UPSC Prelims 2008 Q50: Geography – World Physical Geography

UPSC Prelims 2008, General Studies Paper I · Geography

Which one of the following cities is nearest to the equator?

Answer: (d) Singapore

Explanation

Which city is nearest to the equator

Among these four Southeast Asian capital/major cities, one sits almost directly on the equator.

Option	Verdict	Reason
(a) Colombo	Incorrect	Located at roughly 7°N, farther from the equator
(b) Jakarta	Incorrect	Located at roughly 6°S, somewhat close but not the closest
(c) Manila	Incorrect	Located at roughly 14°N, considerably farther from the equator
(d) Singapore	Correct	Singapore sits at roughly 1.35°N, making it the closest to the equator among these four cities

Latitude comparison:

Answer: (d) Singapore.

(a) Incorrect. Colombo, at ~7°N, is farther from the equator than Singapore.
(b) Incorrect. Jakarta, at ~6°S, is also farther from the equator than Singapore.
(c) Incorrect. Manila, at ~14°N, is considerably farther from the equator.
(d) CORRECT. Singapore, at ~1.35°N, is the closest to the equator among these four cities.

Singapore, at approximately 1.35°N latitude, is the city nearest to the equator among Colombo, Jakarta, Manila, and Singapore.

Among Colombo, Jakarta, Manila, and Singapore, Singapore is nearest to the equator.

Assuming Jakarta, being well-known as an equatorial city, must be closer than Singapore, without checking precise latitudes.
Not knowing the precise latitude values for each of these major cities.
Confusing 'located near the equator in general' with the SPECIFIC closest city among a given list.

Singapore (~1.35°N) is closer to the equator than Jakarta (~6°S), Colombo (~7°N), or Manila (~14°N).

Encyclopaedia Britannica — Singapore
Central Intelligence Agency — The World Factbook: Singapore (Geography: geographic coordinates)