Question map
Not attempted Correct Incorrect ★ Bookmarked
Loading…
Q61 (IAS/2023) Geography › Maps & Locations › Regional political geography Official Key

Consider the following countries : 1. Bulgaria 2. Czech Republic 3. Hungary 4. Latvia 5. Lithuania 6. Romania How many of the above-mentioned countries share a land border with Ukraine?

Result
Your answer: —  ·  Correct: A
Explanation

The correct answer is Option 1 (Only two). To determine the correct answer, one must examine the geography of Eastern Europe and Ukraine's land borders.

Ukraine shares land borders with seven countries in total:

  • Belarus (North)
  • Russia (East/Northeast)
  • Poland (West)
  • Slovakia (West)
  • Hungary (West)
  • Romania (Southwest)
  • Moldova (Southwest)

Applying the list provided in the question:

  • Hungary (3) and Romania (6) are the only two countries from the list that share a direct land border with Ukraine.
  • Bulgaria is separated from Ukraine by Romania and the Black Sea.
  • Latvia and Lithuania are Baltic states separated from Ukraine by Belarus.
  • The Czech Republic is a landlocked country separated from Ukraine by Poland and Slovakia.

Since only Hungary and Romania qualify, the correct count is two.

How others answered
Each bar shows the % of students who chose that option. Green bar = correct answer, blue outline = your choice.
Community Performance
Out of everyone who attempted this question.
57%
got it right
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Full view
Don’t just practise – reverse-engineer the question. This panel shows where this PYQ came from (books / web), how the examiner broke it into hidden statements, and which nearby micro-concepts you were supposed to learn from it. Treat it like an autopsy of the question: what might have triggered it, which exact lines in the book matter, and what linked ideas you should carry forward to future questions.
Q. Consider the following countries : 1. Bulgaria 2. Czech Republic 3. Hungary 4. Latvia 5. Lithuania 6. Romania How many of the abov…
At a glance
Origin: Mixed / unclear origin Fairness: Low / Borderline fairness Books / CA: 0/10 · 0/10

This is a classic 'Conflict Cartography' question. The Russia-Ukraine war made the map of Eastern Europe the most viewed image of 2022-23. Strategy: If a country is in the news for war, you MUST memorize its immediate land neighbors, maritime boundaries, and 'choke points' immediately.

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
List all of the following countries that share a land border with Ukraine: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania; and return the count.
Origin: Weak / unclear Fairness: Borderline / guessy
Indirect textbook clues
History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 15: The World after World War II > Warsaw Treaty Organisation > p. 248
Strength: 4/5
“When West Germany became a member of NATO, USSR saw it as a direct threat and decided to make a counter arrangement. In May 1955, a "treaty of mutual friendship, co-operation and mutual assistance" was signed by Soviet Union and seven of its European allies. It was named As the Warsaw Pact, as the treaty was signed in Warsaw, the capital of Poland. The members were Soviet Union, Albania, Poland, Romania, Hungary, East Germany, Czechoslovakia, and Bulgaria. The treaty called upon member states to come to the defence of any member if it was attacked by an outside force. A unified military command under Marshall Ivan S.”
Why relevant

Lists Eastern European states (Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia) as members of the Warsaw Pact, indicating these countries occupy the same regional space as Ukraine.

How to extend

A student could use a modern map of Eastern Europe to see which of those regional states physically abut Ukraine today.

Contemporary World Politics, Textbook in political science for Class XII (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 1: The End of Bipolarity > Tensions and Conflicts > p. 11
Strength: 5/5
“close to West Asia. After 11 September 2001, the US wanted military bases in the region and paid the governments of all Central Asian states to hire bases and to allow airplanes to fly over their territory during the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. However, Russia perceives these states as its 'Near Abroad' and believes that they should be under Russian influence. China has interests here because of the oil resources, and the Chinese have begun to settle around the borders and conduct trade. I n e a s t e r n E u r o p e , Czechoslovakia split peacefully into two, with the Czechs and the Slovaks forming independent countries.”
Why relevant

Notes that Czechoslovakia split into the Czechs and the Slovaks, indicating the Czech Republic is a successor state distinct from Slovakia.

How to extend

Knowing the Czech Republic and Slovakia are separate, a student can check a map to eliminate the Czech Republic if Slovakia (not listed) is the one geographically adjacent to Ukraine.

History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 14: Outbreak of World War II and its Impact in Colonies > Peace Conference, 1946 > p. 228
Strength: 5/5
“Reparation to Russia: Hungary, Belgium and Finland were to give $100,000,000 to Russia. Bulgaria was to pay $25,000,000 to Yugoslavia and $4,000,000 to Greece. Rumania agreed to give back Bessarabia, acquired in 1919, and Bukovina to Russia. The Belgium treaties guaranteed the free navigation of the Danube. But it was blocked by Russia. The treaties came into effect from 15 September 1947. But the provisions were either violated or ignored. Austria: Disputes arose over the claim of Yugoslavia to a portion of Austrian territory in southern Carinthia. Yugoslavia also demanded $150,000,000 as reparation. The problematic issue of defining German assets could not be resolved even though the commission set up for this purpose met in 85 sessions.”
Why relevant

Mentions Rumania (Romania) returning Bessarabia and Bukovina — historical regions tied to the Black Sea/Danube area near Ukraine.

How to extend

A student can locate Bessarabia/Bukovina on a map to infer Romania's border proximity to Ukraine and thus test whether Romania shares a land border with Ukraine.

Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 92: World Constitutions > SOVIET CONSTITUTION > p. 686
Strength: 3/5
“These units of the Soviet Federation were Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Lithuania, Moldova, Latvia,”
Why relevant

Lists Latvia and Lithuania among units of the Soviet Federation alongside Ukraine, implying geographic connection within the broader USSR territory.

How to extend

A student could consult a map of the former USSR to judge which Soviet republics were contiguous with Ukraine and thereby assess if Latvia or Lithuania border Ukraine today.

India and the Contemporary World - I. History-Class IX . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 2: Socialism in Europe and the Russian Revolution > 2.1 The Russian Empire in 1914 > p. 30
Strength: 2/5
“In 1914, Tsar Nicholas II ruled Russia and its empire. Besides the territory around Moscow, the Russian empire included current-day Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, parts of Poland, Ukraine and Belarus. It stretched to the Pacific and comprised today's Central Asian states, as well as Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. The majority religion was Russian Orthodox Christianity – which had grown out of the Greek Orthodox Church – but the empire also included Catholics, Protestants, Muslims and Buddhists. India and the Contemporary World”
Why relevant

Describes the geographic extent of the Russian Empire including Latvia, Lithuania and Ukraine, showing these entities have been in the same contiguous imperial space.

How to extend

Using a historical/modern map, a student could trace relative locations to determine whether the Baltic states (Latvia/Lithuania) extend to touch Ukraine in current borders.

Pattern takeaway: UPSC loves 'Neighborhood Geography' for conflict zones. They test if you know the specific physical adjacencies that dictate logistics, refugee flows, and military strategy, rather than just the political headlines.
How you should have studied
  1. [THE VERDICT]: Sitter. Derived directly from daily news maps of the Russia-Ukraine war; no obscure book required.
  2. [THE CONCEPTUAL TRIGGER]: Places in News (International Relations) – specifically Conflict Zones and Refugee Corridors.
  3. [THE HORIZONTAL EXPANSION]: Neighbors of Israel (Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon); Neighbors of Sudan (7 countries); The 'Stans' bordering Afghanistan; Countries bordering the Red Sea vs. Persian Gulf.
  4. [THE STRATEGIC METACOGNITION]: When reading about a war, stop reading the text. Open an atlas. Trace the border. Identify the 'Buffer States' (e.g., Belarus separates the Baltics from Ukraine; Slovakia separates Czechia from Ukraine).
Concept hooks from this question
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S1
👉 Soviet Union constituent republics
💡 The insight

Knowing which modern states were Soviet republics clarifies regional groupings and historical ties in Eastern Europe and around Ukraine.

High-yield: UPSC questions often probe Cold War and post-Soviet geopolitics; mastering which countries were USSR republics helps infer cultural, political and boundary legacies, links to modern conflicts, and aids elimination in map-based MCQs.

📚 Reading List :
  • Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 92: World Constitutions > SOVIET CONSTITUTION > p. 686
  • India and the Contemporary World - I. History-Class IX . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 2: Socialism in Europe and the Russian Revolution > 2.1 The Russian Empire in 1914 > p. 30
🔗 Anchor: "List all of the following countries that share a land border with Ukraine: Bulga..."
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S1
👉 Warsaw Pact membership and Central/Eastern European alliances
💡 The insight

Identifying Warsaw Pact members highlights which Central and Eastern European states were in Soviet-aligned blocs and commonly discussed together with Ukraine-region geopolitics.

Important for history and international relations: knowing alliance membership helps answer questions on Cold War alignments, regional security dynamics, and post-1945 political order, which often overlaps with questions about borders and neighbouring states.

📚 Reading List :
  • History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 15: The World after World War II > Warsaw Treaty Organisation > p. 248
🔗 Anchor: "List all of the following countries that share a land border with Ukraine: Bulga..."
📌 Adjacent topic to master
S1
👉 Russian Empire territorial extent before 1914
💡 The insight

Understanding the pre-1914 Russian Empire's reach explains historical administration of territories that later formed modern states in the Ukraine neighbourhood.

Useful for historical geography and boundary evolution questions: it links imperial administrative history to present-day borders, ethnic distributions, and state formation—frequently tested in both history and geography segments.

📚 Reading List :
  • India and the Contemporary World - I. History-Class IX . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 2: Socialism in Europe and the Russian Revolution > 2.1 The Russian Empire in 1914 > p. 30
🔗 Anchor: "List all of the following countries that share a land border with Ukraine: Bulga..."
🌑 The Hidden Trap

The Suwalki Gap: The short border between Poland and Lithuania that separates Belarus from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad. It is NATO's most vulnerable choke point.

⚡ Elimination Cheat Code

Use 'Buffer State' Logic: 1) Latvia/Lithuania are 'Baltic' (North), separated from Ukraine by Belarus. 2) Bulgaria is 'Balkan' (South), separated from Ukraine by Romania (Danube). 3) Czech Republic is West, separated from Ukraine by Slovakia. This leaves only Hungary and Romania.

🔗 Mains Connection

Mains GS-2 (IR): The geography of the refugee crisis. Poland, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia bore the primary burden of Ukrainian refugees specifically because they share *land borders*. This geographic fact dictated the EU's immediate migration policy response.

✓ Thank you! We'll review this.

SIMILAR QUESTIONS

IAS · 2009 · Q46 Relevance score: 3.45

Consider the following countries : 1. Switzerland 2. Malta 3. Bulgaria Which of the above are members of European Union?

IAS · 2025 · Q21 Relevance score: 2.51

Consider the following countries : I. Austria II. Bulgaria III. Croatia IV. Serbia V. Sweden VI. North Macedonia How many of the above are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization?

IAS · 2002 · Q120 Relevance score: 2.16

Consider the following countries: 1. Albaina 2. Bosnia Herzegovina 3. Croatia 4. Macedonia Which of these countries has/have Adriatic Sea as a boundary?

IAS · 2024 · Q8 Relevance score: 1.78

Consider the following countries : 1. Finland 2. Germany 3. Norway 4. Russia How many of the above countries have a border with the North Sea ?

IAS · 2022 · Q77 Relevance score: 0.68

Consider the following countries : 1. Azerbaijan 2. Kyrgyzstan 3. Tajikistan 4. Turkmenistan 5. Uzbekistan Which of the above have borders with Afghanistan ?