PAPER I (250 MARKS)
Principles of Geography
Section A (Physical Geography) & Section B (Human Geography)
Section A
Physical Geography
Covers 5 fundamental physical systems: geomorphic, atmospheric, oceanic, biological, and environmental dynamics.
- Factors controlling landform development
- Endogenetic and exogenetic forces
- Origin and evolution of the earth's crust
- Fundamentals of geomagnetism
- Physical conditions of the earth's interior
- Geosynclines
- Continental drift
- Isostasy
- Plate tectonics
- Recent views on mountain building
- Vulcanicity
- Earthquakes and Tsunamis
- Concepts of geomorphic cycles and landscape development
- Denudation chronology
- Channel morphology
- Erosion surfaces
- Slope development
- Applied Geomorphology: geohydrology, economic geology, and environment
- Temperature and pressure belts of the world
- Heat budget of the earth
- Atmospheric circulation
- Atmospheric stability and instability
- Planetary and local winds
- Monsoons and jet streams
- Air masses and frontogenesis
- Temperate and tropical cyclones
- Types and distribution of precipitation
- Weather and climate
- Koppen's classification of world climates
- Thornthwaite's classification of world climates
- Trewartha's classification of world climates
- Hydrological cycle
- Global climatic change and role and response of man in climatic changes
- Applied climatology
- Urban climate
- Bottom topography of the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Oceans
- Temperature and salinity of the oceans
- Heat and salt budgets
- Ocean deposits
- Waves, currents and tides
- Marine resources: biotic, mineral, and energy resources
- Coral reefs
- Coral bleaching
- Sea-level changes
- Law of the sea and marine pollution
- Principle of ecology
- Human ecological adaptations
- Influence of man on ecology and environment
- Global and regional ecological changes and imbalances
- Ecosystem management and conservation
- Environmental degradation, management, and conservation
- Biodiversity and sustainable development
- Environmental policy
- Environmental hazards and remedial measures
- Environmental education and law
Section B
Human Geography
Covers 5 core socio-economic and theoretical dimensions of global human geographical paradigms.
- Areal differentiation
- Regional synthesis
- Dichotomy and dualism
- Environmentalism
- Possibilism
- Determinism
- Stop-and-go determinism
- Quantitative revolution and locational analysis
- Radical approach
- Behavioural approach
- Humanistic approach
- Welfare approaches
- Languages, religions, and secularisation
- Cultural regions of the world
- Human Development Index
- World economic development: measurement and problems
- World resources and their distribution
- Energy crisis
- The limits to growth
- World agriculture: typology of agricultural regions
- Agricultural inputs and productivity
- Food and nutrition problems
- Food security
- Famine: causes, effects, and remedies
- World industries: locational patterns and problems
- Patterns of world trade
- Growth and distribution of world population
- Demographic attributes
- Causes and consequences of migration
- Concepts of over-, under-, and optimum population
- Population theories, world population problems, and policies
- Social well-being and quality of life
- Population as social capital
- Types and patterns of rural settlements
- Environmental issues in rural settlements
- Hierarchy of urban settlements
- Urban morphology: concepts of primate city and rank-size rule
- Functional classification of towns
- Sphere of urban influence
- Rural-urban fringe
- Satellite towns
- Problems and remedies of urbanization
- Sustainable development of cities
- Systems analysis in human geography
- Malthusian, Marxian, and demographic transition models
- Central Place theories of Christaller and Losch
- Perroux and Boudeville growth pole concepts
- Von Thunen's model of agricultural location
- Weber's model of industrial location
- Rostow's model of stages of economic growth
- Heartland and Rimland theories
- Laws of international boundaries and frontiers
PAPER II (250 MARKS)
Geography of India
Section A & Section B
Section A
Physical Setting, Resources, Economy & Settlements
Examines India's spatial positioning, natural resource infrastructure, industrial patterns, and settlement demographics.
- Space relationship of India with neighboring countries
- Structure and relief
- Drainage system and watersheds
- Physiographic regions
- Mechanism of Indian monsoons and rainfall patterns
- Tropical cyclones and western disturbances
- Floods and droughts
- Climatic regions
- Natural vegetation
- Soil types and their distributions
- Infrastructure: irrigation, seeds, fertilizers, power
- Institutional factors: land holdings, land tenure, and land reforms
- Cropping pattern, agricultural productivity, agricultural intensity, crop combination, and land capability
- Agro and social-forestry
- Green revolution and its socio-economic and ecological implications
- Significance of dry farming
- Livestock resources and white revolution
- Aquaculture
- Sericulture, apiculture, and poultry
- Agricultural regionalisation
- Agro-climatic zones
- Agro-ecological regions
- Evolution of industries
- Locational factors of cotton, jute, and textile industries
- Locational factors of iron and steel, and aluminium industries
- Locational factors of fertilizer, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries
- Locational factors of automobile, cottage, and agro-based industries
- Industrial houses and complexes including public sector undertakings
- Industrial regionalisation
- New industrial policies
- Multinationals and liberalization
- Special Economic Zones (SEZs)
- Tourism including eco-tourism
- Road, railway, waterway, airway, and pipeline networks and their complementary roles in regional development
- Growing importance of ports on national and foreign trade
- Trade balance
- Trade policy
- Export Processing Zones
- Developments in communication and information technology and their impact on economy and society
- Indian space programme
- Historical perspective of Indian society
- Racial, linguistic, and ethnic diversities
- Religious minorities
- Major tribes, tribal areas, and their problems
- Cultural regions
- Growth, distribution, and density of population
- Demographic attributes: sex-ratio, age structure, literacy rate, work-force, dependency ratio, and longevity
- Migration (inter-regional, intra-regional, and international) and associated problems
- Population problems and policies
- Health indicators
Section B
Regional Planning, Political Aspects & Contemporary Issues
Focuses on decentralised economic planning, national federalism, regional imbalances, and ecological challenges.
- Experience of regional planning in India
- Five Year Plans
- Integrated rural development programmes
- Panchayati Raj and decentralised planning
- Command area development
- Watershed management
- Planning for backward area, desert, drought prone, hill, and tribal area development
- Multi-level planning
- Regional disparities in development in India
- Development of island territories
- Ecological issues
- Environmental hazards: landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, droughts, and epidemics
- Issues related to environmental pollution
- Changes in patterns of land use
- Principles of environmental impact assessment and environmental management
- Population explosion and food security
- Environmental degradation
- Deforestation, desertification, and soil erosion
- Problems of agrarian and industrial unrest
- Regional disparities in economic development
- Concept of sustainable growth and development
- Environmental awareness
- Linkage of rivers
- Globalisation and Indian economy