In this guide
Indian geography is the most map-based block in CDS GK. Questions ask which river a dam stands on, which pass links which regions, which states the Tropic of Cancer crosses, or which lake is a lagoon. For a future officer this is also working knowledge: passes, rivers and borders are the ground on which the Army actually operates.
Study this with an atlas open. Every table below should be something you can point to on a blank map.
Location and extent
- India lies roughly between 8°4′ N and 37°6′ N and 68°7′ E and 97°25′ E. Its area is about 3.29 million sq km, the seventh largest in the world.
- The Tropic of Cancer passes through eight states: Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura and Mizoram.
- The Standard Meridian, 82°30′ E, passes near Mirzapur in Uttar Pradesh and sets IST at GMT + 5:30.
- India shares its longest land border with Bangladesh.
| Water body | Separates |
|---|---|
| Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar | India and Sri Lanka |
| Ten Degree Channel | Andaman Islands and Nicobar Islands |
| Nine Degree Channel | Minicoy and the main Lakshadweep group |
| Eight Degree Channel | Minicoy and the Maldives |
| Duncan Passage | South Andaman and Little Andaman |
Physical divisions
| Division | Key facts |
|---|---|
| Himalaya | Three parallel ranges: Himadri (Greater, highest peaks), Himachal (Lesser; hill stations such as Shimla and Nainital), Shiwaliks (outermost; flat valleys called duns, such as Dehradun) |
| Northern plains | Built by the Indus, Ganga and Brahmaputra; old alluvium is bhangar, new alluvium is khadar |
| Peninsular plateau | Oldest landmass; Deccan Traps of basalt; Anamudi (about 2,695 m) is the highest peak of peninsular India |
| Western Ghats | Continuous; also called the Sahyadri in Maharashtra |
| Eastern Ghats | Broken by rivers flowing to the Bay of Bengal |
| Thar Desert | West of the Aravallis; Guru Shikhar on Mount Abu is the Aravallis' highest point |
| Coastal plains | West: Konkan, Kanara, Malabar. East: Northern Circars, Coromandel |
| Islands | Andaman and Nicobar (mountain chain; Barren Island, India's only active volcano) and Lakshadweep (coral) |
Rivers: Himalayan vs peninsular
| Feature | Himalayan rivers | Peninsular rivers |
|---|---|---|
| Source of water | Rain and snowmelt, so perennial | Mainly rain, so seasonal in flow |
| Valleys | Deep gorges, still cutting down | Broad, shallow, mature valleys |
| Course | Meandering in the plains; shift course | Fixed courses, few meanders |
| Examples | Indus, Ganga, Brahmaputra and tributaries | Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Mahanadi, Narmada, Tapi |
The Ganga and Brahmaputra systems
The Bhagirathi (from Gaumukh, Gangotri glacier) and the Alaknanda meet at Devprayag to form the Ganga. Upstream, the Alaknanda meets the Dhauliganga at Vishnuprayag, the Nandakini at Nandprayag, the Pindar at Karnaprayag and the Mandakini at Rudraprayag. The Yamuna joins the Ganga at Prayagraj.
The Brahmaputra is the Tsangpo in Tibet, the Siang or Dihang in Arunachal Pradesh, and the Jamuna in Bangladesh. Majuli in Assam is a large river island.
The Indus system
Its five major left-bank tributaries, the rivers that give Punjab its name, are the Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. Under the Indus Waters Treaty (1960), India received the eastern rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) and Pakistan the western (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab).
Peninsular rivers
| River | Source | Flows into | Remember for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Godavari | Trimbakeshwar, Nashik | Bay of Bengal | Longest peninsular river ("Dakshin Ganga") |
| Krishna | Near Mahabaleshwar | Bay of Bengal | Tributaries Tungabhadra, Bhima |
| Kaveri | Talakaveri, Kodagu | Bay of Bengal | Shivanasamudra falls; Krishnarajasagar and Mettur dams |
| Mahanadi | Chhattisgarh | Bay of Bengal | Hirakud dam |
| Narmada | Amarkantak | Arabian Sea | Flows west through a rift valley; Dhuandhar falls near Jabalpur |
| Tapi | Multai, Betul (MP) | Arabian Sea | Parallel to the Narmada, also through a rift valley |
Dams and waterfalls
| Dam | River | State |
|---|---|---|
| Bhakra Nangal | Sutlej | Himachal Pradesh–Punjab |
| Tehri | Bhagirathi | Uttarakhand (India's tallest dam) |
| Hirakud | Mahanadi | Odisha |
| Sardar Sarovar | Narmada | Gujarat |
| Indira Sagar | Narmada | Madhya Pradesh |
| Nagarjuna Sagar | Krishna | Telangana–Andhra Pradesh |
| Tungabhadra | Tungabhadra | Karnataka |
| Krishnarajasagar | Kaveri | Karnataka |
| Mettur | Kaveri | Tamil Nadu |
| Idukki | Periyar | Kerala |
| Koyna | Koyna | Maharashtra |
| Salal | Chenab | Jammu and Kashmir |
Waterfalls asked often: Jog (Sharavathi, Karnataka), Dudhsagar (Mandovi, Goa–Karnataka), Chitrakote (Indravati, Chhattisgarh) and Hundru (Subarnarekha, Jharkhand).
Mountain passes
| Pass | Location | Links |
|---|---|---|
| Zoji La | Jammu and Kashmir–Ladakh | Srinagar with Kargil and Leh |
| Khardung La | Ladakh | Leh with the Nubra valley |
| Banihal | Jammu and Kashmir | Jammu with the Kashmir valley (Jawahar tunnel) |
| Rohtang | Himachal Pradesh | Kullu with Lahaul–Spiti (Atal Tunnel runs beneath the range) |
| Baralacha La | Himachal Pradesh | Manali–Leh route |
| Shipki La | Himachal Pradesh | Tibet; the Sutlej enters India here |
| Lipulekh | Uttarakhand | Tibet; Kailash Mansarovar route |
| Nathu La, Jelep La | Sikkim | Tibet (Chumbi valley) |
| Bomdi La | Arunachal Pradesh | Tawang route |
Lakes
| Lake | State | Remember for |
|---|---|---|
| Chilika | Odisha | India's largest coastal lagoon; brackish |
| Pulicat | Andhra Pradesh–Tamil Nadu | Lagoon; Sriharikota lies between the lake and the sea |
| Vembanad | Kerala | Longest lake in India |
| Wular | Jammu and Kashmir | Among the largest freshwater lakes; fed by the Jhelum |
| Loktak | Manipur | Floating islands (phumdis); Keibul Lamjao, the floating national park |
| Sambhar | Rajasthan | Largest inland salt lake |
| Kolleru | Andhra Pradesh | Freshwater, between the Godavari and Krishna deltas |
Climate, soils and crops
The south-west monsoon normally reaches Kerala around 1 June and covers the country by early July. It brings most of India's rain. Tamil Nadu is the exception: it gets much of its rain from October to December, from the retreating and north-east monsoon. In winter, western disturbances from the Mediterranean bring rain and snow to north-west India, which helps the wheat crop.
| Soil | Where | Features and crops |
|---|---|---|
| Alluvial | Northern plains, deltas | Most widespread and fertile; rice, wheat, sugarcane |
| Black (regur) | Deccan lava region: Maharashtra, Gujarat, MP | Holds moisture; cracks when dry; cotton |
| Red | Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Odisha | Red from iron oxide; millets, pulses with irrigation |
| Laterite | Western Ghats, Odisha, north-east | Leached by heavy rain; cashew, tea, coffee |
| Arid | Rajasthan | Sandy, saline; crops with irrigation |
| Mountain | Himalaya | Thin; tea, fruit, spices |
| Season | Sown | Harvested | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kharif | With the monsoon (June–July) | September–October | Rice, maize, cotton, soybean, groundnut |
| Rabi | October–November | March–April | Wheat, mustard, gram, barley |
| Zaid | Short summer season | Before the monsoon | Watermelon, cucumber, fodder crops |
Practice MCQs
- Which state is not crossed by the Tropic of Cancer? (a) Tripura (b) Jharkhand (c) Odisha (d) Mizoram
- The Ten Degree Channel separates (a) India and Sri Lanka (b) Minicoy and Lakshadweep (c) Lakshadweep and Maldives (d) Andaman and Nicobar
- The Alaknanda and Bhagirathi meet at (a) Devprayag (b) Rudraprayag (c) Karnaprayag (d) Haridwar
- Which river flows through a rift valley into the Arabian Sea? (a) Godavari (b) Krishna (c) Narmada (d) Mahanadi
- The Hirakud dam is on the (a) Godavari (b) Damodar (c) Krishna (d) Mahanadi
- Which pass links Leh with the Nubra valley? (a) Zoji La (b) Khardung La (c) Nathu La (d) Rohtang
- Keibul Lamjao, a floating national park, is on (a) Loktak (b) Wular (c) Chilika (d) Dal
- Black soil is best suited to (a) tea (b) cashew (c) rice (d) cotton
- Which is a rabi crop? (a) Rice (b) Cotton (c) Mustard (d) Soybean
- Tamil Nadu receives much of its rainfall in (a) June–September (b) October–December (c) March–May (d) January–February
Answers:
- (c) The eight states are Gujarat, Rajasthan, MP, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura and Mizoram.
- (d) The Ten Degree Channel lies between Little Andaman and Car Nicobar.
- (a) Devprayag, where the Ganga begins.
- (c) The Narmada; the Tapi also flows west through a rift valley.
- (d) The Mahanadi, in Odisha.
- (b) Khardung La.
- (a) Loktak lake, Manipur.
- (d) It holds moisture well, which suits cotton.
- (c) Mustard is sown in winter.
- (b) From the retreating and north-east monsoon.
Revise this
The concepts behind this page (monsoon winds, soils, landforms) are in physical geography. For protected areas and Ramsar sites, see environment for CDS.
- I can name the eight Tropic of Cancer states and the five channels and straits around India.
- I can compare Himalayan and peninsular rivers on four points.
- I can trace the Ganga's headwaters and the five Prayags.
- I can match twelve dams to rivers and states.
- I can place nine passes on a blank map.
- I can match seven lakes to states and one feature each.
- I can match soils to regions and crops, and list kharif, rabi and zaid crops.
A note on dates and numbers. Exam patterns, vacancies and schedules change from year to year. Always confirm the current details in the latest notification on the Union Public Service Commission website .
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