RAS question
The Northern Circars, a historical region on the eastern coast, extends from:
Correct answer: (B) Mahanadi delta to Krishna River delta.
The Northern Circars extend from the Mahanadi delta in Odisha to the Krishna River delta in Andhra Pradesh.
Explanation
The Northern Circars are the northern section of the eastern coastal plain, running from the Mahanadi delta in Odisha to the Krishna River delta in Andhra Pradesh. This makes option B correct because it gives the two bounding deltaic landmarks, not merely two coastal cities. The region also fits the wider character of the eastern coastal plain: it is broader than the western coast and includes the fertile deltas of the Mahanadi, Godavari and Krishna rivers. Major associated features such as Chilika Lake and Kolleru Lake reinforce that this is an east-coast, delta-rich belt, historically known for rice-producing alluvial soils.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Chennai to Rameswaram falls on the Coromandel side of the eastern coast, not the Northern Circars stretch from Mahanadi to Krishna.
- (C) Goa to Mangalore is on the western coast, whereas the Northern Circars are explicitly an eastern coastal plain region.
- (D) Kolkata to Mahanadi refers to a different coastal section north of the Mahanadi limit, so it misses the Mahanadi-to-Krishna extent of the Northern Circars.
Concept
This tests the regional division of India’s coastal plains, especially how the eastern coastal plain is identified through river deltas. RAS repeats such map-based geography because historical names, deltas and coastal physiography often overlap in prelims questions.