Identify the sea-port in India on the basis of the given characteristics: 1. It is more than a century old port on the west coast of India. 2. It is a natural harbour protected by a breakwater and also by a mole. 3. A deep draft channel of about 14 metres depth permits large vessels to enter the harbour. Select the correct sea-port from the options given below:
- (a)Mormugao Port
- (b)Deendayal Port
- (c)Cochin Port
- (d)Jawaharlal Nehru Port
Correct — A, Mormugao Port. Mormugao, in Goa on the west coast, was commissioned in 1885, which makes it well over a century old and satisfies clue 1. It is built on a naturally protected harbour that is further sheltered by a breakwater, with a mole extending from the outer end of the breakwater and running parallel to the wharf, matching clue 2 exactly. Its deep-draft channel of about 14 metres lets large vessels enter, meeting clue 3, and Mormugao is famous as India's leading iron-ore exporting port. All three characteristics point to Mormugao, so the answer is (a).
- (b)Deendayal Port — Deendayal Port (formerly Kandla), on the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat, was developed only after 1947 to replace Karachi, so it is not more than a century old; it is a tidal port, not the breakwater-and-mole natural harbour described.
- (c)Cochin Port — Cochin, in Kerala, is a natural backwater-lagoon harbour, but the modern port was engineered by dredging the bar and building Willingdon Island only in the 1920s-30s, so it does not fit the more-than-a-century-old, breakwater-and-mole description.
- (d)Jawaharlal Nehru Port — Jawaharlal Nehru Port (Nhava Sheva), near Mumbai, was commissioned only in 1989 as a modern container port, so it is neither over a century old nor the natural harbour of the clues.
Mormugao is a major port on the west coast of India, located at the mouth of the Zuari estuary in Goa. Commissioned in 1885, it grew into the country's chief iron-ore handling and export port, its naturally sheltered harbour reinforced by a breakwater and a mole and served by a deep channel for large ore carriers.
The way to identify the port is to match all three clues together — age (over a century), a natural harbour with a breakwater and a mole, and a roughly 14 metre draft. Only Mormugao satisfies all three; the other options fail on age or on harbour type. Linking the profile to iron-ore export, the Goa mining hinterland, seals the identification.
- Mormugao Port lies in Goa on the west coast, at the mouth of the Zuari river, and was commissioned in 1885.
- Its naturally protected harbour is further sheltered by a breakwater and a mole built from the outer end of the breakwater, with a deep channel of about 14 metres draft.
- It is historically India's leading iron-ore exporting port, serving the mines of the Goa and Western Ghats hinterland.
- As of the April 2024 exam it remained one of India's major ports, administered as the Mormugao Port Authority under the Major Port Authorities Act, 2021.
- Choosing Kandla/Deendayal or Nhava Sheva/JNPT, which are modern ports, when the clue insists on an over-a-century-old harbour.
- Assuming any west-coast natural harbour fits — Cochin is a natural lagoon harbour but was engineered only in the twentieth century.
Asked as an 'identify the port from its characteristics' question — match age, harbour type and channel depth together to pin down Mormugao.
Consider the following pairs: Port — Well known as 1. Kamarajar Port : First major port in India registered as a company 2. Mundra Port : Largest privately owned port in India 3. Visakhapatnam Port : Largest container port in India. How many of the above pairs are correctly matched?
- (a) Only one pair
- (b) Only two pairs
- (c) All three pairs
- (d) None of the pairs
Answer(b) Only two pairs — Kamarajar (first corporatised major port) and Mundra (largest private port) are correct; India's largest container port is Jawaharlal Nehru Port, not Visakhapatnam.
The same skill — identifying an Indian port from a distinguishing characteristic — that this NDA question tests when it asks you to name Mormugao from its age, harbour type and draft.
In India, the ports are categorized as major and non-major ports. Which one of the following is a non-major port?
- (a) Kochi (Cochin)
- (b) Dahej
- (c) Paradip
- (d) New Mangalore
Answer(b) Dahej — Kochi, Paradip and New Mangalore are major ports, while Dahej in Gujarat is a non-major (state-administered) port.
Tests knowledge of India's major ports and their classification — the same body of port geography from which Mormugao, a major west-coast port, is drawn.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Which major port of India is best known as the country's leading exporter of iron ore?
- (a)Kolkata Port
- (b)Mormugao Port
- (c)Chennai Port
- (d)Deendayal Port
Answer(b) Mormugao Port — the Goa port has long handled the bulk of India's iron-ore exports.
- practice — not a real PYQ
Deendayal Port, developed after 1947 to serve as a substitute for Karachi, is situated in which state?
- (a)Maharashtra
- (b)Kerala
- (c)Gujarat
- (d)Goa
Answer(c) Gujarat — Deendayal Port (formerly Kandla) lies on the Gulf of Kutch in Gujarat.