GEOGRAPHY

PAPER- I  : PRINCIPLES OF GEOGRAPHY

1.Geomorphology:

Factors controlling landform development; Endogenetic and exogenetic forces; Origin and evolution of the earth’s crust; Fundamentals of geomagnetism; Physical conditions of the earth’s interior; Geosynclines; continental drift; Isostasy; Plate tectonics; recent views on mountain building; Vulcanicity; Earthquakes and Tsunamis; Concepts of geomorphic cycles and landscape development; Denudation chronology; Channel morphology; Erosion surfaces; Slope development ;Applied geomorphology : geohydrology, economic geology and environment.

2.Climatology:

Temperature and pressure belts of the world; Heat budget of the earth; Atmospheric circulation; atmospheric stability and instability. Planetary and local winds; Monsoons and Jet streams; Air masses and Fronto genesis, Temperate and Tropical cyclones; Types and distribution of precipitation; weather and climate; Koppen’s, Thornthwaite’s and Trewartha’s classification of world climates; Hydrological cycle; Global Climatic change and role and response of man in climatic changes, Applied climatology and urban climate.

3.Oceanography:

Bottom topography of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific oceans; Temperature and salinity of the oceans; Heat and salt budgets, Ocean deposits; Waves, Currents and Tides; Marine resources: Biotic, mineral and energy resources; Coral reefs, Coral bleaching; Sea level changes; Law of the sea and marine pollution.

4.Biogeography:

Genesis of soils; Classification and distribution of soils; Soil profile; Soil erosion, Degradation and conservation; Factors influencing world distribution of plants and animals; Problems of deforestation and conservation measures; social forestry; agroforestry; wildlife; major gene pool centres.

5.Environmental geography:

Principle of ecology; Human ecological adaptations; Influence of man on ecology and environment; Global and regional ecological changes and imbalances; Ecosystem their management and conservation; Environmental degradation, management and conservation; biodiversity and sustainable development; Environmental policy; environmental hazards and remedial measures; environmental education and legislation.

6.Perspectives in human geography:

Areal differentiation; Regional synthesis; Dichotomy and dualism; Environmentalism; Quantitative revolution and locational analysis; Radical, Behavioural, human and welfare approaches; languages, religions and secularisation; cultural regions of the world; human development index.

7. Economic geography:

World economic development: measurement and problems; World resources and their distribution; Energy crisis; the Limits to growth; World Agriculture: Typology of agricultural regions; agricultural inputs and productivity; food and nutrition problems; food security; famine: causes, effects and remedies; World industries: locational patterns and problems; patterns of world trade.

8. Population and settlement geography:

Growth and distribution of world population; Demographic attributes; causes and consequences of migration; concepts of over under-and optimum population; population theories, world population problems and policies, social well-being and quality of life; population as social capital. Types and patterns of rural settlements; environmental issues in rural settlements; hierarchy of urban settlements; urban morphology: concepts of primate city and rank-size rule; functional classification of towns; sphere of urban influence; rural – urban fringe; satellite towns; problems and remedies of urbanization; sustainable development of cities.

9. Regional planning:

Concept of a region; types of regions and methods of regionalisation; Growth centres and growth poles; regional imbalances; regional development strategies; Environmental issues in regional planning; planning for sustainable development.

10. Models, theories and laws in human geography:

Systems analysis in human geography; Malthusian, Marxian and Demographic transition models; central place theories of Christaller and Losch; Perroux and Boudeville; Von Thunen’s model of agricultural location; Weber’s model of industrial location; Rostov’s model of stages of growth. Heartland and rimland theories; laws of international boundaries and frontiers.

PAPER 2: GEOGRAPHY OF INDIA

Note: Candidates will be required to answer one compulsory map question pertinent to subjects covered by this paper.

1.Physical setting:

Space relationship of India with neighbouring countries; structure and relief; drainage system and watersheds; physiographic regions; mechanism of Indian monsoons and rainfall patterns, tropical cyclones and western disturbances; floods and droughts; climatic regions; natural vegetation; soil types and their distributions.

2. Resources:

Land, surface and ground water, energy, minerals, biotic and marine resources; Forest and wildlife resources and their conservation; Energy crisis.

3. Agriculture:

Infrastructure: irrigation, seeds, fertilizers, power; Institutional factors: land holdings, land tenure and land reforms; cropping pattern, agricultural productivity, agricultural intensity, crop combination, land capability; agro and social forestry; green revolution and its socioeconomic and ecological implications; significance of dry farming; livestock resources and white revolution; aqua – culture; sericulture, apiculture and poultry; agricultural regionalisation; agro-climatic zones; agro- ecological regions

4.Industry:

Evolution of industries; Locational factors of cotton, jute, textile, iron and steel, aluminium, fertilizer, paper, chemical and pharmaceutical, automobile, cottage and agro-based industries; industrial houses and complexes including public sector undertakings; industrial regionalisation; new industrial policies; multinationals and liberalization; special economic zones; tourism including eco -tourism.

5.Transport, communication and trade:

Road, railway, waterway, airway and pipeline networks and their complementary roles in regional development; growing importance of ports on national and foreign trade; trade balance; trade policy; export processing zones; developments in communication and information technology and their impacts on economy and society; Indian space programme.

6. Cultural setting:

Historical perspective of Indian society; racial, linguistic and ethnic diversities; religious minorities; major tribes, Tribal areas and their problems; Cultural regions; growth, distribution and density of population; demographic attributes: sex ratio, age structure, literacy rate, work-force, dependency ratio, longevity; migration (inter-regional, intra- regional and international) and associated problems; population problems and policies; health indicators.

7.Settlements:

Types, patterns and morphology of rural settlements; Urban developments; morphology of Indian cities; functional classification of Indian cities; conurbations and metropolitan regions; urban sprawl; slums and associated problems; town planning; problems of urbanization and remedies.

8. Regional development and planning:

Experience of regional planning in India; five-year plans; integrated rural development programmes; Panchayati raj and decentralised planning; command area development; watershed management; planning for backward area, desert, drought prone, hill, tribal area development; multi-level planning; regional planning and development of island territories.

9. Political aspects:

Geographical basis of Indian federalism; State reorganisation; emergence of new states; regional consciousness and interstate issues; international boundary of India and related issues; cross border terrorism; India’s role in world affairs; geopolitics of South Asia and Indian ocean realm

10.Contemporary issues:

Ecological issues: environmental hazards: landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods and droughts, epidemics; issues relating to environmental pollution; changes in patterns of land use; principles of environmental impact assessment and environmental management; population explosion and food security; environmental degradation; deforestation, desertification and soil erosion; problems of agrarian and industrial unrest; regional disparities in economic development; concept of sustainable growth and development; environmental awareness; linkage of rivers; globalisation and Indian economy.