UPSC Prelims 2017 · Question 48 of 99
UPSC Prelims 2017 question on Great Nicobar Geography
- ExamUPSC CSE
- Year2017
- PaperGeneral Studies Paper I
- SubjectGeography
- TopicIndian Geography
- DifficultyMedium
- TypeDirect
Which of the following is geographically closest to Great Nicobar?
Show answer
Answer: A. Sumatra
Verdict
The answer is Sumatra. Great Nicobar lies closest to the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
Analysis
Great Nicobar is the southernmost and largest island of the Nicobar group, and Sumatra lies roughly one hundred and eighty kilometres to its south across the Great Channel. Borneo and Java lie much further east and south-east respectively, well beyond Sumatra. Sri Lanka lies far to the west across the Bay of Bengal and is nowhere near as close. Indira Point, at the southern tip of Great Nicobar, is India's southernmost territorial point.
Source
Standard atlas, with press reporting on Great Nicobar.
How to crack it
Fix the Andaman and Nicobar chain as a north to south line running down towards the Indonesian archipelago, and the answer follows from position alone. Attach the three channels to the chain as well, since the Ten Degree Channel separates Andaman from Nicobar and the Great Channel separates Great Nicobar from Sumatra. UPSC has asked the Ten Degree Channel directly in an earlier paper, so the whole chain repays one careful look at the map.