Maps · Module 4

World physical framework

"Salient features of world's physical geography" is a GS1 syllabus line, and PYQs keep asking why things are where they are: fold mountains on continental edges, hot deserts on western margins near the Tropics, cyclones over warm seas. Switch layers on and off, tap a feature, then test yourself.

Bigger map (swipe to move)

Physical features, seas, rivers and land: Natural Earth (public domain), generalised. India outline: Survey of India–based data. Seas are invisible until tapped: tap the Bay of Bengal, Arabian Sea, South China Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Persian Gulf, Red Sea or Mediterranean.

Patterns UPSC asks about

• Young fold mountains sit on continental margins (Andes, Rockies, Alps–Zagros–Himalaya) where plates collide or subduct, so earthquakes and volcanoes follow the same belts. The Urals and Appalachians are old exceptions inside continents.
• Hot deserts lie at about 20–30° on the western sides of continents (Sahara, Arabian, Thar, Sonoran, Atacama, Namib, Australian): subtropical high pressure, offshore trade winds and cold ocean currents keep them dry.
• Tropical cyclones form over warm seas (above about 26–27°C) between about 5° and 30° from the Equator: Bay of Bengal, South China Sea, Gulf of Mexico.
• Mountain alignment shapes weather: north–south ranges create rain shadows on their leeward side; the east–west Himalayas trap the monsoon over India.

Practise in the sketch lab

Themes that use this map