Places in News Current Affairs MCQs

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi recalled his visit to Vicharpur village in Shahdol district, Madhya Pradesh, during a conversation with podcaster Lex Fridman. He called Vicharpur a “Mini Brazil” due to its deep football culture. Prime Minister Modi also mentioned Vicharpur in the 103rd episode of Mann Ki Baat. Every family in the village has played football for four generations. Around 80 national-level players have emerged from Vicharpur.

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Amid tensions with the United States, Iran installed missile systems on the disputed islands of Greater Tunb, Lesser Tunb, and Abu Musa near the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, specifically the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Musandam (Oman). It connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. Iran is on the north coast, while the UAE is on the south coast. The strait is 167 kilometers long, with a width ranging from 39 to 95 kilometers. It allows the passage of large vessels despite narrowing towards the north. Key islands in the strait include Hengam, Hormuz, and Qishm. The Strait of Hormuz is a critical global trade route, with 30% of the world’s liquefied gas and 25% of oil passing through it.

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China recently deployed two long-range H-6 bombers near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea to assert sovereignty. Scarborough Shoal, also called Scarborough Reef, is a coral atoll in the eastern South China Sea. It is located 220 km west of Luzon, Philippines, and is the largest atoll in the region. The atoll is submerged at high tide, with only a few rocks visible above sea level. It is a rich fishing ground with valuable marine life. The shoal is a disputed territory between China and the Philippines, with both claiming exclusive rights.

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A United States (U.S.) national was arrested in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands for allegedly entering the prohibited tribal reserve area of North Sentinel Island. North Sentinel Island is part of the Andaman Islands, an Indian Union Territory in the Bay of Bengal. It is located west of the central Andaman Islands and covers about 60 square kilometers. The island is densely forested, surrounded by a shallow reef, and home to the Sentinelese tribe. The Sentinelese are believed to be direct descendants of the first humans who migrated from Africa around 60,000 years ago. They have lived in isolation for thousands of years, resisting contact with the outside world. The island is protected under the Andaman and Nicobar Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Act, 1956, prohibiting anyone from approaching within 5 nautical miles.

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The United States President imposed a 10% tariff on imports from Heard and McDonald Islands, even though these islands have no known exports to the US. Heard and McDonald Islands are remote volcanic islands in the southern Indian Ocean, about 4,100 km from Perth, Australia, and 1,600 km from Antarctica. They are one of Australia’s seven external territories and are directly governed by the Australian government. Heard Island has Big Ben volcano with Mawson Peak, the highest mountain in Australia outside mainland and Tasmania. McDonald Island is smaller but has doubled in size due to volcanic eruptions in the 1990s and 2000s. These are the only volcanically active sub-Antarctic islands and are used to study earth’s crust, climate change, and glaciers. They are part of a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site since 1997

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A hidden landmass named the Davis Strait proto-microcontinent has been discovered under the icy waters of the Davis Strait. The Davis Strait is a bay in the northern Atlantic Ocean located between southeastern Baffin Island in Canada and southwestern Greenland. It separates Baffin Bay in the north from the Labrador Sea in the south. The Davis Strait forms a part of the Northwest Passage, which is a sea route through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago connecting the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. The strait stretches about 650 kilometers from north to south and is 320 to 640 kilometers wide. It is one of the widest straits in the world.

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Recently, Indonesia and China reaffirmed their commitment to maritime cooperation amid rising tensions over Chinese activity near the Natuna Islands. Natuna Island, also known as Bunguran Island, is the largest in the Natuna Islands archipelago. It is located in the northernmost part of Indonesia’s Riau Islands Province in the South China Sea. The island lies roughly halfway between Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo Island. It features Mount Ranai, the highest point on the island, which stands at 1,035 meters above sea level. This region is strategically important and often sees overlapping maritime claims.

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Scientists from China, the United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (US) recently studied the inner workings of Uturuncu, a “zombie” volcano in Bolivia, and found that there is no immediate risk of eruption. Uturuncu is a stratovolcano located in the Andes Mountains of southwestern Bolivia and is made up mainly of dacitic lava domes and flows. It sits on top of a massive underground magma reservoir called the Altiplano-Puna Magma Body (APMB), which extends under southern Bolivia, northern Chile, and northern Argentina. Uturuncu is called a “zombie” volcano because it shows signs of activity without actual eruptions.

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Following protests in Sindh, Pakistan has suspended its canals project, including the Cholistan Canal intended to irrigate the Cholistan Desert. The Cholistan Desert (Rohi) is located in the western part of the Thar Desert in Pakistan. Historically, it was once irrigated by the Hakra River, which changed its course around 600 B.C., making the area inhospitable. The desert holds historical significance as it was home to an Indus Valley culture focused on agriculture. The region also housed several medieval forts that protected and facilitated desert caravan routes.

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Recently, the US President instructed his administration to rebuild and expand Alcatraz, the notorious prison that has been closed for over 60 years on an isolated island off California’s coast. Alcatraz Island, also known as “The Rock,” is a rocky landmass in San Francisco Bay, United States. In 1849, the island was sold to the U.S. government and became home to the first California lighthouse in 1854. By 1859, the first permanent army troops were stationed there, and in 1861, it became a military prison. In 1934, Alcatraz became a federal prison, housing some of the most dangerous criminals. The prison had the capacity to hold over 330 prisoners, but typically housed around 260 at a time. Known as the most inescapable prison in the United States, it operated as a maximum-security facility until 1963.