World physical geography by continent and ocean
Oceans, seas, straits and canals of the world
Practise 5 PYQsConcepts to cover
- The five oceans and their extents; Southern Ocean
- Red Sea (no rivers, negligible rain, high salinity, Bab el Mandeb) and Persian Gulf (Strait of Hormuz; Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, UAE, Iraq, Iran depend on it)
- Mediterranean and its arms: Adriatic (Italy, Croatia, Albania, Montenegro, Slovenia, Bosnia), Aegean, Ionian, Tyrrhenian; countries on its shores including Morocco, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Turkey; Jordan and Iraq have no Mediterranean coast
- Black Sea (Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia), Caspian (Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran, Azerbaijan), Baltic, North Sea (UK, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, France)
- Straits: Hormuz, Malacca, Bab el Mandeb, Gibraltar, Bosporus and Dardanelles, Dover, Bering, Magellan, Palk, Ten Degree Channel, Lombok, Sunda
- Suez and Panama canals; Sumed pipeline from the Red Sea to the Mediterranean; Kiel canal
- Major gulfs and bays: Gulf of Mexico, Hudson Bay, Bay of Bengal, Gulf of Guinea, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Carpentaria
Where to study
Exploring Society: India and Beyond, Class VI, chapter 2: Oceans and Continents (2024)
- ch. 2, Oceans and Continents, p. 1-14 (book pages 27-40)
- ch. 2, Oceans, p. 2 (book page 28)
- ch. 2, The Distribution of Water and Land on the Earth, p. 3 (book page 29)
Fundamentals of Physical Geography, Class XI, chapter 12: Water (Oceans) (Reprint 2026-27)
- ch. 12, Water (Oceans), p. 1-9 (book pages 99-107)
- ch. 12, Hydrological Cycle, p. 1 (book page 99)
- ch. 12, Horizontal Distribution of Salinity, p. 7-8 (book pages 105-106)
- ch. 12, Baltic, p. 7 (book page 105)
UPSC Detailed (Micro Topic) Syllabus: Geography (Prelims)
- Oceans
Fundamentals of Human Geography, Class XII, chapter 7: Transport and Communication (Reprint 2026-27)
- ch. 7, The Mediterranean–Indian Ocean Sea Route, p. 9 (book page 62)
- ch. 7, The Volga Waterway, p. 12 (book page 65)
- ch. 7, The Cape of Good Hope Sea Route, p. 9 (book page 62)
- ch. 7, The Suez Canal, p. 10 (book page 63)
- ch. 7, The Panama Canal, p. 10-11 (book pages 63-64)
Fundamentals of Human Geography, Class XII, chapter 8: International Trade (Reprint 2026-27)
- ch. 8, Dover, p. 7 (book page 76)
Fundamentals of Human Geography, Class XII, chapter 4: Primary Activities (Reprint 2026-27)
- ch. 4, Gulf of Mexico, p. 12 (book page 33)