Prelims Map Based Questions - 3 - UPSC MCQ

Lake Titicaca

• Often referred to as the highest navigable lake in the world, Lake Titicaca is located at an altitude of 3,812 meters and it is the largest lake by volume in South America.
• 60% of the lake is located in Peru (the western part), whilst the remaining 40% belong to Bolivia (the eastern end).
• The lake is made up of two large basins which are connected by the Strait of Tiquina.
• The Lake Titicaca Reserve was created in 1978 in aim of preserving the special fauna, fl ora and the unique countryside found here.
• Monomictic lake: Monomictic lakes are holomictic (uniform temperature and density from top to bottom) lakes that mix from top to bottom during one mixing period each year. Monomictic lakes may be subdivided into cold and warm types. Lake Titicaca is a monomictic lake.

River Uruguay has been described in the above sentences.

It was an important sailing-ship route before the building of the Panama Canal (completed in 1914) shortened the Atlantic-Pacific  passage by several thousand miles.

Pair 2 is incorrectly matched: Iguazu National Park is in Argentina.

National Parks in South America

• Lauca National Park is situated in northern Chile amid the Andes Mountains. Jutting snowcapped peaks make up most of the horizon, and there are also multiple volcanoes in the area. The park consists of marshy foothills populated by lots of local fauna. Many animals can be found gathering around the large lakes Chungará and Catacotani.
• Iguazu National Park: First established in 1934, Iguazu National Park is one of the most well known national parks in South America. One of the most notable features of the park is the beautiful Iguazu Falls, which are enveloped in rainforest and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.

The Tropic of Capricorn does not pass through Bolivia.

Hungary is a landlocked country of Europe.

The Black Sea is the border of all the European countries listed above:

1. Turkey: The Black Sea lies to the north of Turkey, providing a natural border and a significant coastline.
2. Bulgaria: The eastern border of Bulgaria is the Black Sea, offering a coastline that attracts tourists to its beaches.
3. Romania: Romania shares its eastern border with the Black Sea, with important ports like Constanta located on its coast.
4. Ukraine: The southern border of Ukraine is the Black Sea, which provides the country with valuable access to maritime trade.
5. Georgia: Georgia, although located at the intersection of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, is considered part of Europe, and its western border is the Black Sea.

So, all the pairs given above are correctly matched.

Pyrenees Mountains are part of Spain, France and Andorra

Nile River

• The Nile is a major north-fl owing river in northeastern Africa It is the longest river in Africa. Its basin has been popular for cotton cultivation since ancient times.
• The river Nile has two major tributaries: the White Nile and the Blue Nile.
• The White Nile is considered as the primary source of the Nile and it emerges from Lake Victoria.
• The Blue Nile is considered as the source of most water in the Nile (80% nearly)  begins at Lake Tana in Ethiopia.
• Countries from which River Nile fl ows Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi

sequence starting from south to north.

Andes Mountain does not extends to Brazil.

Nazca Lines are a part of Peru.

The Drake Passage is the shortest distance between Antarctica and other continents.

Lima (Peru)-Brasilia (Brazil)-Santiago (Chile)-Montevideo (Uruguay)

• Statement 2 is incorrect: Sweden shares a boundary with Baltic Sea.
• Statement 3 is incorrect: Moldova is a landlocked country.

Statement 3 is incorrect. River Tagus drains into the Atlantic ocean.

Option d is the correct sequence starting from south to north.

Water Bodies of Europe

• The Gulf of Bothnia is the northernmost part of the Baltic Sea. The Geographical Location is  between Finland’s west coast and Sweden’s east coast.
• The Sea of Azov which is bounded by Ukraine and Russia in the Eastern Europe is connected to the Black Sea by the narrow Strait of Kerch. The Don and Kuban are the major rivers that fl ow into it.
• The Adriatic Sea is the  northernmost part of the Mediterranean Sea. The countries with coasts on the Adriatic are Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Italy, Montenegro and Slovenia.
• The Ionian Sea is an elongated bay of the Mediterranean Sea, which falls south of the Adriatic Sea and is bounded by Italy , Albania, and Greece.

Alps Mountain ranges

• The Alps lying entirely in Europe are the highest and most extensive mountain range system It stretches approximately 1,200 kilometres across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): France, Switzerland, Monaco, Italy, Liechtenstein, Austria, Germany, and Slovenia.
• The mountains were formed due to collision of  the African and Eurasian tectonic plates.
  The Extreme shortening caused by the event resulted in marine sedimentary rocks rising by thrusting and folding into high mountain peaks such as Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn.
• Mont Blanc located in  the French–Italian border, is the highest mountain in the Alps at the height of  4,809 m (15,778 ft).

The Great African lake

• The African Great Lakes are a series of lakes which are part of the Rift Valley lakes and are located  in and around the East African Rift.  The major lakes are  Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika, and Lake Malawi.
• Countries in the African Great Lakes region include Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.
• The African great lakes consist of seven lakes These are lake Victoria, Tanganyika, Malawi, Turkana, Albert, Kivu and Edward in order of size.