Consider the following water bodies : I. Lake Tanganyika II. Lake Tonlé Sap III. Patos Lagoon Through how many of them does the equator pass?
- (a) Only one
- (b) Only two
- (c) All the three
- (d) None ✓ UPSC's answer
Why the answer is (d)
• The equator (0° latitude) crosses Africa through Gabon, Congo, DR Congo, Uganda, Kenya and Somalia, and South America through Ecuador, Colombia and Brazil.
• Lake Tanganyika lies between about 3° S and 9° S in the African Rift; the equator passes north of it, through Lake Victoria instead.
• Tonlé Sap in Cambodia is at about 12–13° N, well into the Northern Hemisphere.
• Patos Lagoon in southern Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul) is at about 30–32° S, near the Tropic of Capricorn.
• The equator passes through none of the three, option (d).
Why the other options are wrong
- (a) Only one
- None of the three lies on the equator; Tanganyika is south of it.
- (b) Only two
- None of the three lies on the equator.
- (c) All the three
- All three are well away from 0 degrees latitude.
Asked in the GS Paper I of the UPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2025, held on 25 May 2025. Question and answer key: Union Public Service Commission. Explanation: UPSC Answer Check.