Mindmap Notes ⇒ Geography Optional
Paper I (Geography Principles)
Physical Geography:
1. Geomorphology:
- Basic concepts in geomorphology
- Factors controlling landform development
- Endogenetic and Exogenetic forces
- Origin and evolution of earth’s crust
- Fundamental of geomagnetism
- Physical conditions of earth’s interior
- Geosyncline and isostasy
- Continental drift and plate tectonics [FREE]
- Mountain building
- Vulcanicity, Earthquake and Tsunami
- Concept of geomorphic cycles and landscape development
- Denudation chronology, Erosional surfaces, Peneplains
- Channel morphology and Slope development
- Applied geomorphology
2. Climatology:
- Climatology and Climate
- Temperature and pressure patterns of the world
- Heat budget of earth
- Atmospheric Circulation, Planetary and local winds
- Atmospheric Stability and instability
- Monsoon
- Jet Streams
- Air masses and frontogenesis
- Temperate Cyclone
- Tropical Cyclone
- Precipitation
- Weather and Climate
- Koppen Classification
- Thornthwaite and Trewartha classification
- Hydrological Cycle
- Climate Change
- Applied climatology and Urban Heat Island
3. Oceanography:
- Bathymetric method
- Temperature and Salinity Patterns
- Heat and Salt Budgets
- Ocean deposits
- Waves,Tides and Currents
- Indian Ocean Currents and El-Nino-La-Nina
- Ocean Currents of Atlantic and Pacific Ocean
- Marine Resources, Biotic Mineral,Energy and Marine Pollution
- Coral Reefs
- Coral Bleaching
- Ocean bottom topography
- Bottom topography of Indian, Pacific, Atlantic Ocean
- Sea level changes
- Law of the Sea
4. Biogeography:
- Genesis of soil
- Classification and distribution of soils
- Soil profile and soil forming process
- Soil degradation
- Soil conservation
- Factors influencing world distribution of plants and animals
- Deforestation
- Social Forestry
- Agroforestry
- Wildlife
- Major gene pool centres
5. Environmental Geography
- Principle of Ecology
- Human Ecological Adaptation
- 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
- Environment Policy
- Environmental Hazards and Remedial Measure
- Environmental Education & Legislation
Human Geography:
1. Perspectives in Human Geography:
- Areal differentiation, regional synthesis, Dichotomy and dualism
- Social Justice and Environmentalism
- Quantitative Revolution and Locational Analysis
- Humanistic Geography
- Languages,Religion and Secularization
- Cultural regions of the World
- HDI and Time-Space Geography
2. Economic Geography
- Limits to growth
- World Economic Development – Problems and Measures
- World Resources and their Distribution
- Energy Crisis
- World Agriculture – A typology of Agricultural regions
- Famine – Causes, Effects and Remedies
- Food Security
- Food and Nutritional Security Problem
- Pattern of world trade
- World Industries Location patterns and problems
3. Population and Settlement Geography
- Growth and Distribution of World Population
- Causes and Consequences of Migration
- Demographic Attributes
- Population Theories
- Population and Development: Social Capital, Social well-being and Population problems & policies
4. Regional Planning
- Basic Concept of Regional Planning and Region
- Regional Imbalances
- Regional Development Strategies
- Planning for sustainable development
- Regional Imbalance Theories
- Method of Regionalisation
- Types of Region
- Growth Centers and Growth Poles
- Environmental issues in regional planning
5. Models, Theories and Laws in Human Geography
Paper II (Geography of India)
1. Physical Setting:
- Space relationship of India with neighboring countries;
- Structure and relief;
- Drainage system and watersheds;
- Physiographic regions [FREE]
- 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 groundwater,
- energy,
- minerals,
- biotic and marine resources;
- Forest and wildlife resources and their conservation;
- Energy crisis.
3. Agriculture:
- Introduction
- 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;
- agro-ecological regions.
4. 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.
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 program.
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, intraregional 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 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 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.
Update Log
Apr 18, 2021 – paper 2 – added:
- Locational Factors of Various Industries
- Industrial Houses and Complexes Including Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs)
April 3, 2021 – paper 2 – added:
- Tourism including ecotourism
- Multinationals and liberalisation
- Agricultural Regionalization
- Industrial Regionalisation
- New Industrial Policy
March 26, 2021 – paper 2 – added:
- Special economic zones
March 24, 2021 – paper 2 – added:
- Evolution of industries
March 12, 2021 – Paper 2 – added:
- Green revolution and its socio-economic and ecological implications
- Forest and Wildlife Resources and Their Conservation
- Energy Crisis in India
March 9, 2021 – Paper 2 – added:
- Significance of dryland farming
Feb 28, 2021 – Paper 2 – added:
- Energy (updated)
- Minerals
- Biotic and marine resources
Feb 17, 2021 – Paper 2 – added:
- Energy
- Agriculture (intro)
Feb 10, 2021 – Paper 2 – added: Surface & ground water
Feb 2, 2021 – Paper 2 – added:
- Natural Vegetation
- Soil types and their distributions
- Land Resource
Jan 25, 2021 – Paper 2 – added: Climatic regions
Jan 18, 2021 – Paper 2 – added:
- Floods and droughts;
Jan 8, 2020 – Paper 2 – added:
- Mechanism of Indian monsoons and rainfall patterns
- Tropical cyclones and western disturbances
Dec 30, 2020 – Paper 2 – added:
- Drainage System and Watersheds
- Physiographic Regions
Dec 24, 2020 – Paper 2 – added: Structure and relief
Dec 19, 2020 – paper 1 – added: Environmental issues in regional planning (Paper 1 Over)
Dec 9, 2020 – paper 1 – added:
- Types of Region
- Growth Centers and Growth Poles
Dec 5 , 2020 – Paper 1 – added:
- Regional Imbalance Theories
- Method of Regionalisation
Nov 27, 2020 – Paper 1 – Planning for sustainable development.
Nov 17, 2020 – Paper 2 – Space relationship of India with neighbouring countries.
Nov 13, 2020 – Paper 1 – Regional development strategies
Nov 8, 2020 – Paper 1 – Regional Imbalances
Oct 31, 2020 – Paper 1 – Growth Pole Theory of Perroux and Boudeville
Oct 23, 2020 – Paper 1 – Basic Concept of Regional Planning and Region
Oct 18, 2020 – Paper 1 –
- Heart-land and Rimland Theories
- System Analysis in Human Geography, Boundaries, Frontiers
Oct 14, 2020 – Paper 1 –
- Weber’s Model of Industrial Location
- Von Thunen’s Model of Agricultural location
- Rostov’s Model of stages of growth
Oct 12, 2020 – Paper 1 – Central Place Theory of Christaller and Losch
Oct 8, 2020 – Paper 1 – Population and Settlement Geography => Population and Development
Oct 7, 2020 – Paper 1 – Population and Settlement Geography => Population Theories.
Sep 19, 2020 – Paper 1 – Population and Settlement Geography => Demographic attributes.
Sep 6, 2020 – Paper 1 – Population and Settlement Geography
- Growth and Distribution of World Population
- Causes and Consequences of Migration
Aug 30, 2020 – Paper 1 – Environment Geography
- Environment Policy
- Environmental Hazards and Remedial Measure
- Environmental Education & Legislation
Aug 25, 2020 – Paper 1
- Environment Geography – Biodiversity and Sustainable development
- Economic geography – added:
- Pattern of world trade
- World Industries Location patterns and problems
Aug 16, 2020 – Paper 1 – Economic Geography – added:
- Famine – Causes, Effects and Remedies
- Food and Nutritional Security Problem
- Food Security
Aug 8, 2020 – Paper 1 – Added:
- Environmental geography
- Ecosystem Management and Conservation
- Environmental degradation, management and conservation
- Economic geography
- Energy crisis
- World agriculture
Aug 4, 2020 – Paper 1 – Added:
- Environmental geography >> Influence of Man on Ecology and Environment
- Environmental geography >> Global and Regional Ecological changes and Imbalances
- Economic Geography >> World Resources and their Distribution
July 30, 2020 – Paper 1- Added:
- Environmental geography >> Human Ecological Adaptation
- Economic geography >> World Economic Development – Problems and Measures
July 28, 2020 – Paper 1 – Added:
- Environmental geography >> Principle of Ecology.
- Economic geography >> Limits to growth.
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Referred Sources
- Savindra Singh’s Geomorphology: BUY NOW
- Savindra Singh’s Physical Geography: BUY NOW
- Savindra Singh’s Climatology: BUY NOW
- Savindra Singh’s Oceanography: BUY NOW
- D.R khullar: BUY NOW
- Majid Hussain: BUY NOW
- Geographical thought by R. D Dikshit: BUY NOW
- Internet
- More sources will be added with the addition of more mindmaps
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Sir Hindi Me Bhi Uplawadh Kara Dijiye
Sorry. We cannot do it in Hindi anytime soon due to lack of human resources.
Sir, please complete this Geography Optional first. Our State PCS mains will start very soon. So, I want to finish optionals first.
Sure. We upload 1-2 new topics daily.
sir.. when will the complete geo-opt syllabus ( Approximately ) will be updated ?
I think it’ll take around 3-4 months.
check this comment => https://www.iasexpress.net/membership-levels/#comment-49801
The geography optional mindmaps are very informative n made easy..😇 hoping complete topics in syllabus r updated soon..#ThankYou#IasExpress#Team☺️
Thanks for the positive feedback. We’ll try our best to complete the syllabus soon.
Sir in geomorphic cycles I didn’t find L.c king theory please let me know if you have uploaded it or not
We’ll upload it soon. Thanks for pointing out.
Sir plz add science section also..for quick revision
Hello IAS express guys,i was a gold member, but my membership expired august I think. Last year when I bought the GS membership, there was no Geography optional mind maps. I was a bit disappointed. But you are moving in the right direction. Please complete the remaining portion of Geography Paper 1 – RDP , Models, theories … as soon as possible. Paper 2 – Indian Geography will take a long time for you guys which is understandable. Anyways, please let me know by mail when Paper 2 will be completed. I will purchase the geography optional membership within a… Read more »
Sir, I’m appearing for 2021 CSE, I wanted to confirm that will you upload Paper 2 before that.
Yes. Definitely :)
Hello Admin, I just bought the Geography Optional membership. I would like to point out some dead links/urls in the topic list. Oceanography – 1.Bottom Topography of Indian, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean link/url leads to Ocean currents of the Atlantic, Pacific Ocean page. I cannot find the bottom topography mind map so far from the oceanography list. Economic Geography 2.Famine, Causes and Remedies – points to Food and Nutritional Security Mind map.. But there is no mention of famine in that page. 3.Food Security also points to Food and Nutritional Security Mind map. In the Food and Nutrition Security mind map,… Read more »
1, 2, and 3 – Resolved. Please check again. Thanks for reporting :)
Is davision cyclic model and peck’s non-cyclic model also there
Yes. It’s covered under the “concept of geomorphic cycles and landscape development”.
Can you please update Geography optional Asap. In Need for Mains 2020. These mind maps are of immense use that I request you to update it at the earliest possible. Thank you.
Sure. We will try our best to complete all topics soon. Thank you.
Sir please regular upload
Hello sir/madam. Mindmaps are really good. please complete the mind maps soon as I am preparing for 2021. It’s a humble request.
I’ve purchased gs & optional 2 years subscription. I have a doubt.. How to access all study materials with detailed information???
You can get detailed notes in our interactive mindmaps itself.
sir please try to upload complete course , sir a very humble request
Yes, we are on it. The syllabus will be completed soon.