Places in News Current Affairs MCQs

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Recently, North Korea fired a ballistic missile towards the Sea of Japan, raising regional security concerns. The Sea of Japan, also called the East Sea, is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean. It lies between Japan and Sakhalin Island on the eastern side and Russia, North Korea, and South Korea on the western side. It connects to the East China Sea through the Tsushima Strait and the Korea Strait. In the north, it links with the Sea of Okhotsk through the La Perouse Strait and the Tatar Strait.

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Two paraglider pilots were rescued by the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) after falling into Tehri Lake during the Acro Festival and Simulation of Incidents in Flight (SIV) Championship Tehri 2026. Tehri Lake is an artificial reservoir located near Tehri Garhwal town in Uttarakhand. It was formed during the construction of the Tehri Dam by diverting the Bhagirathi River. The lake is situated at an altitude of about 1,700 metres above sea level. It has a depth of nearly 262 metres and a length of around 42 kilometres.

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Guatemala’s Volcán de Fuego, one of Central America’s most persistently active volcanoes, has recently witnessed a powerful explosive eruption. Volcán de Fuego is an active volcano located in Guatemala and means “Volcano of Fire” in Spanish. It is a young basaltic stratovolcano overlooking the historic city of Antigua. The volcano lies between Acatenango and Agua volcanoes and rises to 3,763 metres above sea level. It is part of the Central American Volcanic Arc stretching from Guatemala to Panama. Guatemala lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire, making it prone to volcanic and seismic activity.

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Gilbert Hill recently came into news after industrialist Anand Mahindra highlighted it in a social media post. The discussion increased awareness about its rare volcanic origin and heritage significance. Gilbert Hill is a 200-foot high monolith of black basalt rock located in Andheri, Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is one of the oldest basalt rock formations, formed about 66 million years ago during the Mesozoic era. It was created by volcanic eruptions that formed the Deccan Traps and marked the end of the dinosaur age. It is a rare volcanic column, with only three similar formations worldwide. The other two are Devil’s Tower in the United States of America (USA) and Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland.

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Piton de la Fournaise, located on the east–southeastern part of Réunion Island in the western Indian Ocean, has erupted for the second time this year. It is a massive basaltic shield volcano, formed by successive lava flows that create broad, gently sloping sides. The volcano is regarded as one of the most active volcanoes in the world due to its frequent eruptions. Its eruptions are typically short-lived and usually begin with spectacular lava fountains, followed by the outpouring of large lava flows.

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The remains of the luxury steamer Lac La Belle have been discovered at the bottom of Lake Michigan over 150 years after it sank in a storm. Lake Michigan is the third largest of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the only Great Lake entirely within the United States. By surface area, it is the fourth largest freshwater lake and the fifth largest lake in the world. The lake connects to Lake Huron through the Straits of Mackinac.

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Naval forces of Iran, Russia and China will conduct a joint military exercise near the Strait of Hormuz. The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula, mainly the United Arab Emirates and Musandam in Oman. The Gulf of Oman lies to the east and the Persian Gulf lies to the west. It is the only sea route connecting the oil-rich Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Iran is on the north coast and the United Arab Emirates is on the south coast.

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Mount Kanlaon, also called Kanlaon Volcano, recently erupted and released heavy ash and smoke over Negros Island in the Philippines, leading to safety warnings. It is a stratovolcano located on Negros Island, Philippines, and is the tallest peak in the Visayas region, about 2,465 metres above sea level. It is one of the active volcanoes of the Philippines and forms part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. It has many pyroclastic cones and craters with a broad caldera and crater lake at the summit. Its slopes have lava flows, lahar deposits and rich biodiversity, and act as major river headwaters.

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Taftan Volcano in southeastern Iran has risen about 3.5 inches (9 centimetre) in last 10 months. It is a stratovolcano located near Iran–Pakistan border. It is the tallest mountain in southeastern Iran. The volcano has two summits named Narkuh and Matherkuh. It contains an active hydrothermal system. It is the only active volcano in Makran continental volcanic arc. The arc is formed due to subduction of Arabian Plate beneath Eurasian Plate.

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A 67,800-year-old hand stencil found in a limestone cave on Sulawesi is now the oldest known rock art in the world. Sulawesi, earlier called Celebes, is a large island in Southeast Asia and part of the Greater Sunda Islands of Indonesia. Makassar is its largest city. It is surrounded by Borneo (west), the Philippines (north), Maluku Islands (east), and Flores and Timor (south). The island is mountainous with some active volcanoes; its highest peak is Ratenkombola (Mario).