Places in News Current Affairs MCQs

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Ethiopia’s Prime Minister recently announced that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is now complete and will be inaugurated in September. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), earlier called the Millennium Dam, is built on the Blue Nile River. It is located in Ethiopia’s Benishangul-Gumuz region near the border with Sudan. The Blue Nile is a major tributary of the Nile River.

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Recently, Mount Rainier in Washington, United States, experienced over 300 small earthquakes, marking the most significant seismic activity since 2009, as reported by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Mount Rainier is the highest mountain in Washington state, standing at 4,392 metres. It covers 260 square kilometers and has the largest single-mountain glacier system in the U.S. outside Alaska. It is an active stratovolcano formed by lava flows that began about one million years ago. Its last eruption occurred around 150 years ago.

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Recently, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president and Lok Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) Gaurav Gogoi urged the Prime Minister to resolve the worsening connectivity crisis in Barak Valley. Barak Valley is the southernmost region of Assam, named after the Barak River. It includes three districts – Cachar, Hailakandi, and Karimganj – covering about 9% of Assam’s area. It borders Meghalaya (north), Mizoram (south), Manipur (east), and Tripura and Bangladesh (west).

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Recently, the Defence Secretary flagged off mountaineering expeditions to Mount Everest and Mount Kilimanjaro at an event held in South Block, New Delhi. Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa’s tallest mountain and the world’s largest free-standing mountain. It is located in northeastern Tanzania near the Kenya border and stretches around 80 km east to west. Kilimanjaro is a stratovolcano made up of three cones: Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira.

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The Geological Survey of India (GSI) recently warned the Jammu and Kashmir administration about a serious threat to the Guryul Ravine fossil site near Khonmoh, Srinagar. Guryul Ravine is located in the Vihi district of Jammu and Kashmir and is geologically significant. It contains fossils from the Permian–Triassic extinction event that occurred around 260 million years ago. This event, known as the End-Permian Extinction or the Great Dying, wiped out nearly all life on Earth. The site also records the world’s first-ever tsunami event, still visible in its rock layers.

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Recently, the Tamil Nadu government announced the development of Chola Gangam Lake. The lake is also known as Ponneri Lake, meaning “Golden Lake.” It is located in Ariyalur district, Tamil Nadu. It was built by Rajendra Chola I in Gangaikondacholapuram, his newly established capital. Gangaikondacholapuram was founded to commemorate his victorious northern campaign. Rajendra Chola I had conquered the Gangetic plains during this campaign.

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Recently, the Preah Vihear Temple became the flashpoint in deadly border clashes between Thailand and Cambodia. The temple is called Preah Vihear in Cambodia and Phra Viharn in Thailand. It is located atop the Dangrek Mountains along the Thailand-Cambodia border. The 11th-12th century temple was built by the Khmer Empire and is sacred to both Theravada-Buddhist nations. Despite a 1962 International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling giving Preah Vihear to Cambodia, Thailand disputes it. Tensions flared again in 2008 after Cambodia listed the temple as a UNESCO site, provoking Thai nationalist anger. Both nations claim ownership, fueling long-standing historical and territorial tensions.

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Recently, glaciers of Mount Cilo in southeastern Turkey have lost nearly 50% of their ice cover in 40 years due to climate change and rising heatwaves. Mount Cilo is the second-highest mountain in Turkey, reaching 4,135 meters at its summit called Reşko or Gelyaşin or Uludoruk. The mountain stretches 30 kilometers and forms the western arm of Cilo-Sat Mountains National Park, declared in 2020. The terrain features sharp ridges, limestone cliffs, gorges, and glacial valleys.

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Recently, the Great Barrier Reef recorded its steepest decline in hard coral cover in nearly 40 years due to climate change-induced heat stress, cyclones, and coral-eating starfish outbreaks. It is located in the Coral Sea, off northeastern Australia. It is the world’s longest and largest reef complex and the largest living structure on Earth. It stretches over 2,000 km, covering around 350,000 sq. km, and forms about 10% of global coral reef ecosystems. It consists of about 2,100 individual reefs and 800 fringing reefs, with 400 coral types, 1,500 fish species, and 4,000 mollusk species.

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Turkey recently closed the Dardanelles Strait to shipping traffic due to nearby forest fires. The Dardanelles Strait is in northwestern Turkey, linking the Aegean Sea and the Sea of Marmara. It separates Europe from the western tip of Asia Minor. It is named after the ancient city of Dardanus. It was once called the Hellespont, meaning “Helle’s sea.”