Geography is one of the very important subjects covered in UPSC and is a major part of the Prelims and the GS Paper 1 in the Mains. The questions cover topics spanning Indian and World Geography and their various aspects like Physical, Social (Human), and Economic.
Let’s find out the best geography books for UPSC.
Recommended Geography Books for UPSC Syllabus
We have created a list of must-read geography books for UPSC Prelims and Mains (not optional). These are the books most aspirants swear by and that cover the basics that you absolutely need to know. We have given you the links to buy the books online at Amazon.
1. Geography of India by Majid Husain
Titled “Geography of India”, this book penned by Majid Husain, is a very comprehensive book that is popular amongst students preparing for the UPSC geography syllabus. The book covers almost all the sub-topics of Indian Geography including resources of India, different types of irrigation, cropping patterns of India, transport and public distribution system and food security.
2. World Geography by Majid Husain
Covering various geographical regions of the world in eighteen chapters, World Geography by Majid Hussain is another very popular geography optional book among aspirants of UPSC. It has detailed text on individual nations within each of these regions of the global geographical regions. The Author Majid Husain was Professor of Geography, Jamia Millia Islamia (Central University), New Delhi.
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3. Oxford School Atlas
A comprehensive book detailing over 200 maps in a clear and easy to approach manner supported by charts and diagrams, The Oxford atlas is undoubtedly an indispensable book for anyone studying geography. It also includes 94 thematic maps of India, including physical and political maps that are detailed and easy to read.
The 35th edition comes with new and informative preliminary pages and extensively covers core thematic issues such as climate, natural vegetation, wildlife, agriculture, minerals, industry, demography, human development, environmental concerns, and natural hazards in a new design and layout.
4. Certificate Physical and Human Geography
This book is especially helpful for preparation for prelims of UPSC Civil Services Examination as it gives elementary details of most topics that comprise of physical and human geography in an easy to understand language. The book makes the topics easy to learn with many photographs, illustrations, and maps offering a detailed explanation, wherever required.
5. Physical, Human and Economic Geography for Civil Services Examination by D R Khuller
The geography book for UPSC comes in two parts: Part 1 covers Physical Geography while Part 2 covers Human and Economic Geography. This is a good book to understand the concepts with an explanation.
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Additional Books for UPSC Geography Syllabus
- Geography Through Maps by K.Siddhartha
- Physical Geography by Savindra Singh. (alternative to Goh Ching Leong)
- Terms and Concepts of Geography by Majid Husain
- Geography of India by Surender Singh (alternative to Majid Husain).
- Indian and World Geography: Objective Questions with Explanatory Notes for Civil Services Preliminary Examination.
- Objective Indian and World Geography by Majid Husain
- India: A Comprehensive Geography by D.R Khuller (alternative to Majid Husain)
For UPSC prelims exams, we recommended reading NCERT Books from IX, X, XI, XII.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this article will be helpful for you to prepare better for the UPSC geography syllabus.
Do not forget to share which books you find the most helpful. Write down your answer in the comment box below.
Also Read : A Complete Guide to Score Better in Geography for UPSC: UPSC Exam Strategy
Thank you for providing the list of books for geography, they were very helpful to choose, what do you guys think about it? What is your optional subject?