Rajasthan Geography for UPSC: Interactive Map, Rivers and Protected Areas
a state divided by the Aravalli range into the Thar desert and the eastern plains
14
Protected areas mapped
5
Rivers mapped
At a glance
Capital
Jaipur
Language
Hindi
Dance
Ghoomar
Area
3,42,239 km²
Coastline
Landlocked
Highest peak
Guru Shikhar (Mount Abu) · 1,722 m
Borders
Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Pakistan (international)
Why UPSC asks about Rajasthan
Rajasthan is the desert-state geography: the Aravalli (the world's oldest fold mountains), the Thar and its inland drainage (Sambhar, Luni), the Chambal badlands, and India's largest state by area. UPSC tests the Aravalli's rain-shadow role, the Indira Gandhi Canal, Guru Shikhar at Mount Abu, and Keoladeo and Ranthambore as protected-area anchors.
Did you know
Rajasthan has no biosphere reserve. India's 18 biosphere reserves are spread across only 16 states, and Rajasthan is not among them. The nearest is Great Rann of Kutch (Gujarat).
Chambal
Rises Janapav Hills, Madhya Pradesh; flows to Joins the Yamuna in Uttar Pradesh (leaves Rajasthan near Kota)
The Chambal forms the Rajasthan, MP boundary in the Hadoti region before entering UP; its ravines and gharial sanctuary are iconic.
Dams
- Rana Pratap Sagar Dam
- Jawahar Sagar Dam
- Gandhi Sagar Dam (Madhya Pradesh border)
Banas
Rises Aravalli range near Kumbhalgarh; flows to joins the Chambal near Rameshwar, MP border
The Banas is Rajasthan's main Aravalli-fed river; the Bisalpur dam supplies Jaipur.
Luni
Rises Naga hills near Ajmer/Pushkar, Aravalli Range; flows to Rann of Kutch marshes, Gujarat (endorheic, no sea outlet)
Known as the "river of sorrow" for turning saline downstream; it is western Rajasthan’s largest river.
Mahi
Rises Vindhya range, Madhya Pradesh; flows to Gulf of Khambhat (Arabian Sea)
The Mahi crosses the Tropic of Cancer twice, a favourite UPSC fact.
Dams
- Mahi Bajaj Sagar Dam
Parbati
Rises Vindhyan plateau of Madhya Pradesh; flows to joins the Chambal in Rajasthan
A Chambal tributary of the eastern Rajasthan plateau.
Keoladeo National Park
A man-made wetland at Bharatpur, designated Ramsar in 1981, among India's first two Ramsar sites, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Thousands of migratory waterfowl winter here; it was the historic Indian wintering ground of the Siberian crane.
Ramsar (1981) + UNESCO site; the Siberian crane's Indian winter home.
Sambhar Lake
India's largest inland salt lake, in Jaipur and Nagaur districts, designated Ramsar in 1990. A major salt production site that also hosts lakhs of flamingos and other migratory birds in winter.
Ramsar (1990); India's largest inland salt lake.
Menar Wetland Complex
A wetland complex in Udaipur district designated Ramsar in 2024, twin lakes supporting resident and migratory waterbirds.
Ramsar (2024); twin lakes of Udaipur district.
Khichan Wetland
A wetland in Jodhpur district designated Ramsar in 2025, famed for the thousands of demoiselle cranes (kurja) that winter here, fed by the local community.
Ramsar (2025); famous for wintering demoiselle cranes.
Siliserh Lake
A lake near Alwar in the Aravallis designated Ramsar in 2025, a scenic wetland supporting waterbirds.
Ramsar (2025); Aravalli lake near Alwar.
Ranthambore NP
A park in Sawai Madhopur district around the historic Ranthambore Fort, at the junction of the Aravalli and Vindhya ranges. Its dry deciduous forests hold the iconic Ranthambore tigers, with among the highest tiger sighting rates in India.
Tigers around Ranthambore Fort; among India's most sighted tiger reserves.
Keoladeo NP
A man-made wetland at Bharatpur, created by the Maharajas as a duck-hunting reserve, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Ramsar site (1981). It hosts thousands of winter migratory waterfowl and was the historic winter home of the Siberian crane, now locally extinct.
UNESCO World Heritage Site and Ramsar site; the Siberian crane's Indian winter home (now locally extinct).
Sariska NP
A park in Alwar district in the Aravalli hills, once the hunting reserve of the Alwar royals. Its tiger population was wiped out by 2005 and restored through India's first tiger reintroduction in 2008-09.
Site of India's first tiger reintroduction (2008), after local extinction in 2005.
Desert NP
A park in Jaisalmer and Barmer districts protecting Thar desert habitats. It is known for the great Indian bustard and for fossils of dinosaurs and ancient plants dating back about 180 million years.
Great Indian bustard habitat; 180-million-year-old fossils.
Mukundra Hills NP
A park near Kota formed from three sanctuaries in the Mukundra hills. Tigers were reintroduced here from Ranthambore to create a second tiger landscape in Rajasthan.
Rajasthan's newest tiger reserve; tigers translocated from Ranthambore.
Mount Abu WLS
A sanctuary in the Aravallis around Mount Abu, Rajasthan's only hill station. Its varied habitats support sloth bear, leopard and the rare green munia.
Around Mount Abu, Rajasthan's only hill station; sloth bear habitat.
Tal Chhapar WLS
A small grassland sanctuary in Churu district, famed for blackbuck and for migratory raptors such as the eastern imperial eagle and steppe eagle in winter.
Grassland refuge for blackbuck and wintering raptors.
Darrah WLS
A hilly sanctuary in the Kota-Bundi region, historically a royal hunting reserve, with khair, tendu and dhok forests supporting leopard, wolf and sloth bear.
Former royal hunting reserve in the Kota-Bundi hills.
Kumbhalgarh WLS
A sanctuary surrounding the Kumbhalgarh Fort in the Aravallis, part of the Kumbhalgarh-Ranakpur-Todgarh-Raoli landscape. NTCA approved a proposal (June 2026) to declare it a tiger reserve.
Surrounds Kumbhalgarh Fort; tiger reserve proposal approved by NTCA in June 2026.
Sita Mata WLS
A sanctuary in Pratapgarh district on the Malwa plateau, notable for its teak-sal transition forests and for flying squirrels.
Known for flying squirrels; teak-sal transition forests.
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