Places in News Current Affairs MCQs

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A severe bleaching event has ravaged 97% of coral at Lizard Island, part of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, due to extreme heat stress. Known as Jiigurru or Dyiigurra, Lizard Island is located in Queensland. The island’s traditional owners are the Dingaal people, an Aboriginal Australian clan also known as Dingiil, Walmbarddha, or Walmbaria.

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India’s external affairs minister affirmed support for Mauritius regarding the Chagos Archipelago, aligning with its decolonization stance. Located in the central Indian Ocean, about 1,000 miles south of India’s tip, this UK overseas territory was established on November 8, 1965. Key islands include Diego Garcia, hosting a strategic US military base. The archipelago experiences a tropical marine climate, moderated by trade winds, with high temperatures and humidity.

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Russia’s Defence Ministry reported that Russian warplanes intercepted two U.S. strategic bombers over the Barents Sea, preventing a border violation. The Barents Sea, a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, covers 1.4 million sq. km and borders Norway and Russia. Named after Dutch explorer Willem Barents, it was known to Vikings as the Murmean Sea. It is bounded by several archipelagos and seas, including the Svalbard and Novaya Zemlya archipelagos.

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In the harsh environment of Death Valley, 97 runners recently embarked on the Badwater 135, a 48-hour ultramarathon renowned as the world’s toughest foot race. Death Valley, located in southeastern California, USA is the lowest, hottest, and driest part of North America, spanning 7,800 sq. km, with about 1,425 sq. km below sea level. This rift valley, formed by the sinking of rock between major faulted mountains, is part of Death Valley National Park and the Mojave and Colorado Deserts Biosphere Reserve. It is bordered by the Grapevine, Funeral, and Black Mountains to the east, and the Panamint and Cottonwood Mountains to the west.

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A group of senators in Liberia, located along the coast of western Africa, has proposed relocating the capital city, Monrovia, due to recurring flash floods. Liberia is Africa’s oldest republic and the only African state never subjected to colonial rule. Bounded by Sierra Leone, Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, and the Atlantic Ocean, Liberia features notable elevations like Cape Mount, Cape Mesurado, and Cape Palmas. Major rivers include the Mano, Morro, and Cavalla, which form parts of its boundaries. Liberia is rich in natural resources such as iron, diamonds, gold, lead, manganese, graphite, and cyanite.

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A deadly strike on a playing field in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights has heightened concerns about a possible new conflict. The Golan Heights is a rocky plateau in southwestern Syria, about 60 km from Damascus. It covers 1,000 sq km and is surrounded by the Jordan River, the Sea of Galilee, Mount Hermon, the Wadi Al-Ruqqad River, and the Yarmuk River. It is considered occupied territory under international law.

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The Panama Canal is working to regain trade in liquefied natural gas and food commodities after a historic drought disrupted traffic last year. It connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through the Isthmus of Panama, serving as a key maritime trade route. Construction began in 1881 by France but failed due to financial and health issues. The U.S. completed the canal in 1914 and managed it until 1999, when Panama took full control under the Torrijos-Carter Treaties.

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A British man set a new Guinness World Record for the highest altitude ski BASE jump, leaping from 18,753 feet on Mera Peak in Nepal. Mera Peak is located in the Khumbu region of Nepal, standing at 6,476m above sea level, making it the highest trekking peak in the country. The peak dominates the area between the Hinku and Hongu Drangkas valleys and is considered the gateway to Everest. Trekkers usually climb Mera Central, although Mera North Peak is the highest. Mera Peak was first climbed in 1953 by Col. Jimmy Roberts and Sen Tenzing.

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Researchers from the University of Chile found that Chile’s Atacama Salt Flat is sinking due to lithium brine extraction. The Atacama Salt Flat, or Salar de Atacama, is the largest salt deposit in Chile. It features a white surface with a large salt lake beneath it. The lake under the salt flat holds one of the world’s largest lithium reserves. Located in the Atacama Desert, one of the driest places on Earth, the northern part of the basin includes the San Pedro River delta.

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Recent tensions between Japan and China have increased due to a Chinese military aircraft violating Japanese airspace. A Chinese Y-9 surveillance plane breached Japanese airspace near the Danjo Islands for about two minutes. This is the first confirmed airspace incursion by a Chinese military aircraft into Japanese airspace. The Danjo Islands, situated in the East China Sea off Japan’s southern Nagasaki prefecture, are strategically important with potential resources. The incident adds to ongoing maritime provocations by Chinese vessels near these disputed islands.