SSC CGL Geography · Free notes
Indian Economic Geography: SSC CGL Geography
Indian Economic Geography has 132 questions in the SSC CGL Tier I bank: 47 from the 2023 shifts, 46 from the 2024 shifts and 39 from the 2025 shifts, the most of any Geography chapter. Nearly a third are Census 2011 numbers and the States that top or trail each list. The 2025 shifts moved towards minerals and industries, asking which place goes with which mineral and how industries are classified. Each page below is a set of tables of places, figures and firsts, with the decoys SSC sets beside 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
Population and Census 2011
43 PYQsThe Census 2011 figures SSC asks (population, density, sex ratio, literacy, urban share), the States and Union Territories at the top and bottom of each list, and the phases of India's population growth.
Agriculture and the Green Revolution
18 PYQsIndia's three cropping seasons with their crops, the States that lead in a crop, the Green Revolution with its people and its side effects, and the planning programmes for farmers and dry areas.
Minerals and Energy
18 PYQsWhere India's iron ore, bauxite, coal and other minerals lie, which minerals India lacks, and the oil fields, power stations and renewable sites SSC names.
Manufacturing Industries
26 PYQsIndia's iron and steel plants and their firsts, the ways industries are classified (by owner, raw material, weight and use), and the textile, sugar, fertiliser, aluminium and chemical industries.
Transport and Ports
27 PYQsIndia's roads, highway corridors and tunnels, its railways and national waterways, and its ports on the two coasts.
Formula & revision sheet
0 formulas · 13 reference tables · 13 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Formula & revision sheet
0 formulas · 13 reference tables · 13 gotchas across all subtopics — the exam-eve cheat-sheet
Reference tables (3)
Watch out for (3)
- 382, not 328 or 282→ Census 2011: the headline numbers
- Lowest State and lowest overall differ→ Sex ratio, literacy and the States at the top
- The pyramid is not broad at the top→ Growth phases, workers and population policy
Reference tables (2)
Seasons, crops and leading States3 rows
| Season | When | Crops |
|---|---|---|
| Kharif | With the monsoon | Rice, cotton, maize, soyabean |
| Rabi | Winter | Wheat, mustard, gram, barley |
| Zaid | March to June | Watermelon, muskmelon, cucumberQ |
Watch out for (2)
- Wheat is rabi→ Seasons, crops and leading States
- Target group means people, target area means land→ The Green Revolution and land
Reference tables (2)
Watch out for (2)
- Bauxite is not Dharwar, and not Jharkhand's→ Minerals and where they lie
- Lignite is the lowest grade→ Coal grades, oil fields and power
Reference tables (3)
Watch out for (3)
- Heavy because of its raw materials→ Iron and steel
- Steel and cement are not agro-based→ How industries are classified
- Aluminium is second, not first→ Textiles, sugar, fertilisers, aluminium and chemicals
Reference tables (3)
Watch out for (3)
- The North-East has low road density→ Roads, corridors and tunnels
- Thane, not Pune→ Railways, waterways and airports
- Haldia is on the east coast→ Ports on the two coasts
PYQ weightage by concept
13 concepts · 132 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
PYQ weightage by concept
13 concepts · 132 PYQs — where the marks actually sit, so you know what to drill first
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Sex ratio, literacy and the States at the top | 17 | 13% |
| Census 2011: the headline numbers | 14 | 11% |
| Growth phases, workers and population policy | 12 | 9% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Seasons, crops and leading States | 9 | 7% |
| The Green Revolution and land | 9 | 7% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Minerals and where they lie | 13 | 10% |
| Coal grades, oil fields and power | 5 | 4% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| How industries are classified | 10 | 8% |
| Textiles, sugar, fertilisers, aluminium and chemicals | 9 | 7% |
| Iron and steel | 7 | 5% |
| Concept | PYQs | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Roads, corridors and tunnels | 11 | 8% |
| Railways, waterways and airports | 10 | 8% |
| Ports on the two coasts | 6 | 5% |
Test yourself on Indian Geography — Economy, Resources and Transport
20 past SSC CGL questions from this chapter, timed at 12 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.