World Political Geography - Solved Questions (1995-2005) | UPSC Topic Wise Previous Year Questions PDF Download

Question 1:
Which one of the following is the correct sequence of the given towns of Pakistan while moving from the north towards the south?    [2005]
(a) Islamabad–Gujranwala–Peshawar–Multan
(b) Peshawar–Gujranwala–Multan–Islamabad
(c) Peshawar–Islamabad–Gujranwala–Multan
(d) Islamabad–Multan–Peshawar–Gujranwala

Correct Answer is Option (c)
While moving from the North to South Pakistan, the correct sequence of the towns is Peshawar – Islamabad – Gujranwala – Multan.

Question 2:
Which one of the following countries does not border Lithuania? [2005] 
(a) Poland 
(b) Ukraine 
(c) Belarus 
(d) North Sea

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Ukraine is a sovereign state in Eastern Europe, bordered by Russia to the east and northeast; Belarus to the northwest; Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia to the west; Romania and Moldova to the southwest; and the Black Sea and Sea of Agov to the South.

Question 3:
Which one of the following does not border Panama?   [2004]
(a) Coast Rica 
(b) Pacific Ocean
(c) Colombia 
(d) Venezuela

Correct Answer is Option (d)
Panama is a country located in the Central America region of North America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica. Panama is located on the narrow and low Isthmus of Panama.

Question 4:
Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the codes given below [2004]

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

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Black Sea – Bulgaria
Red Sea – Eritrea
Yellow Sea – China
Caspian Sea – Kazakhstan

Question 5:
Latvia does not share its borders with which one of the following countries? [2004] 
(a) Russia 
(b) Estonia 
(c) Lithuania 
(d) Poland

Correct Answer is Option (d)
Latvia does not share its border with Poland. Latvia's only distinct border is the Baltic Sea coast, which extends for 531 kilometers. Its neighbors include  Lithuania on the south, Estonia on the north, Russia on the east, and Belarus on the southeast.

Question 6:
The great Asian river the Mekong does not run through:   [2004] 
(a) China 
(b) Malaysia
(c) Cambodia 
(d) Laos

Correct Answer is Option (b)
The Mekong is a major river in southeastern Asia. The Mekong is known as the Lancang in China. It runs through Yunan province, China, forms the border between Myanmar and Laos and most of the border between Laos and Thailand, and flows across Cambodia and Southern Vietnam before emptying to South China.

Question 7:
Which one of the following countries does not border the Caspian Sea? [2003] 
(a) Armenia 
(b) Azerbaijan 
(c) Kazakhstan 
(d) Turkmenistan

Correct Answer is Option (a)
Armenia is a former Soviet republic. It is located in the Mountainous Caucasus region between Asia and Europe. It is a land-locked country.

Question 8:
Which one of the following countries is landlocked?   [2003]
(a) Bolivia 
(b) Peru  
(c) Surinam 
(d) Uruguay

Correct Answer is Option (a)
Bolivia is a land-locked country, in South America, the surrounding countries are Peru, Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay.

Question 9:
Which among the following countries has the largest population?  [2003] 
(a) Indonesia 
(b) Japan 
(c) Pakistan 
(d) Sudan

Correct Answer is Option (a)
Indonesia has the largest population in the given countries.

Question 10:
Israel has common borders with:   [2003] 
(a) Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt 
(b) Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, and Jordan 
(c) Cyprus, Turkey, Jordan, and Egypt 
(d) Turkey, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen

Correct Answer is Option (a)
Israel has common borders with Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt.

Question 11:
Consider the following statements:    [2003] 
1. In Macedonia, ethnic Albanians are in a minority 
2. In Kosovo, Serbians are in a majority 
Which of these statements is/are correct? 
(a) Only 1 
(b) Only 2 
(c) Both 1 and 2 
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Correct Answer is Option (a)
In Macedonia, the ethnic Albanian population is 23%, which is a good number in Macedonia. But in Kosovo, 92% are Albanians and Serbians are in a minority.

Question 12:
Life expectancy is the highest in the world in:   [2003] 
(a) Canada 
(b) Germany 
(c) Japan 
(d) Norway

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Life expectancy in Canada is 79.7  years, Germany -77.8 years, Japan - 80.9, Norway - 78.9 years. Japan has the highest life expectancy in the world.

Question 13:
The waterfall 'Victoria' is associated with the river:    [2003] 
(a) Amazon 
(b) Missouri
(c) St. Lawrence 
(d) Zambezi

Correct Answer is Option (d)
Victoria waterfalls are associated with the river Zambezi which is situated in Africa.

Question 14:
In the map given below, four islands of the Indian Ocean region i.e., (A) Seychelles (B) Chagos  (C) Mauritius, and (D) Socotra are marked as 1, 2, 3, and 4. Match them and select the correct answer from the codes given below:    [2002]

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

Correct Answer is Option (d)
In the given figure, four islands of the Indian Ocean region are Chagos, Socotra, Seychelles, and Mauritius which are marked as 1, 2, 3, and 4 respectively.

Question 15:
Consider the following countries:    [2002] 
1. Albania 
2. Bosnia Herzegovina 
3. Croatia 
4. Macedonia 
Which of these countries has/have the Adriatic Sea as a boundary? 
(a) 1, 2 and 4 
(b) 1, 2 and 3 
(c) 2 and 3 
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Bosnia, Hercegovina, Albania, Croatia have the Adriatic sea as a boundary. Macedonia is far away from the Adriatic sea.

Question 16:
Consider the following countries of South Asia:     [2002] 
1. Bangladesh 
2. India 
3. Pakistan 
4. Sri Lanka 
The descending order of literacy status of these countries is: 
(a) 4, 2, 1, 3 
(b) 2, 4, 3, 1 
(c) 4, 2, 3, 1 
(d) 2, 4, 1, 3

Correct Answer is Option (c)
According to UNESCO; 2015, the literacy rate of given countries are -Paskistan - 56.4% India - 72.1% Bangladesh - 72.8% Srilanka - 92.6%

Question 17:
Consider the following countries:   [2002] 
1. Brazil 
2. Indonesia 
3. Japan 
4. Russia 
What is the descending order of the size of the following countries population-wise? 
(a) 1, 2, 4, 3 
(b) 2, 3, 1, 4 
(c) 2, 1, 4, 3 
(d) 1, 2, 3, 4

Correct Answer is Option (c)

Question 18:
Consider the following statements regarding environmental issues in India:   [2001] 
1. Gulf of Mannar is one of the biosphere reserves 
2. The Ganga Action Plan, phase II has been merged with the National River Conservation Plan. 
3. The National Museum of Natural History at New Delhi imparts non-formal education in environment and conservation 
4. Environmental Information System (ENVIS) acts as a decentralized information network for environment information 
Which of these statements are correct? 
(a) 1, 2 and 4 
(b) 1, 2, 3 and 4 
(c) 2 and 3 
(d) 1, 3 and 4

Correct Answer is Option (b)
All the statements given in the options are correct.

Question 19:
The given map shows four towns of the Central Asian region marked as 1, 2, 3, and 4. Identify these from the following lists and select the correct answer using the codes given below:    [2001]
Towns:
A. Bishkek
B. Ashikhabad
C. Tashkent
D. Dushanbe
Codes:
(a) A-3; B-1; C-2; D-4
(b) A-3; B-1; C-4; D-2
(c) A-1; B-3; C-2; D-4
(d) A-1; B-3; C-4; D-2

Correct Answer is Option (a)
Ashkhabad is marked as '1'
Tashkent is marked as '2'
Bishkek is marked as '3'
Dushanbe is marked as '4' in the given map.

Question 20:
Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists:   [2001]

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

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Fohn is the warm and dry wind of the Alps region. Sarmun is the local wind of the Kurdistan region, Santa Ana is the local wind of California and Zonda is the local wind of Argentina.

Question 21:

The above map is the Union Territory of:   [2001]
(a) Chandigarh 
(b) Daman and Diu 
(c) Dadra and Nagar Haveli 
(d) Pondicherry

Correct Answer is Option (c)
The given map is the union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. In western India. The capital is at Silvasa and a major language of this Union Territory is Gujarati.

Question 22:
A class of animals known as Marsupials is a characteristic feature of: [2001] 
(a) Africa 
(b) Australia 
(c) South America 
(d) South-east Asia

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Marsupials are a group of mammals commonly have pouches or pocket of skin, where the mother nurses their young. These marsupials are found in Australia. The common example of marsupians is Kangaroo and Koala.

Question 23:
Which one of the following lakes forms an international boundary between Tanzania and Uganda? [2000] 
(a) Chad 
(b) Malawi 
(c) Victoria 
(d) Zambezi

Correct Answer is Option (c)
Lake Victoria acts as the international boundary between Tanzania and Uganda. It is the largest lake in Africa and 2nd widest fresh water body in the world.

Question 24:
Consider the following provinces of former Yugoslavia: [2000] 
1. Bosnia 
2. Croatia 
3. Slovenia 
4. Yugoslavia 
The correct sequence of these provinces from the east to west is : 
(a) 4, 1, 3, 2 
(b) 4, 1, 2, 3 
(c) 1, 4, 3, 2 
(d) 1, 4, 2, 3

Correct Answer is Option (b)
The correct sequence from east to west is Yugoslavia, Bosnia, Croatia and Slovenia.

Question 25:
Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the codes given below the lists:   [1999]

(a) A-4; B-2; C-1; D-3 
(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 (b)
Mt. Rainier is a volcanic mountain situated in U.S.A Mt. Etna is situated in Europe, Paricutin volcanic mountain is present in Mexico, and Taal volcanic mountain is present in the Philippines.

Question 26:
A person of mixed European and Indian blood in Latin America is called a: [1999] 
(a) Mulatto 
(b) Mestizo 
(c) Meiji 
(d) Mau Mau

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Mestizo originally meant a person of combined European and American Indian descent, regardless of where the person was born.

Question 27:
Match the cities labeled as A, B, C, and D in the given map with the names of cities and select the correct answer using the codes given below the names of cities:    [1999]

Name of cities 
1. Darwin 
2. Kualalumpur 
3. Lagos 
4. Nairobi 
5. Singapore 
Codes: 
(a) A-1; B-2; C-4; D-3 
(b) A-2; B-1; C-4; D-3 
(c) A-1; B-4; C-5; D-2 
(d) A-4; B-3; C-5; D-2

Correct Answer is Option (a)
‘A’ marked city in the map is Darwin in Australia. ‘B’ marked city in the given map is Kualalumpur in Malaysia. ‘C’ marked city on the map is Nairobi in Kenya. The city marked ‘D’ on the map is Lagos in Nigeria.

Question 28:
Assertion (A): Chile continues to be an important producer of copper in the world. 
Reason (R): Chile is endowed with the world's largest deposit of porphyry copper. [1999] 
(a) Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A 
(b) Both A and R are true but R is not a correct explanation, of A 
(c) A is true but R is false 
(d) A is false but R is true

Correct Answer is Option (a)
Assertion and reason both are correct and the reason is the correct explanation of assertion. Chile is the largest copper producer in the world. 35% of the total global production of copper is done by Chile and the major deposit is of porphyry copper.

Question 29:
Which one of the following port cities in Venezuela has been developed as an oil port?    [1999] 
(a) Caracas 
(b) Maracaibo 
(c) Maracay 
(d) Carupano

Correct Answer is Option (b)
Puerto Miranda is an oil port situated on the east side of Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela and it is the largest crude oil export port in South America.

Question 30:
When there is noon at I.S.T. meridian people at another place of the earth are taking their 6 O'clock morning tea. The longitude of the place is: [1998] 
(a) 17°30' E 
(b) 7°30' W 
(c) 172°30' E 
(d) 90° W

Correct Answer is Option (d)
15 degrees for 1 hour. So 90° for 6 hours.

Question 31:
Indonesian forest fire in 1997 was caused by:   [1998] 
(a) greenhouse effect 
(b) depletion of the ozone layer 
(c) El Nino effect 
(d) None of these

Correct Answer is Option (d)
It's a blame game, with everyone pointing the finger at someone else. Environmental group WWF  Indonesia, which has been highlighting the problem of Indonesia's recurrent fires for years, says that the fires are caused by the "collective negligence" of companies, smallholders, and government (which isn't investing sufficiently in preventative measures). Many blame big business. According to a recent analysis of World Resources Institute data in September, more than one-third (37%) of the fires in Sumatra are occurring on pulpwood concessions. A good proportion of the rest is on or near land used by palm oil producers. "Many of these fires are a direct result of the industrial manipulation of the landscape for plantation development," says Lindsey Allen, executive director of the conservation organization Rainforest Action Network.

Question 32:
Which one of the following countries has replaced Italy as the major importer of bauxite from India?   [1998] 
(a) Canada 
(b) Greece 
(c) Ukraine 
(d) United Arab Emirates

Correct Answer is Option (a)
Canada is the largest importer of bauxite from India.

Question 33:
Which one of the following countries is the largest producer of fuelwood in the world?   [1997] 
(a) Indonesia 
(b) Russia 
(c) India 
(d) China

Correct Answer is Option (c)
According to FAO India - 305485093 cubic metre China - 191042128 cubic metre Indonesia - 73719856 cubic metre Russia - 47,000000 cubic metre

Question 34:
Consider the geographical details given in the following figure:  [1997]

The point marked by A in the above figure indicates the countries in:
(a) North America 
(b) South America 
(c) Europe 
(d) Asia

Correct Answer is Option (c)
The geographical details given in the figure indicate England, which is situated in Europe.

Question 35:
"From Aceh in the far northwest to Torres Strait in the east is 5000 miles, almost as far as from London to Baghdad. The archipelago has 14,000 islands, some mere equatorial rocks, others some of the largest in the world." This description best fits: [1997] 
(a) West Indies 
(b) Japan 
(c) Philippines 
(d) Indonesia

Correct Answer is Option (d)
Indonesia consists of 13,677 islands (nearly 14,000) and this country is 5000 miles from the Torres strait. 4th largest country in Asia.

Question 36:
Consider the map given below:     [1997]
The river shown on the map is:

(a) Irrawaddy
(b) Mekong
(c) Chao Phraya
(d) Salween

Correct Answer is Option (d)
The Salween River is located in the eastern part of Myanmar. This river is situated at Shan plateau of Myanmar. Its basin covers 320,000 sq km. This river forms the border between Burma and Thailand.

Question 37:
".....They are people of yellow complexion, oblique eyes, high cheekbones, sparse hair, and medium height." The reference here is to:    [1997] 
(a) Nordic Aryans 
(b) Austria 
(c) Negroids 
(d) Mongoloids

Correct Answer is Option (d)
Mongloids are inhabitants of northern, eastern, and south-east Asia. Their eyes have a characteristic fold of skin on the upper lid, hair is lank and straight and the height is medium. The group also includes the Chinese, Japanese, Burmese, Thais, Vietnamese, and Malays.

Question 38:
About 50% of the world population is concentrated between the latitudes of:  [1997]
(a) 5°N and 20° N    
(b) 20°N and 40°N
(c) 40°N and 60°N    
(d) 20°S and 40°S

Correct Answer is Option (b)
About 50% of the world population is concentrated between the latitude of 20°N and 40°N because most populous countries and areas like Asia, U.S.A, Europe, and India lie within this latitude.

Question 39:
The Palk Bay lies between:  [1996] 
(a) Gulf of Kutch and Gulf of Khambhat 
(b) Gulf of Mannar and Bay of Bengal 
(c) Lakshadweep and Maldive Islands 
(d) Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Correct Answer is Option (b)
The Palk Bay (strait) separates India and Srilanka. It lies between the Gulf of Mannar and the Bay of Bengal.

Question 40:
The original home of the gypsies was: [1995] 
(a) Egypt 
(b) Russia 
(c) India 
(d) Persia

Correct Answer is Option (c)
The ‘Gypsies’ are a group of people found in Central Asia. But, the original home of Gypsies was in India (Western Rajasthan and Punjab) area. ‘Gypsies’ are an ethnic group, which for unknown reasons took to a wandering lifestyle during the late middle ages.