Places in News Current Affairs MCQs

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The central government has designated the international trans-shipment hub at Galathea Bay in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands as a ‘Major Port.’ It is located on Great Nicobar Island and is being developed as an International Container Transshipment Port (ICTP). The project will receive central funding and be developed under a public-private partnership model. Phase 1 is set to begin in 2028 with a handling capacity of 4 million TEUs, growing to 16 million TEUs by 2058. The port’s strategic location near international trade routes and its deep water depth make it significant for capturing transshipment cargo from other ports.

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Rapa Nui, also called Easter Island, did not experience a population collapse, based on ancient DNA analysis of 15 former inhabitants. Rapa Nui is a Chilean territory in the southeastern Pacific Ocean and is the easternmost Polynesian island.
It is located 3,540 km west of Chile and 1,900 km east of Pitcairn Island. The island covers 163.6 sq. km and is one of the most remote inhabited places. It is a small volcanic island with a tropical rainforest climate. Easter Island was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, with much of it protected under Rapa Nui National Park.

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A bathymetric study is being conducted around Pallikaranai marshland to measure the amount of sludge that can be removed.
This study, essential for wetland restoration and flood management, is a response to the increasing pressures from encroachments and sewage discharge. The marsh is a freshwater and partly saline wetland located 20 km south of Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It acts as a flood buffer for the Chennai and Chengalpattu districts. The marsh includes 65 wetlands connected to the Bay of Bengal through Okkiyam Madavu and Kovalam Creek. Pallikaranai is a Ramsar site in India.

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Researchers discovered that the Falkland Islands, known as the Malvinas Islands, once had a lush rainforest up to 30 million years ago. This discovery was made after scientists found preserved tree remains and pollen at a construction site in Port Stanley. The findings reveal that the South Atlantic archipelago had a climate suitable for diverse ecosystems, similar to present-day rainforests in Tierra del Fuego. The islands are an overseas territory of the UK, located about 500 km from South America in the South Atlantic Ocean. The archipelago includes two main islands, East Falkland and West Falkland, along with several smaller ones.

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The largest known population of the rare night parrot was discovered in Western Australia’s Great Sandy Desert. The Great Sandy Desert is Australia’s second-largest desert, covering 284,993 sq. km. It stretches from Eighty Mile Beach on the Indian Ocean to the Northern Territory and from Kimberley Downs to the Gibson Desert. The desert is characterized by sand ridges, salt lakes, and low rocky hills with Spinifex grass. The region experiences high daytime temperatures and low humidity. It is sparsely populated, mainly by Indigenous tribes: Martu in the west and Pintupi in the east.

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Experts report that 430 of the 450 hectares of Albania’s Little Prespa Lake have become swamps or dried up. It is one of Europe’s oldest and highest tectonic lakes, located at the junction of three geological masses: granite, karstic, and Suva Gora. The area contains rocks from the Paleozoic era to the Neogene era. The lake system includes Great Prespa Lake (shared by Albania, Greece, and Macedonia) and Little Prespa Lake, mostly in Greece. Climate change, rising temperatures, and lack of snowfall and rain have significantly impacted the lake.

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A boat capsized in Lake Kivu, eastern Congo, killing at least 78 people out of 278 passengers. Lake Kivu is one of East Africa’s Great Lakes, between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda. It is Rwanda’s largest lake and the sixth largest in Africa, situated in the Albertine Rift. The lake covers 1,040 square miles and lies 1,460 meters above sea level. 58% of the lake’s waters are in DRC, with the rest in Rwanda. It has a maximum depth of 475 meters and empties into the Rusizi River flowing into Lake Tanganyika.

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The Chagos Islands, located in the Indian Ocean, have a rich history of cultural connections and colonial struggles. The archipelago consists of seven atolls and is geographically close to the Maldives, sharing deep historical ties. There are historical claims by the Maldives over the Chagos Islands, supported by cultural and navigational connections. Marine conservation in the region is a significant contemporary issue.

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The regional assembly of Portugal’s Azores Islands approved the largest protected marine area in the North Atlantic. This decision aims to meet international conservation goals ahead of schedule. The Azores Archipelago consists of nine volcanic islands located in the North Atlantic. The islands are part of the Autonomous Region of the Azores and were formed from the Azores Plateau. They sit above the Azores Triple Junction, where the Eurasian, North American, and African tectonic plates meet. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge runs between the African-Eurasian and North American Plates, crossing the Azores Plateau.

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Research shows that toxins called microcystin from cyanobacteria can make animals and people sick when exposed to Lake Erie’s infected water. Lake Erie is the fourth largest of the Great Lakes, forming a boundary between Canada and the U.S. Its main tributaries include the Detroit, Huron, and Raisin rivers, and it discharges through the Niagara River. Microcystin, produced by the cyanobacterium Microcystis, forms harmful blooms and releases toxins that impact freshwater ecosystems.