Geography Class 12 Syllabus 2025

The syllabus is divided into two parts: (A) Fundamentals of Human Geography (B) India: People and Economy. The theory paper is of 70 marks and 3 hours duration.

Geography Class 12 Syllabus 2025

Exam Structure

Unit Chapter Marks
A  Fundamentals of Human Geography   
1  Human Geography  3
2 Population and Human Development 8
3 Human Activities; Transport, Communication and Trade 19
  Map Work 5
B India: People and Economy  
1 Population 5
2 Human Settlements 3
3 Resources and Development 10
4 Transport, Communication and International Trade 7
5 Geographical Perspective on selected issues and problems 5
  Map Work 5
  Total 70

A. Fundamentals of Human Geography

Unit 1: Human Geography

  • Define the term human geography
  • Elucidate the Interdependence between Nature and Human beings.
  • State the fields and subfields of Human Geography and its relation with other branches of Social Sciences.
  • Differentiate between Environmental Determinism and Possibilism.
  • Explain Neo-determinism with examples from real life.

Unit 2: The World Population - distribution, density and growth

  • Calculate density of population, birth rate and death rate.
  • Name and define the components responsible for population change.
  • Understand the stages of population growth in the world using Demographic Transition Theory.
  • Suggest measures to control population growth.
  • Define the following terms: Growth of population, Natural growth of population, Positive growth of population, Negative growth of population

Unit 3: Human development

  • Differentiate between growth and development
  • Explain the three basic indicators of human development and measure the level of Human Development.
  • Describe Human Development Index published by UNDP.
  • Compare HDI with Human Poverty Index.
  • Explain the key pillars of human development with examples.
  • Compare Income approach, Welfare approach, Basic Needs approach and capability approach to understand the concept Human Development.
  • To categories countries on the basis of their HDI and explain their characteristics.

Unit 4: Primary Activities

  • Define the following terms: Economic activities, Primary activities, Red Collar Worker, Pastoral Nomadism
  • Explain food gathering as an economic activity.
  • Distinguish between pastoral nomadism and commercial livestock rearing.
  • Differentiate between primitive subsistence and intensive subsistence farming.
  • Describe the characteristic features of plantation agriculture as a type of commercial farming.
  • Analyse why is there low yield per acre but high yield per person in areas of extensive grain cultivation.
  • Compare and contrast the farming practices in the developed urban areas of the world.
  • Analyse how the model of Kolkhoz introduced in the erstwhile USSR boost agricultural production.
  • Examine the reasons for success of cooperative farming in the European countries.
  • Differentiate between open cast mining and shaft mining.
  • Discuss how mining can have impact on humans and environment.

Unit 5: Secondary Activities

  • Explain key concepts such as, large-scale manufacturing, high technology industry, organizational set up, foot-loose industries, Agri business etc.
  • Identify and explain the factors affecting the location an industry.
  • Differentiate between different types of industries on the basis of size, raw material, ownership and output.
  • Differentiate between cottage industry and small scale industry.
  • Explain the importance of high-tech industries and reason for them being attracted to the peripheral areas of major metropolitan cities.
  • Compare large scale industry and modern high tech industry with examples
  • Understands and analyses the interrelationship between industrial development and standard of living.

Unit 6: Tertiary and Quaternary Activities

  • Compare and contrast traditional and modern economic activities.
  • Students correlate tertiary activities and their role in the economic development of a country.
  • Describe different types of tertiary activities.
  • Discuss different types of trading centres found in rural and urban areas and role played by them in local economy.
  • Describe quinary activities and its role in advanced economies.
  • Discuss how tertiary, quaternary and quinary activities have replaced jobs in primary and secondary sectors.
  • Define the following terms: BPO, Outsourcing, KPO, Departmental Store, Chain Store, Wholesale trading

Unit 7: Transport and Communication

  • Compare and contrast various modes of transport.
  • Explain the relationship of transport and communication networks to economic development of a region.
  • Describe the major highways and major rail networks of different continents.
  • Discuss the location and economic significance of Trans Siberian Railway, Trans Canadian Railway, The Union and Pacific Railway and Trans Australian Railway.
  • Describe the location and the economic importance of the major sea routes of the world.
  • Discuss how Suez Canal and Panama Canal serve as major gateways of commerce for both the eastern and the western world.
  • Discuss how the modern communication systems have made the concept of global village a reality.

Unit 8: International Trade

  • Define international trade and describe how it impacts various countries.
  • Describe the basis of International Trade.
  • Discuss types of and aspects International trade.
  • Explain the term Dumping, Trade liberalisation and Globalisation.
  • Discuss the impact of WTO on current global trade.
  • Evaluate how international trade can be detrimental to some nations.
  • Analyse how sea ports act as chief gateways of International trade.

B. India: People and Economy

Unit 1: Population: Distribution, Density, Growth and Composition

  • Differentiate between distribution of population and density of population.
  • Define: Physiological Density, Agricultural Density, Population doubling time, Working Population, Participation Rate, Main Worker, Marginal Worker, Rural Population, Urban Population, Adolescent Population.
  • Discuss the factors responsible for uneven distribution of population in India.
  • Explain trends of population growth in India since 1901.
  • Describe rural-urban population composition, religious composition linguistic composition and sectoral composition of work force in India.
  • Discuss the occupational structure of India’s population.

Unit 2: Human Settlements 

  • Differentiate between rural and urban settlement.
  • Describe the factors that govern the types of rural settlement in India.
  • Compare and contrast clustered, semi clustered, Hamleted and dispersed settlement with examples.
  • Describe the evolution of towns in India since prehistoric times.
  • Classify towns on the basis of their functions.

Unit 3: Land Resources and Agriculture

  • Name and define the land use categories.
  • Compare the Changes in shares of Land-use Categories in India between 1950 and 2014.
  • Discuss the importance of common property resources for the community.
  • Compare dryland and Wetland farming and evaluate its importance.
  • Compare the geographical conditions required for the growth of the following crops and their distribution/growing areas.
  • Rice, Wheat, Jowar, Pulses, Oilseeds, Cotton, Jute, Sugarcane, Tea, Coffee
  • Evaluate technological developments that have taken place in Indian agriculture since Independence.
  • Discuss the challenges faced by the Indian farmers and suggest measures to overcome them.

Unit 4: Water Resources

  • Describes the available water resources in India.
  • Evaluates the water demand and supply in India.
  • Discuss the reasons for water scarcity in the country.
  • Discuss water resources in India, its geographical distribution, sectoral utilization, and methods of its conservation and management.
  • Recognize various emerging water problems and analyse the causes for deterioration of quality of water.
  • Evaluate the scope to use rainwater harvesting techniques to conserve precious water resources.

Unit 5: Mineral and energy resources

  • Classify minerals on the basis of chemical and physical properties.
  • Describe the major mineral belts of India and mark them on an outline map of India.
  • Describe different types of nonconventional mineral resources.
  • Analyse why the renewable energy resources will be the future source of resources.
  • Suggest measures to conserve our non-renewable resources.
  • On an outline political Map of India mark and label the following:
    • a. Iron-ore mines: Mayurbhanj, Bailadila, Ratnagiri, Bellary
    • b. Manganese mines: Balaghat, Shimoga
    • c. Copper mines: Hazaribagh, Singhbhum, Khetari
    • d. Bauxite mines: Katni, Bilaspur and Koraput
    • e. Coal mines: Jharia, Bokaro, Raniganj, Neyveli
    • f. Oil Refineries: Mathura, Jamnager, Barauni

Unit 6: Planning and sustainable development in Indian Context

  • Develop an understanding about various types of planning.
  • Justify the need for target areas and target groups planning by the Planning Commission with examples.
  • Explains the aims and approaches of the Hill Area Development Programme, Drought prone area Programme.
  • Critically evaluate the aims and social benefits of ITDP in the Bharmaur tribal region.
  • Evaluate the measures that can be taken to promote sustainable development in Indira Gandhi Canal Command Area.

Unit 7: Transport and communication

  • Develops an understanding about various means of transport being used in different parts of India.
  • Analyse the impact of the physical environment on development of various modes in different regions.
  • Describe different types of highways found in different parts of our country.
  • Discuss the role of Indian Railways in the growth of India’s economy with focus on recent technological advancements.
  • Describe the five National Waterways of our country.
  • Discuss the role of OIL and Gail in development of gas pipelines in India.
  • Discuss reasons for the state wise variation in road density in India.
  • Elucidate the impact of modern communication networks in our life.
  • Mark and label the following on an outline political map of India: Terminal stations of north south corridor, East west corridor & golden quadrilateral

Unit 8: International Trade

  • Give reasons for changing pattern of the composition of India’s import and export.
  • Discuss the strategies adopted by India to double its share in the international trade.
  • Evaluate the role of sea ports as gateways of international trade with examples.
  • Mark and label the major sea ports and airports on an outline map of India.
  • Major Sea Ports: Kandla, Mumbai, Marmagao, Kochi, Mangalore, Tuticorin, Chennai, Vishakhapatnam, Paradwip, Haldia
  • International Air ports: Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Guwahati, Delhi, Amritsar, Thiruvananthapuram & Hyderabad.

Unit 9: Geographical Perspective on selected issues

  • Classify types of pollution based on the medium through which pollutants are transported and diffused.
  • Explain various sources of pollution and summarise the state of water, air, land and noise pollution in India.
  • Analyse the rural-urban migration and its role in pollution.
  • Describe the health and social problems of slum dwellers with reference to Dharavi.
  • Describe the natural and human causes of land degradation and suggest measures to control land degradation in India.
  • Suggest measures to control different types of pollutions and evaluate the effectiveness of the Swachh Bharat Mission.
  • Discuss the problems related to urban waste disposal and suggest measures to convert waste into wealth.