CBSE Class 12 Geography Syllabus 2024-25: A Comprehensive Guide

Overview: To score 100/100 in your Geography board exam, a thorough understanding of the CBSE Class 12 Geography syllabus, including its objectives, unit-wise weightage, marking structure, and reference books, is what you need!

The CBSE Class 12 Geography exam has two parts: Theory and practical. The CBSE Class 12 Geography Syllabus for theory paper is worth 70 marks, and the Practical paper is worth 30. It is divided into 2 books: 

• Book 1: 3 units with 8 chapters
• Book 2: 5 units with 9 chapters

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CBSE Class 12 Geography Syllabus 2024-25: Overview

Geography is introduced as an elective subject at the senior secondary stage. It explores the relationship between people and their environment.

The class 12th syllabus for Geography includes studies of physical and human environments and their interactions at different local, state/regional, national, and global levels. 

The objectives are-  

• Broaden students' perspective on human-environment interactions. 
• Understand population dynamics, resources, and the development spectrum. 
• Provide insights into the spatial attributes of India's diverse landscape and socio-economic entities. 

The important highlights of the CBSE Class 12 Geography exam pattern are listed below. 

• Subject Code: 029 
• The examination is segmented into Theory and Practicals. 
• Theory Paper: 70 marks 
• Practical Exam: 30 marks

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CBSE Class 12 Geography Exam: Marking Scheme

The table below shows the units included in the syllabus of Geography class 12 CBSE 2024-25 and the weightage for each:  

Units	Weightage
Book 1- Fundamentals of Human Geography
Human Geography	3
The World Population Density Distribution and Growth and Human Development	8
Primary Activities, Secondary Activities, Tertiary and Quaternary Activities, Transport, Communication and Trade, International Trade	19
Map work	5
Book 2 -India People and Economy
Population Distribution Density Growth and Composition	5
Human Settlements	3
Land Resources and Agriculture, Water Resources, Mineral And Energy Resources, Planning and Sustainable Development in Indian Context	10
Transport and Communication, International Trade	7
Geographical Perspective on selected issues and problems	5
Map Work (Based on Marking and labelling on a political Map of India	5
Grand Total	70

CBSE Class 12 Geography Syllabus PDF Download

Click on the button below to download the official PDF geography (Map & Practical Syllabus): 

CBSE Class 12 Geography Syllabus PDF   

CBSE Class 12 Geography Syllabus 2024-25

Book 1: Fundamentals of Human Geography: Chapters & Learning Outcomes

Chapter 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. 

Chapter 2 - The World Population distribution, density and growth 

• Calculate the density of the 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 

Chapter 3 - Human Development

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

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Chapter 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 there is a low yield per acre but a 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 boosts agricultural production. 
• Examine the reasons for the success of cooperative farming in the European countries. 
• Differentiate between open-cast mining and shaft mining. 
• Discuss how mining can have an impact on humans and the environment. 

Chapter 5 - Secondary Activities 

• Explain key concepts such as large-scale manufacturing, high-tech industry, organizational set-up, foot-loose industries, Agribusiness, etc. 
• Identify and explain the factors affecting the location of an industry. 
• Differentiate between different types of industries based on size, raw material, ownership and output. 
• Differentiate between cottage industry and small-scale industry. 
• Explain the importance of high-tech industries and why they are 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. 

Chapter 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 the different trading centres in rural and urban areas and their role in the local economy. 
• Describe quinary activities and their 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, and Wholesale Trading. 

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Chapter 7- Transport and Communication

• Compare and contrast various modes of transport. 
• Explain the relationship of transport and communication networks to the economic development of a region. 
• Describe the major highways and major rail networks of different continents. 
• Discuss the location and economic significance of the Trans-Siberian, Trans-Canadian, Union and Pacific, and Trans-Australian Railways. 
• Describe the location and the economic importance of the major sea routes of the world. 
• Discuss how the Suez Canal and Panama Canal are major commerce gateways for the Eastern and Western worlds. 
• Discuss how modern communication systems have made a 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 of International trade. 
• Explain the terms 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 seaports act as chief gateways of International trade 

Book 2: India People and Economy: Chapters & Learning Outcomes

The CBSE Class 12 Geography Syllabus contains 9 chapters from this book, and it covers some important long questions. You must check this book's important questions for Geography to prepare well. 

Chapter 1 - Population 

• Differentiate between the 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, and Adolescent Population. 
• Discuss the factors responsible for the uneven distribution of population in India. 
• Explain trends of population growth in India since 1901. 
• Describe the composition of the rural-urban population, religious composition, linguistic composition, and sectoral composition of the workforce in India. 
• Discuss the occupational structure of India’s population. 

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Chapter 2 - Human Settlements 

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

Chapter  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.

Chapter 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 conservation and management methods.
• Recognize various emerging water problems and analyse the causes of the deterioration of water quality.
• Evaluate the scope to use rainwater harvesting techniques to conserve precious water resources.

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Chapter 5 - Mineral and energy resources 

• Classify minerals based on 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 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:

• Iron-ore mines: Mayurbhanj, Bailadila, Ratnagiri, Bellary
• Manganese mines: Balaghat, Shimoga
• Copper mines: Hazaribagh, Singhbhum, Khetari
• Bauxite mines: Katni, Bilaspur and Koraput
• Coal mines: Jharia, Bokaro, Raniganj, Neyveli
• Oil Refineries: Mathura, Jamnager, Barauni

Chapter 6 - Planning and Sustainable Development in the Indian Context 

• Develop an understanding of various types of planning.
• Justify the Planning Commission's need for target areas and target group planning with examples.
• Explains the aims and approaches of the Hill Area Development Programme and the Drought-Prone Area Programme. Critically evaluates 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 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 the Indira Gandhi Canal Command Area.

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Chapter 7 - Transport and Communication 

• Develop an understanding of various means of transport used in different parts of India.
• Analyse the impact of the physical environment on the 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, focusing on recent technological advancements.
• Describe the five National Waterways of our country.
• Discuss the role of OIL and Gail in developing 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 lives.
• Mark and label the following on an outline political map of India: Terminal stations of the north-south corridor, the west corridor & Golden Quadrilateral.

Chapter 8 - International Trade 

• Give reasons for the changing the composition of India’s import and export pattern.
• Discuss the strategies adopted by India to double its share in international trade. Evaluate the role of seaports 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 Airports: Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Guwahati, Delhi, Amritsar, Thiruvananthapuram & Hyderabad. 

Chapter 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 pollution 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. 

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NCERT Prescribed Textbook for CBSE Class 12 Geography Syllabus 

NCERT Prescribed Textbooks covering the CBSE Class 12 geography syllabus term 1 & term 2 is as follows -

1. Fundamentals of Human Geography
2. India- People and Economy
3. Practical Work in Geography- Part II

Key Takeaways

The CBSE Class 12 geography syllabus is divided into 17 chapters across 2 books. Be well-acquainted with the syllabus, exam pattern, and recommended reference books. 

• Conceptual Clarity: Focus on understanding the underlying concepts rather than rote memorization.
• Map Work: Practice map reading and interpretation regularly to enhance spatial thinking.
• Practical Application: Relate geographical concepts to real-world examples and current events.
• Time Management: Create a study schedule to cover all topics effectively.