World Regional Geography MCQs for UPSC Prelims

Correct answer: A - Canada and the United States of America

The Canada-United States border runs about 8,891 km, making it the longest international land border between two countries. The Chile-Argentina Andean border and the China-India border are both long but considerably shorter. The Kazakhstan-Russia border is the longest continuous border within a single landmass at roughly 7,600 km, but it is still shorter than the Canada-US frontier when its total length including the Alaska section is counted.

Correct answer: A - Only two

Ukraine shares land borders with seven countries: Russia, Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Moldova. From the listed countries, only Hungary (item 3) and Romania (item 6) border Ukraine. Bulgaria is separated from Ukraine by Romania and the Black Sea; the Czech Republic borders Slovakia, Poland, Germany and Austria but not Ukraine; and Latvia and Lithuania (Baltic states) do not touch Ukraine. Two countries qualify, so option (a) is the answer. Options (b), (c) and (d) overcount.

Correct answer: C - 3-4-1-2

Moving south to north: Jakarta (Indonesia, southernmost), then Singapore, then Bangkok (Thailand), then Hanoi (Vietnam, northernmost), giving the sequence 3-4-1-2. The other sequences misorder these cities by latitude. Hence 3-4-1-2.

Correct answer: C - Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana

Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana, both in West Africa, are the world's two largest cocoa producers and together account for well over half of global output. Algeria and Morocco lie in North Africa's Mediterranean and arid belt, unsuited to cocoa. Botswana and Namibia are dry southern African nations, and Madagascar and Mozambique grow some cocoa but nowhere near the leading volumes. Therefore option (c) is correct.

Correct answer: C - 3 and 4 only

Of the listed countries, only Lebanon and Syria have coastlines on the Mediterranean Sea, so statements 3 and 4 are correct. Jordan's only sea access is a short stretch on the Gulf of Aqaba (Red Sea), and Iraq's tiny coastline is on the Persian Gulf, so neither borders the Mediterranean. Hence the answer is 3 and 4 only.

Correct answer: D - None

Mallorca is a Balearic island belonging to Spain, not Italy; Normandy is a region of France, not Spain; and Sardinia is an island of Italy, not France. Every pair is therefore mismatched. Hence none of the rows is correctly matched.

Correct answer: B - Central Asian Steppe

The Central Asian Steppe has an extreme continental climate with very hot summers and bitterly cold winters, scanty rainfall, and was historically home to nomadic pastoralists such as the Mongols and Kazakhs, so option (b) fits the description best. The African Savannah has a tropical wet-and-dry climate with a distinct rainy season, not scanty rainfall throughout, so option (a) is wrong. The North American Prairie is largely a settled, mechanised grain-farming belt rather than one of nomadic herders, ruling out option (c). The Siberian Tundra is too cold and barren for pastoral herding of the steppe type and is associated with reindeer-based subsistence in a polar climate, so option (d) is incorrect.

Correct answer: A - 1, 2 and 4

Italy, Japan and South Korea are the three countries routinely in the news for demographic decline. Italy has one of Europe's lowest fertility rates and a rapidly ageing population; Japan has experienced sustained population decline with one of the world's oldest populations; South Korea records the world's lowest total fertility rate (well below 1) and faces a shrinking workforce. Nigeria, by contrast, has one of the highest birth rates globally and a very young, fast-growing population, while South Africa also has a young and growing population, so neither is associated with ageing or decline. Therefore '1, 2 and 4' is correct; '2 and 4 only' wrongly excludes Italy, and the options including Nigeria or South Africa are wrong.