UGC-NET – Paper II: Geography (Code: 80)
Exam Cycle: June 2026
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COURSE OVERVIEW
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Subject Name: Geography
Subject Code: 80
Conducting Body: National Testing Agency (NTA)
Paper Type: Paper-II – Geography
Total Marks: 200
Total Questions: 100 MCQs
Mode: Computer Based Test (CBT)
Duration: 3 Hours (Paper I + II combined)
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COMPLETE LIST OF UNITS
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Unit I: Geomorphology
Unit II: Climatology
Unit III: Oceanography
Unit IV: Geography of Environment
Unit V: Population and Settlement Geography
Unit VI: Geography of Economic Activities and Regional Development
Unit VII: Cultural, Social and Political Geography
Unit VIII: Geographic Thought
Unit IX: Geographical Techniques
Unit X: Geography of India
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UNIT-WISE DETAILED SYLLABUS
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Unit I: Geomorphology
Topic 1: Geomorphology:
• Continental Drift
• Plate Tectonics
• Endogenetic and Exogenetic forces.
• Denudation and Weathering
• Geomorphic Cycle (Davis and Penck)
• Theories and Process of Slope Development
• Earth Movements (seismicity, folding, faulting and vulcanicity)
• Landform Occurrence and Causes of Geomorphic Hazards (earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides and avalanches)
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Unit II: Climatology
Topic 1: Climatology:
• Composition and Structure of Atmosphere
• Insolation
• Heat Budget of Earth
• Temperature, Pressure and Winds
• Atmospheric Circulation (air-masses, fronts and upper air circulation, cyclones and anticyclones (tropical and temperate)
• Climatic Classification of Koppen & Thornthwaite
• ENSO Events (El Nino, La Nina and Southern Oscillations)
• Meteorological Hazards and Disasters (Cyclones, Thunderstorms, Tornadoes, Halistorms, Heat and Cold waves Drought and Cloudburst , Glacial Lake Outburst (GLOF)
• Climate Change: Evidences and Causes of Climatic Change in the past
• Human impact on Global Climate.
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Unit III: Oceanography
Topic 1: Oceanography:
• Relief of Oceans
• Composition: Temperature, Density and Salinity
• Circulation: Warm and Cold Currents
• Waves
• Tides
• Sea Level Changes
• Hazards: Tsunami and Cyclone
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Unit IV: Geography of Environment
Topic 1: Geography of Environment:
• Components: Ecosystem (Geographic Classification) and Human Ecology
• Functions: Trophic Levels, Energy Flows, Cycles (geo-chemical, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen)
• Food Chain
• Food Web and Ecological Pyramid
• Human Interaction and Impacts
• Environmental Ethics and Deep Ecology
• Environmental Hazards and Disasters (Global Warming, Urban Heat Island, Atmospheric Pollution, Water Pollution, Land Degradation)
• National Programmes and Policies: Legal Framework, Environmental Policy, International Treaties
• International Programmes and Polices (Brundtland Commission, Kyoto Protocol, Agenda 21, Sustainable Development Goals, Paris Agreement)
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Unit V: Population and Settlement Geography
Topic 1: Population Geography:
• Sources of population data (census, sample surveys and vital statistics, data reliability and errors).
• World Population Distribution (measures, patterns and determinants)
• World Population Growth (prehistoric to modern period).
• Demographic Transition
• Theories of Population Growth (Malthus, Sadler, and Ricardo).
• Fertility and Mortality Analysis (indices, determinants and world patterns).
• Migration (types, causes and consequences and models)
• Population Composition and Characteristics (age, sex, rural-urban, occupational structure and educational levels)
• Population Policies in Developed and Developing Countries.
Topic 2: Settlement Geography:
• Rural Settlements (types, patterns and distribution)
• Contemporary Problems of Rural Settlements ( rural-urban migration; land use changes; land acquisition and transactions)
• Theories of Origin of Towns (Gordon Childe, Henri Pirenne, Lewis Mumford)
• Characteristics and Processes of Urbanization in Developed and Developing Countries (factors of urban growth, trends of urbanisation, size, structure and functions of urban areas).
• Urban Systems ( the law of the primate city and rank size rule)
• Central Place Theories (Christaller and Losch)
• Internal Structure of the City
• Models of Urban Land Use (Burgess, Harris and Ullman , and Hoyt)
• Concepts of Megacities, Global Cities and Edge Cities
• Changing Urban Forms (peri-urban areas, rural-urban fringe, suburban , ring and satellite towns)
• Social Segregation in the City
• Urban Social Area Analysis
• Manifestation of Poverty in the City (slums, informal sector growth, crime and social exclusion).
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Unit VI: Geography of Economic Activities and Regional Development
Topic 1: Economic Geography:
• Factors affecting spatial organisation of economic activities (primary, secondary, tertiary and quarternary)
• Natural Resources (classification, distribution and associated problems)
• Natural Resources Management.
• World Energy Crises in Developed and Developing Countries.
Topic 2: Agricultural Geography:
• Land capability classification and Land Use Planning
• Cropping Pattern: Methods of delineating crop combination regions (Weaver, Doi and Rafiullah)
• Crop diversification
• Von Thunen’s Model of Land Use Planning.
• Measurement and Determinants of Agricultural Productivity
• Regional variations in Agricultural Productivity
• Agricultural Systems of the World.
Topic 3: Industrial Geography:
• Classification of Industries
• Factors of Industrial Location
• Theories of Industrial Location (A. Weber, E. M. Hoover, August Losch, A. Pred and D. M. Smith).
• World Industrial Regions
• Impact of Globalisation on manufacturing sector in Less Developed Countries
• Tourism Industry
• World distribution and growth of Information And Communication Technology (ICT) and Knowledge Production (Education and R & D) Industries.
Topic 4: Geography of Transport and Trade:
• Theories and Models of spatial interaction (Edward Ullman and M. E. Hurst)
• Measures and Indices of connectivity and accessibility
• Spatial Flow Models: Gravity Model and its variants
• World Trade Organisation
• Globalisation and Liberalisation and World Trade Patterns.
• Problems and Prospects of Inter and Intra Regional Cooperation and Trade.
Topic 5: Regional Development:
• Typology of Regions
• Formal and Fictional Regions
• World Regional Disparities
• Theories of Regional Development(Albert O. Hirschman, Gunnar Myrdal, John Friedman, Dependency theory of Underdevelopment
• Global Economic Blocks
• Regional Development and Social Movements in India
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Unit VII: Cultural, Social and Political Geography
Topic 1: Cultural and Social Geography:
• Concept of Culture
• Cultural Complexes, Areas and Region
• Cultural Heritage
• Cultural Ecology.
• Cultural Convergence
• Social Structure and Processes
• Social Well-being and Quality of Life
• Social Exclusion
• Spatial distribution of social groups in India (Tribe, Caste, Religion and Language)
• Environment and Human Health
• Diseases Ecology
• Nutritional Status (etiological conditions, classification and spatial and seasonal distributional patterns with special reference to India)
• Health Care Planning and Policies in India
• Medical Tourism in India.
Topic 2: Political Geography:
• Boundaries and Frontiers (with special reference to India)
• Heartland and Rimland Theories.
• Trends and Developments in Political Geography
• Geography of Federalism
• Electoral Reforms in India
• Determinants of Electoral Behaviour
• Geopolitics of Climate Change
• Geopolitics of World Resources
• Geo-politics of India Ocean
• Regional Organisations of Cooperation (SAARC, ASEAN, OPEC, EU).
• Neopolitics of World Natural Resources.
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Unit VIII: Geographic Thought
Topic 1: Geographic Thought:
• Contributions of Greek, Roman, Arab, Chinese and Indian Scholars
• Contributions of Geographers (Bernhardus Varenius, Immanuel Kant, Alexander von Humboldt, Carl Ritter, Scheafer & Hartshorne)
• Impact of Darwinian Theory on Geographical Thought.
• Contemporary trends in Indian Geography: Cartography, Thematic and Methodological contributions.
• Major Geographic Traditions (Earth Science, man-environment relationship, area studies and spatial analysis)
• Dualisms in Geographic Studies (physical vs. human, regional vs. systematic, qualitative vs. quantitative, ideographic vs. nomothetic)
• Paradigm Shift
• Perspectives in Geography (Positivism, Behaviouralism, Humanism, Structuralism, Feminism and Postmodernism).
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Unit IX: Geographical Techniques
Topic 1: Geographical Techniques:
• Sources of Geographic Information and Data (spatial and non-spatial)
• Types of Maps
• Techniques of Map Making (Choropleth, Isarithmic, Dasymetric, Chorochromatic, Flow Maps)
• Data Representation on Maps (Pie diagrams, Bar diagrams and Line Graph
• GIS Database (raster and vector data formats and attribute data formats).
• Functions of GIS (conversion, editing and analysis)
• Digital Elevation Model (DEM)
• Georeferencing (coordinate system and map projections and Datum)
• GIS Applications ( thematic cartography, spatial decision support system)
• Basics of Remote Sensing (Electromagnetic Spectrum, Sensors and Platforms, Resolution and Types, Elements of Air Photo and Satellite Image Interpretation and Photogrammetry)
• Types of Aerial Photographs
• Digital Image Processing: Developments in Remote Sensing Technology and Big Data Sharing and its applications in Natural Resources Management in India
• GPS Components (space, ground control and receiver segments) and Applications
• Applications of Measures of Central Tendency, Dispersion and Inequalities
• Sampling, Sampling Procedure and Hypothesis Testing (chi square test, t test, ANOVA)
• Time Series Analysis
• Correlation and Regression Analysis
• Measurement of Indices, Making Indicators Scale Free
• Computation of Composite Index
• Principal Component Analysis and Cluster Analysis
• Morphometric Analysis: Ordering of Streams, Bifurcation Ratio, Drainage Density and Drainage Frequency, Basin Circularity Ratio and Form Factor, Profiles, Slope Analysis, Clinographic Curve, Hypsographic Curve and Altimetric Frequency Graph.
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Unit X: Geography of India
Topic 1: Geography of India:
• Major Physiographic Regions and their Characteristics
• Drainage System (Himalayan and Peninsular)
• Climate: Seasonal Weather Characteristics, Climatic Divisions
• Indian Monsoon (mechanism and characteristics)
• Jet Streams and Himalayan Cryosphere
• Types and Distribution of Natural Resources: Soil, Vegetation, Water, Mineral and Marine Resources.
• Population Characteristics (spatial patterns of distribution), Growth and Composition (rural-urban, age, sex, occupational, educational, ethnic and religious)
• Determinants of Population
• Population Policies in India
• Agriculture ( Production, Productivity and Yield of Major Food Crops)
• Major Crop Regions
• Regional Variations in Agricultural Development
• Environmental, Technological and Institutional Factors affecting Indian Agriculture
• Agro-Climatic Zones
• Green Revolution
• Food Security and Right to Food.
• Industrial Development since Independence
• Industrial Regions and their characteristics
• Industrial Policies in India.
• Development and Patterns of Transport Networks (railways, roadways, waterways, airways and pipelines)
• Internal and External Trade (trend, composition and directions)
• Regional Development Planning in India
• Globalisation and its impact on Indian Economy
• Natural Disasters in India (Earthquake, Drought, Flood, Cyclone, Tsunami, Himalayan Highland Hazards and Disasters.)
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EXAMINATION STRUCTURE
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Paper-II: Subject Specific Examination
- Total Questions: 100
- Total Marks: 200
- Question Type: Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)
- Negative Marking: No
- Duration: 3 Hours (Combined with Paper I)
- Mode: Computer Based Test (CBT)
Additional Notes (if any):
- [No additional notes provided in source]
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SYLLABUS SUMMARY
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Total Units: 10
Total Topics: 14
Subject: Geography
Subject Code: 80
Exam Category: UGC-NET Paper-II
Source: Official NTA/UGC Syllabus
Status: “As per latest official syllabus”
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