Geography Previous Year Questions UPSC Mains Topic Wise

Year Number of Questions Geography Mains

Questions Topic
2022 8 Physical Geography,
Indian Geography,
Climate, Industry and
Urbanization.
2021 8 Indian Geography,
Climate, World
Geography,
Resources and
Industry
2020 8 Physical Geography,
Climate, Resource
distribution, industry,
and urbanization
2019 8 Climate, Resource
distribution, industry,
and urbanization
2018 5 Physical Geography,
Climate, Resource
distribution, industry,
and urbanization
2017 9 Physical Geography,
Climate, industry,
and urbanization
2016 9 Physical Geography,
Climate, Resource
distribution, and
urbanization
2015 7 Climate, Resource
distribution, and
urbanization.

Physical Geography
2019
1. How can the mountain ecosystem be restored from the negative impact of development
initiatives and tourism?
2016
1. “The Himalayas are highly prone to landslides.” Discuss the causes and suggest suitable
measures of mitigation.
2014
1. Explain the formation of thousands of islands in Indonesian and Philippines archipelagos.
2. Why are the world’s fold mountain systems located along the margins of continents? Bring
out the association between the global distribution of Fold Mountains and the earthquakes
and volcanoes.
2013
1. What do you understand by the theory of continental drift? Discuss the prominent
evidence in its support.
2. There is no formation of deltas by rivers of the Western Ghats. Why?
3. Major hot deserts in the northern hemisphere are located between 20-30 degree north
and on the western side of the continents. Why?
4. Bring out the causes for more frequent landslides in the Himalayas than in Western Ghats.
Climate
2019
1. Assess the impact of global warming on the coral life system with examples.
2017
1. How does the cryosphere affect global climate?
2. What characteristics can be assigned to the monsoon climate that succeeds in feeding
more than 50 percent of the world population residing in Monsoon Asia?
2016
1. Discuss the concept of air mass and explain its role in macro-climatic changes.
2015
1. Explain the factors responsible for the origin of ocean currents. How do they influence
regional climates, fishing and navigation?
2. How far do you agree that the behaviour of the Indian monsoon has been changing due to
humanizing landscapes? Discuss.
2014
1. Tropical cyclones are largely confined to South China Sea, Bay of Bengal and Gulf of
Mexico. Why?
2. Most of the unusual climatic happenings are explained as an outcome of the El-Nino
 2. Most of the unusual climatic happenings are explained as an outcome of the El-Nino
effect. Do you agree?
3. Bring out the relationship between the shrinking Himalayan glaciers and the symptoms of
climate change in the Indian subcontinent.
2013
1. The recent cyclone on the east coast of India was called “Phailin”. How are the tropical
cyclones named across the world?
2. Bring out the causes for the formation of heat islands in the urban habitat of the world.
3. What do you understand by the phenomenon of temperature inversion in meteorology?
How does it affect the weather and the habitants of the place?
Resources
2019
1. Discuss the causes of depletion of mangroves and explain their importance in maintaining
coastal ecology.
2. What is water stress? How and why does it differ regionally in India?
3. How do ocean currents and water masses differ in their impacts on marine life and the
coastal environment? Give suitable examples.
2018
1. Why is India taking keen in resources of Arctic region?
2. What are the consequences of spreading of “Dead Zones on Marine Ecosystem?
3. Defining blue resources, explain the problems and strategies for pisciculture development
in India.
2017
1. Account for variations in oceanic salinity and discuss its multi-dimensional effects.
2. In what way can floods be converted into a sustainable source of irrigation and all-weather
inland navigation in India?
3. “In spite of adverse environmental impact, coal mining is still inevitable for development”.
Discuss. (150 words)
2016
1. The effective management of land and water resources will drastically reduce the human
miseries. Explain.
2. South China Sea has assumed great geopolitical significance in the present context.
Comment.
3. Present an account of the Indus Water Treaty and examine its ecological, economic and
political implications in the context of changing bilateral relations.
4. Enumerate the problems and prospects of inland water transport in India.
5. In what way micro-watershed Development projects help in water conservation in drought
prone and semi-arid regions of India.
2015
1. What are the economic significances of discovery of oil in Arctic Sea and its possible
environmental consequences?
2. India is well endowed with fresh water resources. Critically examine why it still suffers from
water scarcity.
 3. The states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand arc reaching the
limits of their ecological carrying capacity due to tourism. Critically evaluate.
2014
1. Critically evaluate the various resources of the oceans which can be harnessed to meet
the resource crisis in the world.
2. How does India see its place in the economic space of rising natural resource rich Africa?
2013
1. With growing scarcity of fossil fuels, the atomic energy is gaining more and more
significance in India. Discuss the availability of raw material required for the generation of
atomic energy in India and in the world.
2. It is said the India has substantial reserves of shale oil and gas, which can feed the needs
of country for quarter century. However, tapping of the resources doesn’t appear to be
high on the agenda. Discuss critically the availability and issues involved.
Urbanization
2019
1. How is efficient and affordable urban mess transport key to the rapid economic
development of India?
2016
1. With a brief background of quality of urban life in India, introduce the objectives and
strategy of the ‘Smart City Programme’.
2. Major cities of India are becoming more vulnerable to flood conditions. Discuss.
2015
1. Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata are the three mega cities of the country but the air pollution is
much more serious problem in Delhi as compared to the other two. Why is this so?
2. Smart cities in India cannot sustain without smart villages. Discuss this statement in the
backdrop of rural urban integration.
2013
1. Discussion the various social problems which originated out of the speedy process of
urbanization in India.
Industrial Location
2019
1. Can the strategy of regional resource-based manufacturing help in promoting employment
in India?
2. Discuss the factors for the localisation of agro-based food processing industries of North-
West India.
2018
What is the significance of Industrial Corridors in India?Identifying the industrial corridors,
explain their main characteristics.
2017
Petroleum refineries are not necessarily located nearer to crude oil producing areas, particularly
in many of the developing countries. Explain its implications.
2014
 1. Whereas the British planters had developed tea gardens all along the Shivaliks and Lesser
Himalayas from Assam to Himachal Pradesh, in effect they did not succeed beyond the
Darjeeling area. Explain.
2. Account for the change in the spatial pattern of the Iron and Steel industry in the world.
3. Why did the Green Revolution in India virtually by-pass the eastern region despite fertile
soil and good availability of water?
2013
1. Do you agree that there is a growing trend of opening new sugar mills in the Southern
states of India? Discuss with justification.
2. Analyze the factors for highly decentralized cotton textile industry in India.

Geography PYQ UPSC Mains 2022

1. Discuss the meaning of colour-coded weather warnings for cyclone-prone areas given by
the India Meteorological Department.
2. Discuss the natural resource potential of the ‘Deccan trap’.
3. Describe the characteristics and type of primary rocks.
4. The troposphere is a very significant atmosphere layer that determines weather
processes. How?
5. Mention the significance of straits and isthmus in international trade.
6. Examine the potential of wind energy in India and explain the reasons for its limited spatial
spread.
7. What are the forces that influence ocean currents? Describe their role in the fishing
industry of the world.
8. Describing the distribution of rubber-producing countries indicates their major
environmental issues.
Geography UPSC Mains Questions 2021
1. Differentiate the causes of landslides in the Himalayan region and the Western Ghats.
2. Despite India being one of the countries of the Gondwanaland, its mining industry
contributes much less to its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in percentage. Discuss.
3. What are the environmental implications of recreating the water bodies into urban land
use? Explain with examples.
4. Mention the global occurrence of volcanic eruptions in 2021 and their impact on the
 4.
regional environment.
5. Why is India considered a subcontinent? Elaborate on your answer.
6. Briefly mention the alignment of major mountain ranges of the world and explain their
impact on local weather conditions, with examples.
7. How does the melting of the Arctic ice and glaciers of the Antarctic differently affect the
weather patterns and human activities on the Earth? Explain.
8. Discuss the multi-dimensional implications of the uneven distribution of mineral oil in the
world.

2022
1. Describe the characteristics and types of primary rocks.
2. Discuss the meaning of colour-coded weather warnings for cyclone prone areas given by India
Meteorological Department.
3. Discuss the natural resource potentials of ‘Deccan Trap’.
4. Examine the potential of wind energy in India and explain the reasons for their limited spatial
spread.
5. What are the forces that influence ocean currents? Describe their role in fishing industry of the
world.
6. Describing the distribution of rubber producing countries, indicate the major environmental
issues faced by them.
7. Mention the significance of straits and isthmus in international trade.
8. Troposphere is a very significant atmosphere layer that determines weather processes. How?

2021
1. Differentiate the causes of landslides in the Himalayan region and Western Ghats.
2. Despite India being one of the countries of Gondwanaland, its mining industry contributes
much less to its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in percentage. Discuss.
3. What are the environmental implications of the reclamation of the water bodies into urban land
use? Explain with examples.
4. Mention the global occurrence of volcanic eruptions in 2021 and their impact on regional
environment.
5. Why is India considered as a subcontinent? Elaborate your answer.
6. Briefly mention the alignment of major mountain ranges of the world and explain their impact
on local weather conditions, with examples.
7. How do the melting of the Arctic ice and glaciers of the Antarctic differently affect the weather
patterns and human activities on the Earth? Explain.
8. Discuss the multi-dimensional implications of uneven distribution of mineral oil in the world.
9. What are the main socio-economic implications arising out of the development of IT industries
in major cities of India?

2020
1. Discuss the geophysical characteristics of Circum-Pacific Zone.
2. The process of desertification does not have climate boundaries. Justify with examples.
3. How will the melting of Himalayan glaciers have a far-reaching impact on the water resources
of India?
4. Account for the present location of iron and steel industries away from the source of raw
material, by giving examples.
5. The interlinking of rivers can provide viable solutions to the multi-dimensional inter-related
problems of droughts, floods, and interrupted navigation. Critically examine.
6. Account for the huge flooding of million cities in India including the smart ones like Hyderabad
and Pune. Suggest lasting remedial measures.
7. India has immense potential of solar energy though there are regional variations in its
developments. Elaborate.
8. Examine the status of forest resources of India and its resultant impact on climate change.

2018
1. Why is Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) needed? How does it help in
navigation?
2. Why is India taking keen interest in resources of Arctic region?
3. Define mantle plume and explain its role in plate tectonics.
4. What are the consequences of spreading of ‘Dead Zones’ on marine ecosystems?
5. “The ideal solution of depleting ground water resources in India is water harvesting system”.
How can it be made effective in urban areas?
6. Defining blue revolution, explain the problems and strategies for pisciculture development in
India.
7. What is the significance of Industrial Corridors in India? Identifying industrial corridors, explain
their main characteristics.
8. Mention core strategies for the transformation of aspirational districts in India & explain the
nature of convergence, collaboration & Competition for its success.

2017
1. How does the Juno Mission of NASA help to understand the origin and evolution of the Earth?
2. “In spite of adverse environmental impact, coal mining is still inevitable for development”.
Discuss.
3. Mention the advantages of the cultivation of pulses because of which the year 2016 was
declared as the International Year of Pulses by United Nations.
4. How does the cryosphere affect global climate?
5. “The growth of cities as I.T. hubs has opened up new avenues of employment, but has also
created new problems”. Substantiate this statement with examples.
6. Account for variations in oceanic salinity and discuss its multidimensional effects.
7. Petroleum refineries are not necessarily located nearer to crude oil producing areas,
particularly in many of the developing countries. Explain its implications.
8. In what way can floods be converted into a sustainable source of irrigation and all-weather
inland navigation in India?
9. What characteristics can be assigned to monsoon climate that succeeds in feeding more than
50 percent of the world population residing in Monsoon Asia?

2016
1. With a brief background of quality of urban life in India, introduce the objectives and strategy
of the ‘Smart City Programme.’
2. Discuss the concept of air mass and explain its role in macro-climatic changes.
3. “The Himalayas are highly prone to landslides.” Discuss the causes and suggest suitable
measures of mitigation.
4. The effective management of land and water resources will drastically reduce the human
miseries. Explain.
5. South China Sea has assumed great geopolitical significance in the present context.
Comment.
6. Major cities of India are becoming vulnerable to flood conditions. Discuss.
7. Present an account of the Indus Water Treaty and examine its ecological, economic and
political implications in the context of changing bilateral relations.
8. Enumerate the problems and prospects of inland water transport in India.
9. In what way micro-watershed development projects help in water conservation in drought-
prone and semi-arid regions of India?

2015
1. Explain the factors responsible for the origin of ocean currents? How do they influence
regional climates, fishing and navigation?
2. Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata are the three mega cities of the country but the air pollution is
much more serious problem in Delhi as compared to the other two. Why is this so?
3. India is well endowed with fresh water resources. Critically examine why it still suffers from
water scarcity.
4. The states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are reaching the limits
of their ecological carrying capacity due to tourism. Critically evaluate.
5. How far do you agree that the behaviour of the Indian monsoon has been changing due to
humanizing landscapes? Discuss.
6. Smart cities in India cannot sustain without smart villages. Discuss this statement in the
backdrop of rural urban integration.
7. What are the economic significances of discovery of oil in Arctic Sea and its possible
environmental consequences?

2014
1. Most of the unusual climatic happenings are explained as an outcome of the El-Nino effect. Do
you agree?
2. Why are the world’s fold mountain systems located along the margins of continents? Bring out
the association between the global distribution of fold mountains and the earthquakes and
volcanoes.
3. Explain the formation of thousands of islands in Indonesian and Philippines archipelagos.
4. Tropical cyclones are largely confined to South China Sea, Bay of Bengal and Gulf of Mexico.
Why?
5. Bring out the relationship between the shrinking Himalayan glaciers and the symptoms of
climate change in the Indian sub-continent.
6. Whereas the British planters had developed tea gardens all along the Shivaliks and Lesser
Himalayas from Assam to Himachal Pradesh, in effect they did not succeed beyond the
Darjeeling area. Explain.
7. Why did the Green Revolution in India virtually by-pass the eastern region despite fertile soil
and good availability of water?
8. Account for the change in the spatial pattern of the Iron and Steel industry in the world.
9. Critically evaluate the various resources of the oceans which can be harnessed to meet the
resource crisis in the world.
10. How does India see its place in the economic space of rising natural resource rich Africa?

2013
1. (a) What do you understand by the theory of ‘continental drift’? Discuss t he prominent
evidences in its support. (b) The recent cyclone on east coast of India was called ‘Phailin’. How
are the tropical cyclones named across the world? Elaborate.
2. (a) Bring out the causes for the formation of heat islands in the urban habitat of the world. (b)
What do you understand by the phenomenon of ‘temperature inversion’ in meteorology? How
does it affect weather and the habitants of the place?
3. Major hot deserts in northern hemisphere are located between 20-30 deg N latitudes and on
the western side of the continents. Why?
4. (a) Bring out the causes for more frequent occurrence of landslides in the Himalayas than in
the Western Ghats. (b) There is no formation of deltas by rivers of the Western Ghats. Why?
5. (a) Do you agree that there is a growing trend of opening new sugar mills in southern States of
India? Discuss with justification. (b) Analyze the factors for the highly decentralized cotton textile
industry in India.
6. With growing scarcity of fossil fuels, the atomic energy is gaining more and more significance
in India. Discuss the availability of raw material required for the generation of atomic energy in
India and in the world.
7. It is said that India has substantial reserves of shale oil and gas, which can feed the needs of
the country for quarter century. However, tapping of the resource does not appear to be high on
the agenda. Discuss critically the availability and issues involved.