Between the sixth and fourth centuries BCE, Magadha ascended as the foremost mahajanapada, with modern historians attributing this transformation to several factors. Magadha boasted highly productive agriculture, benefitting from fertile lands and favourable climatic conditions. The region's accessibility to iron mines contributed to abundant resources for crafting essential tools and formidable weapons. Furthermore, the presence of elephants in Magadha's forests played a vital role in bolstering the strength of their military forces. Additionally, the strategic advantage of being situated along the Ganga and its tributaries offered Magadha a cost-effective and efficient means of communication, trade, and transportation. The combined influence of these factors propelled Magadha to become the dominant and powerful mahajanapada of its time.

Which of the following provincial center in the Mauryan Empire was southernmost?

Suvarnagiri

There were five major political centres in the empire – the capital Pataliputra and the provincial centres of Taxila, Ujjayini, Tosali and Suvarnagiri, all mentioned in Asokan inscriptions. Suvarnagiri was the southernmost out of these centres.