Political Geography (India & World) — Study Notes

Overview

Political Geography forms a critical scoring area in UPSSSC PET, typically yielding 3–5 direct questions on states, capitals, neighbouring countries, and world political features. Unlike dynamic current affairs, this topic is **fixed knowledge** — once memorised, it remains valid across exam attempts. Success here requires accurate recall of India's 28 states and 8 Union Territories (as per current constitutional status), their capitals (administrative and legislative where different), and the geographical positioning of India's seven land neighbours plus maritime boundaries. World political geography focuses on major countries, capitals, continents, and regional groupings that appear in both Geography and General Awareness sections.

Mastering this topic builds a foundation for related questions on international organisations (which country hosts which HQ), bilateral relations (India-Nepal trade routes), and regional geopolitics (SAARC composition). Students must maintain currency with any recent administrative changes — for example, reorganisation of states or renaming of cities — as exam setters favour recent modifications. The key challenge is **avoiding confusion** between similar-sounding capitals (Ljubljana/Bratislava) or state-capital pairs that don't match linguistically (Dispur is Assam's capital, not Guwahati).

Effective preparation involves map-based learning rather than rote lists. Visualising geographic clusters (Northeast states together, Himalayan neighbours in sequence west-to-east) dramatically improves retention and reduces errors under exam pressure.

Key Concepts

• **Indian States & UTs (Current Count)**: India comprises 28 states and 8 Union Territories after the 2019 reorganisation that bifurcated Jammu & Kashmir into two UTs. Students must know both the count and the complete list with capitals.

• **Bifurcated States & Recent Changes**: Focus on post-2000 formations — Chhattisgarh (2000), Uttarakhand (2000), Jharkhand (2000), Telangana (2014), J&K/Ladakh reorganisation (2019). These are high-frequency exam points.

• **Legislative vs Administrative Capitals**: Some states have different capitals for different functions — Maharashtra (Mumbai-administrative, Nagpur-winter), Gujarat (Gandhinagar-administrative, Ahmedabad-judiciary until recent shift). Jammu & Kashmir historically alternated between Jammu (winter) and Srinagar (summer).

• **India's Land Neighbours (7 Countries)**: Moving clockwise from northwest — Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Afghanistan (tiny Wakhan Corridor border). Remember the mnemonic **"PC NBBMA"** or note that Sri Lanka and Maldives are maritime neighbours only, not land borders.

• **World Continents & Ocean Distribution**: Seven continents (Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, Australia), five oceans (Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern, Arctic). Asia is the largest by both area and population.

• **Regional Groupings**: SAARC (8 South Asian nations), ASEAN (10 Southeast Asian nations), EU (27 after Brexit), African Union (55 members). These overlap with General Awareness but have geographical significance.

• **Enclaves & Exclaves**: Bangladesh has 92 enclaves within India (now exchanged post-2015 Land Boundary Agreement). Vatican City and San Marino are enclaves within Italy.

• **Disputed Territories**: Kashmir (India-Pakistan-China), Palestine-Israel boundaries, Crimea (Russia-Ukraine), South China Sea claims. Exam questions typically ask about India's stance or geographic location of disputes.

Formulas / Key Facts

1. **Total Indian States**: 28 (after Telangana 2014 and before any future changes). 2. **Total Union Territories**: 8 (Delhi, Puducherry, Chandigarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Lakshadweep, Andaman & Nicobar, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh). 3. **Largest State by Area**: Rajasthan (342,239 km²). 4. **Smallest State by Area**: Goa (3,702 km²). 5. **Most Populous State**: Uttar Pradesh (~240 million, Census 2011 base). 6. **Least Populous State**: Sikkim (~6.1 lakh). 7. **India's Total Land Border Length**: ~15,106 km (longest with Bangladesh ~4,096 km, shortest with Afghanistan ~106 km). 8. **World's Largest Country by Area**: Russia (~17.1 million km²). 9. **World's Most Populous Country**: India (overtook China in 2023 estimates). 10. **Smallest Country by Area**: Vatican City (0.44 km²). 11. **Island Nations Near India**: Sri Lanka (separated by Palk Strait), Maldives (Indian Ocean), Mauritius, Seychelles (Indian Ocean region). 12. **Tropic of Cancer States**: 8 Indian states — Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura, Mizoram.

Worked Examples

**Example 1: Identifying State-Capital Pairs** *Question*: Match the following capitals — Dispur, Itanagar, Panaji, Raipur. *Solution*: Dispur = Assam (not Guwahati, common mistake); Itanagar = Arunachal Pradesh; Panaji = Goa; Raipur = Chhattisgarh. Remember Guwahati is Assam's largest city but Dispur (a locality within Guwahati) is the official capital.

**Example 2: Neighbouring Country Boundaries** *Question*: Which Indian states share a border with Nepal? *Solution*: Moving west to east — Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Sikkim (5 states). Common error: forgetting Sikkim or wrongly including Himachal Pradesh (which borders only China/Tibet).

**Example 3: World Capital Identification** *Question*: Which of these is the capital of Switzerland — Bern, Zurich, Geneva, Basel? *Solution*: Bern is the capital. Zurich is the largest city (financial hub), Geneva hosts UN offices, Basel is the pharma hub. Examiners exploit the large city vs capital distinction.

Common Mistakes

**Mistake 1**: **Confusing largest city with capital** → Many assume Mumbai is Maharashtra capital for all purposes, or Sydney is Australia's capital (actual: Canberra). Always verify administrative capital versus commercial hub.

**Mistake 2**: **Miscounting Union Territories** → Students often list 9 or 7 UTs by missing the 2019-20 reorganisations (Dadra & Nagar Haveli merged with Daman & Diu; Jammu & Kashmir downgraded from state). Current count is firmly **8**.

**Mistake 3**: **Missing maritime vs land neighbours** → Stating Sri Lanka or Maldives as land neighbours of India. Remember land neighbours are only those sharing a **physical border**: 7 countries total (PC NBBMA mnemonic).

**Mistake 4**: **Outdated state names/capitals** → Using Burma (now Myanmar), Calcutta (now Kolkata), Madras (now Chennai), or Orissa (now Odisha). Exams use current official names; outdated terms lose marks.

**Mistake 5**: **Northeast states confusion** → Mixing up the "Seven Sisters" (Arunachal, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura) and their capitals, especially Dispur-Itanagar or Kohima-Imphal. Use map visualisation and group learning.

Quick Reference

• **28 States, 8 UTs** — memorise the complete list with capitals; focus on post-2000 formations.
• **7 Land Neighbours** — Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Afghanistan (Wakhan Corridor).
• **Tropic of Cancer** — passes through 8 Indian states from Gujarat to Mizoram.
• **Largest/Smallest** — Rajasthan largest state, Goa smallest; Russia largest country, Vatican smallest.
• **Dispur = Assam** — most commonly confused state-capital pair; Dispur is within Greater Guwahati.
• **Telangana (2014)** — newest state carved from Andhra Pradesh, capital Hyderabad (shared for 10 years).
• **SAARC 8 Members** — India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Afghanistan.
• **J&K Reorganisation (2019)** — one state split into two UTs (Jammu & Kashmir + Ladakh).

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**Pro Tip**: Create a blank map of India and fill in states/capitals weekly until recall is instant. For world geography, use continent-wise clustering (all African capitals in one session, European in another) rather than alphabetical lists — spatial memory beats linear memory for map-based questions.