Major Mountains, Rivers, Lakes and Deserts of the World Notes

Questions on the major mountains, rivers, lakes and deserts of the world are a regular feature of the UPSC Civil Services Prelims and many other competitive examinations. They are mainly map-based and fact-based: which river flows through which country, which is the longest, highest or driest, and where is a particular desert or mountain located. This note gives a clear and organised summary of the world's great mountain ranges, rivers, lakes and deserts, with tables, a short note on how mountains are formed and memory tricks for easy revision, in simple language.

Types of Mountains

Mountains are classified by their origin. Fold mountains are formed when two tectonic plates collide and the layers of rock are folded, as in the Himalayas, the Alps, the Andes and the Rockies; these are young and high. Block mountains are formed when a block of land is lifted or sunk between faults, as in the Vosges and the Black Forest, and the Rift Valley of East Africa. Volcanic mountains are formed by the piling up of lava and ash, such as Mount Fuji, Mount Kilimanjaro and Mauna Loa. Residual (relict) mountains are old mountains worn down by erosion, such as the Aravallis, the Appalachians and the Urals.

Major Mountain Ranges and Peaks

The Ring of Fire around the Pacific Ocean contains most of the world's active volcanoes and earthquake zones. Ojos del Salado on the Chile-Argentina border is the highest active volcano. Mauna Loa in Hawaii is a very large active shield volcano, and Mount Etna and Vesuvius are known volcanoes in Italy.

Major Rivers of the World

Important Lakes and Waterfalls

The Caspian Sea is the largest inland water body of the world (a salt lake) and is bordered by Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Azerbaijan. Lake Superior (North America) is the largest freshwater lake by surface area, and the Great Lakes together are the largest group of freshwater lakes. Lake Baikal in Russia is the deepest and the oldest freshwater lake, holding a large part of the world's liquid fresh water, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa and the source of the White Nile. Lake Titicaca in the Andes is the highest navigable lake. The Dead Sea is the lowest point on the land surface (about 430 m below sea level) and has very salty water in which people float easily. Famous waterfalls are Angel Falls in Venezuela (the highest uninterrupted waterfall), Niagara Falls on the USA-Canada border and Victoria Falls on the Zambezi between Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Deserts of the World

The cause of most hot deserts is the subtropical high pressure belts near 20 to 30 degrees latitude on the western sides of the continents, where the cold ocean currents reduce rainfall. Cold deserts like the Gobi and Patagonia are caused by the rain shadow effect. The largest desert in the world, counting all kinds, is Antarctica because of its very low precipitation.

Memory Tricks

For rivers, remember the pattern "Nile north, Congo equator, Amazon Atlantic" and "Volga to Caspian, Danube to Black Sea". For mountains, use the continents: Asia (Everest), Africa (Kilimanjaro), Europe (Elbrus), North America (Denali), South America (Aconcagua), Australia (Kosciuszko), Antarctica (Vinson). For deserts, link them with the nearby ocean current: Atacama with the Peru current, Namib with the Benguela current and Sahara with the Canary current. Practise on a blank world map by marking five items in each group every day.

Why This Topic Matters

These features shape climate, civilisation and economy. Great river valleys were the cradles of early civilisations (the Nile, the Tigris-Euphrates, the Indus and the Yellow River). Mountains act as climatic barriers, sources of rivers and minerals, and natural borders. Deserts reflect the pattern of the pressure belts and ocean currents. In current affairs, rivers like the Mekong, the Nile (the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam), and the Indus are linked with water disputes, and the melting of glaciers in the Himalayas and the Andes is a concern for climate change. Linking the physical facts with such issues helps in the Mains.

Rivers, Mountains and Deserts in Current Affairs

Many news items connect directly with this chapter. Hydropower and water disputes involve rivers such as the Nile (Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan), the Mekong (China and Southeast Asia), the Indus and the Brahmaputra. The retreat of glaciers in the Alps, the Himalayas and the Andes shows the effect of global warming on the water supply of millions of people. Volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tsunamis along the Ring of Fire regularly appear in the news. Desertification in the Sahel region south of the Sahara, the drying up of the Aral Sea in Central Asia and the pressure on the Great Barrier Reef and the Amazon rainforest are other topics where physical geography meets environment. When you read such news, spend one minute locating the place on a map and recalling the basic facts from the tables above. This habit connects the static and the current parts of the syllabus and makes your answers stronger in Mains.

Quick Revision

• Everest 8,849 m (Asia); Aconcagua (S. America); Kilimanjaro (Africa); Elbrus (Europe); Denali (N. America).
• Nile and Amazon are the giants; Volga is the longest in Europe; Yangtze is the longest in Asia.
• Baikal: deepest lake; Superior: largest freshwater lake by area; Caspian: largest inland water body; Dead Sea: lowest.
• Sahara: largest hot desert; Atacama: driest; Gobi: cold desert.

Physical geography facts are easy to score with a good map practice. Revise the tables regularly, and always locate each feature on a world map to fix it in your memory.

Related Notes to Read Next

Continue your preparation with these related notes from the same subject:

• Geomorphology Notes for UPSC
• Minerals, Energy Resources and Industries of the World Notes
• Human Geography: World Population Notes for UPSC
• All World Geography notes

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Which is the highest mountain peak in the world?

Mount Everest in the Himalayas on the Nepal-China border, about 8,849 metres high, is the highest peak in the world.

Which is the longest mountain range in the world?

The Andes in South America is the longest continental mountain range, extending for about 7,000 km.

Which is the highest peak of Africa?

Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, about 5,895 metres, is the highest peak in Africa.

Which is the longest river in the world?

The Nile in Africa is traditionally considered the longest river, at about 6,650 km, while the Amazon is the largest by volume.

Which river is the longest in Europe?

The Volga is the longest river in Europe and flows into the Caspian Sea.

Which river crosses the equator twice?

The Congo River in Africa crosses the equator twice.

Which is the deepest lake in the world?

Lake Baikal in Russia is the deepest and oldest freshwater lake in the world.

Which is the largest hot desert in the world?

The Sahara in North Africa is the largest hot desert in the world.

Which is the driest desert in the world?

The Atacama Desert in Chile and Peru is considered the driest non-polar desert in the world.

Which is the lowest point on land?

The shore of the Dead Sea, about 430 metres below sea level, is the lowest point on the land surface.

Which waterfall is the highest in the world?

Angel Falls in Venezuela is the highest uninterrupted waterfall in the world.

What is the Ring of Fire?

The Ring of Fire is a belt around the Pacific Ocean with a large number of active volcanoes and earthquakes caused by plate boundaries.