Map Class 01

 Map Class 01

OVERVIEW OF THE MAPPING CLASS: (01:15 PM):

• Wold - Political border including locations, International Groupings, and Physical features like mountains, rivers, and water bodies.
• India - Political and Physical features including wildlife sanctuaries, reservoirs, State borders, etc.
• Current locations.
• UPSC PYQs discussed and pattern of questions explained.

WORLD PHYSICAL MAP: (2:00 PM):

• PACIFIC OCEAN:
• Mariana trench-
• The deepest point on the surface of the earth is located in the Mariana Trench
• Challenger Deep--> Near the Philippines- Deepest point- 7 km from mean sea level.
• ATLANTIC OCEAN:
• the youngest ocean in terms of age.
• Formed by the process of seafloor spreading.
• second largest
• Mid oceanic ridge- Not considered as mountains.
• INDIAN OCEAN:
• Not connected with the Arctic Ocean.
• Connected with all other oceans
• ARCTIC OCEAN:
• Smallest of all.
• It is around the North Pole, mostly frozen.
• Arctic amplification.
• SOUTHERN OCEAN:
• West wind drift and westerlies- Water does not mix up with surrounding oceans.

WORLD POLITICAL:

CONTINENTS:

• ASIA: 
• 30 percent of the landmass and 60 percent population of the world.
• The land boundary of Asia:

• Ural mountains form the land boundary of Asia. Separate Europe from Russia.

• Caucasus Mountains between Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia.

• Sinai Peninsula- between Africa and Asia.

• New Guinea islands- Between Asia and Oceania.

• Important water bodies:
• Black Sea and Caspian Sea - Boundary between Asia and Europe.

• The Black Sea is connected with the Mediterranean Sea.
• Med sea surrounds all 3 continents.

• Red Sea between Asia and Africa.

• Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf, Gulf of Oman; Bay of Bengal; South and the East China Sea, Yellow Sea, Sea of Japan and East Sea, Bering Sea 

• Bering Strait.

• The Dead Sea is located in the Middle East.

• Regions - West Asia/Middle East, Central Asia, South Asia, South-East Asia, South Asia and East Asia.

WEST ASIA: (2:34 PM):

• Countries - Turkey and Iran; Yemen and Oman; Saudi Arabia etc.

• Fertile Crescent, Mesopotamian civilization.

• The earliest evidence of settled agriculture.
• Knowledge of using wheel and utility of writing.
• The Levant is the region of the Mediterranean coast along west Asia.

• Countries of West Asia:

• Cyprus - It is a member of the EU; and geographically located on the continental shelf of Asia; in the UN it sits  in the Asia-pacific group
• Ankara is the capital of Turkey; Turkey is both in Europe and Asia 
• The Aegean Sea and Sea of Marmara (connected with the Black Sea and further connected with the Med Sea) - separate European Turkey and Asian Turkey; Istanbul (earlier Constantinople - silk trade used to pass through) is in European Turkey; the largest city of entire Europe 

• Iran - capital is Tehran; waterbodies - Caspian, Sea, the Gulf of Oman, and the Persian Gulf.
• Iraq- Baghdad Capital, Mesopotamian civilization.
• No landlocked country in West Asia.
• Kuwait- Capital city- Kuwait City.
• Saudi Arabia- Riyadh is the capital, most part is desert, and Rub-Al-Khali is the desert.
• Bahrain- Manama is the capital, of the Persian Gulf.
• Qatar (Doha) - It is a peninsula; with only a border with Saudi Arabia, the world's highest sex ratio in favour of males.
• UAE (Capital - Abu Dhabi) is between Saudi Arabia and Oman (Muscat).
• COP 28 was held in Dubai.
• Oman- Capital city- Muscat.
• Oman has a coast in the Persian Gulf.
• Yemen- Capital is Sana.
• Gulf of Aden(Named after Port of Aden- Port of call)- Yemen, Somalia, Djibouti.
• Houthi rebels in Yemen and the civil war is going on.
• Gulf of Suez and Gulf of Aqaba (Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Egypt, Two ports-- Aqaba - Jordon; Elat - Israel).
• Jordan (Amman) - has a cost in the Gulf of Aqaba; the Jordon River marks the border between Jordan and Israel; It enters and drains into the Dead Sea (the lowest point on the continent of the earth).
• Gaza and the West Bank are together called Palestine.

• Israel - the land of Jews; Jerusalem is the capital.
• Palestine - West Bank (west bank of Jordon river) and Gaza.
• Golan Heights - occupied by Israel in 1967 during 6 days of the war; junction of Syria, Jordan, Israel, and Lebanon

• Shia countries - Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, and Lebanon; ruler of Syria ie Assad but people are Sunni
• Lebanon (Beirut is the capital)
• Syria - Damascus is the capital of Syria 
• Shia countries - Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, and Lebanon.
• Sunni - Saudi Arabia
• Kurdistan - Border areas of Turkey, Iraq, and Syria; tribal people who live here are Kurds.
• GCC- Countries surrounding the Persian Gulf except Iran.
• Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan.
• Georgia borders with Russia.
• The nogorno-Karabakh region is disputed between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
• Baku is the capital of Azerbaijan, and also the world's lowest capital.

CENTRAL ASIA: (3:40 PM):

• 5 Central Asian Countries - Kazakstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan

• Afghanistan is not traditionally part of Central Asia 
• India has a border with Afghanistan in the Wakhan Corridor 
• All are landlocked countries except Turkmenistan and Kazakstan
• Uzbekistan is doubly landlocked - surrounded by all landlocked country 
• Capitals: 
• Kazakstan - Noor Sultan
• Kyrgyzstan - Bishkek (Bishkek Declaration for Snowleopard Conservation)
• Uzbekistan - Tashkent 
• Tajikistan - Dushanbe, Heart of Asia conference.
• Turkmenistan - Ashgabat- Ashgabat agreement for international transit agreement.

SE ASIA: (3:53 PM):

• It has 10 countries that are members of the ASEAN, East Timor is not a part of it.

• 5 countries for the mainland - Myanmar, Thailand (maritime boundary with India in the Andaman Sea), Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia; also known as Indo-China

• 5 Island countries - Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Philippines.

• Myanmar- Under the control of the British, earlier Burma, Capital- Naypidaw, Rohingyas in Rakhine.
• Coco Islands - Myanmar has a maritime boundary with India 
• Thailand - Bangkok (Bangkok Declaration - ASEAN was established through this declaration), white elephants.
• Laos - Vientiane is the capital
• Cambodia - is famous for its Angkorvat Temple; Phon Penh is the capital
• Vietnam - Hanoi is the capital
• Brunie - Bandar Seri Begawan is the capital
• Malaysia - Kuala Lumpur is the capital; Islamic majority country
• Singapore - Island located in the Strait of Malacca.
• Indonesia - Sumatra, Java, Bali, Borneo- the World's oldest rainforests; Jakarta is the capital and is in Java; now the capital is being shifted to Nusantra.
• Philippines - Manila is the capital.

EAST ASIA: (4:13 PM):

• Mongolia- Border with China, Russia, and not with Kazakhstan.
• Capital- Ulan Bator.
• China:
• Beijing is the capital.
• Taiwan or Republic of China.
• Issue of One China policy, Hongkong.
• Korea:
• The border between South and North Korea is 38 degrees latitude.
• Japan:
• Example of island arc.
• Tokyo is the capital.
• Islands like Hoikkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu.
• Sakhalin Islands.

• The Aral Sea is located between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
• Caspian Sea- Countries surrounding- TARIK- Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Russia, Iran and Kazakhstan