How are the fjords formed? Why do they constitute some of the most picturesque areas of the world?
Approach · directive: “how / why”
What it asks · Explain the glacial process behind fjords and then why the resulting landscape is so scenic.
The question has 2 parts — answer each
- Explain how fjords are formed: glacial over-deepening of valleys and their drowning by the sea
- Explain why fjords rank among the most picturesque areas of the world
Open with · Fjords are deep, narrow, steep-sided sea inlets carved by glaciers on high-latitude mountainous coasts such as Norway, Chile, New Zealand and Alaska.
Cover
- Glacial carving: valley glaciers moving towards the coast gouged deep U-shaped troughs, cutting well below the present sea level.
- Drowning: when the ice melted at the end of the glacial period, the rising sea flooded these over-deepened valleys.
- Form: steep rock walls, very deep water inland and a shallower threshold (sill) near the mouth, where the glacier thinned and eroded less.
- Scenery: sheer cliffs rising straight from still, deep water, hanging valleys with waterfalls, snow-capped peaks and mirror-like reflections.
- Setting: sheltered waters and forested slopes make them natural harbours and magnets for tourism, cruises and scenic routes.
Close with · Fjords show how ice sculpts a coast, and their drama of rock, water and light explains why they rank among the world's most admired landscapes.
Question: UPSC's CS (Main) 2023, GS Paper I — paper ↗. Approach: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify) — UPSC publishes no model answers. ·
Model answer · 223 words (UPSC limit 150) · Minimalist IAS
Fjords are long, narrow, deep sea inlets between steep walls, found on glaciated mountainous coasts such as Norway, southern Chile, New Zealand's South Island and Alaska.
How fjords are formed
- During the ice ages, valley glaciers flowing to the coast gouged their valleys into deep U-shaped troughs, plucking and abrading rock far below today's sea level.
- Erosion was deepest inland where the ice was thickest and least near the mouth where the glacier thinned or floated, leaving a shallow rock threshold, the sill.
- When the ice melted and the sea rose, it flooded these over-deepened valleys; Norway's Sognefjord runs more than 200 km inland with still, deep water behind its sill.
- Tributary glaciers carried less ice and cut shallower valleys, which now hang above the fjord and spill waterfalls into it.
Why they are so picturesque
- Contrast: sheer rock walls rising straight out of calm, deep water, with snow-capped peaks and glaciers above.
- Variety: hanging valleys and waterfalls, glacial lakes and forested slopes, while the sheltered water mirrors cliff and sky.
- Light and life: long high-latitude twilight and shifting cloud give drama, and the sheltered inlets make natural harbours for villages, fishing, cruises and scenic routes.
Fjords show how ice sculpts a coastline, and the meeting of rock, water and light it leaves behind explains why they draw travellers from across the world.
Written by Minimalist IAS from facts checked at source (how we verify) — a little fuller than exam length, so every part of the question is covered; in the hall, keep the structure and trim the detail. UPSC publishes no model answers: compare your structure and coverage with this, then write your own.