CDS Geography · Indian Geography — Economy, Resources and Transport
Migration and Towns
How 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.
Why this matters
Six CDS questions from 2018 to 2025. Two are on migration, and four on towns: their functions, their size classes, the most urbanised States and the largest cities. Every one rests on the 2011 Census or the NCERT chapter on human settlements.
Concept 1 of 2: Migration
The Census counts a person as a migrant if they now live somewhere other than their last place of residence. By that rule, about one Indian in three is a migrant. Most of them are women who moved after marriage, so the reasons for migration look very different for men and for women.
Definition
From the 2011 Census (migrants by place of last residence):
- About 45.6 crore internal migrants, about 37 per cent of India's people: roughly a third.
- For women, the biggest reason is marriage, because a bride usually moves to her husband's home.
- For men, the biggest reason is work and employment.
- The largest stream is rural to rural, mostly women moving on marriage.
- Push factors drive people out (unemployment, poor living conditions, disasters). Pull factors draw them in (jobs, better wages, schools, hospitals).
| 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 |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2020 · CDS (I) 2020 — General Knowledge · Q50Moderate
Example 1 · Indian Geography — Economy, Resources and Transport · Migration and Towns
Which one of the following is the biggest cause of incidence of migration of female persons in India?
A third, not a half
In 2011 about 37 per cent of Indians were migrants by last residence: about a third. An option of 45 or 55 per cent is too high.
Different reasons for men and women
Work is the main reason men move; marriage is the main reason women move. A question on female migration wants marriage, not employment or education.
Concept 2 of 2: Towns by function and size
Every town grew up for a reason: a steel plant, a port, a coal mine, an army camp, a temple. That reason is its function, and the NCERT gives a short list of examples for each. The Census also sorts towns by size into six classes, and the biggest class holds most of the urban people.
Definition
- Functional classes (NCERT Class 12): administrative, industrial, transport, commercial, mining, garrison cantonment, educational, religious and cultural, and tourist towns.
- Size classes (Census): Class I has 1 lakh or more people, Class II 50,000 to 99,999, Class III 20,000 to 49,999, Class IV 10,000 to 19,999, Class V 5,000 to 9,999 and Class VI under 5,000. Class I towns hold about 70 per cent of India's urban population.
- In 2011, about 31 per cent of Indians lived in towns. Goa was the most urbanised State (62 per cent), followed by Mizoram (52), Tamil Nadu (48), Kerala (48) and Maharashtra (45).
- The largest urban agglomerations in 2011: Greater Mumbai (18.4 million), Delhi (16.3), Kolkata (14.1), Chennai (8.7).
| 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 |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2018 · CDS (II) 2018 — General Knowledge · Q41Moderate
Example 2 · Indian Geography — Economy, Resources and Transport · Migration and Towns
Match List-I with List-II and select the correct answer using the code given below the Lists :
Code :
| List-I (Classification of Town) | List-II (Example) |
|---|---|
| A. Industrial Town | 1. Vishakhapatnam |
| B. Transport Town | 2. Bhilai |
| C. Mining Town | 3. Singrauli |
| D. Garrison Cantonment Town | 4. Ambala |
Visakhapatnam is a transport town
Visakhapatnam has a steel plant, but the NCERT lists it with Kandla and Kochi as a transport (port) town. Bhilai is the industrial town in the same list.
Mumbai before Delhi
In 2011 the Greater Mumbai agglomeration (18.4 million) was larger than Delhi's (16.3 million), then Kolkata, then Chennai.
Goa, then Mizoram
Among States in 2011, Goa was the most urban, ahead of Mizoram. Maharashtra, though home to Mumbai, was only about 45 per cent urban, below Kerala.
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
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
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.