A Must Read for Civil Services Geography Optional of UPSC

For the civil services mains examination, UPSC provides 41 optional subjects. Each aspirant should select one optional paper of their choice and appear in two papers (Paper-I and Paper-II). Among these options, for a long time, Geography has been one of the most popular optional subjects among civil services aspirants. Though the syllabus is vast, it is equally preferred by engineering, science, art, and humanities graduates.

The first step to prepare for the Geography Optional is thoroughly reading and understanding the NCERT Geography Books. Even before that understanding the contents of each of the 10 NCERT Geography Books. With that in mind, the key topics covered in each of these books are given below for a high-level understanding before you dive deep into the option.

CHAPTER 1 – HUMAN GEOGRAPHY NATURE AND SCOPE

NATURE OF HUMAN GEOGRAPHY - Naturalisation of Humans and Humanisation of
Nature; Human Geography through the Corridors of Time; Fields and Sub-fields of Human Geography.

CHAPTER 2 – THE WORLD POPULATION DISTRIBUTION, DENSITY AND GROWTH

PATTERNS OF POPULATION DISTRIBUTION IN THE WORLD – DENSITY OF POPULATION – FACTORS

INFLUENCING THE DISTRIBUTION OF POPULATION - Geographical Factors; Economic Factors; Social and Cultural Factors.

POPULATION OF GROWTH - Components of Population Change; Migration.

TRENDS IN POPULATION GROWTH – DOUBLING TIME OF WORLD POPULATION – SPATIAL PATTERN OF POPULATION CHANGE – IMPACT OF POPULATION CHANGE – DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION – POPULATION CONTROL MEASURES.

CHAPTER 3 – POPULATION COMPOSITION

SEX COMPOSITION - Age Structure; Age-Sex Pyramid; Expanding Populations; Constant Population; Declining Populations.

RURAL URBAN POPULATION – Literacy; Occupational Structure.

CHAPTER 4 – HUMAN DEVELOPMENT

GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT – THE FOUR PILLARS OF HUMAN DEVELOPMENT – APPROACHES TO HUMAN DEVELOPMENT – MEASURING HUMAN DEVELOPMENT – INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS.

CHAPTER 5 – PRIMARY ACTIVITIES

HUNTING AND GATHERING – PASTORALISM – Nomadic Herding; Commercial Livestock Rearing

AGRICULTURE; Subsistence Agriculture; Primitive Subsistence Agriculture; Intensive Subsistence Agriculture; Plantation Agriculture; Extensive Commercial Grain Cultivation; Mixed Farming; Dairy Farming; Mediterranean Agriculture; Market Gardening and Horticulture; Co-operative Farming; Collective Farming.

MINING - Factors Affecting Mining Activity; Methods of Mining;

CHAPTER 6 – SECONDARY ACTIVITIES

MANUFACTURING - Characteristics of Modern Large Scale Manufacturing; Specialisation of Skills/Methods of Production; Mechanisation; Technological Innovation; Organisational Structure and Stratification; Uneven Geographic Distribution; Access to Market; Access to Raw Material; Access to Labour Supply; Access to Sources of Energy; Access to Transportation and Communication
Facilities; Government Policy; Access to Agglo; meration Economies/ Links between Industries; Classification of Manufacturing Industries; Industries based on Size.

HOUSEHOLD INDUSTRIES OR COTTAGE MANUFACTURING - Small Scale Manufacturing - Large Scale Manufacturing; Industries based on Inputs/Raw Materials; Agro based Industries; Mineral based Industries; Chemical based Industries; Forest based Raw Material using Industries; Industries Based On Output/Product.

INDUSTRIES BASED ON OWNERSHIP - Traditional Large-Scale Industrial Regions; The Ruhr Coal-field, Germany; Iron and Steel Industry; Cotton Textile Industry; Concept of High Technology Industry.

CHAPTER 7 – TERTIARY AND QUATERNARY ACTIVITIES

TYPES OF TERTIARY ACTIVITIES - Trade and commerce; Retail Trading; Wholesale Trading; Transport; Factors Affecting Transport; Communication; Telecommunications.

PEOPLE ENGAGED IN TERTIARY ACTIVITIES

SOME SELECTED EXAMPLES – Tourism; Tourist Regions; Factors Affecting Tourism; Tourist Attractions; Medical Services for Overseas Patients in India

QUATERNARY ACTIVITIES – QUINARY ACTIVITIES – THE DIGITAL DIVIDE

CHAPTER 8 – TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION

TRANSPORT

MODES OF TRANSPORTATION - Land Transport; Roads; Highways; Border Roads; Railways; Trans–Continental Railways; Trans–Siberian Railway; Trans–Canadian Railways; The Union and Pacific Railway; The Australian Trans–Continental Railway; The Orient Express.

WATER TRANSPORT - Sea Routes; Important Sea Routes; The Northern Atlantic Sea Route; The Mediterranean–Indian Ocean Sea Route; The Cape of Good Hope Sea Route; The Southern Atlantic Sea Route; The North Pacific Sea Route; The South Pacific Sea Route; Coastal Shipping; Shipping Canals; The Suez Canal; The Panama Canal; Inland Waterways; The Rhine Waterways; The Volga Waterway; The Great Lakes – St. Lawrence Seaway; The Mississippi Waterways.

AIR TRANSPORT - Inter-Continental Air Routes

PIPELINES

COMMUNICATIONS - Satellite Communication; Cyber Space – Internet.

CHAPTER 9 – INTERNATIONAL TRADE

HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE - Why Does International Trade Exist?; Basis of International Trade; Important Aspects of International Trade; Volume of Trade; Composition of Trade; Direction of Trade; Balance of Trade; Types of International Trade; Case for Free Trade; World Trade Organisation; Regional Trade Blocs; Concerns Related to International Trade.

GATEWAYS FOR INTERNATIONAL TRADE – Ports - Types of Port.

CHAPTER 10 – HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

CLASSIFICATION OF SETTLEMENTS RURAL URBAN DICHOTOMY

TYPES AND PATTERNS OF SETTLEMENTS - Rural Settlements; Water Supply; Land; Upland; Building Material; Defence; Planned Settlements; Rural Settlement Patterns; Problems of Rural Settlements; Urban Settlements; Classification of Urban Settlements; Population Size; Occupational Structure; Administration; Location; Functions of Urban Centres; Administrative Towns; Trading and
Commercial Towns; Cultural Towns.

CLASSIFICATION OF TOWNS ON THE BASIS OF FORMS - Addis Ababa (The New Flower); Canberra; Types of Urban Settlements; Town; City; Conurbation; Million City; Megalopolis; Distribution of Mega Cities; Problems of Human Settlements in Developing Countries; Problems of Urban Settlements; Economic Problems; Socio-cultural Problems; Environmental Problems.