Places in News Current Affairs MCQs

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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.

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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.

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The Syrian civil war that began in 2011 turned Palmyra’s strategic location into a war zone, leading to large-scale damage to its ancient monuments. Palmyra is an ancient city in central Syria, located in an oasis surrounded by palm trees and the Palmyrene mountain ranges. It has been inhabited since the Neolithic period and was first mentioned in historical records in the early second millennium Before Common Era (BCE). In the 1st century After Death (AD), it became part of the Roman Empire. Palmyra grew as a key trade and cultural center on the Silk Road, connecting Rome with Persia, India, and China.

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A “breathing” cap of magma has been discovered inside the Yellowstone supervolcano, which might help predict when the volcano will next erupt, according to a new study. The Yellowstone supervolcano lies beneath Yellowstone National Park, in the western United States. It is one of the largest active volcanic systems in the world. The supervolcano is a caldera, a large crater formed by a major eruption, and is an active supervolcanic system. The caldera measures 55 x 72 km (34 x 45 miles) in size.

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The Vembanad Lake Rejuvenation Project, led by the Alappuzha District Administration, is inspired by the Namami Gange Programme for river conservation. A five-year plan worth ₹188.25 crore has been submitted to the Chief Minister of Kerala and may be revised based on studies by the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM). Vembanad Lake is the longest lake in India and the largest in Kerala, stretching about 96.5 kilometres. It spreads across Alappuzha, Kottayam, and Ernakulam districts, covering around 2,033 square kilometres. The lake is known by names like Vembanad Kayal, Punnamada Lake, and Kochi Lake in different regions. It receives water from six rivers, including Meenachil, Achankovil, Pamba, and Manimala, and drains into the Arabian Sea.

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A massive explosion recently hit Iran’s Shahid Rajaee Port in Bandar Abbas, causing a huge fire and leading to many deaths and injuries. The blast is suspected to have been caused by sodium perchlorate, a chemical used in ballistic missile propulsion. Shahid Rajaee Port is Iran’s largest and most advanced commercial port. It is located near the Strait of Hormuz, a vital route through which about 26% of the world’s oil is transported. The port manages 85% of Iran’s container cargo, 52% of its oil trade, and over half of its total maritime cargo. It lies along the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC), linking the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf to the Caspian Sea, Russia, and Northern Europe.

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Recently, scientists observed repeated unrest at Campi Flegrei between 1982–1984 and 2011–2024, involving land uplift, earthquakes, and underground rumbling due to rising fluid pressure. Campi Flegrei, also called the Phlegraean Fields, is an active volcanic system located near Naples, Italy. Unlike single-cone volcanoes like Mount Vesuvius, Campi Flegrei is a large caldera, which is a sunken volcanic area formed after a huge eruption. The caldera spans about 12 to 15 kilometers and was formed by a massive eruption nearly 39,000 years ago. That eruption may have triggered climate changes that contributed to the decline of Neanderthals.

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Japan’s Sakurajima volcano erupted recently, sending a huge ash plume 3,000 metres above its crater. Sakurajima is one of the most active volcanoes in Japan and is located on the southern tip of Kyushu Island, just 4 kilometers from Kagoshima City. It stands at an elevation of 1117 metres and has a circumference of about 50 kilometres. It is a stratovolcano, formed from layers of lava and ash at a convergent plate boundary. The volcano was once an island, but a massive eruption in 1914 connected it to the mainland. It lies on the south rim of the Aira Caldera and has two main peaks — the North Peak and the South Peak. Sakurajima erupts frequently with ash, pyroclastic flows, volcanic bombs, and poisonous gases.

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Recently, two oil tankers named Adalynn and Front Eagle caught fire after a collision near the Strait of Hormuz, raising global concerns about energy security and trade stability. The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow and strategic waterway that connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman. It lies between Iran on the north and the Arabian Peninsula on the south, specifically the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Musandam region of Oman. This route is vital for global oil transport, with a large share of the world’s oil passing through it daily.

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Prime Minister of India recently visited Croatia, becoming the first Indian Prime Minister to do so during his 3-nation tour after the G7 Summit in Canada. Croatia is located in Central and Southeast Europe along the eastern Adriatic Sea, giving it strategic maritime importance. Its capital is Zagreb, and it shares borders with Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, and Italy.