Geography MCQs for UPSC Prelims — April 2026

Q1. Consider the following statements regarding New Zealand and the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF): 1. Australia and New Zealand are the only members of the Pacific Islands Forum that are classified as developed economies. 2. All members of the Pacific Islands Forum are sovereign states recognised by the United Nations as such. 3. The Cook Strait separates New Zealand's North Island from the Australian mainland. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. Australia and New Zealand are the only members of the Pacific Islands Forum that are classified as developed economies.
2. All members of the Pacific Islands Forum are sovereign states recognised by the United Nations as such.
3. The Cook Strait separates New Zealand's North Island from the Australian mainland.

• A. 1 only
• B. 1 and 2 only
• C. 2 and 3 only
• D. 1, 2 and 3

Q2. How many sovereign countries share a land border with Iran?

• A. Five
• B. Six
• C. Seven
• D. Eight

Q3. A crude-oil tanker sails from a port on the United Arab Emirates coast to Rotterdam via the Suez route. Match List I (waterway/strait) with List II (order in which the tanker enters it) and select the correct option.

• A. A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4
• B. A-2, B-1, C-3, D-4
• C. A-1, B-3, C-2, D-4
• D. A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3

Q4. Match List I (Category of energy flow through the Strait of Hormuz) with List II (Approximate share, as cited in PIB/IMF/World Bank briefings of 2026) and select the correct answer using the code given below:

• A. A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4
• B. A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3
• C. A-1, B-3, C-2, D-4
• D. A-2, B-1, C-3, D-4

Q5. In the context of global energy trade, the term 'maritime chokepoint' — as applied to the Strait of Hormuz — most precisely refers to which one of the following?

• A. A narrow, strategically located shipping passage whose closure or disruption can constrict a disproportionate share of global energy or commodity flows
• B. The territorial sea belt of 12 nautical miles within which the coastal state exercises full sovereignty over foreign vessels
• C. An Exclusive Economic Zone where the coastal state holds exclusive rights to living and non-living resources up to 200 nautical miles
• D. A designated naval exclusion zone declared by a coastal state from which all foreign warships and merchant vessels are barred

Q6. The right of 'transit passage' through international straits used for international navigation, such as the Strait of Hormuz, is codified under which one of the following international conventions?

• A. UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, 1982
• B. Convention on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone, 1958
• C. Convention on the High Seas, 1958
• D. UN Convention on the Continental Shelf, 1964

Q7. Match List I with List II and select the correct answer using the code given below the lists:

• A. A-3, B-1, C-2, D-4
• B. A-3, B-2, C-1, D-4
• C. A-4, B-1, C-2, D-3
• D. A-3, B-1, C-4, D-2

Q8. In the geography of New Zealand, the term 'Cook Strait' refers to which one of the following?

• A. The narrow maritime passage that separates New Zealand's North Island from its South Island
• B. The sea passage lying between the eastern coast of Australia and the western coast of New Zealand
• C. The channel separating New Zealand's South Island from Stewart Island in the far south
• D. The stretch of the Southern Ocean separating New Zealand's outlying islands from Antarctica

Q9. The term 'Issyk-Kul', frequently mentioned in the context of Kyrgyzstan, is best described as which one of the following?

• A. An endorheic high-altitude lake situated in the northern Tien Shan of Kyrgyzstan, designated a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
• B. A trans-boundary glacier in the Pamir range shared by Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan
• C. A high mountain pass on the Kyrgyzstan–China boundary linking Bishkek with Kashgar
• D. A river basin draining from the Tien Shan into the Aral Sea through Uzbekistan

Q10. Match List I (Geographical feature of Kyrgyzstan) with List II (Description) and select the correct answer using the code given below:

• A. A-2, B-3, C-4, D-1
• B. A-3, B-2, C-4, D-1
• C. A-3, B-4, C-2, D-1
• D. A-2, B-3, C-1, D-4

Q11. With reference to UNESCO recognitions associated with Kyrgyzstan's Tien Shan region, consider the following statements:

1. The Western Tien-Shan, a transnational property shared with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, whereas Issyk-Kul is designated under UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme.
2. Issyk-Kul is the largest high-altitude lake in the world, surpassing Lake Titicaca in surface area.
3. Despite lying above 1,600 m in the Tien Shan, Issyk-Kul does not freeze in winter owing to its depth, low salinity and warm springs.

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 1 and 3 only
• C. 2 and 3 only
• D. 1, 2 and 3

Q12. With reference to the geography of New Zealand, which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. New Zealand consists primarily of two main landmasses — the North Island and the South Island.
2. The Tasman Sea lies between Australia and New Zealand, to the west of the New Zealand mainland.
3. The Cook Strait separates the North Island from the South Island of New Zealand.
4. Mount Cook, the highest peak of New Zealand, is situated on the North Island.

• A. 1, 2 and 3 only
• B. 2 and 4 only
• C. 1, 3 and 4 only
• D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q13. Which one of the following is the capital city of New Zealand?

• A. Auckland
• B. Christchurch
• C. Wellington
• D. Hamilton

Q14. Match List I (Indian Port of Call under the India-Bangladesh PIWTT) with List II (River on which it is located) and select the correct answer using the code given below:

• A. A-3, B-2, C-1, D-4
• B. A-2, B-3, C-4, D-1
• C. A-3, B-1, C-2, D-4
• D. A-4, B-2, C-1, D-3

Q15. With reference to the Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade (PIWTT) between India and Bangladesh, consider the following statements: 1. The Protocol was first signed in 1972, immediately after the independence of Bangladesh. 2. The Second Addendum of 2020 reduced the number of Indo-Bangladesh Protocol routes from ten to eight. 3. Under the Second Addendum (2020), the Sonamura-Daudkandi stretch on the Gumti river was included as new Protocol routes 9 and 10. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. The Protocol was first signed in 1972, immediately after the independence of Bangladesh.
2. The Second Addendum of 2020 reduced the number of Indo-Bangladesh Protocol routes from ten to eight.
3. Under the Second Addendum (2020), the Sonamura-Daudkandi stretch on the Gumti river was included as new Protocol routes 9 and 10.

• A. 1 only
• B. 1 and 3 only
• C. 2 and 3 only
• D. 1, 2 and 3

Q16. Following the Second Addendum (2020) to the Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade (PIWTT) between India and Bangladesh, what is the total number of Indo-Bangladesh Protocol (IBP) routes?

• A. 6
• B. 8
• C. 10
• D. 12

Q17. Match List I (National Waterway) with List II (Year of original declaration as a National Waterway, in chronological order) and select the correct answer using the code given below the lists:

• A. A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4
• B. A-1, B-3, C-2, D-4
• C. A-2, B-1, C-3, D-4
• D. A-1, B-2, C-4, D-3

Q18. Which one of the following river systems was the very first to be declared a National Waterway of India?

• A. Brahmaputra (Dhubri-Sadiya)
• B. Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly (Haldia-Allahabad)
• C. West Coast Canal with Udyogmandal & Champakara Canals
• D. Krishna-Godavari with Kakinada-Puducherry Canals

Q19. With reference to the geographical extent of India's first five National Waterways (NW-1 to NW-5), consider the following statements:

1. The declared length of NW-1 (Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly) from Haldia to Prayagraj is greater than that of NW-2 (Brahmaputra) from Dhubri to Sadiya.
2. Unlike NW-1 which traverses several States, NW-3 lies entirely within a single State.
3. NW-4 traverses a larger number of States/Union Territories than NW-5.

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 2 and 3 only
• C. 1 and 3 only
• D. 1, 2 and 3

Q20. How many additional inland waterways (over and above those already notified by earlier Acts) were declared as National Waterways by the National Waterways Act, 2016?

• A. 96
• B. 101
• C. 106
• D. 111

Q21. With reference to the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), which of the following are member states of the Forum?

1. Fiji
2. Timor-Leste
3. Vanuatu
4. Maldives

• A. 1 and 3 only
• B. 2 and 4 only
• C. 1, 2 and 4
• D. 3 only

Q22. With reference to the geographical features surrounding New Zealand, which of the following water bodies does/do NOT directly border New Zealand?

1. Tasman Sea
2. Cook Strait
3. Bass Strait
4. South Pacific Ocean

• A. 1 and 3
• B. 2 and 4
• C. 3 only
• D. 1, 2 and 4

Q23. Which one of the following cities is the capital (seat of government) of New Zealand?

• A. Auckland
• B. Christchurch
• C. Wellington
• D. Hamilton

Q24. The richest beach placer deposits of monazite — the principal thorium-bearing mineral in India — occur along the coast of which one of the following states?

• A. Andhra Pradesh
• B. Kerala
• C. Odisha
• D. Gujarat

Q25. Match List I (Atomic-energy / monazite facility) with List II (State in which it is located) and select the correct answer:

• A. A-1, B-2, C-3, D-4
• B. A-2, B-1, C-4, D-3
• C. A-1, B-3, C-2, D-4
• D. A-2, B-1, C-3, D-4

Q26. As per the Department of Atomic Energy, what is the approximate in-situ monazite resource (in million tonnes) established in India's beach and inland placer sands?

• A. About 3 million tonnes
• B. About 8 million tonnes
• C. About 13 million tonnes
• D. About 26 million tonnes

Q27. The Punatsangchhu river, harnessed by the Punatsangchhu-II project, flows southward into India (where it is known as the Sankosh) and ultimately drains into which one of the following river systems?

• A. Ganga
• B. Brahmaputra
• C. Barak
• D. Teesta

Q28. In the context of the Brahmaputra river system, the Lohit is best described as which one of the following?

• A. The name by which the Brahmaputra is known within Tibet
• B. A tributary that unites with the Dihang (Siang) and the Dibang near Sadiya, below which the river is known as the Brahmaputra
• C. The main channel of the Brahmaputra after it enters Bangladesh
• D. A distributary through which the Brahmaputra drains into its delta

Q29. The Kalai-II Hydro Electric Project is significant as the first hydro-electric project to be taken up in which one of the following river basins?

• A. Subansiri Basin
• B. Siang Basin
• C. Lohit Basin
• D. Dibang Basin

Q30. With reference to the river geography associated with the recent Arunachal hydro approvals, consider the following statements: 1. The Kamala river is a tributary of the Subansiri river. 2. The Subansiri is a tributary of the Brahmaputra. 3. The Kalai-II project is located on the Lohit river. 4. The Lohit is a tributary of the Subansiri river. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

1. The Kamala river is a tributary of the Subansiri river.
2. The Subansiri is a tributary of the Brahmaputra.
3. The Kalai-II project is located on the Lohit river.
4. The Lohit is a tributary of the Subansiri river.

• A. 1, 2 and 3
• B. 1 and 4 only
• C. 2, 3 and 4
• D. 1, 2, 3 and 4