Geography Notes For UPSC Exam 2023

Geography Notes For UPSC: Geography is one of the crucial subjects you need to strengthen your basics in if you’re preparing for the UPSC exam. And for that, you need to be thorough with the Important topics of Geography for UPSC exams. It is covered in both the General Studies paper in the UPSC Prelims and the GS Paper 1 in the UPSC (Main) examination. So, you need to study the Important Topics of Geography for the UPSC Prelims and Mains exam.

UPSC Notes For UPSC 2023:

• Importance History Notes for UPSC 2023
• Importance Polity Notes for UPSC 2023
• Importance Ethics Notes for UPSC 2023
• Importance Economics Notes for UPSC 2023
• Importance Science & Technology Notes for UPSC 2023
• Previous Year’s Papers of UPSC

Most Important Geography Notes for UPSC 2023 (Prelims and Mains)

Geography establishes the relevance of human existence, the components that are favourable to life, and the aspects that are not conducive to human life in the UPSC framework of the syllabus. 

The UPSC geography syllabus is split into numerous micro topics, which are covered the below:

1. Types of Rocks: Igneous, Sedimentary and Metamorphic Rocks
2. Types And Effects Of Solar Storms
3. Types of Clouds
4. Types of Tides
5. Importance of Tides
6. Melting of Glaciers
7. Polar Code
8. Ground Level Ozone and Its Effect
9. Various Agricultural Revolutions Of India
10. Neighbouring Countries of India
11. Ocean Currents: Various Types, Causes, Effects
12. Ocean Currents – Factors and Impact on Climate
13. Salinity of Ocean Water: Factors, Horizontals, and Vertical Distribution
14. Causes, Effects, and Solutions to Ocean Dead Zones
15. Coral Reefs: Types and Importance
16. Effect of Global Warming on Coral Reefs
17. Factors Affecting India’s Climate
18. Carbon Market
19. Ecologically Sensitive Zones
20. Western And Eastern Coastal Plains Of India
21. Distinguish Between Himalayan Rivers and Peninsular Rivers
22. Neighboring Countries of India
23. Land Degradation: Impact and Steps Taken by Government
24. Land Reforms In India
25. Types of Natural Vegetation in India
26. Urban Solid Waste Management and its Challenges
27. Government Steps to Control Floods and Droughts
28. Cropping Patterns and Major Crops of India
29. Horticulture In India: Its Growth And Future
30. Wetlands and Wise Use Principle of the Ramsar Convention
31. Measures to Improve Water Storage and Irrigation System
32. Constitutional Provisions for the Protection of the Environment
33. Social Forestry – Types and Benefits
34. Indian Desert and its Features
35. Role of Rivers in Indian Economy
36. Role of National Horticulture Mission in Boosting the Production, Productivity, and Income of Horticulture Farms
37. Compensatory Afforestation: Govt Initiative and Regulation
38. UN Climate Change Conference (COP26)
39. Importance of Water Conservation and Management
40. Genetically Modified Crops
41. Anti-Immunization Propaganda
42. Intensive Subsistence Agriculture
43. Geoinformatics For Precision Agriculture
44. Biological Diversity Act 2002
45. Single-use Plastic – The Concerns Cause and Solutions
46. Biorock Technology
47. Radioactive Waste Management
48. Tiger Census Report of India
49. Issues Related to Urbanization in India
50. Differentiate the Causes of Landslides in the Himalayan region and the Western Ghats
51. Relation of Human Development with Environment and Climate Change
52. Atal Mission For Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT)
53. Government Measures to Improve Agricultural Marketing in India
54. Smart City Mission – Features, Strategy, and Challenges
55. Transportation and Economic Development
56. Composition and Structure of the Atmosphere
57. Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS)
58. Rural and Urban Settlements
59. Scope and Future of Organic Farming With Sustainable Development
60. Conventional Energy: Advantages and Disadvantages
61. National Clean Air Programme(NCAP)
62. Forest and Wildlife Resources
63. Integrated Farming System for Sustainable Agriculture
64. Technological and Institutional Reforms of Indian Agriculture
65. Future of 5G technology in Agriculture
66. Gwadar Port and its Geopolitical Impact on India
67. National Action Plan For Climate Change (NAPCC)
68. Cloudbursts in India
69. What is a Cloudburst? – Definition, Causes, Impacts, Examples
70. Non-geographical Factors Needed for Industries
71. Horn of Africa
72. Fiber-Reinforced Plastic
73. Urban Water Management
74. Forest Restoration in India
75. Green Protection to Aravalli Range
76. Climate Emergency In The View of The Renewable Revolution
77. The Objective of the Ministry of Jal Shakti
78. Micro Irrigation System
79. Constitutional Provisions for the Protection of the Environment
80. World Climate Research Programme
81. National Mission For Sustainable Agriculture
82. Mining Sector In India And Its Challenges
83. India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2021
84. North Sentinel Island and Sentinelese Tribe
85. Rubber Board
86. Ocean Pollution: Causes, Effects and Prevention
87. The Future of Green Hydrogen and its Challenges
88. List of Tallest Mountains in the United States
89. Top 8 Longest Rivers in the World
90. What is Ashwagandha? : Health Benefits, Plant & Uses
91. What is Solar Flare?
92. Top 10 Largest Cities in the World
93. What is Hurricane?
94. Difference Between Cyclones and Hurricanes
95. What are El Nino and La Nina? and their Effects
96. Top 10 Highest Mountains in the World
97. What is Net Zero and Why is it Important?
98. Bomb Cyclone: Characteristics, Effects and Hot Spots
99. Ocean Floor: Features, Types, and Structure
100. Autumnal Equinox: Definition, Dates & Facts
101. Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC)
102. Summer Solstice: When is it and What Causes it?
103. What are Metamorphic Rocks?
104. National Water Policy
105. Volcanic Landforms: Extrusive and Intrusive
106. National Committee on Trade Facilitation
107. Digitization in Farm Productivity
108. Triple Dip La Nina
109. Intangible Cultural Heritage of India
110. One Nation One Fertiliser
111. Palm Oil in India
112. Agri Exports in India
113. Sugarcane and Sugar Industry in India
114. World Food Program
115. Cloudbursts Definition & Basic Mechanism

Syllabus of Geography for UPSC Civil Services Exam –

Geography Syllabus for UPSC- Prelims	Indian Geography World Geography Physical Geography Human SalientGeography
Geography Syllabus for UPSC- Mains	Distribution of Key Natural Resources Geophysical Phenomena Salient Features of World’s Physical Geography like Geomorphology, Climatology, Oceanography, and Biography
UPSC Geography Optional Syllabus	Physical Geography Human Geography Geography of India

UPSC Mains Geography Syllabus:

Geography is covered in GS paper I of the UPSC mains exam. The GS Geography syllabus is as follows:

1. Distribution of key natural resources across the world including South Asia and the Indian sub-continent; factors responsible for the location of primary, secondary, and tertiary sector industries in various parts of the world including India.
2. Important Geophysical phenomena such as earthquakes, tsunamis, Volcanic activity, cyclones, etc., geographical features and their location- changes in critical geographical features (including water bodies and ice-caps) and in flora and fauna and the effects of such changes.
3. Salient features of the world’s physical geography (geomorphology, climatology, oceanography, biogeography, and environmental geography)-

• Geomorphology – the interior of the earth, tectonics, physical phenomenon, mountain building, volcanoes, earthquakes, weathering & erosion, rocks, landforms
• Climatology – atmosphere, temperature distribution, jet streams, pressure & wind systems, airmasses, fronts, cyclones, humidity, precipitation, geographical phenomenon, climatic regions of the world
• Oceanography – ocean relief, temperature distribution, ocean currents, salinity, coral bleaching, marine pollution, sea level change, UN laws, etc.
• Biography – soil profile, degradation, conservation), biotic regions, deforestation, and conservation of forests, changes in critical geographical features, environmental pollution

UPSC Geography Optional Syllabus

The UPSC geography optional syllabus’s scoring ability and ration nature make it a popular choice among students from both Arts and Science courses. Let us first examine the structure of the UPSC geography optional.

Geography Syllabus for UPSC	Topics	Marks
UPSC Geography Optional Syllabus Paper 1	Physical Geography and Human Geography	250
UPSC Geography Optional Syllabus Paper 2	Geography of India	250

If you have chosen Geography as an optional subject for the UPSC Mains, you should prepare properly by studying previous years’ exams and reading appropriate books on Geography for UPSC. Mapping questions should always be included in preparation because they are a continual aspect of the question paper format. IAS aspirants may ensure success by combining their preparation for Geography optional with preparation for General Studies in prelims and mains.