On the given political outline map of the World, seven geographical features have been marked as A, B, C, D, E

Question

Q. On the given political outline map of the World, seven geographical features have been marked as A, B, C, D, E, F and G. Identify any five with the help of the following information and write their correct names on the lines drawn near them : A. A major airport in Australia B. Largest country in terms of area in Europe C. A major seaport in South America D. A terminal station of Trans-Canadian Railway E. A major area of subsistence gathering F. Largest country in terms of area in Africa G. Terminal station of Trans-Siberian Railway [Visually Impaired alternative in lieu of Q.29 (answer any five): (29.1) Name any international airport of Australia. (29.2) Name the important waterway that links the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. (29.3) Name the major seaport of Chile. (29.4) Name the terminal station of Trans-Canadian railway on the western end. (29.5) Mention the major area of subsistence gathering in Africa. (29.6) Name the largest country in Africa in terms of area. (29.7) Name the easternmost terminal station of Trans-Siberian Railway.]

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Concept understanding — Geographic Density Comparison

Geographic Density Comparison: A First Look

Think about a crowded local train at rush hour versus the same train at noon. The number of people is the same, but the experience is completely different. That difference — how many people are packed into a given space — is the core idea behind density. Geographic density comparison is simply the tool we use to measure and compare how "crowded" or "spread out" people, things, or activities are across different places.

The Everyday Intuition

You already understand density intuitively. When you say "Mumbai is crowded" or "Ladakh is empty," you are making a density comparison. You are not just counting total people — you are relating that number to the area they occupy. A city with 10 million people might feel less crowded than a smaller city with 2 million, if the first city is spread over a much larger area. The key insight is this: density is a ratio, not a raw count. It tells you the relationship between a quantity (people, houses, factories, roads) and the space that contains it.

The Precise Meaning

In geography, when we compare densities, we are almost always comparing arithmetic density — the simplest and most common measure. It is calculated by dividing the total number of something (usually population) by the total land area. But here is the crucial point for a humanities student: density is never just a number. It is a clue. A high density tells you something about pressure on land, competition for resources, and the intensity of human activity. A low density tells you about isolation, vastness, and perhaps a different relationship with the environment.

Important

Density comparison is not about which place has more people. It is about how people are distributed relative to the land they occupy. Two regions with the same population can have wildly different densities, and therefore wildly different social, economic, and environmental realities.

Why It Matters

Density comparison is a foundational tool for understanding almost every human geography topic in your NCERT textbook. Here is why it matters:

Resource pressure: High density often means greater demand for water, food, housing, and jobs. Comparing densities helps explain why some regions face scarcity while others have surplus.
Infrastructure planning: Governments use density data to decide where to build schools, hospitals, roads, and railways. A dense area needs different infrastructure than a sparse one.
Environmental impact: Dense populations concentrate pollution and waste, but they also use land more efficiently. Sparse populations may have a lighter footprint per person but cover more natural habitat.
Cultural and social patterns: Density influences how people interact. High density can foster vibrant markets and cultural exchange, but also stress and anonymity. Low density can mean strong community ties but limited services.

How NCERT Presents It …

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This question tests your ability to locate major world geographical features—airports, seaports, railways, and countries—on a map, using specific clues about their location, function, or size.

Let’s take each of the seven features one by one. The map has letters A through G, and you need to identify any five. I’ll explain the reasoning behind each so you can confidently pick the ones you know best.

A. A major airport in Australia

Australia’s busiest and most famous international gateway is Sydney Airport (Kingsford Smith Airport). It sits near the city centre of Sydney, on the east coast. If you see a dot near southeastern Australia, that’s almost certainly it. Other major airports exist (Melbourne, Brisbane), but Sydney is the one most often used in such map questions.

B. Largest country in terms of area in Europe

Europe’s largest country by land area is Russia. Yes, Russia spans both Europe and Asia, but the part west of the Ural Mountains is considered European Russia, and the country as a whole is the largest in Europe. On a map, Russia occupies the entire northern part of the continent, stretching from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific.

C. A major seaport in South America

South America has several major ports, but one of the most prominent is Santos in Brazil. It handles the largest volume of cargo in Latin America and lies on the southeastern coast, near São Paulo. Another possibility is Valparaíso in Chile, but Santos is more commonly cited in textbooks for its sheer size and importance.

D. A terminal station of Trans-Canadian Railway

The Trans-Canada Railway (often called the Canadian Pacific Railway) runs from coast to coast. Its western terminal is Vancouver, British Columbia, on the Pacific Ocean. The eastern terminal is Montreal, Quebec, on the St. Lawrence River. In map questions, Vancouver is frequently asked as the western end.

E. A major area of subsistence gathering

Subsistence gathering means people collect wild plants, fruits, nuts, and hunt or fish for their own food, rather than farming or buying it. Major areas include the Amazon Basin in South America, the Congo Basin in Africa, and parts of Southeast Asia (like the interior of Borneo or New Guinea). On a world map, the Amazon is the most recognisable—a huge green swath in northern South America.

F. Largest country in terms of area in Africa

Africa’s largest country by area is Algeria. It occupies the entire northern centre of the continent, with the Sahara Desert covering most of it. Many students mistakenly think Sudan or the Democratic Republic of the Congo is largest, but Algeria is bigger. (Note: Sudan was once the largest, but after South Sudan split off in 2011, Algeria took the top spot.)

G. Terminal station of Trans-Siberian Railway

The Trans-Siberian Railway runs from Moscow in the west to Vladivostok in the east, on the Pacific coast. Vladivostok is the easternmost terminal. On a map, look for a dot on Russia’s far eastern coast, near the Sea of Japan. …

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