Places in News Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
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

Notes:
The Ream Naval Base is on Cambodia’s Gulf of Thailand coast near Sihanoukville and recently gained global attention due to its expansion and China’s involvement. On April 5, 2025, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet inaugurated the expanded base, supported financially and technically by China. Cambodia claims the expansion supports its national defense, but concerns remain over possible Chinese military use. The base is close to the Malacca Strait, a key route for global trade and energy transport. China’s role suggests it aims to boost its influence in the Indo-Pacific and strengthen its naval presence near the South China Sea.

Notes:
Mount Kanlaon, a stratovolcano in north-central Negros Island, Philippines, recently erupted, sending a 4,000-metre ash plume into the sky. It is the highest mountain on Negros and the 42nd tallest island peak in the world. It is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire and one of the most active volcanoes in the Philippines. The volcano has multiple pyroclastic cones and craters, including a northern caldera with a crater lake and a smaller, active southern crater. Its base covers 30 km by 14 km, made of lava flows, lahar, airfall tephra, and pyroclastic deposits. It supports rich biodiversity and serves as a water source for major rivers on Negros Island. Since 1866, eruptions have mostly been small phreatic explosions with light ashfall nearby.

Notes:
After two years of civil war, Sudan’s Tuti Island was reclaimed by the national army but is now devastated and depopulated. Tuti Island is located at the confluence of the Blue and White Nile rivers in Khartoum, Sudan and was known for its lush greenery and agriculture. The island spans 8 square kilometers and was called “Khartoum’s garden” due to its farming and fishing activities. The Mahas community, who settled there in the 15th century, consider the island a symbol of indigenous identity. The war has displaced 13 million people and caused severe famine in Khartoum. Climate change has worsened the island’s vulnerability, disrupting the Nile’s flooding cycle. To preserve the Taya system and document community knowledge, the HEART (Heritage Empowered Action for Risk in Tuti) Project was initiated.

Notes:
The Cradle of Humankind in South Africa has reopened to the public after being closed for three years due to flooding. It is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site known for its underground limestone caves. It is located near Johannesburg, South Africa. It includes several significant sites such as Sterkfontein, Swartkrans, Kromdraai, and Taung Skull Fossil Site. The site provides critical scientific insight into human evolution, dating back over 3.5 million years.

Notes:
United States (US) air strikes on Yemen’s Ras Isa oil port have killed at least 80 people. Ras Isa Port is located on the Ras al-Mashawn Peninsula in Yemen. It lies along the Gulf of Aden, about 35 kilometers west of the city of Al Mahrah. The Marib–Ras Isa oil pipeline is a vital part of Yemen’s energy network. This pipeline connects the inland oil fields of Marib to the Ras Isa Marine Terminal on the Red Sea. The port plays a major role in Yemen’s oil exports and overall economic stability.

Notes:
Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), faced severe flooding in April 2025 due to poor urban planning and twin sources of floodwater. The disaster was caused by both local rainfall and runoff from the Congo Central Province, which overwhelmed rivers like the Ndjili and Lukaya. This led to 70 deaths, 150 injuries, and displacement of over 21,000 people. It also damaged 73 healthcare facilities and disrupted water and transport systems. Kinshasa is one of 38 flood hotspots in the Congo Basin due to rapid urbanisation and twin flood sources. The crisis was worsened by ongoing instability in eastern DRC caused by the M23 armed group, leading to more displacement. The Democratic Republic of Congo is the second-largest country in Africa after Algeria and the largest in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Notes:
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.

Notes:
Historian M.G.S. Narayanan, who played a major role in the Muziris Heritage Project (MHP), was recently remembered in the Kerala State Assembly. The ancient Muziris Port was a famous trading hub on the Malabar Coast in present-day Kerala, active from around the 1st century BCE to the early medieval period. It was especially known for its spice trade, mainly black pepper, which was often called black gold. Other important exports included semi-precious stones, ivory, and pearls. Muziris connected South India with Persia, the Middle East, North Africa, and the Mediterranean world, including Greek and Roman traders.

Notes:
Mackinac Island is a small island city in northern Michigan, United States. It is located where Lake Huron meets Lake Michigan, two of the Great Lakes of North America. The island covers about 4.35 square miles and is known for its natural beauty and peaceful environment. It is surrounded by limestone cliffs and rises up to 339 feet in the eastern part. A unique feature is that motor vehicles are banned, making horses the main mode of transport. Recently, the island gained attention again as a rare car-free haven in America’s car manufacturing state.