Rajasthan Public Service Commission

RAS Syllabus (Main): Geography (Code No. 15)

Geography Paper-I

Section-A : Physical Geography

(i) Geomorphology - Origin of the earth; interior of the earth; earth movement; theory of isostacy; continental drift and mountain-building:
Volcanism and earth quakes. Rocks; Weathering and erosion; normal cycle of erosion; Land forms fluvial. glacial, Aeolian, marine, karst and rejuvenated.

(ii) Climatology - The atmosphere-its structure and composition; in solation; heat budget of the earth; temperature; pressure and winds; jet streams; air masses and fronts; cyclones and related phenomena; climatic classification - Koeppen's and Thornthwaite's.

(iii) Soils and Vegetation - Soil genesis, Classification and distribution; Major biotic regions of the world.

(iv) Oceanography- Ocean bottom relief; Salinity; Ocean deposits; Ocean currents and tides; coral reefs; marine resources and their utilization.

(v) Environmental management- Constituents of natural and human environment; degradation and depletion of water, soil and forest resources land carrying capacity and sustainable development; nature and types of pollution; ecological imbalance; conservation of biodiversity.

Section-B : Human and Economic Geography

(i) Human Geography : Races of mankind; world population-growth and distribution; demographic transition and world population problems; International migrations-past and present : Habitat, Economy and Society of Kirghis. Pygmies, Eskimoses, Bushmen, Todas, Bhils, Santhals, Gonds and Nagas.
Concept of rural and urban settlements; origins and process of urbanization; Rural Settlement patterns; city classifications. Morphology of cities, problems of urban growth in the world.

(ii) Economic Geography - Natural resources of the world and their distribution; world energy crisis; types of agriculture; major crops and their distributional patterns; world agricultural regions; world food and nutrition problems; major world industries; world industrial regions and their problems; means of transportation; Globalization of economy.

(iii) Cartography - Classification of maps; scales; representation of relief. map projections; Conical, Zenithal and Cylindrical; Conventional Map projections - International, Mercator's Mollweides' and Sinusoidal; topographical Maps. representation of data- statistical diagrams; distribution maps and cartograms.

Geography Paper-II

Section-A : India

(i) Physical Aspects : Physiography and drainage systems; origin and mechanism of the Indian monsoon; identification of drought and flood prone areas; soils and vegetations; land capability; agro-climatic regions.

(ii) Human Aspects : Growth, Distribution and density of population and human settlements; tribal areas and problems; cultural regions of India; historical perspectives on unity and diversity population problems and policies.
Resource conservation and utilization; Land minerals, water biotic and marine; man and environment; ecological problems and their management; land use classification and land policy.

(iii) Agriculture ; Major crops, Agricultural infrastructure : Irrigation, power, fertilizers and seeds, land reforms and land holding; intensity of cropping; crop combinations and agriculture regions; green revolution; dry zone farming and agricultural land use policy; Animal husbandry and Social forestry.

(iv) Industry : Factors of Industrial location : study of mineral-based, agro-based and forest-based industries; Industrial decentralization and Industrial policy; Industrial complexes and Industrial regions; Industrial backward regions and their development.

(v) Trade and Transport : Study of the networks of roadways, railways, airways and waterways; competition and complimentarily in regional context intra- and inter-regional trade; export and import trade.

(vi) Regional Development and Planning; Regional and Sectoral policies in Indian Five Year Plans; Types of planning; multi level planning, State, District, block and village level planning, problems and planning of tribal and hill areas, drought prone areas, command areas, watersheds and river basins; regional disparities in development and policy measures for corrections.

Section-B : Rajasthan

Physiography and drainage system; Climate; Natural Vegetation; Soils; major minerals; Major Irrigation and Power Projects - The Indira Gandhi, Nahar, Chambal Project, Mahi Bajaj Sagar Project; Agricultural Development; Major crops and their distribution; Animal husbandry; Development; and distribution of manufacturing Industries; Population growth, density and distribution. Major natural regions of Rajasthan- The Arawalli, The Desert, The eastern Plateau and the Eastern Plain; Tribal regions and their problems. Interstate water disputes.

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