Daily Quiz: UPSC Prelims Marathon (Geography) – April 26, 2020

Statement 1 is not correct. Mahi River is one of the major west flowing inter-state rivers of India, draining into the Gulf of Khambhat. The basin is bounded on the North and the North-West by Aravalli hills, on the East by the ridge separating it from the Chambal Basin, on the South by the Vindhyas and on the West by the Gulf of Khambhat.

Statement 2 is not correct. The basin has a maximum width of about 250km. Mahi river originates on the Northern slope of Vindhyas at latitude 22o35’ N and longitude 74o58’E near the village of Sardarpur in the Dhar district of Madhya Pradesh at an elevation of 500m above mean sea Ievel. It has a total length of 583 km and it traverses through the states of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat. The total drainage area of Mahi is 34,842 sq. km.

The principal tributaries of the Mahi River are Som, Jakham, Moran, Anas, and the Bhadar. Major projects are Jakham Reservoir, Panam Dam, Mahi Bajaj Sagar Project and Kadana Project.

Okavango Delta is a delta in north-west Botswana comprises permanent marshlands and seasonally flooded plains. It is one of the very few major interior delta systems that do not flow into a sea or ocean, with a wetland system that is almost intact. One of the unique characteristics of the site is that the annual flooding from the River Okavango occurs during the dry season, with the result that the native plants and animals have synchronized their biological cycles with these seasonal rains and floods. It is an exceptional example of the interaction between climatic, hydrological and biological processes. The Okavango Delta is home to some of the world’s most endangered species of large mammal, such as the cheetah, white rhinoceros, black rhinoceros, African wild dog and lion.

Statement 1 is correct. The tundra is the coldest of the biomes. It also receives low amounts of precipitation, making the tundra similar to a desert. Tundra is found in the regions just below the ice caps of the Arctic, extending across North America, to Europe, and Siberia in Asia. Much of Alaska and about half of Canada are in the tundra biome. Tundra is also found at the tops of very high mountains elsewhere in the world. Tundra winters are long, dark, and cold, with mean temperatures below 0°C for six to 10 months of the year. The temperatures are so cold that there is a layer of permanently frozen ground below the surface, called permafrost. This permafrost is a defining characteristic of the tundra biome. In the tundra summers, the top layer of soil thaws only a few inches down, providing a growing surface for the roots of vegetation.

Statement 2 is correct. Precipitation in the tundra totals 150 to 250 mm a year, including melted snow. That’s less than most of the world’s greatest deserts. Thus it is sometimes also called as treeless polar desert. Much of the arctic has rain and fog in the summers, and water gathers in bogs and ponds.

Karnataka has over 9,000 million tonnes of iron ore resources, of which the bulk is in the magnetite form. The production during the year 2007-08 crossed 47 million tons. The districts of Bellary and Hospet are the main districts, whereas Chitradurga, Bagalkot and Tumkur districts are also produce significant amounts of iron ore. The chunk of the iron ore is exported to be used in steel manufacture and pig iron and sponge iron plants.

Statement 1 is incorrect: Satpura Range, range of hills, part of the Deccan plateau, western India. The hills stretch for some 560 miles (900 km) across the widest part of peninsular India. Satpura range rises in eastern Gujarat state (Rajpipla hills) near the Arabian Sea coast, running east through the border of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh (Mahadeo hills) to the east till Chhattisgarh (Maikal range).

Statement 2 is correct: The range, the name of which means “Seven Folds,” forms the watershed between the Narmada (north) and Tapti (south) rivers.