CDS Geography · Free notes
World and Human Geography: CDS Geography
World and Human Geography has 56 past-year questions in CDS General Knowledge, from 2016 (II) to 2025 (II): 8 EASY, 39 MODERATE and 9 HARD. They come in bursts rather than evenly: 13 in the two 2020 papers, and 7 in the single 2025 (I) paper. Most are atlas facts, such as a strait and the seas it joins, a country and its neighbours, or a river and the sea it ends in. CDS often asks them the other way round: which country the line does not cross, which river does not reach the Black Sea. The human geography questions are different. They test the exact terms of NCERT's Class 12 book, such as physiological density and primate city, so learn those words the way the textbook defines them.
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
Continents, Islands and Latitudes
14 PYQsWhich countries the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn cross, the record facts about Antarctica and Australia, the mountains and plateaus of each continent, and where the islands CDS asks about lie.
Seas, Straits and Rivers
12 PYQsWhich straits join which seas, the kinds of port and the fishing banks CDS asks about, where the big rivers of Europe and South America end, and the cities on the Great Lakes.
Countries and Borders
11 PYQsWhich countries touch Ukraine and Russia, the states of the Arabian Peninsula and the lines around Afghanistan, and the places, old names and national symbols CDS ties to a country.
Biomes and Farming
8 PYQsThe tundra and the coniferous forest, the Mediterranean lands and their scrub, the mid-latitude deciduous forest, and shifting cultivation under its local names.
Population, Cities and Industry
11 PYQsThe measures of population density and sex ratio, the population pyramid, the words NCERT uses for cities and settlements, and the cities and mines known for one industry.
Formula & revision sheet
0 formulas · 18 reference tables · 39 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Formula & revision sheet
0 formulas · 18 reference tables · 39 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Continents, Islands and Latitudes
Reference tables (4)
The Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn7 rows
| Place or line | Latitude | What to remember |
|---|---|---|
| Equator | 0° | Crosses Ecuador, Colombia and Brazil in South America |
| Singapore | About 1.3° N | The closest to the Equator of Singapore, Mogadishu, Colombo and ManilaQ CDS 2020 (II): Singapore, not Mogadishu (about 2° N). |
| Colombo | About 7° N | Sri Lanka's chief city, farther from the Equator than Singapore |
| Manila | About 14.6° N | The farthest of the four from the Equator |
| Tropic of Capricorn | About 23.4° S | Crosses Chile, Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil |
| Bolivia | Southern tip about 22.9° S | Wholly north of the Tropic of CapricornQ CDS 2019 (I): the Tropic does not pass through Bolivia. |
| Uruguay | About 30° S to 35° S | Wholly south of the Tropic of CapricornQ CDS 2020 (II): the Tropic does not pass through Uruguay. |
Antarctica and Australia6 rows
| Fact | Answer |
|---|---|
| Antarctica or Europe: which is larger? | Antarctica, about 14 million sq km against about 10 millionQ CDS 2024 (II): true. In the same item, Mount Ross is not the highest peak and the West Wind Drift does not run anticlockwise. |
| Continent with the highest average elevation | Antarctica, because of its ice sheet |
| Highest peak of Antarctica | Vinson Massif (Mount Vinson), about 4,892 m |
| Direction of the West Wind Drift | West to east; clockwise when seen from above the South Pole |
| Great Dividing Range | Down Australia's east side, from Cape York to VictoriaQ CDS 2025 (I): it does not run from Melbourne to Perth. |
| Sea between the Great Barrier Reef and the open South Pacific | The Coral Sea |
Mountains and plateaus of the continents9 rows
| Mountain or plateau | Continent and place | Remember |
|---|---|---|
| Kilimanjaro | Africa, Tanzania | Africa's highest mountain, about 5,895 mQ CDS 2023 (II): Kilimanjaro, not Mount Kenya or the Atlas. |
| Mount Kenya | Africa, Kenya | Africa's second highest mountain |
| Virunga Mountains | Africa, DR Congo, Rwanda and Uganda | Home of the endangered mountain gorillasQ CDS 2025 (I): Virunga, not Kilimanjaro or the Ngorongoro Crater. |
| Caucasus | Between Europe and Asia | Separates the Black Sea from the Caspian SeaQ CDS 2019 (II): the Caucasus, not the Urals or the Carpathians. |
| Urals | Russia | Divides European Russia from Asian Russia |
| Abyssinian plateau | Africa, Ethiopia | The Ethiopian highlands |
| Anatolian plateau | Asia, Turkey | The Asian part of Turkey |
| Iberian plateau (Meseta) | Europe, Spain | The high centre of the Iberian peninsula |
| Patagonian plateau | South America, Argentina | The dry south of Argentina |
Islands of the world6 rows
| Island | Where | Remember |
|---|---|---|
| Greenland | North Atlantic and Arctic | The world's largest island |
| New Guinea | Western Pacific, north of Australia | Second largest, about 786,000 sq kmQ CDS 2017 (II): larger than Borneo, Madagascar and Sumatra. |
| Borneo | South-East Asia | Third largest, about 748,000 sq km |
| Madagascar | Indian Ocean, off Africa | Fourth largest |
| Bermuda | North Atlantic Ocean | East of the United States, outside the Caribbean |
| Easter Island (Rapa Nui) | South Pacific | Part of Polynesia; a territory of Chile since 1888Q CDS 2025 (I): both statements, Polynesia and Chile, are correct. |
Watch out for (10)
- Bolivia touches all the Tropic countries but not the Tropic→ The Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn
- Uruguay is too far south→ The Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn
- Vinson, not Ross→ Antarctica and Australia
- The Great Dividing Range never reaches Perth→ Antarctica and Australia
- Patagonia is in South America→ Mountains and plateaus of the continents
- Iberia is Europe, not North America→ Mountains and plateaus of the continents
- Kilimanjaro over Mount Kenya→ Mountains and plateaus of the continents
- Bermuda is not in the Caribbean→ Islands of the world
- New Guinea beats Borneo→ Islands of the world
- Easter Island is Chilean but Polynesian→ Islands of the world
Seas, Straits and Rivers
Reference tables (4)
Straits and the waters they join9 rows
| Strait | Lands on either side | Waters it joins |
|---|---|---|
| Hormuz | Iran and Oman | Persian Gulf and Gulf of OmanQ CDS 2016 (II) match: Hormuz to the Persian Gulf, Bab-el-Mandeb to the Red Sea, Malacca to the Andaman Sea, Sunda to the Java Sea. |
| Bab-el-Mandeb | Yemen and Djibouti | Red Sea and Gulf of Aden |
| Malacca | Malay Peninsula and Sumatra | Andaman Sea and South China Sea |
| Sunda | Java and Sumatra | Java Sea and Indian Ocean |
| Bass | Australian mainland and Tasmania | Tasman Sea and Indian Ocean |
| Davis | Canada (Baffin Island) and Greenland | Baffin Bay and Labrador Sea |
| Dover | England and France | English Channel and North Sea |
| Florida | United States (Florida) and Cuba | Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean |
| Kerch | Crimea and the Taman peninsula | Sea of Azov and Black SeaQ CDS 2020 (II): the Sea of Azov is connected to the Black Sea. |
Kinds of port, and fishing banks8 rows
| Kind of port | What it does | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Port of call | A stop on a main sea route | Singapore, Aden, Honolulu |
| Entrepot | Collects goods and ships them on | Singapore, Rotterdam, Copenhagen |
| Naval port | Serves warships | Kochi, Karwar |
| Packet station | Short ferry crossings for passengers and mail | Dover, Calais |
| Out port | Takes ships too big for the main port | Piraeus (for Athens) |
| Deep-water port (Sri Lanka) | On the southern coast, leased to a Chinese company in 2017 | HambantotaQ CDS 2018 (I): Hambantota is in Sri Lanka. |
| Fishing bank off the United Kingdom | Shallow North Sea ground off England's east coast | Dogger BankQ CDS 2016 (II): Dogger Bank, not the Grand Banks or Reed Bank. |
| Fishing bank off Canada | Shallow Atlantic ground off Newfoundland | Grand Banks |
Rivers of Europe and South America7 rows
| River | Where it ends | Cities and facts |
|---|---|---|
| Danube | Black Sea | Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, Belgrade |
| Dnieper | Black Sea | Kyiv |
| Don | Sea of Azov, an arm of the Black Sea | Rostov-on-Don |
| Volga | Caspian Sea | Europe's longest riverQ CDS 2020 (I): the Volga is the one that does not drain into the Black Sea. |
| Vltava | Joins the Elbe, which reaches the North Sea | Prague |
| Rhine | North Sea, through the Netherlands | Rotterdam at its mouth; the Ruhr joins it |
| Rio de la Plata (River Plate) | Atlantic Ocean | Buenos Aires (south shore), Montevideo (north shore)Q CDS 2020 (II): Buenos Aires and Montevideo face each other across the River Plate. |
The Great Lakes of North America5 rows
| Lake | City on it | Remember |
|---|---|---|
| Superior | Duluth | Largest; joined to Huron by the Soo CanalQ CDS 2016 (II): the Soo Canal connects Superior and Huron. |
| Michigan | Chicago, Milwaukee | The only one wholly inside the United States |
| Huron | Goderich (Canada) | Second largest of the five |
| Erie | Buffalo, Cleveland | Detroit is on the river flowing into it |
| Ontario | Toronto | The lowest; drains to the St Lawrence |
Watch out for (10)
- Hormuz is the Gulf, Bab-el-Mandeb is the Red Sea→ Straits and the waters they join
- Malacca opens on the Andaman Sea→ Straits and the waters they join
- Azov belongs to the Black Sea→ Straits and the waters they join
- Dover is a packet station→ Kinds of port, and fishing banks
- Dogger is British, Grand Banks is Canadian→ Kinds of port, and fishing banks
- One port, two jobs→ Kinds of port, and fishing banks
- The Volga goes to the Caspian→ Rivers of Europe and South America
- Prague is not a Danube city→ Rivers of Europe and South America
- Detroit is on the Erie side→ The Great Lakes of North America
- The Soo Canal is Superior to Huron→ The Great Lakes of North America
Countries and Borders
Reference tables (3)
Ukraine, Russia and their neighbours8 rows
| Country | Borders Ukraine? | Borders Russia? |
|---|---|---|
| Belarus | Yes, to Ukraine's north | Yes, the Russian mainland |
| Poland | Yes, to Ukraine's west | Only the Kaliningrad exclave |
| Lithuania | No, Belarus lies between them | Only the Kaliningrad exclaveQ CDS 2025 (I): Lithuania, not Poland, Romania or Belarus, is the one that does not border Ukraine. |
| Latvia | No | Yes, the Russian mainland |
| Estonia | No | Yes, the Russian mainland |
| Romania | Yes, to Ukraine's south-west | No |
| Moldova | Yes, wedged between Romania and Ukraine | No |
| Slovakia and Hungary | Yes, to Ukraine's west | No |
The Arabian Peninsula, Jordan and Afghanistan4 rows
| Place or line | Where | Remember |
|---|---|---|
| Arabian Peninsula | South-west Asia | Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait |
| Jordan | North of the peninsula, in the Levant | Created under the British Mandate; coast at AqabaQ CDS 2025 (I): created through the British Mandate, yes; landlocked, no. |
| Durand Line | Afghanistan and Pakistan | Drawn in 1893 by Sir Mortimer DurandQ CDS 2025 (II): Afghanistan and Pakistan, not India and Pakistan. |
| Bagram Air Base | Afghanistan, north of Kabul | The largest American base there until 2021Q CDS 2021 (II): Bagram is in Afghanistan. |
Places, old names and national symbols5 rows
| Clue | Answer |
|---|---|
| Earlier name of Tokyo | Edo, renamed after the Meiji Restoration of 1868Q CDS 2016 (II): Edo, not Kyoto or Osaka. |
| National fish of Bangladesh | Hilsa (ilish)Q CDS 2020 (I): the hilsa is Bangladesh's national fish. |
| Cartagena of the Protocol on Biosafety | ColombiaQ CDS 2019 (I): Colombia, not Venezuela or Brazil. |
| Stewart Island, Bay of Plenty, Hawke Bay | New Zealand |
| Claimants in the South China Sea | China, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei, TaiwanQ CDS 2019 (I): China, Vietnam and Malaysia, not Indonesia. |
Watch out for (7)
- The Baltic states do not reach Ukraine→ Ukraine, Russia and their neighbours
- Kaliningrad gives Poland a Russian border→ Ukraine, Russia and their neighbours
- Jordan is next to the peninsula, not in it→ The Arabian Peninsula, Jordan and Afghanistan
- A short coast still counts→ The Arabian Peninsula, Jordan and Afghanistan
- The Durand Line is not India's border→ The Arabian Peninsula, Jordan and Afghanistan
- Two Cartagenas→ Places, old names and national symbols
- Edo, not Kyoto→ Places, old names and national symbols
Biomes and Farming
Reference tables (4)
Tundra and the coniferous forest3 rows
| Biome | Where | Plants and climate |
|---|---|---|
| Tundra | Arctic coasts of Russia, Canada, Alaska; Greenland | Mosses, lichens, low shrubs; no trees, so no timberQ CDS 2020 (II): timber is not found in the tundra. |
| Coniferous forest (taiga) | Canada, Scandinavia, Siberia | Pine, fir, spruce; little undergrowth; a very large annual range of temperatureQ CDS 2019 (II): the false statement was that annual temperature varies little. |
| Country with no tundra | Belarus, between about 51° N and 56° N, far from the Arctic | Mixed forest and farmland |
Mediterranean lands and their scrub6 rows
| Region | Mediterranean area | City |
|---|---|---|
| Europe | Lands around the Mediterranean Sea | Lisbon |
| North America | California | Los Angeles |
| South America | Central Chile | Valparaiso |
| Africa | The Cape, South Africa | Cape Town |
| Australia | South-west and south | Perth, Adelaide |
| Fruit the region is known for | Citrus, grapes, olives | The world's orchard beltQ CDS 2019 (II): the Mediterranean region is an important supplier of citrus fruits. |
The mid-latitude deciduous forest5 rows
| Fact | Answer |
|---|---|
| When the leaves fall | Before winter, in autumn |
| Native regions | Eastern North America and western Europe |
| Its place in Asia | Between the boreal forest (north) and the steppe (south) |
| Typical trees | Oak, beech, maple, hickory, walnut |
| Kind of wood | Hardwood |
Shifting cultivation3 rows
| Local name | Region |
|---|---|
| Jhum | North-east India |
| Milpa | Mexico and Central America |
| Ladang | Indonesia and Malaysia |
Watch out for (6)
- Tundra needs an Arctic coast→ Tundra and the coniferous forest
- The coniferous belt has a huge temperature range→ Tundra and the coniferous forest
- Sclerophyll means the western margins→ Mediterranean lands and their scrub
- Winter rain, not summer rain→ Mediterranean lands and their scrub
- Leaves fall before winter, not in summer→ The mid-latitude deciduous forest
- Shifting, not truck or plantation farming→ Shifting cultivation
Population, Cities and Industry
Reference tables (3)
Density, sex ratio and the population pyramid7 rows
| Term | How it is worked out or what it shows |
|---|---|
| Arithmetic density | Total population ÷ total land area |
| Physiological density | Total population ÷ arable land |
| Agricultural density | Farm population ÷ arable land |
| Sex ratio in India | Females per 1,000 males |
| Sex ratio of Asia | Low: fewer women than menQ CDS 2019 (II): the false statement was that Asia has a high sex ratio. |
| Population pyramid | Age groups and the two sexesQ CDS 2022 (I): it displays both age groups and sex. |
| Main language family of Central Asia | Altaic (Turkic languages)Q CDS 2020 (I): Altaic, not Indo-European or Sino-Tibetan. |
Cities and settlement patterns7 rows
| Term | Meaning | Name to remember |
|---|---|---|
| Primate city | A country's largest city, far bigger than the second | Mark Jefferson (1939)Q CDS 2017 (II): Jefferson, not Christaller or Lösch. |
| Central place theory | How towns serve the area around them | Christaller; Lösch |
| Gateway city | Links a country or region with the outside; most are ports | Many were colonial capitalsQ CDS 2024 (I): all three statements about gateway cities were correct. |
| First million city | The first city to reach one million people | London, around 1810Q CDS 2022 (I): London, not Paris or New York. |
| Linear settlement | Houses along a road, river or canal | Follows the line |
| Circular settlement | Houses around a lake or tank | Faces the water |
| Cross-shaped settlement | Houses where two roads meet | Grows four ways |
Industrial regions and famous mines7 rows
| Place | Country | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit | USA | Motor cars |
| Leipzig | Germany | Old industrial and trading city |
| Lorraine | France | Iron ore and steel |
| Cumberland | UK | Old coal and iron district |
| Antwerp | Belgium | Diamond cuttingQ CDS 2019 (I) match: Detroit motor cars, Antwerp diamond cutting, Tokyo shipbuilding, Harbin steel. |
| Tokyo and Yokohama | Japan | Shipbuilding |
| Climax mine | USA (Colorado) | MolybdenumQ CDS 2020 (II): the Climax mine is in the USA, not Canada. |
Watch out for (6)
- Physiological is everyone; agricultural is farmers only→ Density, sex ratio and the population pyramid
- Low sex ratio means fewer women→ Density, sex ratio and the population pyramid
- Jefferson, not Christaller→ Cities and settlement patterns
- London, not Paris or New York→ Cities and settlement patterns
- Cumberland is English→ Industrial regions and famous mines
- Climax is in Colorado→ Industrial regions and famous mines
PYQ weightage by concept
18 concepts · 56 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
PYQ weightage by concept
18 concepts · 56 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
Continents, Islands and Latitudes14 PYQs · 25%
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Mountains and plateaus of the continents | 4 | 7% |
| Islands of the world | 4 | 7% |
| The Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn | 3 | 5% |
| Antarctica and Australia | 3 | 5% |
Seas, Straits and Rivers12 PYQs · 21%
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Rivers of Europe and South America | 4 | 7% |
| Straits and the waters they join | 3 | 5% |
| Kinds of port, and fishing banks | 3 | 5% |
| The Great Lakes of North America | 2 | 4% |
Countries and Borders11 PYQs · 20%
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Places, old names and national symbols | 5 | 9% |
| The Arabian Peninsula, Jordan and Afghanistan | 4 | 7% |
| Ukraine, Russia and their neighbours | 2 | 4% |
Biomes and Farming8 PYQs · 14%
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Tundra and the coniferous forest | 3 | 5% |
| Mediterranean lands and their scrub | 2 | 4% |
| The mid-latitude deciduous forest | 2 | 4% |
| Shifting cultivation | 1 | 2% |
Population, Cities and Industry11 PYQs · 20%
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Density, sex ratio and the population pyramid | 4 | 7% |
| Cities and settlement patterns | 4 | 7% |
| Industrial regions and famous mines | 3 | 5% |
Test yourself on World and Human Geography
15 past CDS questions from this chapter, timed at 15 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.