Daily Quiz: UPSC Prelims Marathon (Geography) – May 1, 2020

The River Nagavali is a medium sized east flowing river in peninsular India. It is surrounded by Vamsadhara in the north, Champavathi and Peddagedda in the South, Godavari in the West and the Bay of Bengal in the east. It drains parts of the distgricts of Kalahandi, Rayagada, Koraput of Orissa and Sirkakulam, Vizianagaram and Visakhapatnam of Andhra Pradesh State. The total basin area is 9510 Sq. Km. the Nagavali originates near the Lakhabahal in Kalahandi district at an elevation of about 1300 m. The total length of the river run is 256 Km., out of which the first 161 Km., are in Orissa and the rest in Andhra Pradesh. The important tributaries are Barha, Suvarnamukhi, Vonigedda, Vegavathi and Relligedda.

The Andaman Islands are divided into three main islands i.e. North, Middle and South. Duncan passage separates Little Andaman from South Andaman. The Great Andaman group of islands in the north is separated by the Ten Degree Channel from the Nicobar group in the south. Among the Nicobar Islands, the Great Nicobar is the largest. It is the southernmost island and is very close to Sumatra island of Indonesia. The Car Nicobar is the northernmost. Some of the islands are fringed with coral reefs. Many of them are covered with thick forests. Most of the islands are mountainous. Saddle peak (737 m) in North Andaman is the highest peak.

Takla Makan Desert, Chinese (Pinyin) Taklimakan Shamo  great desert of Central Asia and one of the largest sandy deserts in the world. The Takla Makan occupies the central part of the Tarim Basin in the Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang, western China. The desert area extends about 600 miles (960 km) from west to east, and it has a maximum width of some 260 miles (420 km) and a total area of approximately 123,550 square miles (320,000 square km). The desert reaches elevations of 3,900 to 4,900 feet (1,200 to 1,500 metres) above sea level in the west and south and from 2,600 to 3,300 feet (800 to 1,000 metres) in the east and north.

Statement 1 is correct: Red soil is formed as a result of weathering of metamorphic and igneous rocks. The red color of the soil comes from the high percentage of iron content. The soil’s texture varies from being sandy to clayey, but it is mainly loamy.

Statement 2 is incorrect: Red soil is rich in potash content but lacks phosphate, humus and nitrogen content. The red soil is found in regions such as Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, some parts of Karnataka and southeast Maharashtra.

Taptapani hot spring famous for a perennial hot spring of “Medicinal Sulfuric Water” which is located on the State Highways that connects Berhampur with Western Odisha. Being surrounded by a cluster of hills and thick forests, the serenity of nature at Taptapani is added by wonderful sights of sun rise, sun set moon lit night, tribal dance and music, chirps of birds and sight of wild animals.