Which district of Uttarakhand has the highest forest-cover share (percentage) with respect to its total geographical area?
- (a)Rudraprayag
- (b)Nainital
- (c)Champawat
- (d)Pauri Garhwal
Correct — B, Nainital.
ISFR 2021 puts Nainital at 71.62 per cent: 3,044.49 sq km of forest cover on a geographical area of 4,251 sq km. That is the highest share of any district in Uttarakhand, so it wins whatever the other three names are.
Champawat follows at 69.32, Pauri Garhwal at 63.74 and Rudraprayag at 57.58.
The measure is a ratio, cover divided by district area. Pauri Garhwal holds more forest in square kilometres (3,396.71) but spreads it over 5,329 sq km; Nainital's 3,044.49 sq km sit on a smaller base. Highest share is not highest area, and the stem asks for share.
The key matches the latest ISFR available when the paper was held in July 2024. ISFR 2019 had the same leader (Nainital, 71.55 per cent), so the answer was stable across two editions.
- (a)Rudraprayag — Rudraprayag stands at 57.58 per cent (1,142.30 sq km on 1,984), the lowest share of the four options and 14 points behind Nainital.
Its reputation comes from narrower comparisons: it beats Tehri Garhwal (56.68), Almora (54.70) and Dehradun (52.19), so it is the right answer to which of Almora, Rudraprayag, Dehradun and Tehri Garhwal has the highest share on ISFR 2021, not to a list that includes Nainital.
- (c)Champawat — Champawat is the runner-up at 69.32 per cent (1,224.16 sq km on 1,766), 2.30 points behind Nainital in ISFR 2021, and it was second in ISFR 2019 as well (69.40 against 71.55).
The order flips in ISFR 2023, released in December 2024: Champawat 69.06 per cent, Nainital 67.43. Champawat is therefore the right answer to the highest district share on ISFR 2023 figures, a report published after this paper was held.
- (d)Pauri Garhwal — Pauri Garhwal (listed as Garhwal in the ISFR tables) has 63.74 per cent cover, third of the four options. By area it leads the whole state: 3,396.71 sq km, ahead of Nainital's 3,044.49 and Uttarkashi's 3,036.15.
So Pauri Garhwal is the right answer to which district has the largest forest cover in square kilometres; its geographical area of 5,329 sq km pulls the percentage down.
Forest cover, as the Forest Survey of India maps it, is every patch of one hectare or more with tree canopy density of 10 per cent or above, whatever its ownership or legal status.
It is measured from satellite imagery and reported every two years in the India State of Forest Report.
Dividing a district's forest cover by its geographical area gives the share. A small district with good canopy can post a higher share than a large district that holds far more forest by area; the two rankings answer different questions.
Uttarakhand's forest cover in ISFR 2021 is 24,305.13 sq km, 45.44 per cent of its 53,483 sq km, against 21.71 per cent for India. Within the state the share ranges from 16.84 per cent in Udham Singh Nagar to 71.62 in Nainital.
The pattern is geographic. The plains districts, Udham Singh Nagar and Haridwar, are mostly farmland and settlement. Uttarkashi, Chamoli and Pithoragarh are large, but much of their area lies above the tree line, so their shares stay below 40 per cent.
The lower-Himalayan and Bhabar belt of Nainital and Champawat carries the highest shares.
- ISFR 2021: Nainital has 3,044.49 sq km of forest cover on 4,251 sq km of geographical area, 71.62 per cent, the highest share of any Uttarakhand district.
- ISFR 2021: Champawat 69.32 per cent (1,224.16 sq km on 1,766), Pauri Garhwal 63.74 (3,396.71 on 5,329), Rudraprayag 57.58 (1,142.30 on 1,984).
- ISFR 2021: Pauri Garhwal has the largest forest cover by area, 3,396.71 sq km; Nainital (3,044.49) and Uttarkashi (3,036.15) come next.
- ISFR 2021: Udham Singh Nagar has the lowest share, 16.84 per cent, followed by Haridwar at 24.74 per cent.
- ISFR 2021: Uttarakhand's forest cover is 24,305.13 sq km, 45.44 per cent of its 53,483 sq km; India's is 21.71 per cent.
- ISFR 2019 had the same top three: Nainital 71.55, Champawat 69.40 and Pauri Garhwal 63.71 per cent, with Rudraprayag at 57.57.
- ISFR 2023, released in December 2024, puts Champawat first at 69.06 per cent; Nainital 67.43, Pauri Garhwal 63.07, Tehri Garhwal 61.03, Rudraprayag 57.79.
- Between ISFR 2019 and ISFR 2021 Nainital's cover grew by 2.93 sq km while Champawat's fell by 1.39 sq km.
- Forest cover in the ISFR means land of one hectare or more with tree canopy density of 10 per cent or above, irrespective of ownership or legal status.
- The Forest Survey of India, headquartered in Dehradun, publishes the ISFR every two years; ISFR 2021 was released in January 2022.
Left: forest cover as a share of district area. Right: the same cover in square kilometres. Nainital tops the share; Pauri Garhwal tops the area.
- Reading 'forest-cover share' as forest cover by area: Pauri Garhwal leads Uttarakhand in square kilometres, Nainital in percentage, and the stem asks for percentage.
- Carrying Rudraprayag across from a four-option list that omits Nainital and Champawat: it leads Almora, Dehradun and Tehri Garhwal, and trails the two Kumaon districts by more than ten points.
- Answering from a different ISFR edition than the key follows: on ISFR 2023 Champawat edges Nainital, on ISFR 2019 and 2021 Nainital leads. When the stem names no edition, the key used the latest report available on exam day.
The idea appears as a ranking of a handful of districts or states on one ISFR measure: highest share, highest area, lowest share, or an ascending order to arrange. The stem may name the report edition or leave it out.
The wording decides the answer. 'Percentage of geographical area' points to Nainital; 'largest forest cover' in square kilometres points to Pauri Garhwal; 'lowest' points to Udham Singh Nagar. Read for the measure and the edition before reaching for a name.
UKPSC_2024_PRE_GSI_Q262024Same paper, same measure (forest cover as a share of district area) and the same ISFR 2021 table, with the edition named in the stem. The option set differs: Almora, Rudraprayag, Dehradun and Tehri Garhwal, so Rudraprayag (57.58 per cent) wins there, while Nainital, absent from that list, wins here.
UPSC_2019_GS1_Q332019Same share-not-area idea at state level: Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest cover by area but ranks below Odisha and Chhattisgarh by share, giving the ascending order Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh. Differs in scale (states, an earlier ISFR) and in asking for an ordering rather than a single leader.
NDA_GAT_2025_I_Q1022025Same measure and the same ISFR 2021 edition, one level up: among Himalayan states Arunachal Pradesh leads at 79.33 per cent, while Uttarakhand, an option there, stands at 45.44. A state-level ranking, not the within-state district table this item tests.
CDS_GK_2022_I_Q342022Same measure at the national scale: the highest share of geographical area under forest among States and Union Territories, where Lakshadweep (90.33 per cent in ISFR 2021) sits above Mizoram (84.53). Differs in scale and in mixing Union Territories with states.
MPPSC_2025_PRE_PaperI_Q112025Same device, a district table from ISFR 2021, applied to another state: Madhya Pradesh districts with forest cover below 10 per cent of their area. It asks for the low end of the table rather than the leader.
- practice — not a real PYQ
According to the India State of Forest Report 2021, which district of Uttarakhand has the largest forest cover by area (in square kilometres)?
- (a)Nainital
- (b)Pauri Garhwal
- (c)Uttarkashi
- (d)Chamoli
Answerb — Pauri Garhwal has 3,396.71 sq km, the largest in the state. Nainital (3,044.49) and Uttarkashi (3,036.15) come next, and Chamoli holds 2,710.11 sq km. Nainital leads by share, not by area. - practice — not a real PYQ
According to the India State of Forest Report 2021, which district of Uttarakhand has the lowest percentage of forest cover to its geographical area?
- (a)Haridwar
- (b)Udham Singh Nagar
- (c)Pithoragarh
- (d)Chamoli
Answerb — Udham Singh Nagar is lowest at 16.84 per cent. Haridwar is next at 24.74, then Pithoragarh at 29.35 and Chamoli at 33.75, so each of the other three sits above the Terai district. - practice — not a real PYQ
Arrange the following districts of Uttarakhand in ascending order of the percentage of forest cover to geographical area, as per the India State of Forest Report 2021: 1. Nainital 2. Pauri Garhwal 3. Rudraprayag 4. Champawat
- (a)3-2-4-1
- (b)2-3-4-1
- (c)3-4-2-1
- (d)2-3-1-4
Answera — Rudraprayag 57.58, Pauri Garhwal 63.74, Champawat 69.32, Nainital 71.62, so the ascending order is 3-2-4-1.Option b starts with Pauri Garhwal, which is above Rudraprayag; option c places Champawat below Pauri Garhwal; option d puts Nainital before Champawat.
- practice — not a real PYQ
According to the India State of Forest Report 2023, which district of Uttarakhand has the highest percentage of its geographical area under forest cover?
- (a)Nainital
- (b)Champawat
- (c)Pauri Garhwal
- (d)Tehri Garhwal
Answerb — ISFR 2023 puts Champawat first at 69.06 per cent, ahead of Nainital at 67.43. Pauri Garhwal is 63.07 and Tehri Garhwal 61.03. Nainital led in ISFR 2019 and 2021, which is why the edition named in the stem matters.