Places and Locations: World Geography: UPSC Previous Year Questions (Geography)

Explanation

Also referred to as "Cordillera de los Andes" in Spanish, the Andes Mountains is the world’s longest mountain range that stretches for more than 6,999km along the western margin of the South American continent. The Andes Mountains have an average height of 4,000m and a maximum width of 200 to 700km, and are considered as the highest mountain range that is situated outside the continent of Asia. This long mountain range extends from the north to south direction straddling the seven South American nations of Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. The Andes Mountains also form a part of the American Cordillera, which is a continuous series of mountain ranges that stretches across a major part of North, Central and South Americas.

Explanation

Lake Tanganyika: South of Equator.Lake Tanganyika was formed about 9-12 million years ago in the western arm of the East African rift valley. It is located within Burundi (8%), Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) (45%), Tanzania (41%), and Zambia (6%). Lake TonleSap: in Cambodia, North of Equator Patos Lagoon: in Brazil, South of Equator

Explanation

United Kingdom: The UK (including its overseas territories) has a substantial number of time zones. Sources indicate the UK has 9 time zones, ranging from UTC-8 (Pitcairn Islands) to UTC+6 (British Indian Ocean Territory), plus its own GMT/BST. Denmark: Denmark, primarily due to Greenland and the Faroe Islands, has multiple time zones. Sources indicate Denmark (including its constituent countries) has 5 time zones, ranging from UTC-4 (parts of Greenland) to UTC+1 (mainland Denmark). New Zealand: New Zealand’s main islands use one time zone (NZST/NZDT), but its associated states and dependencies spread across different longitudes. Sources indicate New Zealand (including its territories like the Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau, and Chatham Islands) has 5 time zones, ranging from UTC-11 (Niue) to UTC+13 (Tokelau, main islands with DST). Australia: Australia, a large continent, has several time zones on its mainland an d additional ones for its external territories. Sources indicate Australia (including its mainland and external territories like Heard and McDonald Islands, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Christmas Island, Norfolk Island, Lord Howe Island) has 9 time zones, ranging from UTC+5 to UTC+11 or UTC+12 with DST. Brazil: Brazil is a large country but has fewer time zones than the others on this list with significant overseas territories. Brazil has 4 time zones, ranging from UTC-5 (Acre Time) to UTC-2 (Fernando de Noronha Time). This is not more than four.

Explanation

Statement 1 is correct: Anadyr in Siberia (Russia) and Nome in Alaska are geographically close, separated by the Bering Strait and the International Date Line (IDL). Because of the IDL, even though the two cities are near each other, they fall on different calendar days. So, when people are waking up for breakfast in these cities, it would indeed be different days.

Statement 2 is incorrect: When it is Monday in Anadyr, it is actually Sunday in Nome, not Tuesday. Anadyr is ahead of Nome by about 21 hours due to its position relative to the International Date Line. So the claim that it would be Tuesday in Nome when it’s Monday in Anadyr is wrong -- it’s still the previous day in Nome.

Explanation

Pair I is Incorrect: Mallorca (also spelled Majorca) is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are an autonomous community of Spain located in the western Mediterranean Sea. Despite its Mediterranean location, it is not part of Italy.

Pair II is Incorrect: Normandy is a historic and cultural region in northern France, famous for the D-Day landings during World War II. It lies along the English Channel and has no association with Spain.

Pair III is Incorrect: Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily) and is an autonomous region of Italy. Though it is located relatively close to French territory (like Corsica), it is not part of France. v v v

Explanation

The longest border between any two countries in the world is between Canada and the United States, which spans approximately 8,891 kilometers (5,525 miles). The border is divided into two: the border shared with Canada by the continental United States and the border that the state of Alaska shares with northern Canada. Eight Canadian provinces and thirteen American states run along the shared boundary.

Explanation

The Red Sea is a narrow body of water. It stretches about 1,200 miles (1,930 km) southeast from Suez, Egypt. The sea ends at the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, which connects to the Gulf of Aden. From there, it leads into the Arabian Sea.

Statement 1 is correct: The Red Sea is located in a region characterized by arid and semi-arid climates, with very little rainfall throughout the year. The surrounding regions, such as parts of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Sudan, experience low annual precipitation. The average annual rainfall along the Red Sea coast is less than 100 mm(annually) in most areas, with some regions experiencing no rainfall at all. For example, the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on the Red Sea coast, has an annual rainfall of only about 80 mm.

Statement 2 is correct: The Red Sea is almost unique in that it does not receive significant inflows from any large rivers. While there are some small streams and wadis (seasonal rivers such as Wadi Fatimah) that flow into the Red Sea, they do not significantly contribute to the volume of water in the sea. The Red Sea’s water balance is mainly influenced by evaporation, with a very high rate due to the hot and dry climate. However, according to Britannica, no water enters the Red Sea from rivers.

Explanation

Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and Ghana are the two largest cocoa producers in the world, contributing over 60% of the global cocoa supply. Cote d’Ivoire alone produces about 40%, making it the top producer, while Ghana, the second-larg-est producer, is known for its high-quality cocoa beans. Cocoa from these countries is a key ingredient in the global chocolate industry, supplying major manufacturers like Nestlé, Mars, and Hershey. Their dominance in cocoa production is due to a tropical climate with hot, humid conditions, fertile soil ideal for cocoa cultivation, and a labor-intensive farming system supported by extensive smallholder networks.

Explanation

The North Sea is a shallow, northeastern arm of the Atlantic Ocean located between the British Isles and the mainland of northwestern Europe and covering an area of 220,000 square miles (570,000 square km).

Option (b) is correct:

The sea is bordered by:

The island of Great Britain to the southwest and west, The Orkney and Shetland islands to the northwest, Norway to the northeast, Denmark to the east, Germany and the Netherlands to the southeast Belgium and France to the south.

Explanation

Ukraine is a country located in eastern Europe. Its capital is Kyiv which is located on the Dnieper River in north-central Ukraine. Ukraine shares its borders with seven countries:

Poland to the west Slovakia to the west Hungary to the west Romania to the southwest Moldova to the southwest Russia to the east and northeast Belarus to the north Among given countries Ukraine shares borders with Hungary and Romania only. The other countries-Bulgaria, Czech Re-public, Latvia, and Lithuania do not share a land border with Ukraine.