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 – RESOURCES

Utility; Value.

TYPE OF RESOURCES – Natural Resources; Renewable and Non-Renewable Resources; Human Made Resources; Human Resources; People are Human Resources; Human Resource Development.

CONSERVING RESOURCES – Resource Conservation; Sustainable Development.

CHAPTER 2 – LAND, SOIL, WATER, NATURAL VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE RESOURCES

LAND

LAND USE – Land Use; Common Property Resources.

CONSERVATION OF LAND RESOURCES

SOIL

FACTORS OF SOIL FORMATION – Soil Formation.

DEGRADATION OF SOIL AND CONSERVATION MEASURES – Mulching; Contour Barriers; Rock Dam; Terrace Farming; Intercropping; Contour; Ploughing; Shelter Belts.

WATER – PROBLEMS OF WATER AVAILABILITY – CONSERVATION OF WATER RESOURCES.

NATURAL VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE – Biosphere; Ecosystem.

DISTRIBUTION OF NATURAL VEGETATION – CONSERVATION OF NATURAL VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE.

CHAPTER 3 – MINERALS AND POWER RESOURCES

TYPES OF MINERALS – Metallice; Ferrous; Non-Ferrous; Non Metallic; Mining; Open Cast Mining; Shafts; Shafts Mining; Quarrying.

DISTRIBUTION OF MINERALS – ASIA – EUROPE – NORTH AMERICA – SOUTH AMERICA – AFRICA – AUSTRALLIA – ANTARCTICA – USES OF MINERALS – CONSERVATION OF MINERALS.

POWER RESOURCES – Conventional Sources; Firewood; Fossil Fuel; Coal; Thermal Power; Buried Sunshine; Petroleum; Black Gold; Natural Gas; Hydel Power.

NON – CONVENTIONAL SOURCES OF ENERGY – Solar energy; Wind Energy; Nuclear Power; Geothermal Energy.

TIDAL ENERGY – BIOGAS.

CHAPTER 4 – AGRICULTURE

FARM SYSTEM

TYPES OF FARMING – Subsistence Farming and Commercial Farming – Primitive Subsistence Agriculture; Shifting Cultivation; Nomadic Herding; Commercial Farming; Mixed Farming; Plantations; Major Crops; Rice; Wheat; Millets; Maize; Cotton; Jute; Coffee; Tea.

AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT – A Farm in India; A Farm in the USA.

CHAPTER 5 – INDUSTRIES

Secondary Activities; Manufacturing; Industry.

CLASSIFICATION OF INDUSTRIES – Raw Materials; Agro based industries; Mineral Based Industries; Marine Based Industries; Forest Based Industries; Size; Small Scale; Large Scale Industries; Ownership; Private Sector Industries; Joint Sector Industries; Co-operative Sector.

FACTORS AFFECTING LOCATION OF INDUSTRIES – INDUSTRIAL SYSTEM – INDUSTRIAL REGIONS.

DISTRIBUTION OF MAJOR INDUSTRIES – Iron and Steel Industry.

JAMSHEDPUR – Pittsburgh.

COTTON TEXTILE INDUSTRY – Ahmedabad; Osaka.

CHAPTER 6 – HUMAN RESOURCES

Human Resource

DISTRIBUTION OF POPULATION – The Pattern of Population Distribution.

DENSITY OF POPULATION

FACTORS AFFECTING DISTRIBUTION OF POPULATION – Topography; Climate; Soil; Water; Minerals; Social; Cultural; Economic.

POPULATION CHANGE – Birth Rate; Death Rate; Migration; Natural Growth Rate; Emigrants; Immigrants; In-migration; Out-migration; Emigration.

PATTERNS OF POPULATION CHANGE - POPULATION COMPOSITION.