1. Earth and Solar System
  2. Latitude and Longitude
  3. Interior of the Earth
  4. Rocks and Minerals
  5. Atmosphere
  6. Weather and Climate
  7. Rivers and Drainage
  8. Indian Geography
  9. Indian Climate
  10. Soil of India
  11. Agriculture
  12. Natural Resources
  13. Industries
  14. Population and Human Geography
  15. Karnataka Geography
  16. Environment and Biodiversity

 

Geography – Short Notes for Karnataka KREIS Exam 2026

For Karnataka KREIS Exam 2026, Geography preparation should focus on Physical Geography, Indian Geography, Karnataka Geography, Environment, Resources, Agriculture, Industries and Population.

1. Earth and Solar System

  • Earth is the third planet from the Sun.

  • The Earth has two important motions:

    • Rotation: Earth rotates on its axis.

    • Revolution: Earth revolves around the Sun.

  • Rotation causes day and night.

  • Revolution along with the Earth’s axial tilt causes seasons.

  • The Earth is approximately 4.6 billion years old.

2. Latitude and Longitude

  • Latitude is the angular distance north or south of the Equator.

  • Equator: 0° latitude.

  • Tropic of Cancer: 23½° N.

  • Tropic of Capricorn: 23½° S.

  • Arctic Circle: 66½° N.

  • Antarctic Circle: 66½° S.

  • Longitude measures distance east or west of the Prime Meridian.

  • Prime Meridian: 0° longitude, passing through Greenwich.

  • International Date Line: approximately 180° longitude.

3. Interior of the Earth

The Earth has three major layers:

Crust → Mantle → Core

  • Crust: outermost layer.

  • Mantle: lies below the crust.

  • Core: innermost layer, mainly composed of iron and nickel.

4. Rocks and Minerals

Three major types of rocks:

  • Igneous rocks: formed from cooling and solidification of magma or lava.

  • Sedimentary rocks: formed from deposited sediments.

  • Metamorphic rocks: formed when existing rocks are changed by heat and pressure.

Examples:

  • Granite → Igneous

  • Sandstone → Sedimentary

  • Marble → Metamorphic

5. Atmosphere

The atmosphere is the layer of gases surrounding Earth.

Major layers:
Troposphere → Stratosphere → Mesosphere → Thermosphere → Exosphere

  • Troposphere: weather phenomena mainly occur here.

  • Stratosphere: contains the ozone layer.

  • Mesosphere: many meteors burn here.

  • Exosphere: outermost atmospheric layer.

6. Weather and Climate

  • Weather: short-term atmospheric condition.

  • Climate: long-term average weather condition of a region.

  • Important elements of weather:

    • Temperature

    • Atmospheric pressure

    • Wind

    • Humidity

    • Rainfall

7. Rivers and Drainage

Indian rivers are broadly divided into:

Himalayan Rivers

  • Ganga

  • Yamuna

  • Brahmaputra

  • Indus

They are generally perennial rivers because they receive water from rainfall as well as melting snow.

Peninsular Rivers

  • Godavari

  • Krishna

  • Kaveri

  • Mahanadi

  • Narmada

  • Tapi

Narmada and Tapi are important west-flowing rivers.

8. Indian Geography

Major Physical Divisions of India

India can be divided into:

  1. Himalayan Mountains

  2. Northern Plains

  3. Peninsular Plateau

  4. Indian Desert

  5. Coastal Plains

  6. Islands

Himalayas

  • Young fold mountains.

  • Important ranges include Himadri, Himachal and Shiwalik.

  • Mount Everest is the world’s highest peak above sea level.

Northern Plains

  • Formed mainly by sediments deposited by Himalayan rivers.

  • Very fertile and densely populated.

Peninsular Plateau

  • One of the oldest landmasses of India.

  • Rich in minerals.

  • Includes the Deccan Plateau.

9. Indian Climate

India has mainly a monsoon type of climate.

Major seasons:

  • Cold weather season

  • Hot weather season

  • Southwest monsoon season

  • Retreating monsoon season

Monsoon

The Southwest Monsoon provides a major part of India’s annual rainfall.

Factors affecting India’s climate include:

  • Latitude

  • Altitude

  • Distance from sea

  • Relief

  • Pressure and wind systems

10. Soil of India

Important soil types:

  • Alluvial soil: highly important for agriculture; common in Northern Plains.

  • Black soil: suitable for cotton; common in the Deccan region.

  • Red soil: rich in iron; widespread in Peninsular India.

  • Laterite soil: develops under heavy rainfall and high temperature.

  • Desert soil: found mainly in arid regions.

11. Agriculture

Major Food Crops

  • Rice

  • Wheat

  • Maize

  • Millets

  • Pulses

Cash/Commercial Crops

  • Cotton

  • Sugarcane

  • Tea

  • Coffee

  • Rubber

  • Jute

Important Crops and Conditions

  • Rice: high temperature and adequate water.

  • Wheat: cool growing season and moderate rainfall.

  • Cotton: warm climate; black soil is particularly suitable.

  • Tea: warm and humid climate with well-distributed rainfall.

  • Coffee: important plantation crop of southern India.

12. Natural Resources

Resources can be classified as:

Renewable Resources

Resources that can be naturally replenished:

  • Solar energy

  • Wind energy

  • Water

  • Forests

Non-renewable Resources

Resources available in limited quantities:

  • Coal

  • Petroleum

  • Natural gas

  • Minerals

Conservation of resources is essential for sustainable development.

13. Industries

Major industries of India include:

  • Iron and steel

  • Cotton textiles

  • Sugar

  • Cement

  • Automobile

  • Information technology

  • Petrochemicals

Factors affecting the location of industries:

  • Raw materials

  • Power

  • Labour

  • Transport

  • Market

  • Capital

  • Water

14. Population and Human Geography

Important population concepts:

  • Population density: number of people living per unit area.

  • Birth rate: number of live births per population during a specified period.

  • Death rate: number of deaths per population during a specified period.

  • Migration: movement of people from one place to another.

  • Urbanisation: growth of towns and cities.

15. Karnataka Geography

Physical Divisions of Karnataka

Karnataka is commonly divided into:

  1. Coastal Karnataka

  2. Malnad

  3. Northern Karnataka Plateau

  4. Southern Karnataka Plateau

Important Rivers

Major rivers include:

  • Krishna

  • Kaveri

  • Tungabhadra

  • Bhima

  • Sharavathi

  • Ghataprabha

  • Malaprabha

Important Crops

  • Ragi

  • Rice

  • Maize

  • Sugarcane

  • Cotton

  • Coffee

  • Arecanut

  • Groundnut

Coffee

Karnataka is one of India’s leading coffee-producing states. Important coffee-growing areas include Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru and Hassan.

Mineral Resources

Karnataka is known for resources such as:

  • Iron ore

  • Manganese

  • Gold

  • Limestone

16. Environment and Biodiversity

  • Biodiversity means the variety of living organisms.

  • Deforestation means the large-scale removal of forests.

  • Afforestation means establishing forests in areas where there were few or no trees.

  • National parks and wildlife sanctuaries help conserve biodiversity.

  • Major environmental issues include:

    • Global warming

    • Climate change

    • Pollution

    • Deforestation

    • Soil erosion

    • Loss of biodiversity

Important One-Liners for KREIS

  • 0° latitude → Equator

  • 0° longitude → Prime Meridian

  • Largest ocean → Pacific Ocean

  • Largest continent → Asia

  • Smallest continent → Australia

  • Highest mountain above sea level → Mount Everest

  • Main source of energy for Earth → Sun

  • Black soil is especially suitable for → Cotton

  • Most important rainy season in India → Southwest Monsoon

  • Weather occurs mainly in → Troposphere

  • Ozone layer is mainly found in → Stratosphere

  • Narmada flows mainly towards → West

  • Karnataka’s major coffee-producing region → Kodagu/Coorg

  • Karnataka’s highest peak → Mullayanagiri

  • Major west-flowing Karnataka river → Sharavathi

  • Major river associated with Karnataka’s southern region → Kaveri

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