Places in News Current Affairs MCQs

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Indian and Argentine armies jointly summited Mt Aconcagua, the tallest peak in the Americas at 6,995 meters, on Army Day, January 15, 2025. The expedition began on January 3, 2025, and featured 23 participants, including an eight-member Indian team led by Lt Col Manoj Joshi and a 15-member Argentine contingent. Mt Aconcagua, located in the Andes of Argentina, is the highest peak in South America and outside Asia, standing at 6,962 meters. The mountain is of volcanic origin but is not currently active.

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Satellite images show a nearly completed airstrip on Yemen’s Abd al-Kuri Island, likely built by the UAE. Abd al-Kuri Island is 65 miles southwest of Socotra, in the Indian Ocean, part of the Socotra Archipelago. Although it belongs to Yemen, the island is geographically closer to Somalia, about 110 km northeast of Cape Gwardafuy. The island is rocky, 35 km long, and 5 km wide, with its highest point at 700 meters, Mount Jebel Saleh. With fewer than 500 residents, its inhabitants mainly rely on fishing, and settlements are connected by dirt roads. The island features the endemic Euphorbia abdalkuri plant.

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The Philadelphi Corridor is a 14 km stretch between Gaza and Egypt, critical for Hamas’ smuggling activities. It includes the Rafah crossing and runs from the Mediterranean Sea to the Kerem Shalom crossing. After Israel’s 2005 withdrawal, it became a demilitarized zone managed by the Palestinian Authority and Egypt. Hamas’ control of Gaza in 2007 led to increased smuggling via tunnels. In the 2023 ceasefire, Israel’s withdrawal from this area became a key issue. The corridor has been vital for Hamas’ weapon supplies and operatives’ movement.

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Former US President Joe Biden highlighted the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) post the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. IMEC, announced at the 2023 G20 meeting, aims to boost trade between India, the Arabian Peninsula, the Mediterranean, and Europe. Countries involved include India, the EU, the US, UAE, Saudi Arabia, France, Germany, and Italy. It features two corridors: eastern (India to Arabian Gulf) and northern (Gulf to Europe). A shipping route links Mumbai and Mundra to the UAE, and a rail network connects the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Haifa. Haifa connects by sea to Piraeus Port, Greece, linking to Europe.

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The US President signed an executive order renaming Denali to Mount McKinley. It is the highest peak in North America, located in south-central Alaska in the Alaska Range. Denali is a massive granite block uplifted by tectonic activity about 60 million years ago. It rises 18,000 feet from the Denali Fault to its southern summit. The upper half is covered with snowfields feeding glaciers like Kahiltna, Muldrow, Peters, Ruth, and Traleika. Denali is the central feature of Denali National Park and Preserve.

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Mount Ibu, a stratovolcano in Indonesia, has erupted frequently in January 2024. Stratovolcanoes are cone-shaped volcanoes built from layers of lava and ash. They are known for their explosive eruptions due to the thick, slow-moving lava. Mount Ibu is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, a region of high volcanic activity. It is characterized by frequent eruptions, including lava flows and ash plumes.

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The International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor urged the UN Security Council to address worsening atrocities in Sudan’s Darfur region. Darfur, in western Sudan, is home to around 80 tribes and ethnic groups facing ongoing tribal and ethnic conflicts. The crisis intensified in 2003 when rebel groups, Sudan Liberation Army and Justice and Equality Movement, took arms against the Sudanese government. The conflict stemmed from grievances over the unequal distribution of economic resources, causing widespread loss of lives and displacement.

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The US President signed an executive order to prepare a large-scale migrant detention center at Guantánamo Bay. Guantánamo Bay, located in southeastern Cuba, is a sheltered inlet with strategic importance, near the Windward Passage. It is served by the ports of Caimanera and Boquerón. “Gitmo” has housed terrorism suspects since 9/11 and has a Migrant Operations Centre for migrants from Haiti and Cuba. The current facility is small and cannot accommodate the 30,000 detainees expected in the new center.

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The world’s largest iceberg, A23a, is drifting toward South Georgia Island after breaking from Antarctica’s Filchner Ice Shelf. South Georgia Island is a mountainous, barren island in the South Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the British overseas territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, covering 3,756 sq.km. The island has over 160 glaciers and peaks like Mount Paget (2,935 m).

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Santorini, a Greek island in the Southern Aegean Sea, is on high alert after experiencing over 200 undersea earthquakes in four days, with magnitudes up to 4.6. It’s part of the Cyclades archipelago and is controlled by Greece. Known for the Santorini Caldera, one of the most active volcanic centers in the South Aegean Volcanic Arc. The island has historical volcanic activity, including the Minoan eruption around 3,600 years ago. Frequent seismic activity is due to tectonic movements between the African Plate and Aegean Sea Plate.