CDS Geography · World and Human Geography
Biomes and Farming
The tundra and the coniferous forest, the Mediterranean lands and their scrub, the mid-latitude deciduous forest, and shifting cultivation under its local names.
Why this matters
Eight CDS questions from 2019 to 2025: 2 EASY, 3 MODERATE, 3 HARD, and four of them in 2020 alone. Most are which-is-not items: which country has no tundra, which pair of cities has no Mediterranean scrub, which statement about a forest is false.
Concept 1 of 4: Tundra and the coniferous forest
Travel north from a warm country and the trees change, then stop. First comes a broad belt of conifers, then a tree line, and beyond it the tundra, where the subsoil stays frozen and only mosses and low shrubs survive. So a country has tundra only if it reaches the Arctic coast.
Definition
The tundra:
- Lies beyond the tree line, along the Arctic coasts of Russia, Canada and the United States (Alaska), and in Greenland and northern Scandinavia.
- The growing season is very short and the subsoil is frozen (permafrost), so trees cannot grow. Plants are mosses, lichens and low shrubs, and there is no timber.
The coniferous (boreal) forest, or taiga:
- Lies in the interiors of the high middle latitudes: Canada, Scandinavia, Siberia.
- Trees are evergreen conifers such as pine, fir and spruce, which give softwood. The dense canopy and acid needle litter leave very little undergrowth.
- The growing season is short, about 50 to 100 days. Winters are bitter and summers warm, so the annual range of temperature is very large.
| 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 |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2020 · CDS (II) 2020 — General Knowledge · Q64Moderate
Example 1 · World and Human Geography · Biomes and Farming
Which one of the following countries does not have Tundra vegetation?
Tundra needs an Arctic coast
A country has tundra only if it reaches the far north beyond the tree line. Russia, Canada and the United States (through Alaska) do; a mid-latitude country such as Belarus does not, however cold its winters.
The coniferous belt has a huge temperature range
The coniferous forest lies in continental interiors, with very cold winters and warm summers. Its annual range of temperature is among the largest on Earth, never small.
Concept 2 of 4: Mediterranean lands and their scrub
The Mediterranean climate is found on the western side of continents, roughly between 30° and 45° from the Equator. Its summers are hot and dry and its rain comes in winter, so the plants are built to save water: small, hard, leathery leaves. That vegetation is called sclerophyll, which means hard-leaved. The same sunny, dry summers make these lands the world's orchards.
Definition
The Mediterranean climate:
- Lies on the western margins of continents, about 30° to 45° north and south.
- Hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters: the rain comes in winter.
- Natural vegetation is sclerophyll: hard, small, waxy leaves that lose little water in the summer drought.
- It is the leading belt for citrus fruit (oranges, lemons), grapes and olives.
Where it is found: lands around the Mediterranean Sea (Lisbon), California (Los Angeles), central Chile (Valparaiso), the Cape of South Africa (Cape Town) and south-west and south Australia (Perth, Adelaide).
| 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. |
Practice this conceptself-check · 3 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2020 · CDS (I) 2020 — General Knowledge · Q65Hard
Example 2 · World and Human Geography · Biomes and Farming
Which one of the following groups of cities does not have Sclerophyll as its natural vegetation cover?
Sclerophyll means the western margins
Sclerophyll scrub grows only where the climate is Mediterranean: the western sides of continents. Las Vegas is hot desert and Queensland, on Australia's east, is humid tropics and subtropics; neither has it.
Winter rain, not summer rain
Most climates in India get their rain in summer. The Mediterranean climate is the opposite: rain in winter, drought in summer.
Concept 3 of 4: The mid-latitude deciduous forest
Between the cold conifers and the dry grasslands lies a forest of broad-leaved trees that go bare every winter. Dropping the leaves is how the trees get through the cold months, when frozen ground gives them no water. These are the forests of old Europe and of the eastern United States.
Definition
Mid-latitude deciduous forest:
- Trees shed their leaves before winter (in autumn) and grow new ones in spring. Without leaves they lose no water while the ground is frozen.
- Native to eastern North America and western Europe.
- In Asia it forms a belt between the boreal (coniferous) forest to the north and the steppe grasslands to the south.
- Trees: oak, beech, maple, hickory, walnut. They give hardwood.
- Much of it in western Europe and the eastern United States has been cleared for farms and towns.
| 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 |
Practice this conceptself-check · 3 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2025 · CDS (II) 2025 — General Knowledge · Q93Moderate
Example 3 · World and Human Geography · Biomes and Farming
Consider the following statements with reference to Mid-latitude deciduous forests :
1. Mid-latitude deciduous forests consist largely of trees that drop their leaves during the summer season.
2. Mid-latitude deciduous forests are native to eastern North America and Western Europe.
3. In Asia, the Mid-latitude deciduous forests occur as a belt between the boreal forest to the north and steppe lands to the south.
4. Beech, Hickory and Walnut are common examples of trees found in Mid-latitude deciduous forests.
Which of the statements given above are correct ?
Leaves fall before winter, not in summer
Mid-latitude deciduous trees shed their leaves in autumn, ahead of the cold. A statement that they drop them in summer is false. (Tropical deciduous trees, as in India, shed theirs in the dry season.)
Concept 4 of 4: Shifting cultivation
Shifting cultivation is farming that moves. A family clears a patch of forest by cutting and burning it, grows crops in the ash for a few years, and moves on when the soil is worn out. The same practice has a different name in every region, and CDS gives you the names.
Definition
Shifting cultivation (slash and burn), from NCERT Class 12:
- Trees and bushes are cut and burnt; the ash adds to the soil's fertility.
- Crops are grown for about 3 to 5 years, until the soil loses its fertility. Then the farmer moves to a new patch.
- Local names: Jhum (or jhuming) in north-east India, Milpa in Mexico and Central America, Ladang in Indonesia and Malaysia.
| Local name | Region |
|---|---|
| Jhum | North-east India |
| Milpa | Mexico and Central America |
| Ladang | Indonesia and Malaysia |
Practice this concept3 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2021 · CDS (I) 2021 — General Knowledge · Q39Moderate
Example 4 · World and Human Geography · Biomes and Farming
Milpa and Ladang are different names for
Shifting, not truck or plantation farming
Milpa and Ladang are names for shifting cultivation. Truck farming grows vegetables for city markets, and plantation agriculture grows one cash crop on a large estate; neither moves from patch to patch.
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 (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
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.