Geography MCQs for UPSC Prelims — May 2026

Q1. With reference to the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, consider the following statements: 1. The Indravati, the principal river of Bastar, originates in Odisha and is a tributary of the Krishna river. 2. Bastar lies on the Dandakaranya plateau, which extends across parts of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. 3. Unlike the tribal areas of the North-Eastern states which are administered under the Sixth Schedule, the tribal areas of Bastar are administered under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, and the PESA Act, 1996 applies there. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. The Indravati, the principal river of Bastar, originates in Odisha and is a tributary of the Krishna river.
2. Bastar lies on the Dandakaranya plateau, which extends across parts of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
3. Unlike the tribal areas of the North-Eastern states which are administered under the Sixth Schedule, the tribal areas of Bastar are administered under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, and the PESA Act, 1996 applies there.

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

Q2. Which one of the following rivers is the principal river draining the Bastar region of southern Chhattisgarh?

• A. Mahanadi
• B. Sabari
• C. Indravati
• D. Wainganga

Q3. The 'High Coast / Kvarken Archipelago', a transboundary natural site straddling the Gulf of Bothnia between Sweden and Finland, has been inscribed as a World Heritage Site under which one of the following organisations?

• A. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
• B. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
• C. International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
• D. World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

Q4. In its strict geographical sense, the term 'Scandinavia' refers to which one of the following sets of countries?

• A. Denmark, Norway and Sweden
• B. Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden
• C. Iceland, Norway and Sweden
• D. Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden

Q5. With reference to the Red River Delta and the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, consider the following statements: 1. The Red River Delta lies in northern Vietnam, whereas the Mekong Delta lies in southern Vietnam. 2. The Mekong Delta is Vietnam's largest deltaic region and its principal rice-and-aquaculture hub. 3. Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, is situated in the Mekong Delta. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. The Red River Delta lies in northern Vietnam, whereas the Mekong Delta lies in southern Vietnam.
2. The Mekong Delta is Vietnam's largest deltaic region and its principal rice-and-aquaculture hub.
3. Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, is situated in the Mekong Delta.

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

Q6. With reference to the geography of Vietnam, consider the following statements: 1. China shares a land border with Vietnam that terminates at the Gulf of Tonkin coast. 2. Among Vietnam's land neighbours, Laos shares the longest land boundary with it. 3. Thailand shares a land border with Vietnam in the southwest. 4. The Cambodia–Vietnam land border terminates at the Gulf of Thailand. Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

1. China shares a land border with Vietnam that terminates at the Gulf of Tonkin coast.
2. Among Vietnam's land neighbours, Laos shares the longest land boundary with it.
3. Thailand shares a land border with Vietnam in the southwest.
4. The Cambodia–Vietnam land border terminates at the Gulf of Thailand.

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

Q7. Which one of the following is the longest National Waterway declared under the National Waterways Act, 2016?

• A. National Waterway 1 (Ganga-Bhagirathi-Hooghly river system)
• B. National Waterway 2 (Brahmaputra river)
• C. National Waterway 3 (West Coast Canal)
• D. National Waterway 4 (Krishna-Godavari river system)

Q8. Which one of the following is the tallest dam in India?

• A. Bhakra Dam
• B. Hirakud Dam
• C. Sardar Sarovar Dam
• D. Tehri Dam

Q9. With how many sovereign countries does the United Arab Emirates share a land boundary?

• A. One
• B. Two
• C. Three
• D. Four

Q10. With reference to the political geography of the United Arab Emirates, consider the following: 1. Ras al-Khaimah 2. Muscat 3. Fujairah 4. Manama Which of the above is/are correctly identified as constituent emirates of the United Arab Emirates?

1. Ras al-Khaimah
2. Muscat
3. Fujairah
4. Manama

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

Q11. With reference to the African origins of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, consider the following statements: 1. In Sierra Leone, control over diamond fields was a central driver of the civil war whose financing the Kimberley Process was designed to halt. 2. In Angola, the rebel UNITA movement sustained itself for years through illegal mining and sale of rough diamonds. 3. The Kimberley Process derives its name from a town in Botswana where southern African producing states first met in 2000 to draft the scheme. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. In Sierra Leone, control over diamond fields was a central driver of the civil war whose financing the Kimberley Process was designed to halt.
2. In Angola, the rebel UNITA movement sustained itself for years through illegal mining and sale of rough diamonds.
3. The Kimberley Process derives its name from a town in Botswana where southern African producing states first met in 2000 to draft the scheme.

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

Q12. Which one of the following African countries currently accounts for the largest share of the continent's diamond output by value and derives over 90 percent of its export earnings from diamonds?

• A. Sierra Leone
• B. Botswana
• C. Democratic Republic of the Congo
• D. Liberia

Q13. Among the Phase-I underground rock cavern facilities currently commissioned under Indian Strategic Petroleum Reserves Limited (ISPRL), which one has the largest crude oil storage capacity?

• A. Padur (Karnataka)
• B. Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh)
• C. Mangaluru (Karnataka)
• D. Chandikhol (Odisha)

Q14. With reference to the rivers that drain into the Gulf of Khambhat (Cambay), consider the following: 1. Sabarmati 2. Mahi 3. Narmada 4. Luni Which of the above is/are correctly identified as rivers emptying into the Gulf of Khambhat?

1. Sabarmati
2. Mahi
3. Narmada
4. Luni

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

Q15. The Dholera Special Investment Region (DSIR), which is to be connected to Ahmedabad by India's first semi high-speed rail corridor, encompasses villages falling under which one of the following talukas of Ahmedabad district?

• A. Sanand Taluka
• B. Bavla Taluka
• C. Dholera Taluka
• D. Daskroi Taluka

Q16. Among the Major Ports of India administered by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, which one of the following is the southernmost?

• A. Cochin Port
• B. Chennai Port
• C. V.O. Chidambaranar Port
• D. Kamarajar Port

Q17. In the context of India's coal sector, the term 'lignite' is most accurately described as which one of the following?

• A. A low-rank brownish-black coal with high moisture and volatile matter, intermediate between peat and sub-bituminous coal
• B. The highest-rank metamorphic coal with greater than 90% fixed carbon, used exclusively in metallurgical processes
• C. A bituminous coal variety distinguished solely by its low ash content and exclusively used for coking in steel plants
• D. A synthetic gaseous fuel derived from the surface gasification of coal in the presence of steam and oxygen

Q18. Which one of the following Indian states holds the largest geological reserves of lignite as per the latest official estimates?

• A. Rajasthan
• B. Gujarat
• C. Tamil Nadu
• D. Jammu and Kashmir

Q19. Which one of the following is the largest producer of soybean in India?

• A. Maharashtra
• B. Madhya Pradesh
• C. Rajasthan
• D. Gujarat

Q20. With reference to the rivers that drain into the Gulf of Khambhat (Cambay), consider the following: 1. Sabarmati 2. Mahi 3. Narmada 4. Luni Which of the above is/are correctly identified as rivers emptying into the Gulf of Khambhat?

1. Sabarmati
2. Mahi
3. Narmada
4. Luni

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

Q21. The Dholera Special Investment Region (DSIR), which is to be connected to Ahmedabad by India's first semi high-speed rail corridor, encompasses villages falling under which one of the following talukas of Ahmedabad district?

• A. Sanand Taluka
• B. Bavla Taluka
• C. Dholera Taluka
• D. Daskroi Taluka

Q22. Which one of the following is the largest producer of soybean in India?

• A. Maharashtra
• B. Madhya Pradesh
• C. Rajasthan
• D. Gujarat

Q23. In the context of India's coal sector, the term 'lignite' is most accurately described as which one of the following?

• A. A low-rank brownish-black coal with high moisture and volatile matter, intermediate between peat and sub-bituminous coal
• B. The highest-rank metamorphic coal with greater than 90% fixed carbon, used exclusively in metallurgical processes
• C. A bituminous coal variety distinguished solely by its low ash content and exclusively used for coking in steel plants
• D. A synthetic gaseous fuel derived from the surface gasification of coal in the presence of steam and oxygen

Q24. Which one of the following Indian states holds the largest geological reserves of lignite as per the latest official estimates?

• A. Rajasthan
• B. Gujarat
• C. Tamil Nadu
• D. Jammu and Kashmir

Q25. How many sovereign states have coastlines on the Persian Gulf?

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

Q26. With reference to the maritime chokepoints of West Asia, consider the following statements: 1. The Strait of Hormuz lies between Iran and Saudi Arabia. 2. The Bab-el-Mandeb strait lies between Yemen and Djibouti. 3. The Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea. 4. The Strait of Tiran lies between Egypt and Jordan. Which of the statements given above are correctly identified?

1. The Strait of Hormuz lies between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
2. The Bab-el-Mandeb strait lies between Yemen and Djibouti.
3. The Suez Canal connects the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea.
4. The Strait of Tiran lies between Egypt and Jordan.

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

Q27. Which one of the following maritime chokepoints carries the largest share of the world's seaborne crude oil and is, therefore, regarded as the most important oil-transit chokepoint?

• A. Strait of Malacca
• B. Bab-el-Mandeb
• C. Strait of Hormuz
• D. Turkish Straits (Bosporus)

Q28. With reference to the geography of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, consider the following countries: 1. China 2. Laos 3. Cambodia 4. Thailand Which of the above is/are NOT correctly identified as a country sharing a land border with Vietnam?

1. China
2. Laos
3. Cambodia
4. Thailand

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

Q29. Which one of the following is the longest river of Southeast Asia, whose distributaries (the Tien and the Hau) form a vast delta in southern Vietnam often described as the country's 'rice bowl'?

• A. Mekong
• B. Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwady)
• C. Salween (Thanlwin)
• D. Chao Phraya

Q30. Which one of the following is the leading sugarcane-producing State in the tropical sugarcane belt of India?

• A. Uttar Pradesh
• B. Maharashtra
• C. Karnataka
• D. Tamil Nadu