3 only. Oromia is part of Ethiopia only. In Ethiopia, there were two more. What were they? Amhara and Tigray. Okay. Now, the further back we go, the less relevant it will be. Okay? So the pattern is the same. Aleppo and Kirkuk. These two are locations from, sorry, Aleppo was from Syria. Kirkuk and Mosul were from Iraq. Most of the oil reserves, oil wells are here. Kirkuk and Mosul, both. Mazar-i-Sharif was from Afghanistan. Okay? So in that year, if I remember, there was a huge bomb blast. Because of which many people died, so it was in the news in that context. The answer is 1 and 4. Can remember Mosul and Kirkuk are still important because of the oil reserves, rich oil reserves.

The term "two-state solution" is sometimes mentioned in the news in the context of the affairs of what? Israel and Palestine. This is also a very old issue. All of you must be aware, right? So the part of Israel that was created after World War II. After World War II, it was created because those people were, you know, so they were chased away from there long, long ago. Right? So Britain's moral duty, suddenly, I don't know from where it remembered, said that justice should be done to them. Brought them back, created the state of Israel there. People were already settled, Arabs, and that created a conflict, that is the Israel-Palestine conflict. The people who were settled earlier. So they started asking for a separate state. Okay? Give us Palestine, they said, and occupied two regions. Which ones? Okay? So one is the West Bank. Okay? So that is the region on the border with Jordan, right? That is called the West Bank. Here, on the border with Egypt is Gaza. That was Palestine. Two-state solution refers to that only, the creation of Israel and Palestine.

Very recently, in which of the following countries have lakhs of people either suffered from severe famine or died due to starvation caused by ethnic conflict? So that was Yemen and South Sudan. Yemen, South Sudan, Somalia. They are all countries which are, you know, so having, you know, so very high, such disputes, in terms of famine, or internal conflict, many people are displaced. Okay? So Yemen and South Sudan. Yemen is still in the news because of the conflict. How they have taken power over there. South Sudan's is still going on. So a question from this year also came, right? An interesting part is that of the Mediterranean Sea, the question has been repeated exactly. Look, there is one here, there is one here. It has been repeated exactly. Okay? So let me show this first. This came earlier. Which one of the following countries of Southwest Asia do not open out to the Mediterranean Sea? What does that mean? They don't have a coast on the Mediterranean Sea. Mediterranean Sea, we covered. Which ones in Africa? METAL, five countries. Okay? So in Europe, you can look a bit. So from there come Spain, France, Italy, right? Then MSC, BSCMA. Okay? So all these will be there. Then Greece will come. Then look at who are below. Here is Turkey. Okay? So after Turkey, there are actually four countries here. All four don't have. The four countries together, we have a code word: JILS. Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Syria. Among these, Syria has a coast on the Mediterranean, Lebanon has a coast on the Mediterranean, Israel has a coast on the Mediterranean, not Jordan. Jordan has a coast on the Red Sea. For that matter, Israel also has a coast on the Red Sea. Israel has it on both sides. It's a small, narrow opening, but otherwise, from here, you get Israel, Lebanon, Syria, and then Turkey. Okay? These are the countries with a coast on the Mediterranean Sea. Which one of the following countries does not open out to the Mediterranean Sea? Meaning, does not have a coast on the Mediterranean Sea? Syria, yes or no? Yes. Jordan, no. Lebanon, yes. Israel, yes. Okay? So now come here. Mediterranean Sea border. Which of the following countries? Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria. Jordan and Iraq are not there. Lebanon and Syria are. Answer is C. Answer is C here. What about GCC? Gulf Cooperation Council members? For that, you need to remember the countries around the Persian Gulf. The countries of the Persian Gulf. Tell me. Come from above. Iran. This is the Persian Gulf. And this is what? The Gulf of Oman. It is full of oil. Known for oil trade, oil export. Right? So first, tell me the countries of the Persian Gulf: Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, and then UAE and Oman. People forget Oman. So let me show this part. See, from above, the entire Iran. From here, through a small narrow opening, comes Iraq. Then Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain. Bahrain is an island, it is within this. Qatar, UAE. This tip part of the UAE, this is controlled by Oman. It has been under Oman's control for a long period of time. So therefore, Oman also has a coast on the Persian Gulf. On the other hand, UAE also has a coast on the Gulf of Oman. In the Gulf of Oman, Iran, UAE, and Oman, three countries will come. Okay? Now tell me. Yes. This was for the Persian Gulf. Which countries were in the Persian Gulf? Remember? Among them, remove Iran and Iraq. The rest all became GCC. GCC is a grouping formed by these countries other than Iran and Iraq. Iran is not there. Saudi Arabia, Oman, and Kuwait. All three are there. Iran is not there. The community sometimes mentioned in the news in the affairs of this region. Meaning, disputed communities or those communities are in the news. Kurds. Where are the Kurds? West Asia. There is a region here, it is called Kurdistan. Can you see this? Kurdistan. Kurds are not a separate country. It is made up of the people, the local community who are called Kurds. It is located in this entire region. This covers the entire region. So including Iran, Turkey, as well as Iraq. Kurdistan covers this entire region. They are asking for separation. They are not terrorists as such. So it is a local community. So they are a tribal community. In fact, they also helped in chasing away ISIS. They also supported in driving away ISIS. Then after that, they started their own work recently. Okay? Okay. So Kurdistan was in the news for 2024 also because Turkey has, you know, so started to attack these communities over there. That is Kurdistan. Not in Bangladesh. Madhesi is in Nepal. The community that lives along the plain areas of Nepal. Rohingya, Myanmar. Okay? So Rohingya refugee crisis, we know. So Rohingyas from Myanmar. Okay? They were the Islamic Bengali community from East Bengal. Right? So they were taken there during the British rule, and they don't have nationality. They don't have citizenship there. Therefore, they are targeted. Okay? The answer is 2 and 3 only. Okay? 2 and 3 only.

Golan Heights. Is Golan Heights? Middle East. Not Pakistan in the Gulf. Right? Pakistan is a bit far. Okay? So this will be part of the Arabian Sea. Okay? See, the four countries I told you. I gave you a code word. What is that? JILS. Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, Syria. All four countries meet at a location in the center, which is called the Golan Heights. It's an elevated region. Strategically very important because it borders all four countries. Till 1967, it was located inside Syria. It was inside Syria. In 1967, a war happened. What is its name? Six-Day War. The Six-Day War was between Israel. Israel and Syria, and all the countries. So then Israel went and captured it. Since then, it is under Israel's control only because of its strategic location. It helps in controlling the entire region, right? So it is under the control of Israel. Okay? So when the first term of Trump came, then Trump even recognized it. Everyone knows it is captured. He said it belongs to Israel. It's done. He recognized it by saying this. Right? So it was in the news. This has been covered. Which does not open out to the Mediterranean Sea? Jordan. Among the following, which were frequently mentioned in the news for the outbreak of Ebola virus? This is very old. Okay? Where did Ebola come? It came in these West African countries. Guinea, Liberia, West Africa. Remember? Then you will get the answer because none of the others are from West Africa. Okay? So you can see, almost the major part is covered by political questions. So the next question is about the mapping question related to the physical features of the Earth. You know, this question you can also consider to be part of geomorphology, where you study regarding the different, you know, so the types of mountains and their origin and their orientation. Right? And that was also a favorite part of geomorphology in UPSC Mains. Two types of questions have been asked regarding the location of mountains along the borders of the continents. Why are they located near the continental edges? Right? Explain it. So basically, you need to cover the distribution of these mountains thoroughly. Okay? So based on that, questions have come. Questions have come here. It's a 2024 question. It's an interesting question because it's three parts. Usually, in matching, there are two parts. Here there are three parts. One is region. Second one is the name of the mountain range. Third one is the type of mountain. When three match, will it be easy or difficult? Makes it easy. So matching two is easier than matching all three. Then it will be correct, right? So if at least one of them is wrong, then the whole thing is wrong. It will be easily eliminated. First one: Central Asia, Vosges, Fold Mountain. All three are wrong. Vosges is a mountain which is present in Europe and it is a type of block mountain. Okay? If you know even one of these, you will mark it. You should know either Vosges is a block mountain or Vosges is present in Europe. Okay? Alps, block mountain. These two are correct, but this is wrong. Alps is the best example of a fold mountain. It is called a young fold mountain. Just like the Himalayas were formed, the Alps were also formed. Right? So therefore, we cannot consider this to be right. So it is totally not a block mountain. Vosges was a block mountain. Alps was a fold mountain. North America, Appalachians, fold mountain. This is right. Appalachian Mountains are in North America. If there are two major mountains, on the western side it is the Rockies, on the eastern side it is the Appalachians. They are examples of fold mountains. South America, Andes, fold mountain. This is also right. Okay? So if you know the mountains of the world, so you can easily identify and recognize them. You will get the answer directly. Yes. Yes, not coastal area. It's mainly along the edge of the continent. So the coast will definitely come. Okay? So let me just tell you why. So they are basically corresponding to the plate boundaries of the world. Okay? They correspond to plate boundaries. So wherever there is a plate boundary. Because of the movement of different types of plates. Wherever there is a convergence, the convergence causes compression and folding, and that causes the formation of mountains. Here there are two plates. This is what is the Nazca Plate. This is the South American Plate. Both of them are moving towards each other. Because of which, along the border, there is a convergence and folding process. The rock layers which are like this, over a period of time, they fold like this. That is what is called a fold mountain. We have a very important fold mountain of South America. That is what is the Andes. The same kind of fold mountain is also located here. This is what is the Rockies. Okay? So and here we have the Alps. These are also fold mountains because the African Plate is converging with the Eurasian Plate. The Himalayas are also fold mountains because the Indian Plate collided with the Eurasian Plate. Here is a mountain. A small mountain, Caucasus. Caucasus. Caucasus Mountains. They are also fold mountains. These are all the fold mountains which were formed in the last period. Okay? So that is the Tertiary period. Okay? So that was before the last. Now, the present last one was formed in the Quaternary period, during the Tertiary period. Because various different continents which moved away started to converge in different directions, that resulted in the formation of fold mountains. The way the Himalayas are formed. They are also formed. What are the fold mountains here? Himalayas, Caucasus, Alps. In Africa, Atlas. This is what is the Atlas Mountains. Rocky Mountains and then Andes Mountains. Since they are formed in recent times, they are also called young fold mountains. In the same process of folding, another set of mountains were formed long, long ago. They are called fold mountains of olden times. They are called old fold mountains. What are the old fold mountains of the world? Appalachians, eastern part of, you know, USA, Appalachians, and Aravallis. Okay? As well as Ural Mountains, to some extent. Yes, they are all old fold mountains. The third type. Basically, if young fold, fold, fold are separated, then in the third category come block mountains. Due to rifting activity and faulting activities, they are formed. The important block mountains of the world are located here. One is the Black Forest. Next to it is the Vosges. Because block mountains are always in separate blocks. If this is one block mountain, this is another one. This is what is the Black Forest in Germany. This is what is the Vosges in France. Between both is the Rift Valley, Rhine Rift Valley. It comes between both. They are block mountains. In the context of India, this becomes Vindhya. This is Satpura. And this is Narmada. These are examples of block mountains of India. Right? So these are the locations of major mountains. Now tell me. Vosges is a block mountain, present in Western Europe, in France. Alps is not a block mountain, it's a fold mountain. North America, Appalachians, fold mountain, old fold mountain. South America, Andes, fold mountains, young fold mountains. The answer is only two.

This was a slightly tricky question from last year. The Red Sea receives very little precipitation in any form. Is that right or wrong? Where is the Red Sea? The Red Sea is located between Africa and Asia. This part is what is called the Red Sea. Okay? So it's not only the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf as well as this entire region of the subtropical region receives very little rainfall. Because of this, this entire region here has a very large desert. That is the Sahara Desert. The largest desert in the world. Precipitation is already low. That is right. Okay? So, the reason for this, you know. You will read about it in climatology. Right? So offshore trade winds, high pressure belt, cold ocean currents, multiple reasons. It's because of this. This entire region is totally dry in nature. So statement one is right. No water enters the Red Sea from the river. This is a slightly tricky part. And from our side, we made a conclusive statement. This is wrong. Because "no water" is a 100% blanket ban, it's difficult to say. There must be some small river, seasonal, right? So that enters the Red Sea. So therefore, it is not correct to consider this 100%. We have to wait for the official answer key of UPSC. Okay? So as per the present discussion, the most widely accepted answer for this is one only. Because saying 100% completely is difficult. So here the answer should be one only.

One of the following regions has the world's largest...

Tropical Peatland. This is totally from the current context. Okay, what is a peatland? A peatland is a marshy and wetland area with rich organic matter. Okay? So that is usually found in the regions where there are waterlogged conditions. Alright? And such kinds of peatlands are present in tropical regions, particularly in Africa. The Congo Basin. Peatlands are in the Congo Basin. One of the largest peatlands is there. It holds about 3 years' worth of global carbon emissions from fossil fuels, and the possible destruction of which can exert a detrimental effect on the global climate. Imagine we dried that whole thing up. All the carbon inside it would decompose and get released. Right? So that will add to global warming. Which one of them denotes that region? This is the Congo Basin. The Congo Basin is known for the world's largest peatlands. It was in the news because there was a declaration which was accepted. It is called the Brazzaville Declaration. Okay, so if you know Brazzaville, where is Brazzaville? Congo, two countries here: Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo. Brazzaville is here. Alright? So it is because of this only that it was in the news. It was a tricky question to ask about the animals found in their natural habitats across the world. Okay? So, till now, it was never asked. And this, normally, you should have covered this as part of the environment. Okay? It could have been covered through the environment. And covering all animals in the environment is very difficult. You can study India's a bit by targeting it. There are so many in the world, which ones to study, which ones not to study. It will become easier if you do it through a map. Therefore, I have included it here. Okay? So, it's very easy. You just mark the biomes of the world. Okay? So, there are a total of five or six biomes in the world. And in each of the biomes, there are certain characteristic species which are found over there. If you can recognize them, you will get most of the answers here. Indri, what is Indri? Indri is a type of lemur. Lemur. Do you know lemur? It's like a monkey. It is found only in Madagascar. Lemurs are animals which are found exclusively in Madagascar. You will not find any other type of lemur anywhere else. Indri is one such type. Okay, it looks like this. It's like a monkey. It's not a monkey. They are called lemurs. You will not find it anywhere else. It is found in the Madagascar rainforest biome. If you know about the rainforest biome and the animals found here, you would have remembered this. Alright? It is exclusive to Madagascar. It is not in Brazil. Elk, an elk is a type of deer. A very big deer, right? It has very large antlers. Which is found in the taiga biome. The taiga region, which is coniferous forest, that's where it is found. That is what an elk deer is. Here, the answer says Indonesia. Indonesia has rainforests. It won't be found there. If such a big animal goes into such a dense forest, it will get trapped, right? How can it be surveyed? Bonobo is a type of ape. Do you know apes? Bonobos are very similar to chimpanzees. It's a smaller version of a chimpanzee, that's called a bonobo. Chimpanzees, gorillas, and bonobos, all three are in Africa, in African rainforests only. Alright? So, all three are wrong, basically. Indri is in Madagascar. Elk is usually found in Canada, Alaska. Bonobo is found in Africa. Okay? That is mainland Africa. They are found in the Congo rainforest. Not in Madagascar. Therefore, the answer is none. All of them. All of them are wrong. See, a question about the Congo Basin came in 2023. The same question has come again here in 2024. The Congo Basin is a very important part. Because, you know, it is one of the largest rainforests on the surface of the Earth. The second largest after the Amazon Basin. It's the second largest after the Amazon, that is the Congo. And recently in the news for many reasons. Okay? The Congo Basin is in the news in many contexts. And you should definitely know about its surrounding countries. Okay? So, what are the countries that are present in the Congo Basin? Okay? This entire part is the Congo Basin. You can start from here. Okay? So, it includes surrounding parts of. Okay? How do we identify the Congo Basin? Okay? Let me just show here. If you come to Google Maps, you will find it very clearly. Rainforests of Congo. Okay? So, in Africa, if you can see very clearly, you can identify this region, the dark green region. This is the Congo Basin. The rich rainforest region. Right? From here, it goes into the savanna, the dry grassland. So, why is it here? Why is there savanna near the equatorial region as well? Because of the Rift Valley. The East African Rift Valley is a highly elevated region. It causes differences in precipitation and temperature. Therefore, this is not a rainforest. Descend from the Rift Valley. You will find the Congo. The Congo Basin. And it will go all the way up until it encounters dry land, the savanna region again. So, basically, our Congo Basin is surrounded by savanna. Which countries are included in this? Look from the bottom. This part, Angola. The Angolan part will start from here. Zambia. Okay? So, and this is part of the Rift Valley. What is on this side of the Rift Valley will not be included. So, Tanzania will not be included. Then it will go like this. Going all the way up, both of these will be included. Some parts of Rwanda and Burundi. And then, the entire DRC comes under the Congo Basin, and then the Central African Republic and Cameroon, and this entire Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, right? Congo, all these countries are included in it. Okay. So, what is on this side will not be included. Okay? So, let's come back to the question. Which part is in the Congo Basin? Cameroon is. Nigeria is not. Where is Nigeria? It's up here. Nigeria falls in the Sahara, Sahel. South Sudan. That is completely dry. Uganda, and on this side, next to Kenya, wasn't Uganda there? That is also savanna only. So, that is not part of the Congo Basin. Mainly, you find Cameroon in the Congo Basin. The question about lakes is very famous for UPSC. Particularly those lakes which have dried up in recent times. Those that have dried up recently are very important. Before this, a long time ago, the Aral Sea came. The Aral Sea is 90% dried up. Okay? So, the Aral Sea is in Asia. Okay? In 2022, this question was asked: Which one of the following lakes in West Africa has become dry and turned into a desert? What is this? Lake Faguibine. Lake Faguibine. Okay. Let's look at another one. Lake Victoria. Where is Lake Victoria? Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa. It is the third largest lake on the surface of the Earth after the Caspian Sea and Lake Superior. It has a lot of water. This will not dry up so easily. This is Lake Victoria, from which originates the Blue Nile, sorry, the White Nile. The White Nile is the source of, sorry, the White Nile originates from Lake Victoria. The White Nile is the main tributary of the Nile River. Lake Faguibine comes. So, Lake Oguta. Where is Lake Oguta? Lake Oguta is a lake in Nigeria. Okay? Which is located near the delta of the Niger River. This is the Niger River. It's near the delta. This will not dry up so easily because it comes under a slightly rainforest area. Lake Volta. Where is Lake Volta? This is Lake Volta in the western part of Africa. It is a very large lake. Okay? So, it's a huge lake. And Lake Faguibine is here. I'll show you. Here, there is a river which originates from this part. It starts from here, travels all the way here, then at this point, it takes a U-turn. Its entire mood has changed. It takes a U-turn, comes from here, and ends here. What is this river? The Niger River. The lifeline of West Africa. It's the lifeline of West Africa. Particularly, leaving this entire forest area, the coastal area, this forest area, and coming here, the dry area starts. This is called Sudan, sorry, Sudan. Sudan is basically savanna grassland. The Sudan region. Above Sudan comes the Sahel. Sahel is like, before the desert, you encounter this dry grassland, that is the Sahel. Then after that comes the Sahara. The lifeline of the Sahel region is the Niger River. This is the Niger River. Near this part, here is Lake Faguibine. It used to take water from the Niger River. The Niger River used to feed this lake. And in recent times, it has almost dried up because of the low water levels in the Niger River itself. Okay. So, this is Lake Faguibine. It has completely dried up. It is almost becoming a desert. Lake Faguibine. So, any lake that is drying up, becoming like a desert, please remember, it is already a favorite of UPSC. The answer is Lake Faguibine. Rivers of the world. In rivers, look. So, you have to remember in which part of the world it flows and in which area, which sea it enters. Which sea it ends in, you should know that. And which part, which part of the continent. Okay? Two things. Where is the Mekong River? The Mekong River is a river that comes from China and enters Indochina. There are five countries in Indochina. Which ones? Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia. The code word is MTV, VLC. Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia. Okay? So, the Mekong flows through all five countries. Follow its border, you will find it. It's a very important river of Indochina, this region. And where is the Andaman Sea? Where is the Andaman Sea? The Andaman Sea is a part of the sea in the Arabian, sorry, Bay of Bengal, towards the east of the Andaman. The Mekong comes from here. It drains into the South China Sea. The Mekong drains into the South China Sea, not the Andaman Sea. Thames River. You must have heard of it. The very famous Thames River of London. Right? So, England, London is located on the Thames River, and the Thames River drains into the North Sea. Okay, this is where we have the Thames River. The Thames River ends here and drains into the North Sea. Okay. So, like this. This is what the Aral Sea is. The Aral Sea on the western side. The Volga is the longest river of Europe. The Volga comes from Russia and enters only the Caspian Sea. Okay. This is the Volga. It comes all the way around. Finally, it enters the Caspian Sea. It drains into the Caspian Sea. The Zambezi is a major river of South Africa. Southern Africa. Okay? That enters the Indian Ocean. Okay? So, in fact, the Zambezi is so famous. It comes from here. It forms the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia. And then it enters and drains into the Indian Ocean. It ends in the Indian Ocean. It's a very, very important river of the southern part of Africa. And the very famous Victoria Falls is located on the Zambezi River itself. Victoria Falls, a very beautiful waterfall, located at the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe. Alright? On this Zambezi River, there is a large artificial lake. The largest artificial lake on the surface of the Earth. Lake Kariba. Lake Kariba is recently in the news because of drought conditions, total dry conditions. This is of the Zambezi River. So, now tell me, Mekong, Andaman Sea, right or wrong? Thames, Aral Sea? Volga, Caspian Sea? Zambezi, Indian Ocean? The correct answer is three and four only. Very easy and direct. You just need to know where it is, in which region it goes, and you will get the answer. Right? This is another lake that has completely dried up. The question is: Which of the following have immensely dried up in recent times due to human activities? Aral Sea, yes. Black Sea, no. Lake Baikal, no. Aral Sea. See, it's a very important sea in Central Asia. It's in the north, Kazakhstan, and in the south, Uzbekistan. Between the two, this sea. So, earlier, this entire region was a big, big lake. They call it a sea, but actually, it's a lake. It was a very large lake. It has dried up by 90%. Only a small part is left, like this much water is left. That's because there are two major rivers that drain into the Aral Sea: the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya. Both of these have dried up completely because multiple dams and projects have been constructed over them, and because of that, over a period of time, the entire lake has dried up. Okay? So, otherwise, can you expect the Black Sea to dry up? Is it possible? No, because the Black Sea is connected to the Mediterranean Sea. The Mediterranean Sea is connected to the Atlantic Ocean. If the water here empties, then the entire ocean's water will have to empty. Only then will it empty. So, it will not dry up. Okay? So, it's not just a lake. And the third is Lake Baikal. The most important lake in the world because it contains 22% of the surface water on the surface of the Earth. 22% of the fresh water on the surface of the Earth is present in a single lake. It is the deepest lake on the surface. It has a huge amount of volume. We studied the five lakes. The Great Lakes. Okay? So, the amount of water present in Lake Baikal is more than the combined water of all the five Great Lakes. It's that big. This cannot dry up. Okay? So, if this can happen, then it's the end of times, right? Then it might happen. The answer is Aral Sea only, one only. Okay? So, physical geography, see, it's simple, easy, direct. If you cover the major points, you will get the answer. Economic mapping, location. See, the largest cocoa producer in the world. West African countries. Africa, right? So, cocoa as well as coffee, one of the largest in the world. Here, there are only two countries given which are, well, only one option given, which is from West Africa, so the answer will be found very easily. Algeria and Morocco are in North Africa. They are not there. It's so dry there. No water. How will cocoa come? Botswana, Namibia, Southern part of Africa, no. Madagascar, Mozambique, also no. It is basically Ivory Coast, Côte d'Ivoire, and Ghana. Okay? Suffering from decades of civil strife and food shortages, and the news was that it was Somalia. You know the story of Somalia. And so much tragedy is happening there. 3/4 of the world's cobalt metal required for manufacturing of batteries is produced by the Democratic Republic of Congo. Okay? See, you can study this traditionally as part of your economic geography. But you can cover it easily through mapping. Major, major producers. Take a world map and mark it. Who are the major, major producers? If 30%, 40%, 50% is in one country, mark it. Right? That is our target. And all of this is recently in the news. Bidi Bidi is a large refugee settlement in northwestern Kenya. Some people who fled from South Sudan civil war live in Bidi Bidi. And the third statement: Some people who fled from civil war in Somalia live in the Dadaab refugee complex in Kenya. This was all in the news. Okay? So, it's a news-related location. The first statement is wrong. The other two are correct. Okay? Okay. So, Bidi Bidi is basically one of the largest refugee settlements on Earth. It is present in Uganda, not Kenya. Okay? So, it's in the news, a directly news-related location. And the people who came from South Sudan, so Uganda is just below it, so they settled there. People from Somalia also came. Okay? So, meaning, those who came to the refugee complex in Kenya. Okay? So, if you observe closely, you will find a conflict here. You might get a hint from there. The Dadaab refugee complex in Kenya. So, if there are other such large refugee settlements in the same region, then the whole of Kenya would be filled with refugees, right? So, it's not in Kenya, it's basically in Uganda. The answer is two and three only. Chabahar Port. Have you heard of it? Where is Chabahar? Iran. There are two important ports in Iran that are strategically very significant. The port here is Bandar Abbas. Strategically located between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It's very, very strategic. That is Bandar Abbas. Here is a small port, this is Chabahar. Chabahar is very, very significant because this port was developed with the help of India. Okay? It was developed with India's support, and Iran has granted access to India as well. And it is just very near to Gwadar. Gwadar was developed in Pakistan with the help of China. Right? So, to counter that, we developed it here with an agreement. That is Chabahar. Okay? So, it's not for African countries. Oil-producing Arab countries will be strengthened. India will not depend on Pakistan for access to Afghanistan and Central Asia. This is it. Pakistan will facilitate and protect the installation of a gas pipeline between India and Iraq. They won't do that much. India will not depend on Pakistan for access to Afghanistan and Central Asia. That is the point, actually. See, the idea is, of course, we have land that officially belongs to India in this part, but it is occupied by Pakistan. That is what we call PoK. Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, right? If at all we had access to here, we would have directly entered Afghanistan from here, and from Afghanistan to Central Asia. Central Asia has huge rich reserves of minerals. It's also a very good friend for India. So, we would have had better trade and establishment over there. But unfortunately, we don't have control over there. So, therefore, we developed a route via this. Because Pakistan always objects to any trade. Now, it has stopped completely, so it's good. Let's see. So, we established this port so that it provides easy accessibility to India. And from here, we also built a railway route and highways inside Afghanistan. So that we can provide better connectivity towards Central Asia. We don't have to depend on Pakistan for this trade route, right? That was the idea of Chabahar Port. BRI, Belt and Road Initiative, is a very old initiative of China. Direct question across the world, it develops infrastructure. Mekong-Ganga Cooperation. Initiative of six countries. Which of the following are not participants? MCG, tell me. Mekong is a river that flows through a total of six countries. China plus five. Plus five are: Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Five countries. That is the Mekong. Okay? So, along with it, Ganga is India's. It goes through India and Bangladesh. But Bangladesh is not part of this. MCG is Mekong. MGC is Mekong-Ganga Cooperation. It is between India and these five countries. India plus five. Bangladesh will not be here. Remove Bangladesh, you get the answer. Cambodia is there. China is definitely not there. Why would we include it? The answer is 2 and 4. Oh, not participants are 1 and 3. Okay. So, that was world mapping. Major world-related topics, we have finished. Okay? So, you guys have class. Alright, let's stop here. Anyway, our analysis part took more time. So, tomorrow, we will quickly cover India's physical geography as well as the rest of the world's physical geography and India's physical geography. See you all tomorrow. Thank you. [Music]