Geography Optional Complete Study Material
(Paper - I)
Principle Of Geography
Section 'A' : Physical Geography
1. Geomorphology :
- Factors controlling landform development;
- endogenetic and exogenetic forces;
- Origin and evolution of the earth’s crusts;
- Fundamentals of geomagnetism;
- Physical conditions of the earth’s interior;
- Geosynclines;
- Continental drift;
- Isostasy;
- Plate tectonics;
- Recent views on mountain building;
- Volcanicity;
- Earthquakes and Tsunamis;
- Concepts of geomorphic cycles and Land scape development;
- Denudation chronology;
- Channel morphology;
- Erosion surfaces;
- Slope development;
- Applied Geomorphology;
- Geomorphology, 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;
- Temperate and tropical cyclones;
- Types and distribution of precipitation;
- Weatherand Climate;
- Koppen’s, Thornthwaite’s and Trewar Tha’s classification of world climate;
- 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;
- Sea-level 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 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
1. Perspectives in Human Geography
- Areal differentiation;
- Regional synthesis;
- Dichotomy and dualism;
- Environmentalism;
- Quantitative revolution and locational analysis;
- Radical, behavioural, human and welfare approaches;
- Languages, religions and secularisation;
- Cultural regions of the world;
- Human development indix.
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 nutritions problems;
- Food security;
- famine: causes, effects and remedies;
- World industries: location 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;
- Concept 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 regionalisation;
- Growth centres 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
- System 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.
- Heart-land and Rimland theories;
- Laws of international boundaries and frontiers.