Which of the following districts has maximum forest area as a percentage of the geographical area?
- (a)Ratlam
- (b)Sheopur
- (c)Ujjain
- (d)Indore
Correct — B, Sheopur. Sheopur, in MP's northern Chambal/Gwalior region, has large tracts of ravine and hill forest — including the Kuno forest belt — so roughly half of its geographical area carries forest cover, far higher than the other three options.
- (a)Ratlam — A Malwa Plateau district — an intensively cultivated soybean/wheat belt with comparatively little forest left.
- (c)Ujjain — Also a Malwa Plateau district — dominated by farmland and urban/religious-town development, with low forest share.
- (d)Indore — MP's most urbanised and industrialised district — the least forested of the four options.
Forest cover as a percentage of geographical area varies hugely across Madhya Pradesh's districts depending on terrain and land-use history: hilly, low-agricultural-value tracts (like Sheopur's Chambal ravines and the Kuno forest belt) retain much more forest than the intensively farmed Malwa Plateau districts (Ratlam, Ujjain, Indore).
The trap is assuming better-known, agriculturally/urbanly prominent districts must also have more forest — in reality, it is poor agricultural suitability (ravines, hills) that preserves forest, and the well-known Malwa cities are exactly the districts cleared for farming and urban growth.
- Sheopur district (Gwalior-Chambal region) has one of MP's highest forest-cover percentages, driven by its ravine and hill forest tracts
- Sheopur is home to the Kuno forest belt (India's cheetah reintroduction site)
- Ratlam, Ujjain and Indore are Malwa Plateau districts — intensively cultivated, with low forest cover
- Forest-cover percentage tracks terrain/land-use, not district prominence
- Picking a 'famous'/urban district on the assumption that it has more forest
- Confusing forest-cover percentage of area with absolute forest area in hectares — a smaller district can still rank highest on percentage
MPPSC tests both ends of this fact across different years — 'which district has maximum forest %' as well as 'which district has minimum forest % (below 10%)' — know both extremes, not just one.
Consider the following States: 1. Chhattisgarh 2. Madhya Pradesh 3. Maharashtra 4. Odisha With reference to the States mentioned above, in terms of percentage of forest cover to the total area of State, which one of the following is the correct ascending order?
- (a) 2-3-1-4
- (b) 2-3-4-1
- (c) 3-2-4-1
- (d) 3-2-1-4
Answer(c) 3-2-4-1 — Maharashtra < Madhya Pradesh < Odisha < Chhattisgarh.
Same forest-cover-percentage concept applied at the state level (Madhya Pradesh included) instead of the district level tested here.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which national park, known for India's cheetah reintroduction project, is located in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh?
- (a)Kanha National Park
- (b)Kuno National Park
- (c)Bandhavgarh National Park
- (d)Pench National Park
Answer(b) Kuno National Park.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The Malwa Plateau districts of Madhya Pradesh (e.g. Ratlam, Ujjain, Indore) are best characterised by:
- (a)High forest cover and low cultivation
- (b)Intensive agriculture with comparatively low forest cover
- (c)Dense tribal forest belts
- (d)Coastal plains
Answer(b) Intensive agriculture (soybean/wheat) with comparatively low forest cover.