How to Prepare Mountain Ranges and Peaks of India for UPSC

UPSC exam is an exam that asks almost all the things under the earth. From History,Geography, Polity, Economy and Science and Technology to current affairs every thing is covered in UPSC Exam. Though Prelims Exam is a qualifying exam the importance of this exam can not be ignored or neglected. Being objective in nature this exam often surprises many aspirants through its variety of questions. Geography is an important section of this exam. About 10-13 questions are asked from this section every year. Among these questions 3-4 questions are asked from geography mapping. UPSC Prelims Previous Year Papers show that round the years questions of geography is getting tougher. To secure good marks in this section one need to get mastery over these types of questions. In this article we will discuss about the strategy to tackle Mountain Ranges and Peaks of India through mapping. The mountains of India is an important topic in the UPSC IAS Prelims Geography Syllabus.

Before discussing the strategy to tackle mountain ranges and peeks lets have a look at the prominent mountain ranges and peaks of India. India is quite diverse in terms of mountains and peaks . Almost entire Northern India is straddled by the mighty peak of Himalayas. While the southern India is surrounded with Peninsular mountains that have quite rough and older mountains in comparison to their northern counterpart. The Himalayas are the young fold mountains. This is the highest mountain range of the world. Then there are central highlands, peninsular plateaus which accommodate a wide range of high and low peaks. The mountains are home to a wide variety of flora and fauna and are an important part of the Indian mainland.

The mountain ranges and peaks of India can be covered by NCERT books. In the physiographic division of India the mountain ranges and peaks have been covered elaborately. While preparing the mountain ranges and peaks it is important to mark them in map of India. The questions that are asked in UPSC Prelims Exam are about locations or matching them with corresponding states. Sometimes questions are asked about some other peculiar features associated with these ranges and peaks.For an example many ranges and summits are home to rich flora and fauna. Many of the national parks and centuries are situated on these peaks or around the peaks. These national parks and centuries should be noted down and the peaks on which they are located should also be marked correspondingly. Many important rivers and their tributaries are also emerging ou of these mountain ranges and peaks.These rivers and related mountains should also be marked exclusively. In north eastern India and Northern India many peaks forms the boundary with neighbouring countries. These mountain ranges and neighbouring countries should be marked exclusively. Mountains are also home to various mineral resources and ores in India. The important mines are located in proximity of these mountains. So very often the questions are asked where you have to match the mountains and minerals. For an example Bailadeela in Chattisgarh is famous for Iron ore and Kudremukh in Karnataka is also famous for Iron ore. Similarly Aravalis are famous for Limestone and other minerals.

While making notes regarding mountains one should practice in map and relevant details should be noted separately. These points help you during revision. To understand pattern and structure of such questions one should go through the previous year papers and make separate notes for them. Sometimes these questions can also be repeated in the exam. Regular revision and micronotes always help you to deal with such questions. So keep on revising and consolidate material. Try to link static portion with the dynamic portion. Most of the time various mountain ranges and peaks remain in news for some specific reasons. Make a note of these mountains and try to locate them in map. So one should keep on updating the notes to tackle this portion shrewdly.