CDS Geography · Free notes
Indian Economic Geography: CDS Geography
Indian Economic Geography has 86 past-year questions in CDS General Knowledge, from 2016 (II) to 2026 (I), and 25 of them are HARD. Almost all of them name a real place, company or figure: which State a dam stands in, where a railway zone is run from, which State has the highest tribal share. Ten are four-way matching lists, where one wrong pair costs the whole question. Many answers rest on a figure from a given year, the 2011 Census above all, so the tables say which year each number holds for. 2018 gave more of these questions than any other year.
The handout has every subtopic, worked example, formula and trap with answers shown. The formula sheet is the chapter’s formulas and traps alone, on one page.
Subtopic notes
Resources and Land Use
8 PYQsHow resources are classified, the nine categories India uses to record its land, and how irrigation and soil conservation suit the ground they are used on.
Farming and Crops
18 PYQsThe types of farming, the ways crops are sown together or in turn, the farm policy after Independence, and the needs and main areas of India's chief crops.
Minerals, Power and Industry
15 PYQsThe coal companies and the States that lead in key minerals, India's power plants and dams by State, and the places and companies behind its major industries.
Population Size and Growth
11 PYQsWhich States have the most people and the most crowding, how India's population growth passed through four phases, and what the Census means by literacy, infant mortality and a young population.
Tribes and Languages
8 PYQsWhere India's Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes are most numerous and most concentrated, a few tribes and communities by region, and the four language families with their branches.
Migration and Towns
6 PYQsHow many Indians are migrants and why they move, how towns are classed by function and by size, and which States and cities were the most urban in 2011.
Roads, Railways and Airports
11 PYQsThe great highway corridors and the old national highway numbers, India's major road tunnels and a new mountain airport, and the headquarters of the railway zones.
Waterways and Ports
9 PYQsThe national waterways and the bodies that run them, India's major ports from west to east, and what makes a port tidal, landlocked, artificial or deep-water.
Formula & revision sheet
0 formulas · 22 reference tables · 51 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Formula & revision sheet
0 formulas · 22 reference tables · 51 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Resources and Land Use
Reference tables (3)
Classifying resources4 rows
| Basis of classification | Classes |
|---|---|
| Origin | Biotic and abioticQ CDS 2023 (II): classification by origin gives biotic and abiotic. |
| Exhaustibility | Renewable and non-renewable |
| Ownership | Individual, community, national and international |
| Status of development | Potential, developed, stock and reserves |
The nine land-use categories9 rows
| Category | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Forests | Land classified as forest by the government |
| Land put to non-agricultural uses | Settlements, roads, railways, industry and canals |
| Barren and wasteland | Land that cannot be farmed with the technology we have: barren hills, deserts, ravines |
| Permanent pastures and grazing land | Mostly village common land owned by the panchayat or the government |
| Miscellaneous tree crops and groves | Orchards and groves not counted in the net sown area |
| Culturable wasteland | Farmable land left unsown for more than five yearsQ CDS 2024 (I): culturable wasteland is land left fallow for more than five years. |
| Current fallow | Left unsown for one agricultural year or less |
| Fallow other than current fallow | Left unsown for more than one year but less than five |
| Net sown area | Land actually sown and harvested |
Irrigation and soil conservation5 rows
| Method | Where it suits, and why |
|---|---|
| Tank irrigation | Peninsular plateau: hard rock holds rain on the surface |
| Wells and tubewells | Alluvial plains: soft ground holds plenty of groundwater |
| Canals | Northern plains and deltas, fed by rivers that flow all year |
| Contour ploughing and bunding | Hill slopes, such as those of Himachal Pradesh, where water runs off fastQ CDS 2021 (II): of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan, contour bunding belongs to hilly Himachal Pradesh. |
| Damanganga Reservoir Project | Canals from the Damanganga river that irrigate Dadra and Nagar HaveliQ CDS 2019 (I): the project with about 115 km of minor canals is in Dadra and Nagar Haveli. |
Watch out for (6)
- Origin is not renewability→ Classifying resources
- Five years, not four→ The nine land-use categories
- Marginal land is not a category→ The nine land-use categories
- Forest area has gone up→ The nine land-use categories
- Tanks and wells are opposites→ Irrigation and soil conservation
- Contour farming needs a slope→ Irrigation and soil conservation
Farming and Crops
Reference tables (3)
Types of farming6 rows
| Type of farming | Key feature |
|---|---|
| Shifting cultivation | Slash and burn, then move on; roca (Brazil), chena (Sri Lanka), masole (Zaire), tamrai (Thailand)Q CDS 2023 (II): a four-way match of these local names with their countries. |
| Intensive subsistence | Crop eaten mainly by the farm familyQ CDS 2020 (I): the one type that is not commercial, against dairy, grain farming and ranching. |
| Commercial grain farming | Wheat and maize on large machine-worked farms, for sale |
| Livestock ranching | Animals reared on a large scale for sale |
| Plantation | One cash crop, a large estate, heavy capital, scientific management |
| Dryland farming | Rainfall under about 75 cm; hardy crops such as jowar, ragi and groundnutQ CDS 2023 (II): sugarcane is the one crop not grown under dryland farming. |
Cropping methods and farm policy5 rows
| Method | What it means |
|---|---|
| Intercropping | Two or more crops together on one field in a definite row patternQ Asked twice: CDS 2019 (II) and 2021 (I). |
| Mixed cropping | Two or more crops sown together with no pattern |
| Crop rotation | Different crops on the same land in a planned order; controls pests and weedsQ CDS 2026 (I): crop rotation helps control insects, pests and weeds. |
| Mixed farming | Crops and livestock on the same farm |
| Organic farming | No synthetic chemicals; manure, vermicompost, biofertilizers and bio-pesticides instead |
Crops and where they grow8 rows
| Crop | Needs and main areas |
|---|---|
| Rice | Kharif; heat and heavy rain; aus, aman and boro seasons in the east |
| Cotton | Black soil, light rain, about 210 frost-free days; Gujarat, Maharashtra, TelanganaQ CDS 2019 (II): 'at least 100 frost-free days' is the requirement cotton does not have. |
| Jute | Delta alluvium and heavy rain; West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Odisha, MeghalayaQ CDS 2019 (II): jute is not a significant crop of Andhra Pradesh. |
| Coffee | Arabica, Robusta and Liberica; hills of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil NaduQ |
| Bajra | Sandy and shallow black soils; Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat |
| Ragi | Red and shallow black soils; Karnataka, Tamil Nadu |
| Saffron, almond, walnut | Karewa terraces of the Kashmir valleyQ CDS 2018 (I): water chestnut (ling nut) grows in the lakes, not on the karewas. |
| Coconut | Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu; Lakshadweep has the highest yield per hectare |
Watch out for (8)
- Subsistence is not commercial→ Types of farming
- Plantations grow crops, not animals→ Types of farming
- Pattern or no pattern→ Cropping methods and farm policy
- HYV seeds came later→ Cropping methods and farm policy
- Organic does not mean no inputs→ Cropping methods and farm policy
- Cotton needs a long season→ Crops and where they grow
- Water chestnut is a lake crop→ Crops and where they grow
- Jute stays in the east→ Crops and where they grow
Minerals, Power and Industry
Reference tables (3)
Coal companies and minerals5 rows
| Company or mineral | Key fact |
|---|---|
| Singareni Collieries | Oldest government coal company (1920); Godavari valley, TelanganaQ Asked twice: CDS 2022 (II) and 2026 (I). |
| Coal India Limited | Formed 1975; headquarters Kolkata; world's largest coal producer; mines in eight StatesQ CDS 2020 (I): its mines are spread over eight States, not twenty. |
| Neyveli Lignite Corporation | Formed 1956; lignite mines in Tamil Nadu |
| Bauxite | Odisha first by far; Jharkhand among the othersQ CDS 2025 (I), citing the Ministry of Mines report for 2023-24: Odisha and Jharkhand. |
| Chrysotile asbestos | Largest deposits in the Cuddapah belt, Andhra PradeshQ CDS 2022 (II): the State with chrysotile asbestos and the Neelam Sanjiva Reddy Sagar (Srisailam) project. |
Power plants and dams11 rows
| Plant or dam | Type, river and State |
|---|---|
| Satpura (Sarni) | Thermal; Madhya Pradesh |
| Dhuvaran | Thermal; Anand district, Gujarat |
| Tanakpur | Hydro on the Sharda; Uttarakhand |
| Dabhol | Gas-based; Ratnagiri, Maharashtra |
| Cheruthoni | One of the three dams of the Idukki project; KeralaQ CDS 2018 (II): a match of Cheruthoni, Indira Sagar, Krishnarajasagar and Mettur with their States. |
| Indira Sagar | On the Narmada; Madhya Pradesh |
| Krishnarajasagar | On the Kaveri; Karnataka |
| Mettur | On the Kaveri; Tamil Nadu |
| Luhri | Hydro on the Satluj; Himachal PradeshQ CDS 2021 (I): Luhri is on the Satluj, not the Beas. |
| Manikaran | Geothermal (hot springs), Parvati valley; Himachal PradeshQ |
| Salal and Baglihar | Hydro on the Chenab; Jammu and Kashmir |
Industries and where they stand8 rows
| Place or company | Industry |
|---|---|
| Bongaigaon (Assam) | Oil refinery and petrochemicalsQ CDS 2016 (II): a match of Bongaigaon, Koraput, Pinjore and Sirpur with their industries. |
| Koraput (Odisha) | Aircraft engines (Hindustan Aeronautics, Sunabeda) |
| Pinjore (Haryana) | Machine tools (HMT) |
| Sirpur (Telangana) | Paper |
| TISCO (Jamshedpur) | Iron and steelQ CDS 2017 (II): a match of TISCO, BALCO, BPCL and BEL with their products. |
| BALCO (Korba, Chhattisgarh) | Aluminium |
| BPCL | Petroleum refining and chemicals |
| BEL | Electronics, mainly for defence |
Watch out for (7)
- Oldest is not largest→ Coal companies and minerals
- Eight States, not twenty→ Coal companies and minerals
- Tanakpur is in Uttarakhand→ Power plants and dams
- Cheruthoni is Kerala's→ Power plants and dams
- Renewables grew, coal still leads→ Power plants and dams
- Koraput makes aircraft engines→ Industries and where they stand
- Cotton does not lose weight→ Industries and where they stand
Population Size and Growth
Reference tables (3)
State populations and density5 rows
| States compared | Census 2011 figures |
|---|---|
| Kerala, Jharkhand, Assam, Punjab (population) | 3.34 crore, 3.30 crore, 3.12 crore, 2.77 croreQ CDS 2016 (II): Kerala, Jharkhand, Assam, Punjab is the decreasing order. |
| Meghalaya, Goa, Mizoram, Sikkim (population) | 29.7 lakh, 14.6 lakh, 10.9 lakh, 6.1 lakhQ CDS 2019 (I): Meghalaya is the most populous of these four. |
| Arunachal, Mizoram, Sikkim, Himachal (density) | 17, 52, 86, 123 per sq kmQ CDS 2018 (II): this is the ascending order of density. |
| Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Arunachal (density) | 398, 132, 119, 17 per sq km |
| Bihar and Arunachal Pradesh (density) | 1,106 (highest) and 17 (lowest) per sq km |
Phases of population growth4 rows
| Period | Phase |
|---|---|
| 1901 to 1921 | Stagnant or stationary growth |
| 1921 to 1951 | Steady growth |
| 1951 to 1981 | Population explosion; peak growth of about 24.8 per cent in 1961 to 1971Q CDS 2020 (II): decadal growth was highest in the Census year 1971. |
| 1981 onwards | Growth still high but steadily slowing |
Literacy, age and infant mortality6 rows
| Measure | Meaning or 2011 value |
|---|---|
| Literate | Aged 7 or more; reads and writes with understanding in any language |
| Literacy rate (2011) | 74 per cent: males 82 per cent, females 65 per cent |
| Infant mortality rate | Deaths under one year of age per 1,000 live births in a yearQ CDS 2026 (I): the correct definition of IMR. |
| Adolescents (10 to 19) | About one-fifth of the populationQ CDS 2021 (II): a youthful population with high potential, not half the population. |
| Median age | About 28 years (early 2020s)Q |
| Sex ratio (2011) | 943 females per 1,000 males |
Watch out for (7)
- Kerala just beats Jharkhand→ State populations and density
- Large is not dense→ State populations and density
- A Census year names the decade that ends→ Phases of population growth
- Steady is not explosive→ Phases of population growth
- Reading alone is not literacy→ Literacy, age and infant mortality
- IMR is a rate, not a count→ Literacy, age and infant mortality
- One-fifth, and more boys→ Literacy, age and infant mortality
Tribes and Languages
Reference tables (2)
Tribes and scheduled populations5 rows
| Question | Answer (Census 2011) |
|---|---|
| Largest ST population | Madhya Pradesh, then MaharashtraQ CDS 2016 (II): the second largest is Maharashtra, not Chhattisgarh; the second highest share is Nagaland, not Arunachal. |
| Highest ST share of a State | Mizoram, about 94 per cent |
| Highest SC share of a State | Punjab, about 32 per centQ |
| Tribe of the Blue Mountains (Nilgiris) | TodasQ CDS 2017 (II): the Todas, not the Lambadas, Gonds or Jarawas. |
| Ethnic community of Assam | AhomsQ CDS 2023 (I): the Ahoms, against the Bhils, Gonds and Adi. |
Language families4 rows
| Family | Branch and examples |
|---|---|
| Indo-European | Indo-Aryan: Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Kashmiri, Urdu; about 73 per cent of Indians |
| Dravidian | Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam; about 20 per cent |
| Austric | Munda: Santhali, Ho, Mundari. Mon-Khmer: Khasi, NicobareseQ CDS 2018 (II): Khasi belongs to the Mon-Khmer branch of Austro-Asiatic. |
| Sino-Tibetan | Tibeto-Burman: Ladakhi, Bodo, Mizo, Manipuri, MonpaQ CDS 2020 (I): Monpa, an Arunachal language, is not a principal language of Jammu and Kashmir. |
Watch out for (4)
- Number versus share→ Tribes and scheduled populations
- Second place is Nagaland→ Tribes and scheduled populations
- Khasi is Mon-Khmer, not Munda→ Language families
- Monpa belongs to Arunachal→ Language families
Migration and Towns
Reference tables (2)
Migration4 rows
| Question | Answer (Census 2011) |
|---|---|
| Share of people who are migrants | About 37 per cent (45.6 crore)Q CDS 2020 (I): of 25, 35, 45 and 55 per cent, the nearest is 35. |
| Main reason women migrate | Marriage |
| Main reason men migrate | Work and employment |
| Largest migration stream | Rural to rural |
Towns by function and size8 rows
| Function | Example towns |
|---|---|
| Administrative | Chandigarh, Gandhinagar, Bhubaneswar |
| Industrial | Bhilai, Jamshedpur, Hugli, Salem, Coimbatore |
| Transport | Ports such as Kandla, Kochi and Visakhapatnam; rail junctions such as Itarsi and Katni |
| Mining | Raniganj, Jharia, Digboi, Ankaleshwar, Singrauli |
| Garrison cantonment | Ambala, Jalandhar, Mhow, Babina, Udhampur |
| Religious and cultural | Varanasi, Amritsar, Madurai, Puri, Ajmer, Tirupati |
| Educational | Roorkee, Aligarh, Pilani |
| Tourist | Nainital, Shimla, Pachmarhi, Udhagamandalam, Mount Abu |
Watch out for (5)
- A third, not a half→ Migration
- Different reasons for men and women→ Migration
- Visakhapatnam is a transport town→ Towns by function and size
- Mumbai before Delhi→ Towns by function and size
- Goa, then Mizoram→ Towns by function and size
Roads, Railways and Airports
Reference tables (3)
Highway corridors and old highway numbers4 rows
| Old number | Route |
|---|---|
| NH-2 | Delhi, Agra, Allahabad (Prayagraj), KolkataQ CDS 2017 (II): a match of old NH-2, NH-4, NH-7 and NH-8 with their routes. |
| NH-4 | Thane, Pune, Bengaluru, Chennai |
| NH-7 | Varanasi, Jabalpur, Nagpur, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Madurai, Kanyakumari |
| NH-8 | Delhi, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Mumbai |
Road tunnels and a mountain airport4 rows
| Project | Key fact |
|---|---|
| Atal Tunnel | Under the Rohtang pass, Manali to Leh road; longest highway tunnel above 10,000 feet |
| Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee (Chenani-Nashri) Tunnel | About 9.3 km, Jammu to Srinagar highway; longest road tunnel in 2023Q CDS 2023 (II): India's longest road tunnel, ahead of the Atal Tunnel. |
| Banihal-Qazigund Tunnel | About 8.5 km under the Pir Panjal, Jammu to Srinagar highway |
| Pakyong Airport | Sikkim's first airport (2018), near GangtokQ CDS 2019 (I): Pakyong is in Sikkim. |
Railway zones and their headquarters10 rows
| Zone | Headquarters |
|---|---|
| North Eastern | GorakhpurQ Asked twice: CDS 2016 (II) and 2018 (I). |
| North Central | Prayagraj (Allahabad) |
| East Central | Hajipur (Bihar)Q |
| West Central | Jabalpur |
| South Central | Secunderabad |
| South Eastern | Kolkata |
| South East Central | Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh) |
| South Western | Hubballi (Hubli) |
| Metro Railway | KolkataQ CDS 2018 (II): the Metro Railway zone is headquartered in Kolkata. |
| Northeast Frontier | Maligaon (Guwahati) |
Watch out for (6)
- Old numbers in old papers→ Highway corridors and old highway numbers
- The quadrilateral skips Lucknow→ Highway corridors and old highway numbers
- Longest is not highest→ Road tunnels and a mountain airport
- Two railways in Bihar and Chhattisgarh towns→ Railway zones and their headquarters
- South Central or South Western→ Railway zones and their headquarters
- Gorakhpur, not Guwahati→ Railway zones and their headquarters
Waterways and Ports
Reference tables (3)
National waterways7 rows
| Waterway or body | Stretch or location |
|---|---|
| NW-1 | Ganga, Bhagirathi and Hooghly, Haldia to Prayagraj; the first declaredQ CDS 2016 (II): NW-1 ran between Haldia and Allahabad, and IWAI sits at Noida. |
| NW-2 | Brahmaputra, Sadiya to Dhubri |
| NW-3 | West Coast Canal, Kottapuram to Kollam (Kerala) |
| NW-4 | Godavari and Krishna, with the Kakinada to Puducherry canals |
| Inland Waterways Authority of India | Noida |
| Central Inland Water Transport Corporation | Kolkata |
| National Inland Navigation Institute | Patna |
Major ports from west to east10 rows
| Port | Where it sits and what it is known for |
|---|---|
| Deendayal (Kandla) | Head of the Gulf of Kachchh, Gujarat |
| Mumbai | Natural, sheltered harbour; long the biggest port in India |
| Jawaharlal Nehru (Nhava Sheva) | Built to relieve Mumbai; India's largest container port |
| Mormugao | Entrance of the Zuari estuary, Goa; iron-ore exports to JapanQ CDS 2021 (I): the port that gained importance for iron-ore exports to Japan. |
| Kochi | Head of the Vembanad Kayal, Kerala; called the Queen of the Arabian Sea |
| V. O. Chidambaranar (Tuticorin) | South-east Tamil Nadu |
| Chennai | One of the oldest artificial harbours on the east coast |
| Visakhapatnam | Andhra Pradesh; the deepest landlocked harbour |
| Paradip | Mahanadi delta, Odisha; deep water for very large ships |
| Kolkata and Haldia | On the Hooghly; Kolkata is a river port, Haldia its downstream outlet |
Kinds of port7 rows
| Port | Kind of port |
|---|---|
| Visakhapatnam | Landlocked harbour, the deepest in India |
| Deendayal (Kandla) | Tidal portQ Asked twice: CDS 2023 (I) and 2026 (I). |
| V. O. Chidambaranar | Artificial deep-sea harbour |
| Chennai | Artificial harbour |
| Kolkata | River port on the Hooghly |
| Paradip | Deep-water port for very large ships |
| Jawaharlal Nehru | Satellite port built to relieve Mumbai |
Watch out for (8)
- Three bodies, three cities→ National waterways
- NW-2 is the Brahmaputra→ National waterways
- Kachchh, not Khambhat→ Major ports from west to east
- Paradip is in the Mahanadi delta→ Major ports from west to east
- 3,130, not 300→ Major ports from west to east
- Jawaharlal Nehru Port is not landlocked→ Kinds of port
- Paradip is deep, not shallow→ Kinds of port
- Tuticorin's harbour→ Kinds of port
PYQ weightage by concept
22 concepts · 86 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
PYQ weightage by concept
22 concepts · 86 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
Resources and Land Use8 PYQs · 9%
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| The nine land-use categories | 3 | 3% |
| Irrigation and soil conservation | 3 | 3% |
| Classifying resources | 2 | 2% |
Farming and Crops18 PYQs · 21%
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Crops and where they grow | 8 | 9% |
| Types of farming | 5 | 6% |
| Cropping methods and farm policy | 5 | 6% |
Minerals, Power and Industry15 PYQs · 17%
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Power plants and dams | 6 | 7% |
| Coal companies and minerals | 5 | 6% |
| Industries and where they stand | 4 | 5% |
Population Size and Growth11 PYQs · 13%
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| State populations and density | 4 | 5% |
| Literacy, age and infant mortality | 4 | 5% |
| Phases of population growth | 3 | 3% |
Tribes and Languages8 PYQs · 9%
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Tribes and scheduled populations | 5 | 6% |
| Language families | 3 | 3% |
Roads, Railways and Airports11 PYQs · 13%
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Highway corridors and old highway numbers | 4 | 5% |
| Railway zones and their headquarters | 4 | 5% |
| Road tunnels and a mountain airport | 3 | 3% |
Waterways and Ports9 PYQs · 10%
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Major ports from west to east | 5 | 6% |
| National waterways | 2 | 2% |
| Kinds of port | 2 | 2% |
Test yourself on Indian Geography — Economy, Resources and Transport
20 past CDS questions from this chapter, timed at 20 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.