World Regional Geography — Practice Questions
UPSC Prelims-pattern map practice questions — Caspian littoral states, river mouths, ordering of straits, doubly landlocked countries and old fold mountains.
Questions
These are original UPSC-pattern practice questions. Attempt each one with an atlas before revealing the answer.
Which of the following countries border the Caspian Sea?
- Azerbaijan
- Armenia
- Turkmenistan
- Uzbekistan
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Solution
The five Caspian littoral states are Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Azerbaijan.
- Armenia is landlocked in the South Caucasus, west of Azerbaijan — no Caspian coast.
- Uzbekistan is doubly landlocked; it shares the Aral Sea with Kazakhstan, not the Caspian.
Answer: A
Consider the following pairs:
| River | Drains into |
|---|---|
| 1. Volga | Caspian Sea |
| 2. Danube | Black Sea |
| 3. Jordan | Red Sea |
Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?
Solution
- Pair 1 — correct. The Volga ends in a delta on the Caspian.
- Pair 2 — correct. The Danube delta lies on the Black Sea coast of Romania and Ukraine.
- Pair 3 — wrong. The Jordan flows into the Dead Sea, which has no outlet. The Red Sea receives no major river.
Answer: B
Arrange the following straits from north to south:
- Bosporus
- Strait of Hormuz
- Bab-el-Mandeb
- Strait of Malacca
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Solution
- Bosporus (Istanbul) — about 41° N.
- Strait of Hormuz — about 26–27° N.
- Bab-el-Mandeb — about 12–13° N.
- Strait of Malacca — just a few degrees north of the Equator.
Order: 1-2-3-4. A useful anchor: the Tropic of Cancer (23.5° N) lies between Hormuz and Bab-el-Mandeb.
Answer: C
Which of the following are doubly landlocked countries?
- Uzbekistan
- Liechtenstein
- Kazakhstan
- Paraguay
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Solution
A doubly landlocked country is surrounded only by landlocked countries. There are just two:
- Uzbekistan — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Turkmenistan.
- Liechtenstein — Switzerland and Austria.
Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country but borders Russia and China, which have coasts. Paraguay is landlocked but borders Brazil and Argentina, which have coasts.
Answer: D
Which of the following are old fold mountains?
- Appalachians
- Urals
- Andes
- Atlas
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Solution
The Appalachians and the Urals are old fold mountains, long worn down into rounded ranges; the Urals are rich in minerals. The Andes and the Atlas are young fold mountains, like the Himalaya, Alps and Rockies, with high, rugged relief and ongoing tectonic activity.
Answer: B
Mains
Transboundary rivers are increasingly a source of tension between upstream and downstream countries. Examine with reference to the Nile and the Mekong.
Solution
Introduction: A transboundary river crosses or forms a boundary between countries. When upstream states build dams or divert water, downstream states fear for their water, food and energy security — a classic upstream–downstream dilemma.
Body:
- Nile: the Blue Nile, rising at Lake Tana in Ethiopia, supplies most of the Nile’s water. Ethiopia’s Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam aims at hydropower and development; Egypt, almost entirely dependent on the Nile, and Sudan fear reduced flows, especially during filling and droughts. Colonial-era allocations that did not include upstream states complicate negotiations.
- Mekong: rising on the Tibetan Plateau and flowing through six countries, it supports fisheries and rice farming in Cambodia (Tonle Sap) and Vietnam’s delta. A cascade of upstream dams alters flow timing and sediment supply; the Mekong River Commission includes the four lower-basin countries but not China.
- Common issues: lack of binding basin-wide agreements, data-sharing gaps, climate variability, and sediment loss harming deltas.
- Way forward: basin-level institutions, real-time hydrological data sharing, joint benefit-sharing (power trade, flood control), and principles of equitable and reasonable use.
Conclusion: Rivers ignore borders; cooperation that shares data and benefits, not just water volumes, is the only stable solution — a lesson relevant to South Asia’s own shared rivers.