By signing in you confirm you are 18 or older, or have your parent’s or guardian’s consent.

UPSC Prelims 2025 GS Paper 1, question 23

Topic: World and physical geography

Q23

Consider the following water bodies :

I. Lake Tanganyika

II. Lake Tonlé Sap

III. Patos Lagoon

Through how many of them does the equator pass?

  1. (a) Only one
  2. (b) Only two
  3. (c) All the three
  4. (d) NoneCorrect answer

Solution.

Answer: (d) None

  1. Item I is incorrect: Lake Tanganyika in East Africa lies entirely south of the Equator (spanning roughly 3∘20′3^\circ 20' S to 8∘48′8^\circ 48' S; the Equator passes through Lake Victoria, not Lake Tanganyika).
  2. Item II is incorrect: Lake Tonle Sap in Cambodia lies in the Northern Hemisphere (around 12∘12^\circ N to 13∘13^\circ N).
  3. Item III is incorrect: Patos Lagoon (Lagoa dos Patos) in southern Brazil lies around 30∘30^\circ S to 32∘32^\circ S.

Trap: Do not confuse Lake Tanganyika with Lake Victoria; the Equator crosses Lake Victoria, whereas Lake Tanganyika starts more than 3 degrees south of the Equator.