Places in News Current Affairs MCQs

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Authorities launched a major search after a helicopter went missing near the highly active Mount Aso volcano in Japan. Mount Aso is located in Kumamoto Prefecture (Ken), Kyushu, Japan. It rises to an elevation of about 1,592 metres. It is the largest active volcano in Japan. Mount Aso has the world’s largest active caldera, about 114 kilometres in circumference.

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Russia’s Far Eastern Kamchatka Peninsula is facing record-breaking snowfall due to powerful winter storms. It is located between the Sea of Okhotsk to the west and the Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea to the east. Kamchatka is part of Kamchatka Krai in Russia. It is one of the world’s largest peninsulas and a major zone of geothermal activity. The region lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire and has over 150 volcanoes, including 29 active ones. The “Volcanoes of Kamchatka” is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site.

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Researchers found the world’s oldest known rock art, a painted human hand outline, inside a cave on Muna Island, Indonesia, dated to at least 67,800 years ago. Muna Island is located in Southeast Sulawesi province of Indonesia and covers about 1,704 square kilometres. The island has a hilly landscape rising up to about 445 metres, with teak forests in the north and northeast. Muna Island is known for rich culture, natural beauty, forests, and clean beaches

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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 Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) government is considering diverting water from the Ravi River in Punjab to the Jammu region. This move comes amid the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) between India and Pakistan. J&K is also pushing to revive the Tulbul Navigation Barrage Project, also called the Wular Barrage. The barrage is a navigation lock-cum-control structure at the outlet of Wular Lake in J&K. It was designed to facilitate navigation on the Jhelum River during lean winter months. The project regulates Wular Lake water to maintain minimum river draft up to Baramulla in winter.

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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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A 10-year artificial reef project at Vaan Island created socio-ecological benefits worth ₹61.67 crore, more than double its inflation-adjusted cost. The study was done by the Tamil Nadu Coastal Restoration Mission and its partners. Vaan Island is located in the Gulf of Mannar. It is part of the Tuticorin group of islands in Tamil Nadu. The island faced severe coastal erosion and shrinking land area.