UPSC CORE · NCERT GEOGRAPHY · SOILS
Soil Types of India 📌
NCERT-aligned UPSC Core Geography topic from NCERT Class 11/12 + standard reference works (Bipan Chandra, R.S. Sharma, Romila Thapar). Every item is anchored to a real location on India's map — built for boards (CBSE, ICSE, state) and UPSC aspirants.
📚 NCERT TEXTBOOK ALIGNMENT
Class UPSC Geography — NCERT Class 11/12 + standard reference works (Bipan Chandra, R.S. Sharma, Romila Thapar) — Chapter: Soils.
8LOCATIONS
80QUESTIONS
UPSC CORENCERT LEVEL
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Key locations covered (8)
- Alluvial Soil — Indo-Gangetic-Brahmaputra Plains / Coastal Deltas
- Black Soil (Regur) — Deccan Trap region – MP / Maharashtra / Gujarat / N. Karnataka / Telangana
- Red & Yellow Soil — Eastern & Southern Plateau / Eastern Ghats / Odisha / Chhattisgarh
- Laterite Soil — Western Ghats / NE / Eastern Ghats slopes
- Mountain / Forest Soil — Himalayas / NE hill ranges / Western Ghats heights
- Arid / Desert Soil — Western Rajasthan / Kutch / SW Haryana / S. Punjab
- Peaty / Marshy Soil — Kerala backwaters (Kuttanad) / Sundarbans / Odisha & TN coastal pockets
- Saline & Alkaline Soil — Western Gujarat (Rann) / Reh tracts of UP-Punjab-Haryana / coastal Andhra-Odisha
Sample questions (12 of 80)
What share of India's soil area is alluvial?
About 45.6% (page 42 pie chart 'Distribution of Soils in India').
What is the parent material of alluvial soil?
River-deposited sediment (silt + clay + sand) of recent geological age.
Differentiate Khadar and Bhangar.
Khadar – new alluvium of active flood plains, light-coloured, more fertile. Bhangar – old alluvium of terraces, darker, kankary.
Name three major crops of alluvial belt.
Rice, wheat, sugarcane (and jute in deltas).
Which texture and pH characterise typical alluvium?
Loamy texture, slightly alkaline pH (7.5-8.5).
Where does deltaic alluvium occur on peninsular coasts?
Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna and Cauvery deltas on the east coast; narrow Konkan-Malabar strips on west.
Which deficiency is common in alluvial soils?
Nitrogen, organic matter and sometimes phosphorus; potash usually adequate.
What is 'reh' or 'kallar'?
Saline-alkaline efflorescence on poorly drained alluvial tracts (UP-Punjab-Haryana).
Why are alluvial soils renewed naturally?
Annual monsoon floods deposit fresh silt in khadar zones.
Which state has the largest area under alluvial soil?
Uttar Pradesh (then Bihar, Punjab, Haryana, WB and Assam).
What share of Indian soils is black?
About 16.6% (page 42).
What is the parent material of black soil?
Weathering of Deccan basalt (volcanic lava trap).
All 80 questions are available in the interactive map quiz.
About this topic
This topic is part of the NCERT UPSC Core Geography syllabus, specifically the textbook NCERT Class 11/12 + standard reference works (Bipan Chandra, R.S. Sharma, Romila Thapar), drawn from the chapter Soils. Content is cross-referenced against the latest NCERT textbook editions + standard reference works (Bipan Chandra, R.S. Sharma, Romila Thapar, Satish Chandra for history; G.C. Leong, Savindra Singh for geography; the UPSC Civil Services prelims + mains syllabus).
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