Human and Economic Geography: UPSC Previous Year Questions (Geography)

Explanation

Thermal power is the largest source of electricity in India, accounting for around 70% of the country’s total power generation. It primarily relies on coal, gas, and oil as fuel sources, with coal-based plants being the dominant contributors.

Statement 1 is incorrect: Water is essential in thermal power plants for cooling high temperatures and generating steam to power turbines. In India, river water is primarily used for this purpose, but some plants, like Mundra Thermal Power Station in Gujarat, use seawater.

Statement 2 is incorrect: More than a third of India’s freshwater-based plants are in areas with high or extreme water stress. On average, they run at 15-25 % lower capacity than those in less water-stressed regions because of limited water availability. Ex-Suratgarh Thermal Power Plant (Rajasthan)

Statement 3 is incorrect: Many coal-based power plants in In-dia are privately owned and operated. For example, the Mundra Thermal Power Plant in Gujarat is owned by Adani Power and is one of the largest private-sector coal-based power plants in the country.

Explanation

Statement I is correct: Switzerland consistently ranks as the world’s leading gold exporter by value. In 2023, the country exported gold worth over $107 billion which makes it the top exporter globally. The country is home to some of the world’s largest and most advanced gold refineries, processing a significant portion of the global gold supply. This infrastructure enables Switzerland to import large quantities of raw gold, refine it, and then export high-quality gold products worldwide.

Statement II is incorrect: Switzerland does not hold the second-largest gold reserves globally. As of the latest data, the top countries by gold reserves are: United States>Germany>Italy>France>Russia>China> Switzerland.

Explanation

Statement 1 is incorrect: The East-West Corridor is a part of India’s National Highways Development Project (NHDP) which is designed to improve connectivity between the eastern and western regions of the country. It connects Silchar in Assam to Porbandar in Gujarat, passing through states like West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan. The Golden Quadrilateral forms a quadrilateral connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata. The East-West Corridor is not under the Golden Quadrilateral Project.

Statement 2 is incorrect: The India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway is an initiative to enhance connectivity between the three countries. The highway connects Moreh in Manipur, India, to Mae Sot in Thailand, passing through Myanmar. The route includes key locations such as Tamu and Mandalay in Myanmar. Chiang Mai located further north in Thailand is not on this route.

Statement 3 is incorrect: The Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar (BCIM) Economic Corridor is a proposed initiative aimed at enhancing economic integration and connectivity among the four countries. The corridor is intended to link Kolkata in West Bengal, India, to Kunming in Yunnan Province, China, traversing through Bangladesh and Myanmar. Varanasi is not part of this proposed route.

Explanation

Option (c) is correct: The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is the world’s largest producer of cobalt, accounting for approximately 70-75% of global production. Cobalt is a critical metal used in lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) and electronic devices. The DRC’s vast mineral-rich deposits in the Katanga region which makes it the dominant player in the global cobalt supply chain

Explanation

Ilmenite(FeTiO) and rutile(TiO₂) are heavy minerals found abundantly in coastal sands, particularly in India’s Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala coasts. These minerals are the primary sources of titanium which are a valuable metal used in aerospace, defense, and industrial applications. They contain titanium dioxide, which is extracted and processed to produce titanium metal and its alloys.

Option (a), (b) and (c) are incorrect:

Aluminium is extracted from bauxite and not ilmenite or rutile. Copper is obtained from ores like chalcopyrite and not from coastal sands. Iron is found in hematite and magnetite ores

Explanation

Pair 1 is correctly matched: Kamarajar Port is the 12th major port of India and the first in the country to operate as a public company. In 1999 it was declared a major port under the Indian Ports Act,1908. It was incorporated as Ennore Port Limited under the Companies Act, 1956 in October 1999. Kamarajar Port is the only corporatized major port in India, operating as a company. Today, the landlord port model, where the port authority leases the facilities to private operators, is the dominant approach in larger and medium-sized ports.

Pair 2 is correctly matched: Mundra Port is situated along the northern coast of the Gulf of Kutch near Mundra in Gujarat. It is the largest privately owned port of India. It is owned and operated by Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Limited (APSEZ) and handles a significant portion of India’s cargo.

Pair 3 is incorrectly matched: Jawaharlal Nehru Port (Nhava Sheva) is the largest container port in India. Visakhapatnam Port ranks as India’s third largest state-owned port in terms of cargo volume handled and holds the distinction of being the largest port on the Eastern Coast.

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: India has more arable area than China. According to the World Bank India has approximately 156 million hectares of arable land, while China has about 119 million hectares.

Statement 2 is incorrect: China has a higher proportion of its arable land under irrigation than India. As per reports from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) about 50% of China’s arable land is irrigated while India has approximately 35% of its arable land under irrigation.

Statement 3 is incorrect: According to FAO (2021) China’s ce-real yield is about 6,300 kg/ha while India’s is around 3,200 kg/ha. This shows that China’s agricultural productivity is significantly higher than India’s.