Soils of India
The eight soil groups on one map: where each is found, what made it, and the classic exam traps.
Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom. Tap a state to zoom into it, tap a marker for its exam facts.
Every place on this map
Asked in exams
Actual questions from UPSC and state PCS papers that this map answers. The key detail column carries the correct fact behind each question.
| Exam | Question | Key detail |
|---|---|---|
| UPPCS | Most productive soil of India: alluvial | — |
| UPSC 2002 | Alluvial soil dominates the northern plains ✓ | — |
| UPSC 2010 | No Himalaya: the plain would lack extensive alluvium ✓ | — |
| UPPCS | Bhangar in the Ganga valley is found: above present flood limits | — |
| UPPCS | Black cotton soil formed from: fissure volcanic rock | — |
| UPPCS | Also called regur: black soil | — |
| UPPCS | “Self-ploughed” soil: black cotton soil | — |
| UPPCS | Black soil is found in the Himalaya: NOT correct | — |
| UPPCS | Lava soil is found in: Malwa plateau | — |
| UPSC 2010 | TN mill yarn: black soil ✗, skilled labour ✓: 2 only | — |
| UPSC | Why is red soil red?: presence of ferric oxides | — |
| UPPCS | Mainly found in Dandakaranya: red and yellow soil | — |
| UPSC 1994 | Infertile from excess iron: lateritic | — |
| UPPCS | Laterite: lime abundant: NOT correct | — |
| UPPCS | Prominent laterite region: Malabar coast | — |
| UPPCS | Laterite soil is found in: Maharashtra | — |
| UPPCS | Largest salt-affected soil area: Gujarat | — |
| UPPCS | Largest saline soil area: Gujarat | — |
| UPPCS | Maximum alkali area: Uttar Pradesh | — |
| UPSC 2011 | Salinisation effect: makes some soils impermeable | — |
| UPSC 2014 | Irrigation over time can raise soil salinity ✓ | — |
| UPPCS | Serious soil-erosion problem: Shivalik foothills | — |
| UPPCS | Mar soil is found in: Jhansi | — |
| UPPCS | Region highly affected by soil erosion: Chambal valley | — |
| UPSC 2001 | Erosion order: splash, sheet, rill, gully | — |
| State PCS | Laterite soil forms by leaching ✓ | heavy rain washes away lime and silica; iron and aluminium left |
| RRB NTPC 2025 | Bhabar: streams disappear underground ✓ | porous pebble belt, 8-16 km wide, Shiwalik foothills |
| State PCS | Alluvial soil is India’s largest soil group ✓ | about 40% of land; Bhangar old, Khadar new |
About this map
All eight soil groups, each marked at a representative location. This is a conceptual map: soils are regions, not points. The fact explains where each group is found and its trap.
Alluvial (Indo-Gangetic), black (Deccan cotton), red, laterite, arid, saline/alkali, peaty and forest soils: the exam asks group-to-region and group-to-crop matching. Black soil's self-ploughing nature and laterite's leaching are the concept traps.
Saline and alkali soils (Reh, Usar, Kallar) appear through reclamation questions. Fix the Deccan-black and Gangetic-alluvial anchors first; the rest arrange around them.