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UGC NET Geography Syllabus 2025: Download PDF Now!

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The UGC NET Geography syllabus 2025 contains ten primary units, each of which includes various topics and sub-topics. Candidates must thoroughly prepare all the topics included in these units to improve their chances of scoring higher in the upcoming UGC NET Exam. Before you begin your preparation to cover the UGC NET Geography syllabus, make a list of the entire syllabus and curriculum. When you have completed the entire UGC NET Syllabus, make a careful note of all the key topics and their subtopics. Below is the detailed UGC NET Geography syllabus 2025 for your easy reference.

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UGC NET Geography Syllabus Highlights

The UGC NET Geography Syllabus is an important resource for students appearing for the UGC NET exam with Geography as their elective subject for Paper 2. However, before delving into the details of UGC NET Geography Syllabus, let us quickly go through the paper pattern and key points about the exam below –

UGC NET Geography Syllabus Highlights

Exam Name

UGC NET (University Grants Commission National Eligibility Test)

Conducting Body

National Testing Agency (NTA)

Subject

Geography

Mode of Exam

Online - CBT (Computer-Based Test)

Exam Duration

180 minutes

No. of Papers and Total Marks

  • Paper 1: Teaching & Research Aptitude
  • Paper 2: Geography 

Total Marks

  • Paper 1 – 100 marks
  • Paper 2 – 200 marks

Total Questions

  • 50 MCQs in Paper 1
  • 100 MCQs in Paper 2

Marking Scheme

  • +2 for each correct answer
  • No negative marking for incorrect answer

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UGC NET Geography Syllabus 2025

If you have chosen Geography as your optional paper in the upcoming UGC NET exam, it is crucial to revise the UGC NET Geography syllabus thoroughly before appearing for the exam. Candidates should download the UGC NET Geography Syllabus PDF and cover the important syllabus topics unit-wise one by one for effective preparation. The UGC NET Geography Syllabus 2025 covers a wide range of topics, including physical geography, human geography, regional geography, and geographical techniques. This UGC NET JRF Geography syllabus comprises the following key study areas –

  • Geomorphology
  • Climatology
  • Oceanography
  • Geography of Environment
  • Population and Settlement Geography Population Geography
  • Geography of Economic Activities and Regional Development
  • Cultural, Social and Political Geography Cultural and Social Geography
  • Geographic Thought
  • Geographical Techniques
  • Geography of India

Now, let us go through the detailed unit-wise Geography syllabus for UGC NET Paper 2 in the table below –

Units

UGC NET Geography New Syllabus in Detail

UNIT-I Geomorphology

Continental Drift, Plate Tectonics, Endogenetic and Exogenetic forces. Denudation and Weathering, Geomorphic Cycle (Davis and Penck), Theories and Process of Slope Development, Earth Movements (seismicity, folding, faulting and vulcanicity), Landform Occurrence and Causes of Geomorphic Hazards (earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides and avalanches)

UNIT –II Climatology

Composition and Structure of Atmosphere; Insolation, Heat Budget of Earth, Temperature, Pressure and Winds, Atmospheric Circulation (air-masses, fronts and upper air circulation, cyclones and anticyclones (tropical and temperate), Climatic Classification of Koppen & Thornthwaite, ENSO Events (El Nino, La Nina and Southern Oscillations), Meteorological Hazards and Disasters (Cyclones, Thunderstorms, Tornadoes, Hailstorms, Heat and Cold waves Drought and Cloudburst, Glacial Lake Outburst (GLOF), Climate Change: Evidences and Causes of Climatic Change in the past, Human impact on Global Climate.

UNIT-III Oceanography

Relief of Oceans, Composition: Temperature, Density and Salinity, Circulation: Warm and Cold Currents, Waves, Tides, Sea Level Changes, Hazards: Tsunami and Cyclone

UNIT –IV Geography of Environment

Components: Ecosystem (Geographic Classification) and Human Ecology, Functions: Trophic Levels, Energy Flows, Cycles (geo-chemical, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen), Food Chain, Food Web and Ecological Pyramid, Human Interaction and Impacts, Environmental Ethics and Deep Ecology, Environmental Hazards and Disasters (Global Warming, Urban Heat Island, Atmospheric Pollution, Water Pollution, Land Degradation), National Programmes and Policies: Legal Framework, Environmental Policy, International Treaties, International Programmes and Policies (Brundtland Commission, Kyoto Protocol, Agenda 21, Sustainable Development Goals, Paris Agreement)

UNIT –V
Population and Settlement Geography Population Geography

Sources of population data (census, sample surveys and vital statistics, data reliability and errors). World Population Distribution (measures, patterns and determinants), World Population Growth (prehistoric to modern period). Demographic Transition, Theories of Population Growth (Malthus, Sadler, and Ricardo). Fertility and Mortality Analysis (indices, determinants and world patterns). Migration (types, causes and consequences and models), Population Composition and Characteristics (age, sex, rural-urban, occupational structure and educational levels), Population Policies in Developed and Developing Countries.


Settlement Geography


Rural Settlements (types, patterns and distribution), Contemporary Problems of Rural Settlements ( rural-urban migration; land use changes; land acquisition and transactions), Theories of Origin of Towns (Gordon Childe, Henri Pirenne, Lewis Mumford), Characteristics and Processes of Urbanization in Developed and Developing Countries (factors of urban growth, trends of urbanization, size, structure and functions of urban areas). Urban Systems ( the law of the primate city and rank size rule) Central Place Theories (Christaller and Losch), Internal Structure of the City, Models of Urban Land Use (Burgess, Harris and Ullman , and Hoyt), Concepts of Megacities, Global Cities and Edge Cities, Changing Urban Forms (peri-urban areas, rural-urban fringe, suburban , ring and satellite towns), Social Segregation in the City, Urban Social Area Analysis, Manifestation of Poverty in the City (slums, informal sector growth, crime and social exclusion).

Unit–VI: Geography of Economic Activities and Regional Development

Economic Geography


Factors affecting spatial organization of economic activities (primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary), Natural Resources (classification, distribution and associated problems), Natural Resources Management. World Energy Crises in Developed and Developing Countries.


Agricultural Geography


Land capability classification and Land Use Planning, Cropping Pattern: Methods of delineating crop combination regions (Weaver, Doi and Rafiullah), Crop diversification, Von Thunen’s Model of Land Use Planning. Measurement and Determinants of Agricultural Productivity, Regional variations in Agricultural Productivity, Agricultural Systems of the World.


Industrial Geography


Classification of Industries, Factors of Industrial Location; Theories of Industrial Location (A. Weber, E. M. Hoover, August Losch, A. Pred and D. M. Smith). World Industrial Regions, Impact of Globalization on manufacturing sector in Less Developed Countries, Tourism Industry, World distribution and growth of Information And Communication Technology (ICT) and Knowledge Production (Education and R & D) Industries.


Geography of Transport and Trade


Theories and Models of spatial interaction (Edward Ullman and M. E. Hurst) Measures and Indices of connectivity and accessibility; Spatial Flow Models: Gravity Model and its variants, World Trade Organisation, Globalization and Liberalization and World Trade Patterns. Problems and Prospects of Inter and Intra Regional Cooperation and Trade.


Regional Development


Typology of Regions, Formal and Functional Regions, World Regional Disparities, Theories of Regional Development(Albert O. Hirschman, Gunnar Myrdal, John Friedman, Dependency theory of Underdevelopment, Global Economic Blocks, Regional Development and Social Movements in India

Unit – VII: Cultural, Social and Political Geography Cultural and Social Geography

Concept of Culture, Cultural Complexes, Areas and Region, Cultural Heritage, Cultural Ecology. Cultural Convergence, Social Structure and Processes, Social Well-being and Quality of Life, Social Exclusion, Spatial distribution of social groups in India (Tribe, Caste, Religion and Language), Environment and Human Health, Diseases Ecology, Nutritional Status (etiological conditions, classification and spatial and seasonal distributional patterns with special reference to India) Health Care Planning and Policies in India, Medical Tourism in India.


Political Geography


Boundaries and Frontiers (with special reference to India), Heartland and Rimland Theories. Trends and Developments in Political Geography, Geography of Federalism, Electoral Reforms in India, Determinants of Electoral Behaviour, Geopolitics of Climate Change, Geopolitics of World Resources, Geo-politics of India Ocean, Regional Organisations of Cooperation (SAARC, ASEAN, OPEC, EU). Geopolitics of World Natural Resources.

Unit VIII: Geographic Thought

Contributions of Greek, Roman, Arab, Chinese and Indian Scholars, Contributions of Geographers (Bernhardus Varenius, Immanuel Kant, Alexander von Humboldt, Carl Ritter, Scheafer & Hartshorne), Impact of Darwinian Theory on Geographical Thought. Contemporary trends in Indian Geography: Cartography, Thematic and Methodological contributions. Major Geographic Traditions (Earth Science, man- environment relationship, area studies and spatial analysis), Dualisms in Geographic Studies (physical vs. human, regional vs. systematic, qualitative vs. quantitative, ideographic vs. nomothetic), Paradigm Shift, Perspectives in Geography (Positivism, Behaviouralism, Humanism, Structuralism, Feminism and Postmodernism).

Unit IX: Geographical Techniques

Sources of Geographic Information and Data (spatial and non-spatial), Types of Maps, Techniques of Map Making (Choropleth, Isarithmic, Dasymetric, Chorochromatic, Flow Maps) Data Representation on Maps (Pie diagrams, Bar diagrams and Line Graph, GIS Database (raster and vector data formats and attribute data formats). Functions of GIS (conversion, editing and analysis), Digital Elevation Model (DEM), Georeferencing (coordinate system and map projections and Datum), GIS Applications ( thematic cartography, spatial decision support system), Basics of Remote Sensing (Electromagnetic Spectrum, Sensors and Platforms, Resolution and Types, Elements of Air Photo and Satellite Image Interpretation and Photogrammetry), Types of Aerial Photographs, Digital Image Processing: Developments in Remote Sensing Technology and Big Data Sharing and its applications in Natural Resources Management in India, GPS Components (space, ground control and receiver segments) and Applications, Applications of Measures of Central Tendency, Dispersion and Inequalities, Sampling, Sampling Procedure and Hypothesis Testing (chi square test, t test, ANOVA), Time Series Analysis, Correlation and Regression Analysis, Measurement of Indices, Making


Indicators Scale Free, Computation of Composite Index, Principal Component Analysis and Cluster Analysis, Morphometric Analysis: Ordering of Streams, Bifurcation Ratio, Drainage Density and Drainage Frequency, Basin Circularity Ratio and Form Factor, Profiles, Slope Analysis, Clinographic Curve, Hypsographic Curve and Altimetric Frequency Graph.

Unit X: Geography of India

Major Physiographic Regions and their Characteristics; Drainage System (Himalayan and Peninsular), Climate: Seasonal Weather Characteristics, Climatic Divisions, Indian Monsoon (mechanism and characteristics), Jet Streams and Himalayan Cryosphere, Types and Distribution of Natural Resources: Soil, Vegetation, Water, Mineral and Marine Resources. Population Characteristics (spatial patterns of distribution), Growth and Composition (rural-urban, age, sex, occupational, educational, ethnic and religious), Determinants of Population, Population Policies in India, Agriculture ( Production, Productivity and Yield of Major Food Crops), Major Crop Regions, Regional Variations in Agricultural Development, Environmental, Technological and Institutional Factors affecting Indian Agriculture; Agro-Climatic Zones, Green Revolution, Food Security and Right to Food. Industrial Development since Independence, Industrial Regions and their characteristics, Industrial Policies in India. Development and Patterns of Transport Networks (railways, roadways, waterways, airways and pipelines), Internal and External Trade (trend, composition and directions), Regional Development Planning in India, Globalization and its impact on Indian Economy, Natural Disasters in India (Earthquake, Drought, Flood, Cyclone, Tsunami, Himalayan Highland Hazards and Disasters.)

Download UGC NET Geography Syllabus PDF

UGC NET Geography Syllabus in Hindi

For candidates appearing for the upcoming UGC NET Exam in the Hindi language, the following are the key topics in the UGC NET Paper 2 Geography Syllabus –

  • इकाई I - भू-आकृति विज्ञान
  • इकाई II - जलवायु विज्ञान
  • इकाई III- समुद्री विज्ञान
  • इकाई IV- पर्यावरण का भूगोल
  • यूनिट वी - मानचित्र और भूगोल
  • इकाई VI- आर्थिक और क्षेत्रीय विकास का भूगोल
  • इकाई VII - सांस्कृतिक, सामाजिक और राजनीतिक भूगोल
  • इकाई आठवीं - वनस्पति वनस्पति
  • इकाई IX - वनस्पति प्रौद्योगिकी
  • इकाई X- भारत का भूगोल

Download UGC NET Geography Syllabus in Hindi PDF

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UGC NET Geography Syllabus – Important Topics

Reading the whole UGC NET Geography syllabus once is very important to clear the exam with good marks. But with a shortage of time and during the last revision before the exam, we need not go through the whole syllabus again. We can revise through our notes or we can prepare the UGC NET Geography important topics strongly before the exam. Some of the important topics related to the NTA UGC NET Geography syllabus 2025 are –

  • Theories and Processes of Slope Development, Earth Movements (seismicity, folding, faulting, and vulcanicity), Landform Occurrence and Causes of Geomorphic Hazards (earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and avalanches)
  • Meteorological Hazards and Disasters (Cyclones, Thunderstorms, Tornadoes, Hailstorms, Heat and Cold waves Drought and Cloudburst, Glacial Lake Outburst (GLOF), Climate Change: Evidences and Causes of Climatic Change in the past, Human impact on Global Climate.
  • Relief of Oceans, Composition: Temperature, Density, and Salinity.
  • Circulation: Warm and Cold Currents, Waves, Tides, and Sea Level Changes.
  • Hazards: Tsunami and Cyclone
  • Components: Ecosystem (Geographic Classification) and Human Ecology,
  • National Programmes and Policies: Legal Framework, Environmental Policy, International Treaties, International Programmes and Policies (Brundtland Commission, Kyoto Protocol, Agenda 21, Sustainable Development Goals, Paris Agreement)
  • Sources of population data (census, sample surveys, and vital statistics, data reliability and errors). 
  • Settlement Geography
  • Economic Geography
  • Geography of Transport and Trade
  • Agricultural Geography
  • Concept of Culture, Cultural Complexes, Areas and Regions, Cultural Heritage, Cultural Ecology.
  • Political Geography
  • Geographic Studies (physical vs. human, regional vs. systematic, qualitative vs. quantitative, ideographic vs. nomothetic),
  • Sources of Geographic Information and Data (spatial and non-spatial),
  • Major Physiographic Regions and their Characteristics; Drainage System (Himalayan and Peninsular), Climate: Seasonal Weather Characteristics, Climatic Divisions, Indian Monsoon (mechanism and characteristics), Jet Streams and Himalayan Cryosphere, Types and Distribution of Natural Resources: Soil, Vegetation, Water, Mineral and Marine Resources. 

Also go through UGC NET Important Topics for Geography and other subjects.

UGC NET Geography Exam Pattern 2025

As per the UGC NET Geography Exam Pattern, the exam will be conducted in the form of a Computer based test over a duration of 3 hours. The following is a paper-wise marking scheme for the UGC NET Geography paper –

UGC NET Geography Paper

Number of Questions

Marks

Paper-I Teaching & Research Aptitude

50

100

Paper-II Geography

100

200

Total Weightage 

150

300

Go through the complete UGC NET Exam Pattern in detail.

Best Books to Prepare UGC NET Geography Syllabus

One of the best reference books to cover the UGC NET JRF Geography Syllabus is "Mastering Geography for UGC NET" by Manjeet Singh. It provides an up-to-date overview of each topic in the syllabus along with relevant maps and diagrams. "Indian Geography" by Ghosh and Gupta is another comprehensive textbook that covers both physical and human geography in detail. "Concise Indian Geography" by Majid Hussain is a concise yet information-packed book that is ideal for last-minute revisions. For physical geography, "Elementary Surveying" by Punmia and "Fundamentals of Physical Geography" by Strahler are useful. For human and world geography, NCERT's school level geography textbooks, "State of Indian Farmers" by Mishra, and "Social Geography" by Nigam are good options. Previous years' UGC NET solved question papers are recommended to help in practicing past year questions.

Go through an expert list of UGC NET Geography Books to streamline your preparation.

Tips to Cover UGC NET Geography Syllabus

The UGC NET Geography syllabus is quite vast, so proper planning and strategy is important. Some effective ways to cover the complete Geography syllabus for UGC NET are –

  • Analyze the syllabus thoroughly and make topic-wise notes/flashcards of important concepts.
  • Devote time equally to both Physical and Human Geography topics. Don't leave any part of the syllabus for last minute.
  • Refer to reliable reference books for in-depth understanding of concepts. NCERT textbooks are also helpful.
  • Practice previous year question papers to assess your strengths and weaknesses. Focus more on weak areas.
  • Create concept maps/mind maps to visualize linkages between topics for quick revision.
  • Discuss difficult topics with friends to clear doubts. Taking mock tests helps too.
  • Timely revisions at regular intervals ensures topics are fresh. Revise notes daily and keep revising.
  • Maintain current awareness by being up-to-date with latest news, policies and developments in the subject.

Go through UGC NET Exam Dates to be prepared with the complete Geography syllabus well in advance.

Did you find this article on UGC NET Geography Syllabus for Paper 2 to be useful and informative in your exam preparation? Download the Testbook App to get access to industry-best learning resources, expert-recommended preparation tips as well as latest updates about the UGC NET & JRF Exam and other government recruitments.

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