Geography for UPSC Prelims 2025: Important Topics, Sources, Trends and Tips

Geography is a significant static subject for UPSC Prelims which, if done correctly, can boost your marks in Prelims beyond the cutoff. A well-planned approach focusing on conceptual clarity and map-based learning is the basic requirement of the subject. This blog will guide you through important topics, best sources, question trends, and effective preparation strategies for UPSC Prelims 2025.

Important Topics of Geography for Prelims 2025

Physical Geography

Geomorphology
- Earth’s Structure and Interior (Composition, Layers, Seismic Waves)
- Plate Tectonics, Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Mountain Building
- Rocks and Minerals
- Endogenic and Exogenic Processes
- Landforms formed by – Water, Glacier, Wind, etc.
Climatology
- Atmosphere (Composition, Layers, Weather & Climate)
- Heat Balance and Radiation
- Winds, Cyclones
- Climate Classification (Köppen’s Classification)
Oceanography
- Ocean Currents
- Phenomenons like El Nino, La Nina, Indian Ocean Dipole
- Cyclones – Tropical and Temperate
- Tides

Indian Geography

Basic Features – Latitude and Longitudes, Neighbours, etc.
Physiography of India
- Mountains – Himalayas, Western Ghats, Eastern Ghats, Vindhyas, Satpuras, etc.
- Plains
- Plateaus
- Islands
- Deserts
- Coastal Plains
Drainage
- Ganga System
- Indus System
- Brahmaputra System
- Peninsular Rivers
Indian Monsoon
Soils in India
Natural Vegetation in India

Human and Economic Geography

Population Distribution & Demographics
Migration and Settlement Patterns
Industrial Locations and Economic Zones
Agriculture and Irrigation in India
Mineral and Energy Resources (Coal, Petroleum, Nuclear, Renewable Energy)

Important Map Topics for Prelims 2025

(Click here for Tips to Prepare Map Based Questions for Prelims 2025)

India

States and Important Cities – their relative directions (East, West, North, South) + relative latitudinal & longitudinal locations (PYQ – Which of the following cities lie on the same longitude as Delhi? Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Nagpur, Pune)
Rivers, their tributaries, and associated Dams
Important Lakes
Important Waterfalls
Important Protected Areas (National Park, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Tiger Reserves, Elephant Reserves, Ramsar Wetlands, etc.) – and their surrounding geographical features.
Neighbouring countries – relative directions
Important Mountain Peaks
Important Mountain Passes
Important Infrastructure in India – Dams, Nuclear Power Plants, etc.
Thematic Maps – Resources based (Coal, Copper, Iron, etc. producing places)
History based – Important Ports, Buddhist/Jain sites
World Heritage Sites
Other Areas in Current Affairs

World

Countries and their capitals – relative directions
Important Oceans, seas and their surrounding countries
Important Rivers of the World and their basins
Important Straits, Ports and surrounding countries
Important Mountain Peaks of the World
Areas in News due to war, conflict, regime change, civil war, etc. (PYQ – Afghanistan in 2021, Ukraine in 2023, etc.)
Other Places in News

Current Affairs Topics (since January 2024)

Discovery of Lithium Deposits beneath California’s Salton Sea
Zero Shadow Day
Earth’s Magnetic Field
Russian Icebreaker Collision in the Kara Sea
Record-Breaking Global Temperatures in 2024
Rapid Expansion of Himalayan Glacial Lakes
Equatorial Plasma Bubbles
Heatwaves and Urban Heat Islands
Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) Slowdown
Desertification in Sub-Saharan Africa
Melting Permafrost in Siberia
Earthquake Swarms in California
Urban Flooding

Best Sources for Geography for Prelims 2025

NCERTs
- Class 11th – Fundamentals of Physical Geography and Indian Geography (2 books)
- Class 12th – Human and Economic Geography (2 books)
GC Leong Geography book
Atlas
Geography Blue Book (Pre-Vail) by UnderStand UPSC (Includes PYQs)
For Map Work – Follow Bharat Darshan Series on UnderStand UPSC Youtube channel (Freely available)

Trend Analysis in Prelims – Geography

Geography is consistently contributing 10-20 questions (20-40 marks) in Prelims.
UPSC is moving away from direct factual questions to application-based ones.
Direct and indirect map-based MCQs have increased.
UPSC is integrating Geography with Environmental Science topics.
Repeated themes include – bordering countries of major seas, countries in a particular river basin, etc.
2024 Prelims had a good amount of core conceptual physical geography questions.

Tips for Preparing Geography for UPSC Prelims 2025

Ensure you have a strong foundation and conceptual clarity of Geographical concepts like El Nino, La Nina, Geostrophic winds, Jet Streams, Ocean Currents, etc.
World and Indian Map Practice is a non-negotiable requirement for UPSC Prelims. Practice on blank maps to memorise faster.
Catch the repeating themes – bordering countries of seas, El Nino and La Nina, etc, and prepare them very well.
Do NOT ignore Human and Economic geography as done by many students – it is a low investment-high return area.
Integrate your map work for Geography and Environment – UPSC frequently asks integrated questions like – rivers flowing through a particular national park, etc.
Practice a lot of questions
Solve at least 10 years PYQs of Geography.

All the Best!

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