Places in News Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
India sent 1,000 metric tonnes of rice to Lesotho to address food security and nutrition challenges. Lesotho is a landlocked country entirely within South Africa, with its capital and largest city being Maseru. Known as “The Mountain Kingdom,” it is located in the Maloti Mountains and includes Thabana Ntlenyana, Southern Africa’s highest peak. The Orange River, one of Africa’s longest rivers, originates in the Lesotho Highlands.

Notes:
Trinidad and Tobago has declared a state of emergency due to increased violence, including gang-related shootings. The capital is Port of Spain. The country is located northeast of Venezuela, south of Grenada, in the Atlantic Ocean. It has significant rivers like the Ortoire, Caroni, and Nariva Rivers. The Northern Range mountain range is in Trinidad, with El Cerro del Aripo being the highest peak at 940 meters.

Notes:
Divers near Kalpeni Island in Lakshadweep discovered possible wreckage of a 17th or 18th-century European warship. Kalpeni Island is part of the Lakshadweep archipelago in the Arabian Sea, covering 2.79 square kilometers. It is 287 kilometers from Kochi, Kerala, and lies southeast of Kavaratti Island. Kalpeni forms a single atoll with islets Tilakkam, Pitti, and Cheriyam. The island is known for coral reefs, clear waters, white beaches, and a 2.8-kilometer-wide lagoon, it is ideal for snorkeling and scuba diving. The island’s culture reflects its Maliku community heritage, with a climate similar to Kerala.

Notes:
Mount Ibu, an active stratovolcano in Indonesia, erupted, sending ash clouds 3 kilometers high. It is located on Halmahera Island’s northwest coast. Mount Ibu is one of Indonesia’s 127 active volcanoes. Indonesia, part of the Pacific “Ring of Fire” with 127 active volcanoes, often experiences such events. A stratovolcano, or composite volcano, has a conical shape formed by layers of volcanic material from successive eruptions.

Notes:
Fifteen Tamil Nadu fishermen were reportedly detained near Diego Garcia in the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) for crossing the maritime boundary. Diego Garcia is a coral atoll, the largest and southernmost island in the Chagos Archipelago, central Indian Ocean. It covers 44 sq. km with a V-shaped cay and an open lagoon. The UK leased Diego Garcia to the US in 1966 for a military base, displacing its inhabitants.

Notes:
Russia has formed an emergency task force to address an oil spill in the Kerch Strait. The Kerch Strait links the Black Sea with the Sea of Azov and separates Crimea from Russia’s Taman Peninsula. It is 3 km long, 15 km wide, and 18 meters deep, with its narrowest point being 3-5 km. Kerch city is situated on the Crimean side of the strait. The Kerch Strait is a crucial global shipping route.

Notes:
The Kumani Bank mud volcano erupted in 2023, creating a temporary “Ghost Island.” Kumani Bank mud volcano is located 25 km off Azerbaijan’s eastern coast in the Caspian Sea. The island, about 400 meters across, formed in 2023 and eroded back into the sea by late 2024. Ghost Islands are temporary land masses created by volcanic activity that disappear over time. The island provides geological insights into tectonic processes and subsurface pressure dynamics. It offers clues about similar features on Mars for planetary exploration. The area is linked to methane and gas emissions and highlights Azerbaijan’s unique geological landscape with over 300 mud volcanoes.

Notes:
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.

Notes:
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.

Notes:
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.