Consider the following pairs

River                      Flows into

1. Mekong –         Andaman Sea
2. Thames –         Irish Sea
3. Volga – Caspian Sea
4. Zambezi –         Indian Ocean

Which of the pairs given above is/are correctly matched?

[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2020 Prelims]

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 3 only

(c) 3 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2 and 4 only

Answer: (c)

Explanation:

• The Irish Sea is fed by four major rivers, namely the River Clyde in Scotland, the River Dee in Wales, the River Liffey in the Republic of Ireland, and the River Mersey in England. The Thames River, on the other hand, flows into the North Sea, therefore, the pair that it flows into the Irish Sea is incorrectly matched.
• The Caspian Sea, on the other hand, is fed by the Volga River, Terek River, Ural River, and Mtkvari River, making the statement that these rivers flow into the Caspian Sea correct.
• The Mekong River, which flows through China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam and is the 11th longest river in the world with a length of 4880 km, drains into the South China Sea. Therefore, the statement that it drains into the Irish Sea is incorrect.
• The Indian Ocean is fed by several rivers, such as the Zambezi, Ganges-Brahmaputra, Indus, Jubba, and Murray rivers, as well as the Shatt al-Arab, Wadi Ad Dawasir, and Limpopo rivers. Hence, the statement that these rivers drain into the Indian Ocean is correct.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.