Paper-1
Section A- Physical Geography
Geomorphology: :
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 the 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.
Climatology:
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, Thornthwaite's, and Trewartha's classification of
world climates; Hydrological cycle; Global climatic change and role and the response of man in climatic changes, Applied climatology, and Urban climate.
Oceanography:
Bottom the 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.
Biogeography:
The genesis of soils; Classification and
distribution of soils; Soil profile; Soil erosion, Degradation, and conservation;
Factors influencing world distribution of plants and animals; Problems of
deforestation and conservation measures; Social forestry; agro-forestry; Wild
life; Major gene pool centers.
Environmental Geography:
Principle of ecology; Human
ecological adaptations; Influence of man on ecology and environment; Global and
regional ecological changes and imbalances; Ecosystem their management and
conservation; Environmental degradation, management, and conservation;
Biodiversity and sustainable development; Environmental policy; Environmental
hazards and remedial measures; Environmental education and legislation.
Section B-Human Geography
Perspectives in Human Geography:
Areal differentiation; regional synthesis; Dichotomy
and dualism; Environmentalism; Quantitative revolution and locational analysis;
radical, behavioral, human, and welfare approaches; Languages, religions and
secularization; Cultural regions of the world; Human development index.
Economic Geography:
World economic development:
measurement and problems; World resources and their distribution; Energy
crisis; the limits to growth; World agriculture: a 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.
Population and Settlement Geography:
Growth and
distribution of world population; demographic attributes; Causes and
consequences of migration; concepts of the 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.
Regional Planning:
Concept of a region; Types of regions
and methods of regionalization; Growth centers and growth poles; Regional
imbalances; regional development strategies; environmental issues in regional
planning; Planning for sustainable development.
Models, Theories, and Laws in Human Geography:
Systems
analysis in Human geography; Malthusian, Marxian and demographic transition
models; Central Place theories of Christaller and Losch; Perroux and Boudeville;
Von Thunen's model of agricultural location; Weber's model of industrial
location; Rostov's model of stages of growth.
PART 2
Geography of India
Physical Setting:
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.
Resources:
Land, surface and groundwater, energy,
minerals, biotic and marine resources; Forest and wildlife resources and their
conservation; Energy crisis.
Agriculture:
Infrastructure: irrigation, seeds,
fertilizers, power; Institutional factors: landholdings, land tenure, and land
reforms; Cropping pattern, agricultural productivity, agricultural intensity,
crop combination, 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 regionalization; agro-climatic zones;
agroecological regions.
Industry:
Evolution of industries: Locational factors of cotton, jute, textile, iron and steel, aluminum, fertilizer, paper, chemical and pharmaceutical, automobile, cottage, and agro-based industries; Industrial houses and complexes including public sector undertakings; Industrial regionalization; New industrial policies; Multinationals and liberalization; Special Economic Zones; Tourism including eco-tourism.Transport, Communication, and Trade:
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 impacts on the economy and
society; Indian space program.
Cultural Setting:
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, longevity; migration (inter-regional, intraregional and international) and associated problems; Population problems and policies; Health indicators.Settlements:
Types, patterns, and morphology of rural
settlements; Urban developments; Morphology of Indian cities; Functional
classification of Indian cities; Conurbations and metropolitan regions; urban
sprawl; Slums and associated problems; town planning; Problems of urbanization
and remedies.
Regional Development and Planning:
Experience of regional
planning in India; Five Year Plans; Integrated rural development programs;
Panchayati Raj and decentralized planning; Command area development; Watershed
management; Planning for the backward area, desert, drought-prone, hill, tribal area
development; multi-level planning; Regional planning and development of the island
territories.
Political Aspects:
Geographical basis of Indian
federalism; State reorganization; Emergence of new states; Regional
consciousness and inter state issues; international boundary of India and
related issues; Cross border terrorism; India's role in world affairs;
Geopolitics of South Asia and the Indian Ocean realm.
Contemporary Issues:
Ecological issues:
Environmental hazards: landslides, earthquakes, Tsunamis, floods, and droughts,
epidemics; Issues relating 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;
Globalization and the Indian economy.
NOTE: Candidates
will be required to answer one compulsory map question
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