1

GEOGRAPHY AND ECONOMICS

Important Tips on Geography

1. As the path of the earth is elliptical the distance between the

sun and the earth will be minimum (is 147 million km) on
January 3rd (perihelion) and will be maximum 152 million km
on July 4 (Aphelion)

2. Earths axis is tilted 23 from a line perpendicular to the

plane of ecliptic. So, earth attains equinoxes and solstice.

3. a. Summer solstice (Longest day in Northern Hemisphere)

June 21 Sunrays Vertically falls on Tropic of cancer.
b. Winter solstice (Longest day in southern Hemisphere)
Sunrays vertically falls
on Tropic of Capricorn (December 22)
c. Vernal Equinox (Equal day and night length) sun rays
vertically falls on
equator (March 21)
d. Autumnal Equinox (Equal day & night length) Sunrays
vertically falls on
Equator (September)

4. During solar eclipse the moon is bound to come in between the

sun and the earth and during lunar eclipse the earth is bound to
come between moon and the sun.

5. Latitudes (parallels) Horizontal Imaginarily lines on Earth.

6. Longitudes (meridians) Vertical Imaginarily lines on Earth

7. Equator 0 Latitudes passes through the center of Earth

8. Tropic of cancer 23 N Latitude

9. Tropic of Capricorn 23 S Latitude

10. Arctic Circle 66 N Latitude

11. Antarctic Circle 66 Latitude

12. Prime Meridian 0 Longitude passes through Greenwich

13. Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is based on the Prime Meridian

14. Indian standard time (IST) is based on the 82.5 E longitude

which passes through Allahabad

15. International Date line is the 180 longitude (just opposite to

prime meridian)

16. Each 1 Longitude is equal to 111 km

17. Earth completes one rotation of 360 in 24 hours. So, a person

crossing Eastwards from prime meridian gains 4 minutes for
every 1 longitude.

18. IST, which is located on 82.5 E longitude, is 5 hours (330

minutes) ahead of GMT.

INDIAN GEOGRAPHY
Location

The Indian mainland extends in the tropical and subtropical

zones from latitude 84' north to 376 north and from longitude 687'
east to 9725' east. The southernmost point in Indian Territory, the

Indira Point (formerly called Pygmallion Point) is situated at 630'

north in the Nicobar Islands.

Area and Boundaries

India stretches 3,214 km from north to south and 2,933 km from

east to west. The total length of the mainland coastline is nearly 6,100
km. Including that of the islands, is about 7,500 km. India is seventh
largest country in the world. Indias neighbours in the north are
China, Napal and Bhutan. To the north-west, India shares a
boundary mainly with Pakistan and to the east with Myanmar, while
Bangladesh forms and enclave within India.

The Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait separate India from Sri
Lanka.
Physiography
India can be divided into three units the mountains in the
north, the plains of northern India and the coast, and the plateau
region of the south.

Himalayas

The total length of this chain is about 5,000 km. The Himalayas
comprise a number of almost parallel ranges. The westernmost and
the eastern most limits of this range are formed by the Indus Valley
and the Brahmaputra Valley, respectively. The Great or Inner or
Central Himalayas (Himgri) is the name given to the northernmost
range which is also the highest. The other important peaks of this
range are: Kanchenjunga (8,598), Makalu (8,481m) and Dhaulagiri
(8,172m).

South of the Central Himalayas lies the Lesser Himalayas or

Himachal or Middle Himalayas. The sub-Himalayas or the Siwaliks
are the third and the lowest range of the system. They are also known
as the Outer Himalayas. The newest range of the Himalayas, it
separates the plains from the alluvium filled basins called duns and
duars. North of the Great Himalayas lie the Trans Himalayas or Tibet
Himalayas. The hilly region to the east of the Brahamaputra Valley is
often called Purvachal.
The Plains of India

The vast plains of north are alluvial in nature and the

westernmost portion is occupied by the Thar Desert. The northern

plain is known as the Ganga Brahmaputra Plain. The eastern coastal

plain also known as the Coromandel Coastal Plain. Delta regions of
rivers Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Kaveri. It is a broad fertile
coastal lowland. The western coastal plain.

Peninsular Plateau

Area spreading south of the Indo Gengetic plain and flanked by

seas on three sides. The Eastern Ghats and the Western Ghats
constitute its eastern and western boundaries, respectively. The rivr
Narmada, divides the region into two parts: the Malwa Plateau in the
north and the Deccan Plateau in the south. The northern part of the
plateau is occupied by the Aravalli Ranges in west, Malwa region in
the center and the Chhota Nagpur Plateau in the east. The deccan
Plateau is divided into three major units the Western Ghats, the
Eastern Ghats and the Deccan Trap. They include the Vindhyas and
Satpuras in central India. The Western Ghats separate the Deccan
Trap region from the Western Coastal Plain while the Eastern Ghats
lie between the Eastern Coastal Plain and the Deccan Trap. The
Western Ghats are connected to the Eastern Ghats by the Nilgiri Hills
(Blue Mountains). South of these are the Annamalai Hills. Two
branches of the Annamalai Hills are known as the Palani Hills and
the Yelagiri (Cardamom) hills.

Islands of India

The territorial limits of India include 247 islands, of which 204

lie in the Bay of Bengal and 43 lie in the Gulf of Mannar and the
Arabian Sea. All the islands in the Arabian Sea are coral islands are
surrounded by coral reefs.

Himalayan Rivers

The most important river system is the Indus network. The

River Indus rising beyond the Himalayas, dominates this system. It is
joined by the rivers Shyoke, Shigar and Gilgit in Jammu and
Kashmir. The important tributaries including the Jhelum, Chenab,
Ravi, Beas and Sutlej join it after entering Pakistan. The second major
system in the Ganga. The Ganga, the head stream, is constituted of
two major rivers Bhagirathi and Alaknanda, which combine at Dev
Prayag to form the Ganga. The Yamuna, which joins the Ganga at
Allahabad is the major tributary. Other tributaries of the Ganga
include Ghaghara, Gandak, Kosi from the north and Damodar and
Son from the south. The important tributaries of the Yamuna include
the Chambal, Betwa and Ken (all from the south). The Brahmaputra
is the third major system in the north. The Brahmaputra, the head

stream, rises in Tibet, where it is called Tsangpo, and enters the

Indian territory under the name Dihang. The Subansiri, Kameng,
Dhansiri, Manas and Teesta are the major rivers joining it from the
north and Burhi Dihing, Disang, and Kopoli join it from the south.
The Lohit is also and important tributary of the Brahmaputra.

Rivers of Peninsular India Flowing into the Bay of Bengal

These comprise five groups. The Mahanadi system of the main

river of the same name and its tributaries, the important ones being
the Seonath, Hasdeo, Mand, Jonk and Tel. The second is the
Brahmani and Subernarekha system. The third system the Godavari
is the largest in the peninsular region. The Manjira, Penganga,
Wardha, Pranhita, Indravati and Sabari are the main tributaries of
this river. The Krishna is the second largest east-flowing system of
the peninsular region. The Kaveri system is the southernmost. Its
principal tributaries are the Hemavati, Lokpawni, Shimsa, Akrawati,
Lakshmantirtha and Bhawani.

West-flowing Rivers of the Peninsular Region

There are three major rivers flowing into the Arabian Sea from
the peninsular region. These are Narmada, Tapti, Sabarmati system.

In addition to these, there are some small rivers flowing westwards

from the Western Ghats. The important ones among these are the
Mandovi, Zuari and Rachol in Goa, Kalinadi, Sharavati, Tadri and
Netravati in Karnataka and Baypore, Ponnar, Periyar and Pamba in
Kerala.

Climate

Even though India is termed a monsoon country, the climate is

far from uniform, with variations being spatial as well temporal.

The Seasons

In India, the cycle of monsoon divides the year into four

seasons. Beginning mid March, hot and dry weather. The weather is
followed by hot, wet weather from June to September. In May, southwest monsoon. From mid-September to mid-December is the cool,
dry season. Latter part of December and in January by the arrival of
the westerly depressions which cause some rain in the northern parts
of India. This is known as the cool, wet season.

INDUSTRIES
1. Steel & Iron Industries (Place/State/Aided Country)

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a. Jamshedpur Bihar (Private Sector)

b. Bokaro Jharkhand (Russia)
c. Bhilai Madhya Pradesh (Russia)
d. Rourkela Orissa (Germany)
e. Durgapur West Bengal (U.K.)
2. Petroleum Industries

a. Ankaleshwar, Kaoli Gujarat

b. Manali, Kaveri Delta T.N.
c. Madhura (Uttar Pradesh), Digboi (Assam)

3. Cotton Industries

a. Ahmedabad Gujarat
b. Surat Maharastra
c. Bombay Maharastra
d. Dhariwal (Woolen carpet)
e. Kanpur

4. Fertilizer Industry

a. Sindri (Bihar), Nangal Punjab

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5. Railway Industries

a. Rail Engine

- Chittaranjan

b. Rail coach Factory

- Perambalur

6. Paper Industry

a. Nepanagar
b. Titanagar

7. Atomic Energy

a. Trombay Maharastra
b. Ranapratap sagar Rajasthan (Rawabhatta)
c. Narora Uttar Pradesh
d. Kalpakkam Chennai
e. Kagrapara Gujarat
f. Kaiga Karnataka
g. Kudamgulam Tamilnadu

8. Space Research Centres

a. Tumbha Rocket launching station

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b. Bangalore Indian Space Research Organization

c. Ahmedabad Space Application center
d. Sriharikota (A.P.) Rocket launching station
e. Mahendragiri (T.N) Liquid propulsion centre
9. Defence Related Industries

a. Combat Vehicles Avadi

b. Aeronautic development Bangalore
c. Nuclear Medicine & allied science Delhi

10 Electrical and Electronics Industries

a. BHEL

- Ranipur (Hariduwar) (Uttaranchal)

- Ramachandrapuram (Hyderabad)
- Thiruverumbur (Trichy)
- Bharat Heavy Plate & Vessel (Visakapatnam)

b. HMT

- Jalahali Bangalore
- Pinjur Punjab
- Kalamasethi Kerala
- Gukatpatti Andrapradesh

13. Medical Related Industries

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a. Pasteur Institute Mumbai, Kunnoor

b. Hindustan antibiotics Pimpri (Poona), Rishikesh (U.P)
c. Hoffkins Institute Mumbai

Training Institutes

1. National Defence Academy

Khadak

Vas

(Poona)
2. Indian Military Academy

- Dehradun

3. Defence Services Staff College

- Willington (TN)

4. Officers Training School

- Chennai

5. Air Force Academy

- Hyderabad

6. Air Force Administrative College

- Coimbatore

7. Indian Naval Academy

- Coachin

8. Indian Police Academy

- Hyderabad

9. Lal Bahadur Sastri Institute of Administration Mussouri

Cities on River Banks

Cities
Allahabad

River
Triveni
Sangamam

Cities
Hyderabad

River
Musi

la

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Lucknow

Gomti

Culcutta

Hoogly

Ludhiana

Sutlej

Madura

Yamuna

Srinagar

Jhelum

Lahore

Ravi

Surat

Tapti

Baghdad

Tigris

Delhi

Jamuna

Paris

Seon

Kanpur

Ganga

Washington

Potomac

Jamshedpur

Subamarekha

Ayodhya

Sarayu

Vijayawada

Krishna

Haridwar,

Ganga

Varanasi, Patna
Nasik

Godavari

Yangoon

Irawati

Karachi

Indus

Cairo

Nile

New York

Hundson

Sanctuaries & National Parks

Bandipur

Karanataka

Chandraprabha Uttar Pradesh

Corbett

Uttranchal

Shivpuri

Madhya

sanctuary

Pradesh

Dachigam

Jammu
Kashmir

Gir

National Gujarat

& Ghana Bird

Rajasthan

Sanctuary
Hazaripagh

Jharkhan

Part
Jaldapara

Bangal

Kanga National Madhya

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Kasiranga

Assam

National Park
Madumalai

Park

Pradesh

Maras

Assam

Sanctuary
Tamilnadu

Parambikulum

Kerala

Sanctuary
Mukambika

Karnataka

Periyar

Kerala

Sanctuary
Rajaji Sanctuary Uttar Pradesh

Ratambhore

Rajasthan

Tiger Resort
Sariska

Rajasthan

Sanctuary
Sunderbans

Simillipal

Orissa

Sanctuary
West Bengal

Nandankannan

Orissa

Zoo
Venad

Kerala

Alipore Zoo

Calcutta

Sanctuary

Hill Stations

1. Uttranchal
2. West Bengal

- Almora, nainital, Mussorie

- Darjeeling, Kalimpong

3. Himachal Pradesh
4. Kashmir
5. Rajasthan

- Dalhouise, Kulumanali, Simla

- Srinagar, Gulmarg
- Mount Abu

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6. Jharkand

- Ranchi

7. Madhya Pradesh

- Panchmarhi

Famous Sites

Ajanta

Aurangabad Lingaraj Temple Orissa

(Maharastra)
Birla Planetarium Calcutta

Gometeswar Statue Karnataka

Dal Lake Srinagar

Amarnatha cave Kashmir

Silka Lake Orissa

Bulandarwasa Fatepur Sikri

Sambhar Rajasthan

Charminar Hyderabad

Dilwara Temple Rajasthan

Gateway of India Bombay

Ellora Cave Maharashtra

India Gate Delhi

Golgumbag Maharastra

Jog Falls Karnataka

Hawa Mahal Jaipur

Lal Bagh Bangalore

Kajuraho Madhya Pradesh

Shalimar Bagh Kashmir

Konark Sun Temple Orissa

Sanchi Stupa Madhya Pradesh

Sarnath Uttar Pradesh

Howrah Bridge West Bengal

Jaganath Temple Orissa

Geographical Superlatives

Largest State (area) Rajasthan

Largest State (Population) U.P

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Densest State (Population) West Largest forest Assam

Bengal
Largest Coastal area Gujarat
Largest

Lake

Ular

Largest Desert Thar

lake Largest rainfall Mausinram

(Kashmir)
Largest Delta Sunderban

Largest Dam Hakra Nangal

(Sutlej)

Highest

Dam

Hirakud Largest Zoo Alipore Zoo

(Maharadi_
Highest Tower Qutb Minar

Largest Dome Golgumbaz

Largest Mosque Jumma Musjid

Largest

Corridor

Rameshwaram Temple
Largest Gopuram Srirangam

Largest Road Grand Trunk

Fastest Train Satapti

Highest falls Jog falls (Gersoppa

falls)

Largest

Museum

(Indian Museum)

Calcutta Largest

traveling

Himsagar express

Agriculture

Tea

- Assam

Paddy, Tobacco

- Andhra Pradesh

Potato, Sugarcane, Wheat

- Uttar Pradesh

train

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Raw silk, Sandalwood, Coffee

- Karnataka

Cotton

- Gujarat

Groundnut

- Gujarat

Spices, Rubber

- Kerala

Jute

- West Bengal

Pulses

- Madhya Pradesh

Apple, Saffron

- Kashmir

Agriculture Crops

Rabi Crop (Winter)

- Sown October, November

- Reap March, April Ex: Wheat, Barley, Gram,
Mustard,
linseed

Kharif crop (Summer)

- Sown in June, July

- Reap in November, December Ex: Maize,

rice, cotton,
millets
Geographical Surnames

Blue Mountain Nilgris

Assams Sorrow - Brahmaputra

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Japan of South India Sivakasi

Scotland

of

Tamilnadu

Bihars Sorrow Kosi

Garden city Bangalore

Dindugul
Spa of South India Courtallam
Oxford

of

South

India

Spice garden of India Kerala

Land of 5 rivers Punjab

Palayamkottai
City of Palaces Calcutta

Granary of T.N. Tanjore

Pink City Jaipur

Sugar bowl of India Damodar

Manchester of South India Seven

Coimbatore

Sister

of

India

Northeastern states

Manchester of North India Kalinga Orissa

Kanpur
Manchester of India Mumbai

Kamarupam Assam

Commercial Capital of India Venice of East Allappey

Mumbai
Gateway of India Mumbai

Gateway

of

Tamil

Nadu

Tuticorin
Bengals Sorrow Damodar

ECONOMICS

1. Bank rate refers to the rate at which banks rediscount bills with
RBI

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2. Ensure social justice is not an objective of the monetary policy

of RBI
3. Open market operation of RBI refers to trading in securities.
4. The new definition of fiscal deficit was suggested by
Chakravarthy Committee
5. RBI does not transact the business of Nagaland government
6. Total number of banks nationalized so far is 20.
7. The first bank managed by Indians was Oudh Bank
8. At present each bank branch serves on an average a population
of 15000
9. National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) deals with
electronic shares.
10. USA is accounts for the largest imports from India.
11. India borrowed from IMF is 1991 under CCFF
12. The Uruguay Round of GATT was its 8th round
13. Indias external debt is today (Economic Survey 1997-98) 92.9
billion
14. Indias debt is 24% percentage of GDP
15. The 9th Plan envisages a total investment of Rs.18000 crores.
16. The legitimacy of East India Companys act of using permits
rested on a royal command issued to the Company by
Farrukhsiyar.

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17. The book Poverty and Un-British rule in India was written by
Dadabhai Naoroji on Indian poverty and economy under
British rule.
18. 16 per cent is the percentage of Indias population to the world
population.
19. 1921 is known as Year of the Great Divide with regard to
population growth in India.
20. The birth rate measures the number of births during a year per
1000 of population.
21. The only state in India having a sex ratio of above 1,000 is
Kerala.
22. The maximum number of people in India work in the primary
sector.
23. Structural unemployment arises due to heavy industry bias.
24. Disguised unemployment refers to more persons employed
for a job which a few can accomplish.
25. The nature of usual status unemployment is chronic
26. The Planning Commission of India was established in 1950
27. The planning Commission of India is an advisory body
28. The ex-officio chairman of the Planning Commission of India is
the Prime Minister.
29. According to World Development Report the low income
group of countries had together only 5 per cent of world GNP.

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30. India has 2.4% or worlds geographical area and 16% of world
population.
31. At the present rate of growth India is expected to overtake
China by 2050.
32. The country which had the first official family planning
programme was India.
33. The Cairo conference in population Development (1994)
emphasized Target-free approach towards family welfare.
34. Usual status (US) unemployment of calculated with reference
to a period of one year.
35. Chronic unemployment is measured using US date.
36. The backlog of unemployment estimated at the beginning of 8th
plan (April 1992) was 23 million.
37. Estimated new labour force that will be added during 8 th plan
period was 58 million.
38. The backlog of estimated unemployment at the beginning of 9 th
plan (April 1997) is 7.5 million
39. The net addition to labor force envisaged in the 9 th Plan will be
53 million
40. The percentage of population below the age of 15 in India as
per 91 census is 35
41. Employment in manufacturing sector in India grew between
1972 and 1992 by 44%

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42. Specific schemes for employment generation was evolved for

the first time in 6th Plan
43. The national income of a nation is the sum total of factor
incomes.
44. The difference between the GNP and NNP is equal to the
capital depreciation
45. The national income in India is estimated by the Central
Statiscal Organization
46. The philosophy behind economic planning recognizes that
markets and price system alone cannot ensure human welfare
47. National Planning Committee (1938) was chaired by Jawaharlal
Nehru
48. The Planning Commission was set up in accordance with the
directive principles in Article 39.
49. Structural Planning refers to changing existing institutions or
creating new ones
50. First Plan adopted Harrod Domar model
51. The phenomenon known as green revolution began to manifest
during Annual Plans (1966-69)
52. A substantial hike in family planning outlay was provided in
4th Plan
53. Selective disinvestments of public sector as an objective was
included for the first time in 8th Plan.

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54. The purpose of the tenancy reform legislation was to afford

security of tenure to tenants, enact fixation of air rent,
conferment of ownership right of tenants in some cases.
55. Central Cooperative Bank is operates at the district level.
56. The percentage of people below poverty line as per the most
recent estimate (1994) using Lakdawala methodology is 37.3%.
57. National income is arrived at by adding to Net Domestic
Product, net inflow from abroad.
58. The product method of calculating National Income is
otherwise known as Value-added method.
59. Relative poverty refers to a situation where a person falls
behind others
60. Use of energy requirements (calorie) as a measure of poverty in
India was made for the first time by Dandekar and Rath
61. The concept of P index as a measure of income shortfall was
proposed by Amartya Sen
62. The Squared Poverty Gap (SPG) has been used to estimate the
severity of poverty in 9th Plan
63. Human Poverty Index (HPI) measures the deprivation as a
composite index of knowledge, basic need and standard of
living.
64. The state which has the lowest percentage of persons below the
poverty line is Punjab.

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65. After the launch of the New Economic Policy, rural poverty
increased initially but declined in 1993-94.
66. The present base year for calculating whole sale price index is
1993-94
67. Demand pull factors for inflation can be developmental
expenditure
68. Agriculture in India today provides livelihood to 64%
percentage of labor force directly
69. Agriculture contributes 28% percentage of GDP in India today
70. Indias per capita net availability of food grains per day is 539
gm
71. The net production of total food grains in 1998 was 195 million
tones
72. The impact of Green Revolution was felt most in the case of
wheat
73. permanent settlement was a feature of Zamindari system
74. In order to give constitutional protection state land reforms
laws have been put in the Constitutions 9th schedule.
75. Under co-operative joint farming farmers poor their land but
ownership continues with the individual farmers.
76. As an economy develops the share of agriculture in the national
product declines.

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77. Command Area Development programme was launched to

ensure better utilization of irrigation potential.
78. In 1951-52 institutional credit accounted for 7%
79. Commercial banks finance rural credit directly and through
Rural Banks
80. Import of Terminator seeds is banned by the Government
because these seeds contain genetically engineered properties
to prevent further multiplication
81. There are at present 6836 regulated markets in the country.
82. NAFED is an organization of marketing agency for inter-state
marketing of agricultural produces
83. The agency charged with the responsibility of buffer stocking is
Food Corporation of India.
84. Land Development Banks form a part of the Cooperative credit
structure.
85. The latest information about agricultural markets is collected
and published by the National Council of Applied Economic
Research.
86. Crop insurance is the monopoly of General Insurance
Corporation
87. The Greening of the East refers to spread of Green Revolution
to non-traditional areas of eastern India.

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88. The maximum level of stocking indicated in buffer stock policy

is 22 million tones.
89. The total subsidy under targeted PDS will be Rs.2400 crore
90. The concept of joint sector was recognized by industrial Policy
Statement 1973
91. The Hazari Committee submitted its report in 1967. It pointed
out the misuses of industrial licenses
92. The industrial Licensing Policy Inquiry Committee which
submitted its report in 1969 is popularly known as Dutt
Committee
93. The concept of joint sector implised cooperation between public
sector and private sector industries
94. The number of central Government undertakings (excluding
banks, financial institutions and departmental undertakings) as
on March 31, 1996 was 243
95. Fiscal Policy is connected with public revenue and expenditure
96. Excise is the largest single source of the Governments earning
from tax revenue
97. Customs duty is not shared by the Central Government with
the states
98. Land revenue is not a Central Government tax
99. Market forces deciding investment and consumption is not a
feature of mixed economy

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100.

The cause for a steep decline in population in India in

1921 census was influenza