World Geography and Distribution of Key Resources

Continents and major features

Continent	Key physical features
Asia	Himalayas (Everest 8,849 m), Tibetan Plateau, Siberian plains, Gobi; rivers Yangtze, Mekong, Ob
Africa	Sahara (largest hot desert), Nile (longest river), Great Rift Valley, Kilimanjaro, Congo basin
North America	Rockies, Appalachians, Great Lakes, Mississippi, Prairies
South America	Andes (longest mountain range), Amazon (largest river by volume), Atacama, Pampas
Europe	Alps, Danube, Rhine, Volga (longest in Europe), North European Plain
Australia	Great Dividing Range, Great Barrier Reef, Murray–Darling, Great Artesian Basin
Antarctica	Ice sheet (about 70% of the world's fresh water)

Straits and choke points

Strait / canal	Connects	Importance
Malacca	Andaman Sea and South China Sea	Busiest route for East Asian oil; India's Andamans overlook it
Hormuz	Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman	About 20% of world oil
Bab-el-Mandeb	Red Sea and Gulf of Aden	Houthi attacks (2023–24) diverted shipping round Africa
Suez Canal	Mediterranean and Red Sea	Opened 1869
Panama Canal	Atlantic and Pacific	Opened 1914; droughts restricted traffic (2023)
Bosphorus / Dardanelles	Black Sea and Mediterranean
Gibraltar	Atlantic and Mediterranean
Palk Strait	Bay of Bengal and Palk Bay	Between India and Sri Lanka
Ten Degree Channel	Separates the Andaman and Nicobar groups
Eight / Nine Degree Channels	Near Lakshadweep and Minicoy, the Maldives

Climatic regions (simplified)

Region	Location	Features	Typical use
Equatorial	0–10° (Amazon, Congo, Indonesia)	Rain all year, dense forest	Plantations (rubber, oil palm)
Tropical monsoon	South and South-East Asia	Seasonal rain	Rice, jute, tea
Savanna	Africa, Brazil (campos), Venezuela (llanos)	Wet summers, tall grass	Wildlife, grazing
Hot desert	Western margins, 15–30° (Sahara, Thar, Kalahari, Atacama)	Very dry	Oases, minerals
Mediterranean	Western margins, 30–40°	Dry summer, wet winter	Citrus, grapes (wine), olives
Temperate grassland	Continental interiors	Hot summers, cold winters	Wheat, ranching
Taiga (boreal forest)	Canada, Siberia	Conifers	Timber, fur
Tundra	Arctic	Permafrost	Herding (reindeer)

World distribution of key resources

• Crude oil:
  • Reserves are largest in Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Iran.
  • The USA is the top producer, ahead of Saudi Arabia and Russia.
  • India imports about 85–88% of its crude, mainly from Russia, Iraq and Saudi Arabia (2024–25).
• Natural gas: reserves are largest in Russia, Iran and Qatar. Qatar is a major LNG supplier to India.
• Coal: China is by far the largest producer and consumer. India is second, and Indonesia and Australia are major exporters.
• Iron ore: Australia (Pilbara) and Brazil (Carajás) are the largest exporters; China is the largest importer.
• Critical minerals:
  • Lithium: Australia, and the "lithium triangle" of Chile, Argentina and Bolivia. India found reserves in Reasi (J&K) in 2023.
  • Cobalt: DR Congo.
  • Rare earths: China. India's reserves are in monazite sands.
  • Policies: India's National Critical Mineral Mission (2025) and its list of 30 critical minerals. KABIL acquires mineral assets overseas.
• Food and cash crops:
  • Rice: China and India.
  • Wheat: China, India, Russia.
  • Coffee: Brazil.
  • Cocoa: Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana.
  • Rubber: Thailand.
  • Tea: China and India.
  • Jute: India and Bangladesh.
• Fisheries: the richest grounds are where warm and cold currents meet: the Grand Banks (Newfoundland), the North Sea, the coast of Peru, and around Japan.

South Asia

• Shared rivers: the Indus, Ganga–Brahmaputra–Meghna and Kosi–Gandak systems.
• Treaties with Nepal: the Kosi Agreement (1954) and the Gandak Agreement (1959).
• Mountain passes:
  • Khyber and Bolan (Pakistan–Afghanistan);
  • Nathu La (Sikkim–Tibet; border trade);
  • Shipki La (Himachal);
  • Lipulekh (Uttarakhand; the Kailash route);
  • Zoji La (Srinagar–Leh; a tunnel is under construction).

Exam tip: Prelims map questions follow current affairs. Locate every place in the news (wars, disasters, summits) on a blank map along with its neighbours and nearby water bodies. A few minutes each day with an atlas is better than one long session.