Geography
Syllabus For Geography
Paper - I
Principles Of Geography
Physical Geography:
1. 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 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.
2. 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 fronto genesis, 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 response of man in climatic changes, Applied climatology and
Urban climate.
3. Oceanography:
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;
sealevel changes; law of the sea and marine pollution.
4. Biogeography:
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.
5. 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.
Human Geography:
1. Perspectives in Human Geography:
Areal differentiation; regional synthesis; Dichotomy and dualism; Environmentalism;
Quantitative revolution and location analysis; radical, behavioral, human and welfare
approaches; Languages, religions and secularization; Cultural regions of the world;
Human development index.
2. Economic Geography:
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.
3. Population and Settlement Geography:
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.
4. 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.
5. 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;
Ostov’s model of stages of growth. Heartland and Rimland theories; Laws of international
boundaries and frontiers.
Paper - II
Geography Of India
1. 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.
2. Resources:
Land, surface and ground water, energy, minerals, biotic and marine resources; Forest
and wild life resources and their conservation; Energy crisis.
3. Agriculture:
Infrastructure: irrigation, seeds, fertilizers, power; Institutional factors: land
holdings, land tenure and land reforms; Cropping pattern, agricultural productivity,
agricultural intensity, crop combination, land capability; Agro and socialforestry;
Green revolution and its socioeconomic and ecological implications; Significance
of dry farming; Livestock resources and white revolution; aqua - culture; sericulture,
apiculture and poultry; agricultural regionalisation; agro-climatic zones; agro-
ecological regions.
4. Industry:
Evolution of industries; Locational factors of cotton, jute, textile, iron and steel,
aluminium, fertilizer, paper, chemical and pharmaceutical, 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; Tourism including eco -tourism.
5. 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 economy and society; Indian space
programme.
6. 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, intra- regional and international) and associated problems; Population
problems and policies; Health indicators.
7. 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.
8. Regional Development and Planning:
Experience of regional planning in India; Five Year Plans; Integrated rural development
programmers; Panchayati Raj and decentralized planning; Command area development;
Watershed management; Planning for backward area, desert, drought prone, hill, tribal
area development; multi-level planning; Regional planning and development of island
territories.
9. Political Aspects:
Geographical basis of Indian federalism; State reorganisation; 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 Indian Ocean realm.
10. 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; Globalisation and Indian economy.
Note 1:Candidates will be required
to answer one compulsory map question pertinent to subjects covered by this paper.
Recommended Book List For Csat
- Physical Geography by Strahler & Strahler
- Principles of Geomorphology by W.D. Thornbury
- Physical Geography - Made Simple, Rupa Publisher
- Physical Geography in Diagrams by Bunnett
- Physical Geography by Savindra Singh
- Geomorphology by Savindra Singh
- Climatology by D.S.Lal
- General Climatology by Critchfield
- Physical Geography - Made Simple, Rupa Publisher
- Physical Geography by Strahler & Strahler
- Oceanography by Sharma & Vatal, NCERT
- Physical Geography by Savindra Singh
- Physical Geography - Made Simple, Rupa Publisher
- Physical GEography by Strahler & Strahler
- Evolution of Geographic Thought by Majid Husain
- Economic Geography by Hertshorn & Alexander
- Economic and Social Geography - Made Simple by Rupa Publisher
- Agricultural Geography by Masjid Husain
- Human Geography by Majid Husain
- Urbanization & Urban Systems in India by Ramachandran
- Economic and Social Geography - Made Simple, Rupa Publishers
- A Geography by Population by R.C. Chandna
- Regional Planning - by Chand & Puri
- Environmental Geography by Savindra Singh
- Environmental Awareness by R.C.Chandna
- Environmental Geography by Saxena
- Economic and Social Geography - Made Simple, Rupa Publisher
- Political Geography by R.D.Dixit
PAPER - II
Section A: Geography Of India
- Economic and Commercial Geography of India by Sharma & Coutinho
- Economic and Commercial Geography of India by C.B. Mamoria
- A Geography of India by Gopal Singh
- Economical Geography - NCERT books
- Agriculture Geography by Majid Husain
- Indian Economy by Dutt and Sundaram
- India Year Book, published by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Hindu's Survey
on Agriculture.
- Economical and Commercial Geography of India by C.B. Mamoria
- Economical and Commercial Geography by Sharma & Coutinho
- Indian Economy by Dutt and Sundaram
- Hindu's Survey on Industry
- Economical and Commercial Geography of India by C.B. Mamoria
- Economical and Commercial Geography of India by Sharma & Coutinho
- India Year Book published by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting
- Indian Economy by Dutt and Sundaram
- Human Geography by Majid Husain
- Geography of Population by R.C.Chandna
- NCERT Books
- Human Geography by Majid Husain
- Urbanization and Urban Systems in India by Ramachandran
- Regional Planning and Development by Chand and Puri
- India Year Book
- Indian Economy by Dutt and Sundaram
- Modern Political Geography of India by B.L. Sukhwal.
- Contemporary Issues : India disasters - Report
- Environmental Awareness by R.C.Chandna
- Environmental Geography by Saxena
- MAP QUESTIONS - Any School level atlas and the maps given in the above mentioned books