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Q36 (IAS/2019) Geography › Maps & Locations › World physical geography Official Key

Consider the following pairs : Sea Bordering country 1. Adriatic Sea : Albania 2. Black Sea : Croatia 3. Caspian Sea : Kazakhstan 4. Mediterranean Sea : Morocco 5. Red Sea : Syria Which of the pairs given above are correctly matched?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: B
Explanation

The correct answer is option B (1, 3 and 4 only).

Albania has a coast on the Adriatic Sea[1], making pair 1 correct. Kazakhstan has ports on the Caspian Sea[3], confirming pair 3 is correct. Morocco is separated from European nations by the Strait of Gibraltar, which links to the Mediterranean Sea[4], and the Alboran Sea (part of the Mediterranean) lies between north Africa and the Iberian Peninsula[5], making pair 4 correct.

Pair 2 is incorrect because Croatia has a coast on the Adriatic Sea[1], not the Black Sea. The Black Sea is bordered by countries like Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey. Pair 5 is also incorrect as Syria does not border the Red Sea; it has a Mediterranean coastline instead.

Therefore, only pairs 1, 3, and 4 are correctly matched.

Sources
  1. [2] https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/099053024123058965/pdf/P50057713d247d0ea18e1d19f0dca13c1b7.pdf
  2. [3] https://eol.jsc.nasa.gov/SearchPhotos/Technical.pl?feat=TOWN&SearchFeatCB=on
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Q. Consider the following pairs : Sea Bordering country 1. Adriatic Sea : Albania 2. Black Sea : Croatia 3. Caspian Sea : Kazakhstan 4. Med…
At a glance
Origin: Mostly Current Affairs Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 8/10
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This is a classic 'Sitter' disguised as a list. While it touches regions often in the news (Syria, Caspian energy), it is fundamentally a static Atlas question. It tests your mental map of the 'Eurasian Hinge'—the belt of seas separating Europe, Asia, and Africa.

How this question is built

This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.

Statement 1
Does the Adriatic Sea border Albania?
Origin: Web / Current Affairs Fairness: CA heavy Web-answerable

Web source
Presence: 5/5
"Greece, Italy, Albania, Croatia, Montenegro, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina all have coasts on the Adriatic Sea."
Why this source?
  • Explicitly lists Albania among countries with coasts on the Adriatic Sea.
  • Directly affirms that Albania has a coastline on the Adriatic, answering the question.
Web source
Presence: 4/5
"Albania and Italy determined their sea border in 1992 according to the equidistance principle."
Why this source?
  • States that Albania and Italy determined their sea border, implying Albania borders the Adriatic.
  • Provides supporting detail about Albania's maritime boundary in the Adriatic region.

Certificate Physical and Human Geography , GC Leong (Oxford University press 3rd ed.) > Chapter 10: Coastal Landforms > Types of Coast > p. 94
Strength: 4/5
“Its mid-channel. Despite their deep and sheltered water, few large ports are located in fiords. Their mountainous background with poor accessibility inland attract few settlements. Agriculture is confined to the deltaic fans, built up where streams flow down to the fiords. The few towns that exist either as fishing or market centres, e.g. Trondheim, are only of local importance. 3. Dalmatian coast. This is the longitudinal coast where mountains run parallel or concordant to the coast. The name is taken from the coast of Dalmatia, Yugoslavia, along the Adriatic Sea, where the submergence of the coastline produces long, narrow inlets with a chain of islands parallel to the coast.”
Why relevant

Defines the 'Dalmatian coast' as the coast of Dalmatia (in the former Yugoslavia) along the Adriatic Sea, linking the Adriatic to the Balkan coastline.

How to extend

A student could use this pattern (Adriatic = coastal sea of the Balkans) with a map of the Balkans to check whether Albania lies on that same coastline.

Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 17: Major Landforms and Cycle of Erosion > 17.2. Karst Landforms and Cycle of Erosion > p. 226
Strength: 3/5
“• Karsts are so named after a province of erstwhile Yugoslavia (in Balkans) on the Adriatic Sea coast where such formations are most noticeable. Karst landforms are characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes, fissures, caves, etc. formed from the dissolution (chemical weathering) and erosion”
Why relevant

States that 'Karsts' are named after a province in the erstwhile Yugoslavia on the Adriatic Sea coast, connecting karst topography to the Adriatic-adjacent Balkan region.

How to extend

Use the geographic link (Adriatic coast = part of the Balkans) plus a basic map to see if Albania is within that Adriatic-adjacent Balkan area.

FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 6: Landforms and their Evolution > GROUNDWATER > p. 52
Strength: 3/5
“These two processes of solution and precipitation are active in limestones or dolomites occurring either exclusively or interbedded with other rocks. Any limestone or dolomitic region showing typical landforms produced by the action of groundwater through the processes of solution and deposition is called Karst topography after the typical topography developed in limestone rocks of Karst region in the Balkans adjacent to Adriatic sea. The karst topography is also characterised by erosional and depositional landforms.”
Why relevant

Describes 'Karst region in the Balkans adjacent to Adriatic sea', again tying the Adriatic to the Balkan landmass.

How to extend

Combine this Balkans–Adriatic association with knowledge/maps of which Balkan states lie on the western edge (coast) to infer whether Albania is among them.

Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 23: Pressure Systems and Wind System > Mistral > p. 323
Strength: 2/5
“• Mistral is a cold wind from the Alps rushing down the Rhone valley (France) and towards the Mediterranean Sea in violent gusts. The velocity of the Mistral is intensified by the funnelling effect in the valley between the Alps and the Central Massif (Plateau in France). It is a very cold and dry wind that blows at high speed. It brings blizzards into southern France. • A similar type of cold north-easterly wind experienced along the Adriatic coast is called the Bora.• Tramontan, Levanter and Gregale are similar cold winds of the Mediterranean Sea.”
Why relevant

Mentions a wind ('Bora') experienced along the Adriatic coast, implying a continuous coastal zone with distinct local features.

How to extend

A student could look at a regional map to identify the Adriatic coastal zone referenced and see whether Albania sits on that coast where such winds occur.

Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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Statement analysis

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