Map Work (World): Mountains, Plateaus, Water Bodies, Rivers, Ocean Currents and Islands, ISC Class 11

What Map Work: World is about

Weightage: CISCE gives no Class XI unit weightage for ISC Geography. Map Work: World is topic 21 of the Class XI syllabus (Map Work) and can be asked anywhere in the 70-mark Paper I (Theory, 3 hours). Class XI is examined by the school, so your school sets the paper and decides how many marks each topic carries.Source: CISCE ISC Geography (853) syllabus, examination year 2028, Class XI

Key concepts

Mountains (mark and label)

Asia
1. Himalayas: a great arc across northern India, Nepal and Bhutan, from the Indus gorge in the west to the Brahmaputra bend in the east, south of the Tibetan Plateau.
2. Hindukush: in Afghanistan and northern Pakistan, running south-west from the Pamir Knot.
3. Elburz: in northern Iran, along the southern shore of the Caspian Sea.
4. Zagros: in western and south-western Iran, running north-west to south-east along the Iraq border and the Persian Gulf.
5. Kirthar: in Pakistan, west of the lower Indus, along the Sindh-Balochistan border.
6. Caucasus: between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.
7. Urals: in Russia, running north to south from the Arctic coast towards the Caspian region; the traditional boundary between Europe and Asia.
8. Khingan (Greater Khingan): in north-eastern China, running north-east to south-west along the eastern edge of the Mongolian plateau.
9. Kunlun: in western China, along the northern edge of the Tibetan Plateau, running east from the Pamirs.

Europe
10. Alps: an arc in south-central Europe across south-eastern France, Switzerland, northern Italy and Austria.
11. Pyrenees: along the France-Spain border, between the Bay of Biscay and the Mediterranean.
12. Carpathians: a curved range in east-central Europe, from Slovakia through southern Poland and western Ukraine into Romania.
13. Kjolen: along the Norway-Sweden border in the Scandinavian peninsula.

Africa
14. Drakensberg: in south-eastern South Africa and Lesotho, parallel to the south-east coast.

Americas and Australia
15. Rockies: in western North America, running north-west to south-east from Canada through the USA.
16. Appalachian: in the eastern USA, running north-east to south-west parallel to the Atlantic coast.
17. Andes: along the entire western coast of South America, from Venezuela to Tierra del Fuego.
18. Great Dividing Range: along the eastern side of Australia, parallel to the east coast.

Worked example

[1] On an outline map of the world, a range is marked between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. Identify it. (Apply)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. The isthmus between the Black and Caspian Seas is crossed by one major range - 1 mark.

Answer: The Caucasus.

Plateaus (mark and label)

1. Tibetan Plateau: north of the Himalayas and south of the Kunlun, in western China; the highest and largest plateau.
2. Pamirs: the 'roof of the world', a high knot mainly in Tajikistan where the Himalayas, Hindukush, Kunlun and Tien Shan ranges meet.
3. Iranian Plateau: in Iran, enclosed by the Zagros in the west and south-west and the Elburz in the north.
4. Anatolian Plateau: in central Turkey, between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.
5. Arabian Plateau: covering most of the Arabian Peninsula, between the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf.
6. Deccan Plateau: peninsular India, south of the Satpura and Vindhya ranges, between the Western and Eastern Ghats.
7. Ethiopian Plateau (Highlands): in Ethiopia in north-east Africa (the Horn of Africa); source of the Blue Nile.
8. West Australian Plateau: covering most of western Australia.
9. Guiana Highlands: in northern South America, south of the Orinoco and north of the Amazon (Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and northern Brazil).
10. Brazilian Plateau (Highlands): in eastern and central Brazil, south of the Amazon basin.

How to mark: shade the plateau area lightly (or hatch it) and write the name across or beside it; avoid shading oceans or neighbouring lowlands.

Worked example

[1] Which plateau lies between the Zagros mountains and the Elburz mountains? (Apply)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. The Zagros border Iran in the west and the Elburz in the north; the land enclosed is the Iranian Plateau - 1 mark.

Answer: The Iranian Plateau.

Water bodies (mark and label)

Oceans: Pacific (between Asia-Australia and the Americas), Atlantic (between the Americas and Europe-Africa), Indian (south of Asia, between Africa and Australia), Arctic (around the North Pole) and Southern Ocean (around Antarctica).

Seas, bays and gulfs
1. Hudson Bay: a large inland sea in north-central Canada.
2. Gulf of Mexico: south of the USA, enclosed by Mexico and Cuba.
3. Bering Sea: northernmost Pacific, between Alaska and eastern Siberia.
4. Sea of Japan: between Japan and the Korean peninsula and Russia's Pacific coast.
5. Yellow Sea: between northern China and the Korean peninsula.
6. South China Sea: between southern China, Vietnam, the Philippines and Borneo.
7. Timor Sea: between the island of Timor and northern Australia.
8. Persian Gulf: between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.
9. Red Sea: between north-east Africa and Arabia, linked to the Mediterranean by the Suez Canal.
10. Arabian Sea: west of India, between India and Arabia.
11. Bay of Bengal: east of India, between India and Myanmar.
12. Mediterranean Sea: between southern Europe, North Africa and western Asia.
13. Black Sea: between south-eastern Europe and Turkey.
14. Caspian Sea: the largest inland water body, between south-east Europe (Caucasus) and Central Asia.
15. North Sea: between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands.

Canal and strait
16. Suez Canal: in Egypt, joining the Mediterranean Sea (Port Said) to the Red Sea (Gulf of Suez); it separates Africa from Asia.
17. Strait of Magellan: at the southern tip of South America, separating the mainland from Tierra del Fuego and linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Worked example

[1] Name the water body that separates Iran from the Arabian Peninsula. (Apply)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. The arm of the Arabian Sea entering through the Strait of Hormuz between Iran and Arabia - 1 mark.

Answer: The Persian Gulf.

Rivers (identify)

North America: Mississippi, flowing south through the central USA into the Gulf of Mexico.
South America: Amazon, flowing east across northern Brazil near the equator into the Atlantic; Parana, flowing south through southern Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina into the Rio de la Plata estuary.
Africa: Nile, the longest river, flowing north through Sudan and Egypt into the Mediterranean; Zaire (Congo), flowing in a great arc across central Africa, crossing the equator twice, into the Atlantic; Orange, flowing west across South Africa into the Atlantic.
Europe: Rhine, rising in the Alps and flowing north through Germany and the Netherlands into the North Sea; Danube, flowing east from southern Germany through central Europe into the Black Sea; Volga, Europe's longest river, flowing south through Russia into the Caspian Sea.
Western Asia: Tigris (eastern) and Euphrates (western), rising in Turkey and flowing south-east through Iraq; they join as the Shatt al-Arab and enter the Persian Gulf.
Siberia: Ob (west), Yenisei (middle) and Lena (east), all flowing north into the Arctic Ocean.
East and South-east Asia: Hwang Ho (Yellow River), flowing across northern China into the Bohai arm of the Yellow Sea; Yangtze Kiang, flowing east across central China into the East China Sea at Shanghai; Irrawaddy, flowing south through Myanmar into the Andaman Sea.
South Asia: Ganga, flowing south-east across northern India into the Bay of Bengal.
Australia: Murray and its tributary the Darling, in south-eastern Australia; the Darling joins the Murray, which enters the sea south-east of Adelaide.

Identification tips: note the direction of flow, the continent, and where the mouth lies (which sea or ocean).

Worked example

[1] A river is marked flowing north across western Siberia into the Arctic Ocean, the westernmost of three such rivers. Identify it. (Apply)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. The three great Siberian rivers from west to east are the Ob, Yenisei and Lena; the westernmost is the Ob - 1 mark.

Answer: The Ob.

Ocean currents and islands (identify)

Ocean currents
1. Gulf Stream (warm): from the Gulf of Mexico through the Florida Strait, north-east along the east coast of the USA.
2. North Atlantic Drift (warm): continuation of the Gulf Stream, flowing north-east across the Atlantic to the British Isles and Norway.
3. Labrador (cold): flowing south from Baffin Bay along the coast of Labrador to Newfoundland.
4. Peru or Humboldt (cold): flowing north along the west coast of South America.
5. West Wind Drift (cold): flowing eastward around Antarctica in the Southern Ocean.
6. South-West Monsoon current (drift): in the northern Indian Ocean in summer, flowing eastward and clockwise around the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal.
7. West Australian (cold): flowing north along the west coast of Australia.
8. East Australian (warm): flowing south along the east coast of Australia.
9. Kuroshio (warm): flowing north-east along the east coast of Taiwan and Japan.
10. Oyashio (cold): flowing south-west from the Bering Sea past the Kuril Islands to northern Japan, where it meets the Kuroshio.
Show currents with arrows: conventionally red or a firm arrow for warm, blue or a broken arrow for cold, and give a key.

Islands
1. Greenland: the largest island, north-east of Canada, mostly within the Arctic Circle.
2. Baffin: north-east Canada, west of Greenland across Baffin Bay.
3. Newfoundland: off the east coast of Canada, at the mouth of the Gulf of St Lawrence.
4. Iceland: in the North Atlantic, just south of the Arctic Circle, east of Greenland.
5. West Indies: the chain of islands in the Caribbean between North and South America.
6. Hawaii: in the central North Pacific.
7. Tierra del Fuego: at the southern tip of South America, south of the Strait of Magellan.
8. Madagascar: in the Indian Ocean, off south-east Africa across the Mozambique Channel.
9. Sri Lanka: south of India across the Palk Strait.
10. Philippines: in the western Pacific, east of the South China Sea.
11. Indonesia: a vast archipelago along the equator between the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
12. Papua New Guinea: the eastern half of the island of New Guinea, north of Australia.
13. Japan: off the east coast of Asia, east of the Sea of Japan.
14. New Zealand: in the south-west Pacific, south-east of Australia across the Tasman Sea.

Worked example

[1] A cold current is shown flowing south-west from the Bering Sea towards northern Japan. Identify it. (Apply)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. The cold current from the Bering Sea along the Kurils that meets the warm Kuroshio off Japan is the Oyashio - 1 mark.

Answer: The Oyashio (Kurile) current.

Map Work: World in real life

Each concept, met in an everyday situation. Read the situation, answer the question in your own words, then compare with the model answer. The one-line hook is what to remember.

Topics in this chapter

• Mountains and Plateaus: Mark and Label
• Water Bodies, Rivers, Ocean Currents and Islands

Map Work: World: key facts

Mark and label

Mountains: line; plateaus: light shading; water bodies: shade or write in water; canal/strait: short line or arrow

Name written neatly beside the feature.

Identify

$Continent+directionofflow/position+mouthorneighbour=name$

Rivers, currents, islands.

Warm or cold current

$Fromtheequator=warm;fromthepoles=cold$

West Wind Drift is cold.

Siberian rivers

Ob - Yenisei - Lena (west to east), all to the Arctic

Learn the order west to east.

Distance and time

$Time=distance/speed$

Suez saves about 8,200 km in the example.

Map Work: World: map work

The places on the official CISCE map list for this chapter. Find each one on an outline map of India and practise marking it.

How the school exam asks Map Work: World

The question patterns to expect, and the method that works for each.

Tricks to remember Map Work: World

Short memory aids. Say each one aloud once, then use it on a question the same day.

• Iran's frame

  Elburz on top by the Caspian, Zagros down the side by the Gulf, Iranian Plateau in the middle.

  Use it when: Elburz, Zagros, Iranian Plateau.

• Australia's four

  Great Dividing Range in the east, West Australian Plateau in the west; East Australian current warm (south), West Australian current cold (north).

  Use it when: Australia items.

• Japan's meeting

  Kuroshio comes up warm from the south, Oyashio comes down cold from the north; they meet off Japan.

  Use it when: Pacific currents near Japan.

Map Work: World: exam-level solved questions

Ordered from exam level to HOTS. Cover the solution, write your own, then compare step by step.

Case-study practice (Section D style)

Read the situation, then answer every part. In a school exam set on the board pattern this is a 8-mark question split into 3 + 3 + 2 marks.

Where the marks are

How a typical answer is split into step marks. Show every step: a right final answer alone rarely earns full marks.

Where students lose marks in Map Work: World

The slips examiners see most often, and what to write instead.

• ✗Mistake: Swapping the Elburz and Zagros

  Both are in Iran.

  Wrong working

  Zagros drawn along the Caspian coast.

  Right working

  Elburz along the Caspian; Zagros along the western border and the Persian Gulf.

  ✓Do this: Elburz by the Caspian, Zagros by the Gulf.

  Usually costs: 1 mark.

• ✗Mistake: Order of Siberian rivers wrong

  Not learnt west to east.

  ✓Do this: Ob, Yenisei, Lena from west to east.

  Usually costs: 1 mark.

• ✗Mistake: Currents without arrows or key

  Direction and type unclear.

  ✓Do this: Arrows showing direction; key for warm and cold.

  Usually costs: 1 mark.

• ✗Mistake: Over-shading plateaus into seas or lowlands

  Imprecise marking.

  ✓Do this: Shade lightly within the plateau's limits only.

  Usually costs: 1 mark.

• ✗Mistake: Marking items outside the syllabus list

  Wasted time and confusion.

  ✓Do this: Practise only the CISCE list.

  Usually costs: Time.

Practice questions on Map Work: World

Write each answer on paper first. Open the hint only if you are stuck, and the answer only when you have finished.

1. Q1 · 1 mark · Map workExam level

   Which range runs along the France-Spain border?

   Hint

   Between the Bay of Biscay and the Mediterranean.

   Answer

   The Pyrenees.

2. Q2 · 1 mark · Map workExam level

   Into which sea does the Volga flow?

   Hint

   Inland.

   Answer

   The Caspian Sea.

3. Q3 · 1 mark · MCQExam level

   The cold current flowing north along the west coast of South America is the:
   (a) Labrador
   (b) Peru
   (c) Kuroshio
   (d) East Australian

   Hint

   Humboldt.

   Answer

   (b) Peru.

4. Q4 · 1 mark · Map workHarder exam level

   Which plateau is called the 'roof of the world'?

   Hint

   Knot of ranges.

   Answer

   The Pamirs.

5. Q5 · 4 marks · Map workHarder exam level

   [4] Identify the three great Siberian rivers from west to east and name the ocean they enter. Why do they flood in spring?

   Hint

   Northward flow.

   Answer

   (1) Ob (west). (2) Yenisei (middle) and Lena (east). (3) All flow north into the Arctic Ocean. (4) In spring their upper courses in the south thaw first while the lower courses near the Arctic are still frozen, so meltwater spreads over the land.

6. Q6 · 4 marks · Map workHarder exam level

   [4] Name the water bodies: (a) between Japan and Korea; (b) between China and Korea; (c) between Alaska and Siberia; (d) between Timor and Australia.

   Hint

   Pacific margins.

   Answer

   (1) Sea of Japan. (2) Yellow Sea. (3) Bering Sea. (4) Timor Sea.

7. Q7 · 4 marks · Map workHarder exam level

   [4] Distinguish between the positions of the Rockies and the Appalachians, and between the Andes and the Brazilian Plateau.

   Hint

   West versus east.

   Answer

   (1) Rockies: western North America, north-west to south-east. (2) Appalachians: eastern USA, parallel to the Atlantic coast. (3) Andes: the full length of western South America. (4) Brazilian Plateau: eastern and central Brazil, south of the Amazon basin.

8. Q8 · 4 marks · Map workHOTS / competency

   [4] Suppose on a world map the Suez Canal is marked as joining the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean, and Iceland is marked south of the equator. Explain both errors and give correct positions.

   Hint

   Red Sea; Arctic Circle.

   Answer

   (1) The Suez Canal does not touch the Persian Gulf. (2) It runs through Egypt, joining the Mediterranean (Port Said) to the Red Sea (Gulf of Suez). (3) Iceland is not in the southern hemisphere. (4) It lies in the North Atlantic just south of the Arctic Circle, east of Greenland, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

9. Q9 · 4 marks · Map workHOTS / competency

   [4] Explain why the Kuroshio and Oyashio, and the Gulf Stream and Labrador currents, are often studied together. Name the islands near which each pair meets.

   Hint

   Warm meets cold.

   Answer

   (1) Each pair is a warm current meeting a cold one. (2) Kuroshio (warm) meets Oyashio (cold) off Japan. (3) Gulf Stream (warm) meets Labrador (cold) near Newfoundland. (4) Their meeting produces fog and rich fishing grounds.

Test your recall

Answer in your head or on paper first, then open the card. Pulling an answer out of memory makes it stick far better than re-reading.

1. 1.Which range lies along the Norway-Sweden border?Show answer

   The Kjolen.

2. 2.Which river crosses the equator twice?Show answer

   The Zaire (Congo).

3. 3.Which current flows eastward around Antarctica?Show answer

   The West Wind Drift.

4. 4.Which island lies west of Greenland across Baffin Bay?Show answer

   Baffin Island.

5. 5.Where is the Kirthar range?Show answer

   In Pakistan, west of the lower Indus.

6. 6.Which river joins the Murray?Show answer

   The Darling.

Quick revision checklist

The night before the exam: can you do each of these without looking?

• ☐Asian ranges: Himalayas, Hindukush, Elburz, Zagros, Kirthar, Caucasus, Urals, Khingan, Kunlun.
• ☐European: Alps, Pyrenees, Carpathians, Kjolen; Africa: Drakensberg; Americas: Rockies, Appalachian, Andes; Australia: Great Dividing Range.
• ☐Plateaus: Tibetan, Pamirs, Iranian, Anatolian, Arabian, Deccan, Ethiopian, West Australian, Guiana, Brazilian.
• ☐Water bodies: 5 oceans; Hudson Bay, Gulf of Mexico, Bering, Japan, Yellow, South China, Timor Seas; Persian Gulf, Red, Arabian, Bengal; Mediterranean, Black, Caspian, North Seas; Suez Canal; Strait of Magellan.
• ☐Rivers: Mississippi, Amazon, Parana; Nile, Zaire, Orange; Rhine, Danube, Volga; Tigris, Euphrates; Ob, Yenisei, Lena; Hwang Ho, Yangtze; Irrawaddy, Ganga; Murray, Darling.
• ☐Warm currents: Gulf Stream, NAD, Kuroshio, East Australian; cold: Labrador, Peru, Oyashio, West Australian, West Wind Drift; seasonal: South-West Monsoon.
• ☐Islands: Greenland, Baffin, Newfoundland, Iceland, West Indies, Hawaii, Tierra del Fuego, Madagascar, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Japan, New Zealand.

Map Work: World: frequently asked questions