CDS Geography · World and Human Geography
Countries and Borders
Which 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.
Why this matters
Eleven CDS questions from 2016 to 2025: 3 EASY and 8 MODERATE. Four ask about borders and regions (Ukraine's neighbours twice, the Arabian Peninsula, the Durand Line), and all four came in 2024 or 2025.
Concept 1 of 3: Ukraine, Russia and their neighbours
Draw the map once in your head: Russia to the east, Belarus to the north, and a ring of central European countries to the west and south-west. Then remember Kaliningrad, the piece of Russia cut off on the Baltic coast between Poland and Lithuania, because it gives two more countries a border with Russia.
Definition
Ukraine has seven land neighbours:
- Russia (east and north-east) and Belarus (north).
- Poland, Slovakia and Hungary (west).
- Romania and Moldova (south-west).
Countries CDS has offered that do not touch Ukraine: Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Belarus lies between them and Ukraine. Kaliningrad is a Russian exclave on the Baltic coast, wedged between Poland and Lithuania, so both of them border Russia there. Belarus borders the Russian mainland.
| 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 |
Practice this concept4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2025 · CDS (I) 2025 — General Knowledge · Q98Moderate
Example 1 · World and Human Geography · Countries and Borders
Which one among the following countries does not share its territorial boundary with Ukraine ?
The Baltic states do not reach Ukraine
Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia all lie north of Belarus, which separates them from Ukraine. Of the three, Latvia and Estonia border the Russian mainland.
Kaliningrad gives Poland a Russian border
Poland does not touch the Russian mainland, but it does border Russia's Kaliningrad exclave on the Baltic. So does Lithuania. Read a 'borders Russia' option with this in mind.
Concept 2 of 3: The Arabian Peninsula, Jordan and Afghanistan
The Arabian Peninsula is a fixed list of seven states, so learn the seven and anything else is outside it. Jordan sits just north of the peninsula and has a tiny coast, which is the fact CDS uses to catch you. Afghanistan's facts are its border lines and the bases foreign armies used there.
Definition
West Asia:
- The Arabian Peninsula has seven states: Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.
- Jordan lies north of the peninsula, in the Levant. It was created as Transjordan under the British Mandate after the First World War.
- Jordan is not landlocked: it has a short coast at Aqaba, on the Gulf of Aqaba, an arm of the Red Sea.
Afghanistan:
- The Durand Line, drawn in 1893 by Sir Mortimer Durand between British India and Afghanistan, is now the Afghanistan and Pakistan border.
- Bagram Air Base, north of Kabul, was the largest American base in Afghanistan until foreign troops left in 2021.
| 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. |
Practice this conceptself-check · 3 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2024 · CDS (I) 2024 — General Knowledge · Q40Moderate
Example 2 · World and Human Geography · Countries and Borders
Which one among the following countries is not part of the Arabian Peninsula?
Jordan is next to the peninsula, not in it
Jordan borders Saudi Arabia but lies north of the peninsula, in the Levant. The seven peninsula states are Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.
A short coast still counts
Jordan has only a short coast at Aqaba, but that is enough: it is not landlocked.
The Durand Line is not India's border
The Durand Line was drawn between British India and Afghanistan, and today it is the Afghanistan and Pakistan border. The India and Pakistan line drawn in 1947 is the Radcliffe Line.
Concept 3 of 3: Places, old names and national symbols
These questions give a clue (a city, a treaty, a fish, three place names) and ask for the country. The clue is the whole question, so learn each one as a pair: clue and country.
Definition
Pairs CDS has asked:
- Edo was the old name of Tokyo. It was renamed when the emperor moved there after the Meiji Restoration of 1868.
- The hilsa (ilish) is the national fish of Bangladesh.
- Cartagena, the city that gave its name to the Protocol on Biosafety (2000), is in Colombia.
- Stewart Island, the Bay of Plenty and Hawke Bay are all in New Zealand.
- The South China Sea dispute: China, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Taiwan claim islands there. Indonesia is not a claimant; it objects only where China's line overlaps its own waters near the Natuna Islands.
| 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. |
Practice this conceptself-check · 3 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2023 · CDS (I) 2023 — General Knowledge · Q55Moderate
Example 3 · World and Human Geography · Countries and Borders
Vicky told his friends about his visit to Stewart Island, Bay of Plenty and Hawke Bay. Which country did Vicky visit?
Two Cartagenas
There is a Cartagena in Spain too. The one that hosted the biosafety talks, and gave the Cartagena Protocol its name, is on the Caribbean coast of Colombia.
Edo, not Kyoto
Kyoto was the old imperial capital of Japan, a different city. Edo is the old name of Tokyo itself.
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 (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
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.