Indian and World Geography — Study Notes

**Railway Group D (Level 1) | General Awareness and Current Affairs**

Overview

Geography questions in Railway Group D form a consistent part of the General Awareness section, typically asking about physical features, major rivers, state/country capitals, and basic economic geography. You can expect 3–5 direct questions covering Indian states and their capitals, important mountain ranges, rivers and their tributaries, major ports, minerals and crops, and occasionally world geography basics like continents, oceans, and capital cities of neighboring countries.

Mastery requires memorizing factual information systematically—don't try to learn everything at once. Focus first on Indian physical geography (mountains, rivers, plateaus), then political geography (states, capitals, boundaries), followed by economic geography (crops, minerals, industries). World geography questions are fewer and usually limited to continents, oceans, neighboring countries of India, and their capitals. Use maps actively while studying; visual memory significantly improves recall during the exam.

The key to scoring well is creating mental clusters: group states by region, rivers by basin, crops by soil type. This topic rewards disciplined memorization and regular revision more than analytical thinking.

Key Concepts

**Physical Geography** refers to natural features—mountains, rivers, plateaus, deserts, coastlines—while **Political Geography** covers man-made divisions like states, districts, capitals and boundaries. Know the distinction; questions often ask "which state has this river" or "capital of this state."

**India has seven major physiographic divisions**: the Himalayas, Northern Plains, Peninsular Plateau, Indian Desert, Coastal Plains, Eastern Highlands, and Islands. Each region has distinct landforms, climate and economic activities. The Himalayas are young fold mountains; the Peninsular Plateau is an ancient stable block.

**River systems** are classified by drainage direction. The Himalayan rivers (Ganga, Brahmaputra, Indus) are perennial and snow-fed; Peninsular rivers (Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Narmada, Tapi) are seasonal and rain-fed. Know which rivers flow east (into Bay of Bengal) versus west (into Arabian Sea).

**Economic Geography** links resources to production. Black soil (regur) suits cotton; alluvial soil suits wheat and rice; red soil suits millets. Iron ore is in Jharkhand-Odisha belt; coal in Jharkhand-Chhattisgarh-West Bengal. Petroleum is in Mumbai High, Assam-Arunachal and Krishna-Godavari basin.

**India's neighboring countries** (seven land neighbors): Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar. Two sea neighbors: Sri Lanka and Maldives. Questions often ask about borders, passes (Khyber, Nathu La), or capitals of these nations.

**Latitudes and Longitudes**: India lies between 8°4'N to 37°6'N latitude and 68°7'E to 97°25'E longitude. The Tropic of Cancer (23°30'N) passes through eight Indian states. Standard Meridian is 82°30'E passing through Prayagraj.

**World Geography basics**: Seven continents (Asia largest, Australia smallest), five oceans (Pacific largest, Arctic smallest). The Equator divides Earth into Northern and Southern hemispheres; Prime Meridian divides into Eastern and Western hemispheres.

**Major Indian ports**: Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Visakhapatnam, Kandla, Kochi, Mormugao. Know which coast each port is on and what commodities they handle. Mumbai and Kandla are on the west coast; Chennai and Visakhapatnam on the east coast.

Formulas / Key Facts

1. **Highest peak in India**: Kanchenjunga (8,586 m) in Sikkim; K2 is taller but in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. 2. **Longest river entirely in India**: Ganga (2,525 km); the Brahmaputra is longer overall but flows through China and Bangladesh too. 3. **Largest state by area**: Rajasthan (342,239 km²); largest by population: Uttar Pradesh (≈240 million). 4. **Southernmost point of India**: Indira Point in Great Nicobar Island; southernmost point of mainland: Kanyakumari. 5. **Standard Meridian**: 82°30'E (passes through Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh); gives Indian Standard Time (IST = UTC + 5:30 hours). 6. **Tropic of Cancer passes through eight states**: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura, Mizoram. 7. **Major mountain ranges**: Himalayas (north), Aravalli (oldest in India, Rajasthan), Vindhya, Satpura, Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats. 8. **Major rivers and their tributaries**: Ganga (Yamuna, Gandak, Kosi, Ghaghra), Brahmaputra (Subansiri, Teesta), Godavari (Pranhita, Indravati), Krishna (Tungabhadra, Bhima). 9. **Neighboring country capitals**: Islamabad (Pakistan), Kabul (Afghanistan), Beijing (China), Kathmandu (Nepal), Thimphu (Bhutan), Dhaka (Bangladesh), Naypyidaw (Myanmar), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Malé (Maldives). 10. **Continents by size**: Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, Australia. 11. **Largest producers in India**: Rice (West Bengal, Punjab), Wheat (Uttar Pradesh, Punjab), Cotton (Gujarat, Maharashtra), Sugarcane (Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra). 12. **Major coal fields**: Jharia (Jharkhand), Raniganj (West Bengal), Singrauli (Madhya Pradesh), Talcher (Odisha).

Worked Examples

**Example 1**: Which river does NOT originate in the Himalayas—Ganga, Brahmaputra, Godavari, or Yamuna? **Solution**: The Godavari originates in the Western Ghats (Trimbakeshwar, Maharashtra), not the Himalayas. Ganga originates at Gangotri, Brahmaputra in Tibet, and Yamuna at Yamunotri—all Himalayan sources. **Answer: Godavari.**

**Example 2**: The Tropic of Cancer does NOT pass through which state—Gujarat, Rajasthan, Odisha, or Tripura? **Solution**: List the eight states through which the Tropic of Cancer passes: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura, Mizoram. Odisha is not in this list. **Answer: Odisha.**

**Example 3**: Which mineral belt is known as the "Ruhr of India"? **Solution**: The Chota Nagpur Plateau (Jharkhand and adjacent areas) is called the "Ruhr of India" due to dense concentration of coal, iron ore, manganese and other minerals, supporting heavy industries. The Ruhr region in Germany is similarly mineral-rich. **Answer: Chota Nagpur Plateau.**

Common Mistakes

**Confusing Himalayan and Peninsular rivers**: Students mix up which rivers are perennial (Himalayan—Ganga, Brahmaputra, Indus) versus seasonal (Peninsular—Godavari, Krishna). Remember: Himalayan = snow-fed = perennial; Peninsular = rain-fed = seasonal.

**Mixing up east-flowing and west-flowing Peninsular rivers**: Most Peninsular rivers flow east into the Bay of Bengal (Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Mahanadi). Only Narmada and Tapi flow west into the Arabian Sea. Fix: Narmada-Tapi = West, all others = East.

**Capital confusion for smaller states**: Students remember Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata but forget capitals like Dispur (Assam), Gangtok (Sikkim), Shillong (Meghalaya), Aizawl (Mizoram). Tip: group northeastern states separately and revise their capitals together.

**Assuming K2 is India's highest peak**: K2 (8,611 m) is in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. India's highest peak fully within its territory is Kanchenjunga (8,586 m) in Sikkim. Correct answer depends on how the question is worded—"in India" versus "controlled by India."

**Forgetting island territories**: Lakshadweep (Arabian Sea) and Andaman & Nicobar (Bay of Bengal) are often missed. Remember their capitals: Kavaratti (Lakshadweep), Port Blair (Andaman & Nicobar). Also know: Indira Point is India's southernmost point.

Quick Reference

**Indian Standard Meridian**: 82°30'E → IST = UTC + 5:30 hours.
**Tropic of Cancer states**: Gujarat, Rajasthan, MP, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura, Mizoram (8 states).
**West-flowing rivers**: Only Narmada and Tapi; rest flow east.
**Neighboring countries**: 7 land (Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar), 2 sea (Sri Lanka, Maldives).
**Largest state**: Rajasthan (area), Uttar Pradesh (population).
**Major soil-crop pairs**: Black soil–Cotton; Alluvial–Wheat/Rice; Red soil–Millets.

Indian and World Geography