UPSC Previous Year Questions (Prelims): World Geography - 1 | Geography for UPSC CSE PDF Download

Q.1. Consider the following pairs:      (2019-I)
Sea: Bordering country

1. Adriatic Sea: Albania
2. Black Sea: Croatia
3. Caspian Sea: Kazakhstan
4. Mediterranean Sea: Morocco
5. Red Sea: Syria

Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?
(a) 1, 2 and 4 only
(b) 1, 3 and 4 only
(c) 2 and 5 only
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5

Correct Answer is Option (b)

• 3 Caspian Sea: Kazakhstan is correct. So a and c are eliminated. 
• 5: Syria touches the Mediterranean sea and not the Black Sea. So, 5 is wrong, this eliminates d. Thus, we are left with answer b.

Q.2. Which of the following has/have shrunk immensely/dried up in the recent past due to human activities?     (2018-I) 

1. Aral Sea 
2. Black Sea 
3. Lake Baikal 

Select the correct answer using the code given below: 
(a) 1 only 
(b) 2 and 3 
(c) 2 only 
(d) 1 and 3

Correct Answer is Option (a)

• The Aral Sea, in Central Asia, used to be the fourth-largest lake in the world, after the Caspian Sea, and Lakes Superior and Victori(a) Now barely 10% of it is left. BBC2014. 
• Lake Baikal's has been crippled by a series of detrimental phenomena….They include the disappearance of the omul fish, the rapid growth of putrid algae, and the death of endemic species of sponges across its vast 3.2 million-hectare area [TheHindu 2017-Oct], but there is no mention of immensely drying up. Hence answer A: 1 only.

Q.3. The Mediterranean Sea is a border of which of the following countries?     (2017-I) 

1. Jordan 
2. Iraq 
3. Lebanon 
4. Syria 

Select the correct answer using the code given below: 
(a) 1, 2, and 3 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 and 4 only 
(d) 1, 3 and 4 only

Correct Answer is Option (c)

On the map, you can see the Mediterranean Sea doesn't touch Jordan and Iraq so, by elimination, we are left with the answer "c".

Q.4. Which of the following is geographically closest to Great Nicobar?       (2017-I)
(a) Sumatra 
(b) Borneo
(c) Java
(d) Sri Lanka

Correct Answer is Option (a)
On the map, Sumatra is quite closer to Great Nicobar than Sri Lanka. See:

Q.5. With reference to the ‘Trans-Pacific Partnership’, consider the following statements:      (2016-I) 

1. It is an agreement among all the Pacific Rim countries except China and Russia. 
2. It is a strategic alliance for the purpose of maritime security only. 

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only 
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Correct Answer is Option (d)
All 12 Pacific Rim Countries have signed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. These 12 countries are Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Darussalam, Japan, Canada, United States, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Australia, and New Zealand. Objectives of TPP:
(i) Lower track barriers such as tariffs.
(ii) Establish a common framework for intellectual property.
(iii) Enforce standards for labor low and environmental low.
(iv) Establish an investor-state dispute settlement mechanism.

Q.6. Which one of the following countries of South-West Asia does not open out to the Mediterranean Sea?       (2015-I) 
(a) Syria
(b) Jordan
(c) Lebanon
(d) lsrael

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Jordan does not open out to the Mediterranean Sea.

Q.7. What is the correct sequence of occurrence of the following cities in South-East Asia as one proceeds from south to north?        (2014 - I) 

1. Bangkok 
2. Hanoi 
3. Jakarta 
4. Singapore 

Select the correct answer using the code given below.
(a) 4-2-1-3
(b) 3-2-4-1 
(c) 3-4-1-2
(d) 4-3-2-1

Correct Answer is Option (c)
The correct sequence of occurrence of the following cities in South-East Asia as one proceeds from south to north is Jakarta-Singapore-Bangkok and Hanoi.

Q.8. Consider the following pairs:        (2014 - I)
Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched? 
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only 
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer is Option (a)
The Chechen Republic is a federal subject (a republic) of  Russia. Darfur is a region in western Sudan. Swat is a valley and an administrative district in Pakistan.

Q.9. Turkey is located between       (2014 - I)
(a) the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea 
(b) the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea
(c) Gulf of Suez and the Mediterranean Sea 
(d) Gulf of Aqaba and the Dead Sea

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Turkey's smaller part is in Southeastern Europe and its larger part in Western Asia which is located between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean

Q.10. Which one of the following can come across if one travels through the Strait of Malacca?        (2010)
(a) Bali 
(b) Brunei
(c) Java 
(d) Singapore

Correct Answer is Option (d)
Malacca strait is between the Indonesian island of Sumatra and the Malaya Peninsula. Singapore lies on the tip of the Malay Peninsular.

Q.11. Which one of the following is the country’s administrative capital new federal administrative centre of Malaysia?       (2009)
(a) Kota Bharu 
(b) Kuala Terengganu
(c) Putrajaya
(d) Taiping

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Putrajaya is the new federal administrative centre of Malaysia.

Q.12. Which among the following has the world’s largest reserves of Uranium?       (2009)
(a) Australia 
(b) Canada
(c) Russian Federation 
(d) USA

Correct Answer is Option (a)
Australia has the world’s largest uranium reserves. Approximately 24% of the planet’s uranium is present in Australia.

Q.13. Cape Canaveral, the site from which space shuttles are launched is located on the coast of:       (2009)
(a) Florida 
(b) Virginia
(c) North Carolina
(d) South Carolina

Correct Answer is Option (a)
Cape Canaveral is part of Florida’s coast.

Q.14. Match List I with List-II and select the correct answer using the code given below the lists:       (2009)

(a) A-1; B-2; C-4; D-3 
(b) A-1; B-4; C-2; D-3 
(c) A-3; B-2; C-4; D-1 
(d) A-3; B-4; C-2; D-1

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Great Victoria Desert – Australia
Grand Canyon – USA
Lake Winnipeg – Canada
Southern Alps – New Zealand

Q.15. Which one among the following South Asian countries has the highest population density?      (2009)
(a) India
(b) Nepal
(c) Pakistan
(d) Sri Lanka

Correct Answer is Option (a)
The overall population density of India is 324. Nepal is 102, Pakistan is 146, Sri Lanka is 280 people per square kilometers.

Q.16.  Consider the following countries:    (2009) 

1. Australia 
2. Namibia 
3. Brazil 
4. Chile 

Through which of the above does the Tropic of Capricorn pass?
(a) 1 only 
(b) 2, 3 and 4
(c) 1, 2 and 3
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Correct Answer is Option (d)
The Tropic of Capricorn runs through 10 countries: Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Australia, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil.

Q.17. Which two countries follow China and India in the decreasing order of their population?      (2008)
(a) Brazil and the USA
(b) The USA and Indonesia
(c) Canada and Malaysia
(d) Russia and Nigeria

Correct Answer is Option (b)
The top ten countries with the highest population in decreasing order are

• China.
• India
• USA
• Indonesia
• Brazil
• Pakistan
• Nigeria
• Bangladesh
•  Russia
• Japan

Q.18. Consider the following statements:      (2008) 

1. Ajman is one of the seven emirates of the UAE. 
2. Ras al-Khaimah was the last Sheikhdom to join the UAE. 

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only 
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2 
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Ajman is one of the seven emirates constituting the United Arab Emirates with an area of 260 sq kilometers. Ras al-Khaimah was the 7th and the last Sheikhdom to join UAE in 1972.

Q.19. Which of the following countries share borders with Moldova?     (2008) 

1. Ukraine 
2. Romania 
3. Belarus 

Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3

Correct Answer is Option (a)
Moldova is a land-locked country in Eastern Europe. It shares boundaries with Romania in the west and Ukraine in the north, east, and south.

Q.20. Which one of the following straits is nearest to the International Date Line?      (2008)
(a) Malacca Strait    
(b) Bering Strait 
(c) Strait of Florida    
(d) Strait of Gibraltar

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Bering Strait is nearest to the International Dateline. Located 1.5 km away from the international date line.

Q.21. Which of the following cities is nearest to the equator?      (2008)
(a) Colombo
(b) Jakarta  
(c) Manila 
(d) Singapore

Correct Answer is Option (d)
Singapore is 200 km north of the equator.

Q.22. In which one of the following is Malta located?     (2008)
(a) Baltic Sea
(b) the Mediterranean Sea 
(c) the Black Sea
(d) the North Sea

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Malta is in the centre of Mediterranean sea. Italy is in south and Libya is located north of Malta. Its area is 246 sq km.

Q.23. The largest coral reef in the world is found near the coast of which one of the following countries?      (2007) 
(a) Australia
(b) Cuba
(c) Ghana 
(d) Philippines

Correct Answer is Option (a)
The largest coral reef is the Great Barrier Reef, located just off the north-eastern coast of Australia. The 1200 mile (1900 km) long reef is protected as a Marine Park.

Q.24. Through which one of the following Straits, does a tunnel connect the United Kingdom and France?      (2007)
(a) Davis Strait
(b) Denmark Strait
(c) Strait of Dover
(d) Strait of Gibraltar

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Strait of Dover connects United Kingdom and France. It is about 32 km in length.

Q.25. Which one among the following rivers is the longest?      (2007)
(a) Amazon
(b) Amur  
(c) Congo 
(d) Lena

Correct Answer is Option (a)
Amazon is the longest river in the world. It originates from Andes mountain in Peru.

Q.26. Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the code given below the lists:       (2007)

(a) A-3; B-2; C-4; D-1
(b) A-4; B-1; C-3; D-2
(c) A-3; B-1; C-4; D-2
(d) A-4; B-2; C-3; D-1

Correct Answer is Option (a)
Bangkok – Menam (Chao Phraya)
Phnom – Penh – Mekong
Hanoi – Red River
Yangon – Irrawaddy River

Q.27. Which one of the following cities does not have the same clock time as that of the other three cities at any given instant?      (2007)
(a) London (UK)
(b) Lisbon (Portugal)
(c) Accra (Ghana)
(d) Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)

Correct Answer is Option (d)
London, Lisbon and Accra in Ghana are close to Greenwich Meridian. But, Addis Ababa is situated in the eastern part of Africa (i.e., longitude 38.74 E). So, Addis Ababa has a different clock time than that of London, Lisbon and Accra.

Q.28. Where is Copacabana Beach located?       (2007)
(a) Buenos Aires
(b) the Hawaiian Islands 
(c) Rio de Janeiro
(d) Valletta

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Copacabana Beach is located in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

Q.29. Other than India and China, which one of the following groups of countries border Myanmar?        (2006)
(a) Bangladesh, Thailand and Vietnam 
(b) Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia
(c) Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia
(d) Thailand, Laos and Bangladesh

Correct Answer is Option (d)
Thailand, Laos and Bangladesh are coun tries bordering Myanmar.

Q.30. Which one of the following pairs is not correctly matched?      (2006)
(a) a
(b) b
(c) c
(d) d

Correct Answer is Option (a)
Baikonur is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. It is located in Kazakhstan and not in Russia.

Q.31. Through which, one of the following groups of countries does the Equator pass?        (2006)
(a) Brazil, Zambia and Malaysia
(b) Colombia, Kenya and Indonesia
(c) Brazil, Sudan and Malaysia
(d) Venezuela, Ethiopia and Indonesia

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Colombia, Kenya and Indonesia are countries through which the equator passes.

Q.32. Consider the following statements:     (2006) 

1. The length of a terrestrial mile is lesser than that of a nautical mile. 
2. Harmattan is a dusty land-wind of the East African Coast. 
3. Greece and Albania form a part of the Iberian Peninsula. 

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?
(a) 1, 2 and 3
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1 only

Correct Answer is Option (d)
One terrestrial mile (1609 meters) is lesser than one nautical mile (1852 meters). The Harmattan is a season in the West African subcontinent, which occurs at the end of November and the middle of March. It is characterized by the dry and dusty north easterly trade wind which blows from the Sahara Desert over West Africa into the Gulf of Guinea. The Iberian peninsula includes Portugal, Spain, Andorra and Gibraltar.

Q.33. Which one of the following countries is the leading producer of uranium?     (2006) 

(a) United States of America
(b) Canada
(c) Germany 
(d) Zambia

Correct Answer is Option (b)
As per a 2016 report, Kazakhstan is the largest producer of uranium with a total output of 24,575 tonnes, accounting for 39 percent of global uranium supply in 2016. But among the given alternatives in the question, Canada is the largest producer of uranium in the world. Largest uranium producers : (2016)

• Kazakhstan
• Canada
• Australia
• Niger
• Namibia
• Russia

Q.34. Huangpu River flows through which one of the following cities?       (2006)
(a) Beijing
(b) Ho Chi Minh City 
(c) Shanghai
(d) Manila

Correct Answer is Option (c)
The Huangpu River is the largest river in Shanghai in China. It is 113.07 km long 400 meters wide and 9 meters deep. Shanghai gets most of its drinking water from Huangpu.

Q.35. Claims to the historical Macedonian territory have been a bone of contention between which of the following countries?      (2006)
(a) Portugal and Spain 
(b) Bulgaria and Greece 
(c) Romania and Bulgaria 
(d) Portugal and Greece

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Bulgaria & Greece are in dispute over the Macedonian territory.

Q.36. Bermuda Triangle extends up to which of the following places?     (2006) 

1. Southern Florida 
2. Puerto Rico 
3. The Hawaiian Islands 

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:
(a) 1, 2, and 3
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only 
(d) 1 and 3 only

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Bermuda Triangle is a strange and mysterious location in the southern Atlantic Ocean. It is roughly in the shape of a triangle that extends upto South Florida, Porto Rico, and Bermuda Island.

Q.37. Which one of the following is the correct sequence of the given continents in the decreasing order of their percentage of Earth's land?      (2005)
(a) North America–Africa–South America–Europe
(b) Africa–North America–South America–Europe
(c) North America–Africa–Europe–South America
(d) Africa–North America–Europe–South America

Correct Answer is Option (b)
The decreasing order of arrangement of contin ent according to the percentage of Earth's land is Africa (29800000 sq km), North America (21510000 sq km)  South America (17598000 sq km), and Europe (9699550 sq km).

Q.38. Itaipu Dam built on the River Parana is one of the largest dams in the world. Which of the following two countries have this as a joint project?      (2005)
(a) Brazil and Peru 
(b) Paraguay and Ecuador
(c) Brazil and Paraguay
(d) Colombia and Paraguay

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Itaipu Dam is built on River Parana is the largest dam in the world. This is a joint project of Brazil – Paraguay.

Q.39.  Consider the following statements:      (2005) 

1. Great Britain comprises England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. 
2. England covers less than 60% of the total area of the United Kingdom. 

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Correct Answer is Option (b)
The total area of the United Kingdom is 94, 226 sq miles (244, 044 sq km), where England covers 50, 344 sq miles (130, 365 sq km) i.e. less than 60 % of the total land area of the United Kingdom. Great Britain does not comprise Northern Ireland.

Q.40. Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists:      (2005)
(a) A-2; B-3; C-4; D-1 
(b) A-4; B-1; C-2; D-3 
(c) A-2; B-1; C-4; D-3 
(d) A-4; B-3; C-2; D-1

Correct Answer is Option (d)