Question 76 from UPSC CSE 2025 - Geography

Question

Consider the following water bodies:
1. Lake Tanganyika
2. Lake Tonle Sap
3. Patos Lagoon
Through how many of them does the Equator pass?

IASCODEX · Accepted Answer

Correct Option: D. None of the above statements is correct

Strategy: Visualize world geography to recall the latitude positions of each water body. Lake Tanganyika lies just south of the Equator, but not exactly on it. Lake Tonle Sap is in Cambodia, well north of the Equator. Patos Lagoon is in southern Brazil, below the Tropic of Capricorn, far south of the Equator. None intersect the Equator. Direct factual recall and elimination of options based on geographical knowledge leads to the correct choice.

Key Info: Lake Tanganyika is located in East Africa, stretching between Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, and Zambia. Although near the Equator, the lake itself lies fully south of it. It is noted for being the world's longest freshwater lake and second deepest, after Lake Baikal. Lake Tonle Sap, in the heart of Cambodia, is the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia. It is situated at roughly 13°N latitude, thus well north of the Equator. The lake is seasonally swollen by the Mekong River, playing a key ecological and economic role for Cambodia. Patos Lagoon (Lagoa dos Patos) is found in southern Brazil, at around 31–32°S latitude. It is the largest lagoon in Brazil, separated from the Atlantic Ocean by a sandy barrier. The Equator traverses the northern portion of Brazil but does not approach Rio Grande do Sul, where this lagoon is situated. Globally, the Equator only crosses a select number of water bodies, most notably Lake Victoria in Africa—not any among the above. Thus, none of these three water bodies are intersected by the Equator.

IASCODEX · Answer

Option A: Only one

IASCODEX · Answer

Option B: Only two

IASCODEX · Answer

Option C: All three

Consider the following water bodies: Lake Tanganyika Lake Tonle Sap Patos Lagoon Through how many of them does the Equator pass?

Consider the following water bodies:

Lake Tanganyika

Lake Tonle Sap

Patos Lagoon
Through how many of them does the Equator pass?