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

Rushikulya River – A river in Ganjam district, Odisha, rising in the Mahanadi basin and entering the Bay of Bengal near Gopalpur, approximately 19.5°N, 85.5°E. It is a coastal river and turtle nesting beach; its mouth is an ecological site for Olive Ridley sea turtles, IUCN Vulnerable, and a cultural festival site. The river also supports fisheries, sandbar dynamics and coastal ecology; the beach is a protected nesting area and a site of religious/cultural festivals.

Datar Hill – A hill/ridge in Imphal West district, Manipur, near Imphal, approximately 24.8°N, 93.9°E. It is a local topographic marker in the hilly terrain around the Imphal valley. Chosen to test knowledge of Manipur's physical geography and local relief features. Its position helps locate local drainage divides and the transition from valley floor to surrounding hills.

Kikruma – A village/locality in Sikkim, near Tumlong and the Gangtok–Tumlong road, approximately 27°N, 88°E. It is a settlement in the lower eastern Himalayan hills. Included as a local marker of Sikkim's hilly terrain, road-linked settlements, and state-level physical/cultural geography. Such markers also help examine slope, soil, forest cover and settlement vulnerability in the eastern Himalaya.

Choritand Tillaya – A village/locality in Sikkim, near Tumlong and the Gangtok–Tumlong road, approximately 27°N, 88°E. It is a settlement in the lower eastern Himalayan hills. Included as a local marker of Sikkim's hilly terrain, road-linked settlements, and state-level physical/cultural geography. Such markers also help examine slope, soil, forest cover and settlement vulnerability in the eastern Himalaya.

Byalalu – A village/locality in Sikkim, near Tumlong and the Gangtok–Tumlong road, approximately 27°N, 88°E. It is a settlement in the lower eastern Himalayan hills. Included as a local marker of Sikkim's hilly terrain, road-linked settlements, and state-level physical/cultural geography. Such markers also help examine slope, soil, forest cover and settlement vulnerability in the eastern Himalaya.

Neyyar – A village/locality in Sikkim, near Tumlong and the Gangtok–Tumlong road, approximately 27°N, 88°E. It is a settlement in the lower eastern Himalayan hills. Included as a local marker of Sikkim's hilly terrain, road-linked settlements, and state-level physical/cultural geography. Such markers also help examine slope, soil, forest cover and settlement vulnerability in the eastern Himalaya.

Uttarlai – A village/locality in Sikkim, near Tumlong and the Gangtok–Tumlong road, approximately 27°N, 88°E. It is a settlement in the lower eastern Himalayan hills. Included as a local marker of Sikkim's hilly terrain, road-linked settlements, and state-level physical/cultural geography. Such markers also help examine slope, soil, forest cover and settlement vulnerability in the eastern Himalaya.

Sri Vijayapuram – A locality in Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, near the Bay of Bengal, approximately 11.7°N, 92.7°E. It is a strategic maritime outpost near choke-points such as Malacca, Sunda and Lombok, not a choke-point itself; important for naval presence, port logistics and island-chain security. It is linked to Port Blair's harbour, airport and naval facilities, making it a node in India's island-chain strategy.

Dharwas – A village/locality in Sikkim, near Tumlong and the Gangtok–Tumlong road, approximately 27°N, 88°E. It is a settlement in the lower eastern Himalayan hills. Included as a local marker of Sikkim's hilly terrain, road-linked settlements, and state-level physical/cultural geography. Such markers also help examine slope, soil, forest cover and settlement vulnerability in the eastern Himalaya.

Gitabitan – A village/locality in Sikkim, near Tumlong and the Gangtok–Tumlong road, approximately 27°N, 88°E. It is a settlement in the lower eastern Himalayan hills. Included as a local marker of Sikkim's hilly terrain, road-linked settlements, and state-level physical/cultural geography. Such markers also help examine slope, soil, forest cover and settlement vulnerability in the eastern Himalaya.

Karewas – Tableland-like flat areas in the Jhelum basin, Kashmir, around Srinagar, approximately 34°N, 74.8°E. Formed by glacial outwash, boulder-rich morainic deposits and alluvial fans. Economically significant for intensive rice, wheat, vegetables, orchards, settlement and irrigation; their flat, well-drained soils support agriculture and urban expansion. They also influence water-table management and land-use pressure, making them important for sustainable agriculture and regional planning.

Himalayan ecosystem – The Himalayan ecosystem regulates cropping through altitude, temperature, rainfall, slope, soil and microclimates. Vertical zonation creates short growing seasons, frost risk and terracing; lower valleys grow rice, maize and potato, mid-altitudes grow barley (a true cereal), buckwheat and amaranth (pseudo-cereals), and higher slopes support orchards, pastures and transhumance. Glacial melt, monsoon and climate change shape irrigation, crop choice and risk. The ecosystem's regulation is therefore a combination of biophysical limits and human adaptation, with climate change increasing uncertainty.

Nautical tourism – Nautical tourism in India includes coastal cruises, island tourism, backwater boating, sailing and port-based recreation. Its infrastructure needs marinas, jetties, berths, navigation aids, safety systems, waste management, skilled crews and connectivity. Critically, it can boost the blue economy and employment, but must balance seasonality, pollution, safety, regulation, community livelihoods and climate vulnerability to avoid overuse and environmental degradation. A critical answer should argue for integrated coastal zone management, public-private investment, environmental standards and community participation, not merely more berths.