RAS question
Kangchenjunga (8,586 m), the highest peak in India, is located in which state?
Correct answer: (B) Sikkim.
Kangchenjunga, the 8,586-metre peak recognised as India's highest peak, is located in Sikkim on the Sikkim-Nepal border.
Explanation
Kangchenjunga is associated with Sikkim, not the central or western Himalayan states. The 8,586-metre peak lies on the Sikkim-Nepal border and is both the third-highest mountain in the world and the highest peak linked with India, while Nanda Devi is the highest peak lying entirely within Indian territory. UNESCO - Khangchengdzonga National Park lists the site's location as Sikkim and states that the park includes Mount Khangchenzonga, the third-highest peak in the world at 8,586 metres. That geography fixes Sikkim as the answer.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Uttarakhand is associated with Nanda Devi, the highest peak entirely within Indian territory, not Kangchenjunga.
- (C) Himachal Pradesh is not the location of Kangchenjunga; Reo Purgyil is associated with Himachal Pradesh as its highest peak.
- (D) Arunachal Pradesh is not the location of Kangchenjunga; Kangto is associated with Arunachal Pradesh as its highest peak.
Concept
Indian physical geography requires accurate mapping of major Himalayan peaks to states and borders. RAS repeats such facts because they connect relief features, state geography and standard map-based elimination.