Consider the following water bodies:
- I.Lake Tanganyika
- II.Lake Tonlé Sap
- III.Patos Lagoon
Through how many of them does the equator pass?
Answer & explanation
Answer: (d) None
UPSC's key is none. Tonlé Sap, in Cambodia, lies at about 12.8°N (UNESCO). Lake Tanganyika lies along the borders of Tanzania, the DRC, Burundi and Zambia, and Burundi, one of its shore countries, lies south of the equator. Patos Lagoon is in Rio Grande do Sul, in the extreme south-east of Brazil.
- ✗ I Lake Tanganyika occupies the southern end of the Western Rift Valley, with ports at Bujumbura in Burundi, Kalemie in the DRC, Mpulungu in Zambia, and Ujiji and Kigoma in Tanzania. UPSC's official key treats the equator as not passing through it; we could not confirm its latitude from an official source, so we do not explain it here.
- ✗ II UNESCO gives Tonlé Sap's latitude as 12.8135 (north), in Cambodia.
- ✗ III Patos Lagoon lies in Rio Grande do Sul, in the extreme south-east of Brazil; it is the largest lagoon in Brazil. UPSC's official key treats the equator as not passing through it.
Remember · Tonlé Sap ≈ 12.8°N (Cambodia). Lake Tanganyika: rift lake on the Tanzania, DRC, Burundi and Zambia borders. Patos Lagoon: Rio Grande do Sul, extreme south-east Brazil.
Sources
- UNESCO Man and the Biosphere: Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve ↗ “Country Cambodia Total population 1380615 Area Surface 1,483,339.00 ha Total terresterial area 1,483,339.00 ha Location Latitiude: 12.8135 - Longitude: 104.052”
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Lake Tanganyika ↗ · reference work “forms the boundary between Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and part of the boundary between Burundi and the DRC as well as part of the boundary between Tanzania and Zambia . … Important ports situated along Lake Tanganyika are Bujumbura in Burundi, Kalemie in the DRC, Mpulungu in Zambia, and Ujiji and Kigoma in Tanzania.”
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Patos Lagoon ↗ · reference work “Patos Lagoon , shallow lagoon in Rio Grande do Sul estado (state), extreme southeastern Brazil . It is the largest lagoon in Brazil and the second largest in South America .”
- Encyclopaedia Britannica: Burundi (location) ↗ · reference work “Burundi , country in east-central Africa , south of the Equator .”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2025, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). ·