RAS question
The Sambhar Salt Lake, the largest inland salt lake in India, is located at the junction of which districts?
Correct answer: (A) Jaipur, Ajmer, and Nagaur.
Sambhar Salt Lake is located at the junction of Jaipur, Ajmer and Nagaur districts in Rajasthan.
Explanation
Sambhar Salt Lake belongs to the Jaipur-Ajmer-Nagaur district belt, and its district junction is Jaipur, Ajmer and Nagaur. The lake lies on the boundary of these three districts and has long been important as a salt source, including control by the Chahamana rulers and its role as a revenue resource. The official Rajasthan Environment Department minutes for Sambhar Lake also treat Jaipur, Ajmer and Nagaur as the relevant district administrations for the lake: they list the District Collectors of Jaipur, Ajmer and Nagaur and refer to action by the concerned district collectors. The Ramsar designation in 1990 adds the wetland-conservation angle, while the core location fact remains its position at the junction of Jaipur, Ajmer and Nagaur districts.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Jodhpur, Barmer and Pali lie in western Rajasthan and are not the Jaipur-Ajmer-Nagaur district junction associated with Sambhar Salt Lake.
- (C) Udaipur, Rajsamand and Bhilwara belong to southern Rajasthan, away from the district boundary setting for Sambhar Salt Lake.
- (D) Bikaner, Churu and Sikar point towards the Shekhawati-side district cluster, not the Jaipur, Ajmer and Nagaur junction of Sambhar Salt Lake.
Concept
Rajasthan physical geography includes the precise location of major salt lakes and Ramsar wetlands. RAS repeatedly asks such map-based facts because lakes, districts, resources and wetlands connect geography with economy, history and environment.