Map Work for the ISC Class 12 Geography Paper: Complete Map List

What Map Work is about

Weightage: CISCE publishes no chapter or unit weightage for ISC Geography. Map Work is part of 7. Map Work of the 2027 syllabus and can be asked anywhere in the 70-mark Paper I (Section A one-mark and map items, Section B 4-mark short answers, Section C 7-mark long answers).Source: CISCE ISC Geography (853) syllabus, examination year 2027; ISC 2027 specimen question paper

Key concepts

Locational setting and relief items

To identify:
1. Latitudinal extent 8 deg 4' N to 37 deg 6' N and longitudinal extent 68 deg 7' E to 97 deg 25' E (mainland).
2. Central latitude 23 deg 30' N (Tropic of Cancer, passing through Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Tripura and Mizoram) and central longitude 82 deg 30' E (Standard Meridian, near Mirzapur and Prayagraj).
3. Indira Col (northernmost point, in the Karakoram) and Cape Comorin (Kanyakumari, southern tip of the mainland).

To mark and label:
1. Himalayan ranges: Greater Himalaya (Himadri, the northernmost and highest range), Lesser Himalaya (Himachal), Outer Himalaya (Shiwaliks, southernmost); Trans-Himalayan Karakoram range in Ladakh.
2. Aravallis (north-east to south-west across Rajasthan), Vindhyas (north of the Narmada), Satpura (between the Narmada and the Tapi, the two west-flowing rivers).
3. Western Ghats (Sahyadri, along the west coast) and Eastern Ghats (broken hills along the east coast); Nilgiris (meeting point of the two Ghats); Cardamom hills (south of Palghat gap, Kerala-Tamil Nadu).
4. North-east hills: Garo, Khasi, Jaintia (Meghalaya, west to east); Patkai, Naga and Mizo hills (along the Myanmar border, north to south).
5. Plains: Indus-Ganga-Brahmaputra plain; coastal plains: Konkan (Mumbai to Goa), Kanara (Goa to Mangaluru), Malabar (Mangaluru to Kanyakumari), Coromandel (Tamil Nadu coast), Northern Circars (Andhra-Odisha coast).
6. Plateaus: Malwa (north of the Vindhyas), Chota Nagpur (Jharkhand, source of the Damodar), Deccan (south of the Satpura), Meghalaya (Shillong plateau).
7. Peninsulas: Kathiawar (between the Gulfs of Kachchh and Khambhat), Kachchh (north of the Gulf of Kachchh).
8. Lakes: Chilika (Odisha coast, brackish), Pulicat (Andhra-Tamil Nadu border, Coromandel coast).
9. Water bodies: Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Palk Strait (narrow channel between India and Sri Lanka), Gulf of Kachchh, Gulf of Khambhat.
10. Passes: Karakoram Pass (Ladakh, on the India-China border), Shipki La (Himachal Pradesh, where the Sutlej enters India), Nathu La (Sikkim), Bomdi La (Arunachal Pradesh), Palghat (Palakkad gap between the Nilgiris and the Anaimalai hills), Bhorghat (Bhor Ghat, Mumbai-Pune), Thalghat (Thal Ghat, Mumbai-Nashik).

Worked example

[3] On an outline map, mark and label: (a) the loftiest and northernmost of the three Himalayan ranges; (b) the coastal plain that stretches from Mumbai to Goa; (c) the inlet of sea that separates Kachchh from Kathiawar. (Apply)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. (a) Greater Himalaya (Himadri): a line along the northernmost range, from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal - 1 mark.
2. (b) Konkan plain: a narrow shaded strip on land along the coast from Mumbai to Goa - 1 mark.
3. (c) Gulf of Kachchh: arrow into the inlet north of Kathiawar, labelled clearly - 1 mark.

Answer: (a) Greater Himalaya (Himadri), along the northernmost range. (b) Konkan plain, the coastal strip on land from Mumbai to Goa. (c) Gulf of Kachchh, the inlet between the Kachchh and Kathiawar peninsulas.

Rivers to identify

The syllabus lists 25 rivers to identify. Learn them in systems:

Indus system (west to east, as they enter Punjab): Indus, Jhelum (through the Kashmir valley), Chenab (through Himachal Pradesh and Jammu), Ravi, Beas, Sutlej (enters through Shipki La).
Ganga system: Ganga; right-bank (south) tributaries Yamuna, Chambal (via the Yamuna), Betwa, Ken, Son; left-bank (north) tributaries Gomti, Ghaghara, Gandak, Kosi; Damodar (joins the Hooghly).
Brahmaputra.
West-flowing: Luni (into the Rann of Kachchh), Narmada (between Vindhyas and Satpura), Tapi (south of the Satpura).
East-flowing peninsular rivers (north to south): Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri.

Identification tips:
1. Narmada and Tapi are the only large rivers flowing west into the Arabian Sea through rift valleys; the Narmada is the northern one.
2. Godavari is the longest peninsular river with a large delta north of the Krishna; Krishna's mouth is just south of the Godavari's.
3. Of the Indus tributaries, the Jhelum is northernmost, then Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej.

Worked example

[1] A river marked on the map rises in the Lahaul area of Himachal Pradesh (as the Chandra and Bhaga), flows through Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and into Pakistan between the Jhelum and the Ravi. Identify it. (Apply)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. Indus tributaries from north to south: Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej; between the Jhelum and the Ravi lies the Chenab - 1 mark.

Answer: The Chenab.

Population and city items to identify

States (Census 2011):
1. Lowest density: Arunachal Pradesh (17 per sq km).
2. Highest density: Bihar (1,106 per sq km).
3. Highest level of urbanisation: Goa (about 62 per cent).
4. Lowest level of urbanisation: Himachal Pradesh (about 10 per cent).
5. Highest index of concentration: Uttar Pradesh (about 16.5 per cent of India's population).
6. Highest sex ratio: Kerala (1,084).
7. Lowest sex ratio: Haryana (879).
8. Highest literacy: Kerala.
9. Lowest literacy: Bihar.

Urban cities to identify: Delhi (National Capital Territory, on the Yamuna), Mumbai (west coast, Maharashtra), Chennai (east coast, Tamil Nadu), Kolkata (on the Hooghly, West Bengal), Bengaluru (Karnataka plateau, the IT capital), Ahmedabad (Gujarat, on the Sabarmati).

Tip: Kerala appears twice (sex ratio and literacy) and Bihar twice (density and lowest literacy).

Worked example

[1] The state marked on the map is a small coastal state between Maharashtra and Karnataka and is the most urbanised in India. Identify it. (Recall)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. The small coastal state between Maharashtra and Karnataka with the highest urbanisation (about 62 per cent) is Goa - 1 mark.

Answer: Goa.

Agriculture, power and industry items

Main producing states or regions to identify:

• Rice: West Bengal (also Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Punjab, the deltas; the top state varies from year to year).
• Wheat: Uttar Pradesh (also Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh).
• Coffee: Karnataka.
• Tea: Assam (also West Bengal).
• Cotton: Gujarat (also Maharashtra).
• Jute: West Bengal.
• Sugarcane: Uttar Pradesh (also Maharashtra).
• Groundnut: Gujarat.
• Coconut: Kerala (also Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, which now produce about as much).

Nuclear power stations:

• Kaiga: Karnataka (Uttara Kannada district, near the Kali river).
• Kalpakkam: Tamil Nadu coast, south of Chennai.
• Tarapur: Maharashtra coast, north of Mumbai.
• Rawatbhata: Rajasthan, on the Chambal near Kota.
• Narora: Uttar Pradesh, on the Ganga (Bulandshahr district).
• Kakrapar: Gujarat, near Surat on the Tapi.

Industries:

• Sugar: Ahmednagar, Pune (Maharashtra).
• Cotton textiles: Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Surat.
• Iron and steel: TISCO Jamshedpur (Jharkhand), Bhilai (Chhattisgarh), Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh coast).
• Petrochemicals: UDEX Koyali and IPCL Vadodara (Gujarat, close together).
• Oil refineries: IOCL Digboi (upper Assam), Barauni (Bihar, on the Ganga), Haldia (West Bengal, Hooghly estuary).

Worked example

[1] An oil refinery marked on the Ganga in Bihar processes Assam crude brought by pipeline. Identify it. (Recall)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. The IOCL refinery on the Ganga in Bihar, linked to Assam by the Naharkatiya-Barauni pipeline, is Barauni - 1 mark.

Answer: Barauni (IOCL).

Transport, ports and sketch maps

Transport (to trace and identify):
1. Golden Quadrilateral: four sides joining Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata (Delhi-Jaipur-Ahmedabad-Mumbai; Mumbai-Pune-Bengaluru-Chennai; Chennai-Visakhapatnam-Bhubaneswar-Kolkata; Kolkata-Dhanbad-Varanasi-Kanpur-Delhi).
2. North-South Corridor: Srinagar to Kanyakumari.
3. East-West Corridor: Silchar to Porbandar. The two corridors cross at Jhansi.
4. State with the highest density of roads: Kerala.

Ports to identify: Mumbai (west coast, Maharashtra), Kochi (Kerala, Vembanad lagoon, sheltered backwater harbour), Haldia (Hooghly estuary, West Bengal), Chennai (Coromandel coast), Kolkata (on the Hooghly upstream).

Sketch maps (draw, label, interpret):
1. Locational setting: extent, Tropic of Cancer, Standard Meridian, neighbours, seas.
2. Relief: physiographic divisions, ranges and plateaus.
3. Climate: monsoon wind directions, rainfall zones.
4. Population: density classes, extreme states.
5. Industries: industrial regions and centres.
6. Transport: GQ and corridors, ports.

Drawing tips: a simple outline with the correct shape and proportions; use symbols and shading with a key; label clearly; give a title and north arrow.

Worked example

[1] Name the terminal towns of the East-West corridor marked on the map. (Recall)

Try it first, then show the solutionSolution

1. The East-West corridor runs from Silchar in Assam to Porbandar in Gujarat - 1 mark (both towns needed).

Answer: Silchar and Porbandar.

Map Work 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.

Map Work: key facts

Mark and label

Ranges, plains, plateaus, peninsulas, lakes, water bodies, passes

Draw or shade in place, then name.

Identify

Coordinates, rivers, population states, crop states, nuclear stations, industries, routes, ports

Name the marked item.

Population extremes

Density	Bihar high, Arunachal low
Urban	Goa high, HP low
Concentration	UP
Sex ratio	Kerala high, Haryana low
Literacy	Kerala high, Bihar low

Census 2011.

Nuclear stations

$Kaiga,Kalpakkam,Tarapur,Rawatbhata,Narora,Kakrapar$

Narora on the Ganga; Rawatbhata on the Chambal.

Corridors

N-S: Srinagar-Kanyakumari. E-W: Silchar-Porbandar. Cross at Jhansi

Golden Quadrilateral: Delhi-Mumbai-Chennai-Kolkata.

Map Work: 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 board asks Map Work

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

Tricks to remember Map Work

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

• Indus tributaries

  'Just Call Rama By Sita': Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej (north to south).

  Use it when: River identification.

• West coast plains

  'K-K-M' from north: Konkan, Kanara, Malabar.

  Use it when: Coastal plains.

• Meghalaya hills

  'GKJ' west to east: Garo, Khasi, Jaintia.

  Use it when: North-east hills.

Map Work: board-level solved questions

Ordered from board 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 the board paper this is a 7-mark question split into 2 + 2 + 1 + 1 + 1 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

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

• ✗Mistake: Wrong range, plain extending into the next one, gulf labelled wrongly

  CISCE examiners' comments, 2024: candidates 'Did not mark the Great Himalayan range correctly', were 'Unsure whether the Konkan plain lies on land or in water; some extended it into the Kanara plain', and 'Marked the Gulf of Kachchh correctly but labelled it wrongly'. Examiners advised colours for coastal plains and arrows for gulfs.

  ✓Do this: Greater Himalaya is the northernmost range; shade coastal plains on land only and stop at the right town; point to gulfs with an arrow and check the label.

  Usually costs: 1 mark each.

• ✗Mistake: Shading too much or too little

  CISCE examiners' comments, 2025: candidates 'Marked too large or too small an area for Chotanagpur Plateau' and 'Extended shading of Palk Strait onto land, islands and Gulf of Mannar'; others 'Marked Satpura at wrong location'.

  ✓Do this: Shade realistic areas and only water for straits; place the Satpura between the Narmada and the Tapi.

  Usually costs: 1 mark each.

• ✗Mistake: State instead of station, and mixing rivers

  CISCE examiners' comments, 2024: candidates 'Wrote Rajasthan instead of Rawatbhata for the plant', 'Labelled the Krishna river as the Godavari' and 'Identified Kerala as Tamil Nadu'; in 2025 some 'Identified Chenab as Jhelum or Sutlej' and 'Could not identify Barauni as the refinery'.

  ✓Do this: Name exactly what is marked; learn the order of rivers and the position of each state boundary.

  Usually costs: 1 mark each.

• ✗Mistake: Picking distractors in map MCQs

  CISCE examiners' comments: in 2024 candidates 'Chose Nathu La, Shipki La or Bomdi La instead of Karakoram' and could not link a port to tea exports; in 2025 they chose Mumbai, Mangalore or Marmagao for the backwater port (Kochi), and a few chose Chandigarh or Mumbai for the National Capital Territory.

  ✓Do this: Link each feature to its defining clue: Karakoram Pass in Ladakh; Kochi on the backwaters; Kolkata and Kochi for tea; Delhi as NCT.

  Usually costs: 1 mark each.

• ✗Mistake: Not identifying both terminal towns

  CISCE examiners' comments, 2024: candidates 'Did not identify both terminal towns correctly' for the North-South corridor.

  ✓Do this: Learn the pairs: Srinagar-Kanyakumari and Silchar-Porbandar.

  Usually costs: 1 mark.

Practice questions on Map Work

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 workBoard level

   Which coastal plain lies between Goa and Mangaluru?

   Hint

   K-K-M.

   Answer

   Kanara.

2. Q2 · 1 mark · Map workBoard level

   Which lake lies on the Odisha coast?

   Hint

   Brackish lagoon.

   Answer

   Chilika.

3. Q3 · 1 mark · Map workBoard level

   Name the pass through which the Sutlej enters India.

   Hint

   Himachal Pradesh.

   Answer

   Shipki La.

4. Q4 · 1 mark · Map workHarder board level

   Which pass links Mumbai with Pune?

   Hint

   Bhor.

   Answer

   Bhorghat (Bhor Ghat).

5. Q5 · 1 mark · Map workHarder board level

   Name the gap between the Nilgiris and the Anaimalai hills.

   Hint

   Kerala-Tamil Nadu.

   Answer

   Palghat (Palakkad) gap.

6. Q6 · 2 marks · Map workHarder board level

   [2] Identify the states with the lowest literacy and the lowest urbanisation (2011).

   Hint

   Ganga plain; mountains.

   Answer

   Lowest literacy: Bihar. Lowest urbanisation: Himachal Pradesh.

7. Q7 · 4 marks · Map workHOTS / competency

   [4] Name the four cities of the Golden Quadrilateral and the town where the two national corridors cross, and explain why tracing these routes matters for understanding India's industrial geography.

   Hint

   Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata; Jhansi.

   Answer

   Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata; the North-South and East-West corridors cross at Jhansi. The routes link the main industrial regions, ports and markets, so tracing them shows how raw materials and goods move and why industrial towns and logistics hubs have grown along them.

8. Q8 · 4 marks · Map workHOTS / competency

   [4] Explain how to mark correctly (a) a gulf, (b) a coastal plain, (c) a plateau and (d) a pass on an outline map.

   Hint

   Arrow, strip, area, symbol.

   Answer

   (a) A gulf: an arrow pointing into the inlet of sea, with the label in the water. (b) A coastal plain: a narrow shaded strip on land along the correct stretch of coast, not extending into the sea or the next plain. (c) A plateau: shade an area of realistic size in the correct place. (d) A pass: a small cross or pass symbol at the right point in the mountains, with the label beside it.

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.Northernmost and southernmost points of mainland India on the map list?Show answer

   Indira Col and Cape Comorin.

2. 2.Which plateau is the source of the Damodar?Show answer

   Chota Nagpur.

3. 3.Which pass is in Sikkim?Show answer

   Nathu La.

4. 4.Which state has the highest density of roads?Show answer

   Kerala.

5. 5.Which nuclear station is near Surat?Show answer

   Kakrapar.

Quick revision checklist

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

• ☐Answer Question 1 on the map; one answer per item.
• ☐Ranges: Greater (north), Lesser, Shiwaliks (south); Satpura between Narmada and Tapi.
• ☐West coast plains: Konkan, Kanara, Malabar. East: Northern Circars, Coromandel.
• ☐Passes: Karakoram (Ladakh), Shipki La (HP), Nathu La (Sikkim), Bomdi La (Arunachal), Palghat, Bhorghat, Thalghat.
• ☐Indus tributaries: Jhelum, Chenab, Ravi, Beas, Sutlej.
• ☐Population: Bihar, Arunachal, Goa, HP, UP, Kerala, Haryana.
• ☐Nuclear: Kaiga, Kalpakkam, Tarapur, Rawatbhata, Narora, Kakrapar.
• ☐Refineries: Digboi, Barauni, Haldia; ports: Mumbai, Kochi, Haldia, Chennai, Kolkata.

Map Work: frequently asked questions