Places in News Current Affairs MCQs

Notes:
Kharg Island is a small coral island in Iran in the northern Persian Gulf, recently discussed in United States strategic debates. It is one of the few Persian Gulf islands with natural freshwater, stored in porous limestone formations. The island has hot, humid summers and its highest point is Mount Didehban. In the early 1960s, discovery of offshore oil fields led to major petroleum and petrochemical infrastructure development. Its strategic importance comes from its location near the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global oil shipping route.

Notes:
Raisen Fort is a historic hilltop fort where police recently arrested youths after a cannon-firing video surfaced on social media. The fort is located on a sandstone hill in Raisen town, Madhya Pradesh and is among the largest forts in Central India. Built in the 11th century, it witnessed rule of local Hindu chiefs, Mandu Sultans, Mughals under Akbar, and later Nawabs of Bhopal. Around 1760, Fiaz Mohammad Khan occupied it and was recognised by Alamgir II as Faujdar. The fort has massive stone walls with nine gateways and panoramic views.

Notes:
Recently, about 25 visitors were injured after a swarm of bees attacked tourists at Sinhagad Fort, bringing the historic site into news. Sinhagad, earlier known as Kondhana, is an ancient hill fortress located near Pune, Maharashtra, in the Sahyadri range and is believed to be around 2,000 years old. The fort was captured in 1340 CE by Muhammad bin Tughlaq and later controlled by the Nizam Shahi dynasty. Shivaji captured the fort in 1647, but it was handed to the Mughals under the Treaty of Purandar. It was recaptured in 1670 by Tanaji Malusare during the Battle of Sinhagad, where he sacrificed his life. After this victory, the fort was renamed Sinhagad (Lion’s Fort).

Notes:
A professor from the Indian Institute of Science recently summited Nevado Ojos del Salado. It is located in the Andes Mountains on the border between Chile and Argentina. With a height of 6,893 meters, it is the highest mountain in Chile and the highest active stratovolcano in the world. The mountain formed mainly from layers of lava flows and explosive volcanic materials, typical of stratovolcano formation.

Notes:
Illegal earth cutting is reported near Deepor Beel in Guwahati, despite restrictions by the Gauhati High Court and district administration. Deepor Beel is a permanent freshwater lake on the outskirts of Guwahati in Assam. It lies in a former channel of the Brahmaputra River; “Beel” means lake in Assamese. The wetland covers about 4.1 sq km and is among the largest lakes in the Brahmaputra Valley of Lower Assam. Main inflow rivers are Kalmani River and Basistha River, while outflow occurs through Khandajan rivulet joining the Brahmaputra. It functions as the main stormwater storage basin for Guwahati city.

Notes:
India and Indonesia have partnered to restore the Prambanan Temple complex in Yogyakarta, Southern Java. Prambanan is the largest Hindu temple complex in Indonesia, located in Sleman region. It is locally known as Roro Jonggrang, meaning “Temple of the Slender Virgin.” The temple was built in the 9th century by the Sanjaya dynasty. It is dedicated to the Hindu Trimurti: Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. The complex remained buried for centuries and was rediscovered in the 19th century. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.

Notes:
Iran fired two ballistic missiles targeting the joint U.S.–U.K. military base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, escalating regional tensions. Diego Garcia is a strategically important military hub used by the United States and United Kingdom for operations across the Indian Ocean. Diego Garcia is a coral atoll in the central Indian Ocean and the largest island of the Chagos Archipelago. It is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), formed in 1965 after separation from Mauritius. It serves as a key geostrategic and logistics hub for US military operations in the Indian Ocean region. In 2019, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution asking the UK to end its control and return the islands to Mauritius.

Notes:
Recently, Israeli airstrikes destroyed Qasmiyeh Bridge over Litani River in Lebanon’s southern coastal highway. Litani River is the longest and major river of Lebanon. It originates west of Baalbek and flows southwest through Bekaa Valley between Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon mountains. It finally drains into the Mediterranean Sea.

Notes:
The Panama Canal is currently operating at full capacity (about 36–38 ships daily) due to rising global energy demand. The Panama Canal is a man-made waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean across the Isthmus of Panama. It is a highly strategic global trade route and is about 40 miles long. It was built by the United States and completed in August 1914. The United States controlled it until 1979, after which joint control began with Panama. Full control was transferred to Panama on December 31, 1999. The canal is now owned and managed by Panama.

Notes:
Researchers at the University of Utah discovered that freshwater saturates the rock and sediment beneath the Great Salt Lake to depths of up to 13,000 feet. The Great Salt Lake is a saline, endorheic lake located in northern Utah, United States, and it is the largest inland saltwater body in the Western Hemisphere. It is fed by the Bear River, Weber River, and Jordan River, but has no outlet, so water leaves primarily through evaporation. The lake’s salinity is higher than that of the oceans due to high evaporation rates and limited inflow, and it exists in an arid environment similar to the Dead Sea.