On the outline map of India provided to you, mark the location of all of the following. Write in your QCA Booklet the…

Tarangambadi, Nagapattinam district, Tamil Nadu, lies on the Bay of Bengal, approximately 10.8° N, 79.8° E. It is a Chola port and temple town, significant for heritage and maritime culture.

Mahe is a coastal district of Puducherry in Kerala, approximately 11.8° N, 75.0° E, on the Arabian Sea. It is a union-territory district, significant for political status and coastal trade.

Bomdila, West Kameng district, Arunachal Pradesh, lies approximately 28.1° N, 94.8° E, near the Bhutan border. It is a transit town to Tawang, significant for border access and ecology.

Dhola Sadiya Bridge crosses the Lohit, linking Dhola and Sadiya in Assam, approximately 27.6° N, 92.7° E. It is strategic for border security and access to Arunachal Pradesh.

Talakaveri, Shivamogga district, Karnataka, lies approximately 13.6° N, 75.7° E, at the source of the Kaveri River. It is a pilgrimage and river-origin site, significant for ecology and water resources.

Satkosia is a gorge and national park on the Mahanadi, Dhenkanal district, Odisha, approximately 20.5° N, 84.1° E. It is significant for river ecology, wildlife, and the Mahanadi basin.

Dholavira is a Harappan site in the Rann of Kutch, Gujarat, approximately 23.9° N, 70.2° E. It is an Indus Valley city, significant for archaeology, water management, and cultural heritage.

Sonamarg is a valley in Leh district, Ladakh, approximately 34.1° N, 76.2° E, on the Srinagar-Leh highway. It is a glacial valley, significant for physical geography, border access, and tourism.

Maliku Atoll is an atoll in Lakshadweep, Arabian Sea, approximately 10.5° N, 72.5° E. It is a coral reef group, significant for marine ecology, maritime security, and climate vulnerability.

Gangasagar, South 24 Parganas, West Bengal, lies approximately 21.7° N, 88.1° E, where the Ganges meets the Bay of Bengal. It is significant for estuarine ecology, pilgrimage, and coastal environment.

Delhi NCR’s extreme particulate pollution persists because the region’s flat, enclosed topography and winter temperature inversions trap fine particles, while low wind speeds reduce dispersion. Emissions are high and continuous: vehicular traffic, construction dust, industrial activity, brick kilns, domestic biomass, and seasonal crop-residue burning in Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. Transboundary smoke, inadequate enforcement, rapid urbanisation, and limited green cover compound the problem. The combination of meteorological stagnation, multiple local sources, and weak long-term mitigation makes PM2.5 episodes recurrent and health-threatening. It also affects schools, hospitals, and outdoor workers, raising public-health costs. This makes air-quality management a persistent public-health and governance challenge.

India’s biological diversity is explained by its varied physiography and climate. The Himalayas, Western and Eastern Ghats, Deccan Plateau, Indo-Gangetic plains, coasts, and islands create distinct habitats, altitudinal zones, and ecological barriers. Latitude and monsoon rainfall produce gradients from arid Thar to wet Western Ghats and tropical northeast, while temperature and seasonality shape forests, grasslands, deserts, and wetlands. These physical and climatic variations support different biomes, species assemblages, and high endemism, especially in mountain and coastal regions. The resulting mosaic of niches, from alpine meadows to mangroves, explains India’s rich flora and fauna. It also explains seasonal migration, crop diversity, and ecosystem services.

Desertification reduces vegetation cover and organic matter, exposing soil to direct sun and wind. With less plant transpiration and shade, soil moisture evaporates faster, causing desiccation and loss of soil structure. Wind and water erosion then remove the dried, loose topsoil, while salinisation and crusting may follow. Reduced infiltration increases runoff, and nutrient loss lowers fertility. The process becomes self-reinforcing: drier, bare soil supports fewer plants, which further weakens soil binding and accelerates land degradation. Over time, productive land in semi-arid regions becomes less capable of sustaining crops, pasture, or livestock. This reduces resilience to drought and climate variability.