Places in News Current Affairs MCQs

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Recently, the Birch Glacier in Switzerland collapsed, causing a huge landslide that partly buried Blatten village. The landslide also affected the flow of the Lonza River, increasing local risk. Birch Glacier is located in the Lötschental valley in northern Switzerland. Experts say that climate change played a key role in this disaster. Switzerland, which has the most glaciers in Europe, has lost nearly 40% of its glacial volume since 2000. This incident highlights the urgent impact of global warming on mountain ecosystems.

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Ukraine recently claimed to have attacked the Kerch Strait Bridge, also known as the Crimean Bridge, using underwater explosives. The Kerch Bridge, opened in 2018, is both a road and rail link connecting Russia to Crimea across the Kerch Strait. The Kerch Strait is a narrow waterway that links the Sea of Azov with the Black Sea and is around 4 kilometers wide at its narrowest point. It is an important shipping route and strategic access point.

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A Chinese ship recently ran aground due to severe weather near Thitu Island, raising alert levels among Filipino soldiers in the disputed South China Sea. Thitu Island, also called Pag-asa Island in the Philippines, lies within the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. The Spratly Islands are claimed entirely by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, and partially by Malaysia and the Philippines. Thitu is the second largest natural island in the Spratlys and the biggest of the nine occupied by the Philippines.

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Guatemalan authorities recently evacuated over 500 people as Fuego Volcano released gas and ash. Volcan de Fuego, meaning “Volcano of Fire” in Spanish, is located in Guatemala and is one of the most active volcanoes in Central America. Fuego Volcano has erupted over 60 times since the year 1524, showing a long history of intense volcanic activity.

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Lake Natron in Tanzania is gaining global attention due to environmental threats from climate change and development projects. It is a shallow, hyper-alkaline salt lake located in the Ngorongoro District, Arusha Region, near the Kenya-Tanzania border. It is fed by the Ewaso Ng’iro River and mineral-rich hot springs. Lake Natron is listed as a Ramsar wetland site.

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Recently, Mount Lewotobi Lakilaki in Indonesia erupted, sending an ash cloud up to 11 kilometers high. It is located in East Nusa Tenggara province on Flores Island, Indonesia. The volcano lies along the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’, a zone of high volcanic activity.

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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.

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After more than 100 years, swimmers officially returned to the River Seine in France since its closure in 1923. The River Seine is France’s second-longest river after the Loire, stretching 775 kilometers. Its drainage basin, called the Paris Basin, covers about 79,000 square kilometers in northern France. Around 62% of the basin supports agriculture, holding 25% of France’s farm activity and up to 30% of industry.

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Archaeologists have recently discovered a 3,500-year-old ancient city named Penico in Peru. Penico is located about 200 km north of Lima, in Barranca province, at 600 metres above sea level. It was likely founded between 1,800 and 1,500 BC, during the same period as early Middle Eastern and Asian civilizations. Penico lies near Caral, the oldest known civilization in the Americas, established around 3,000 BC in the Supe Valley.

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Recently, Nyangai Island off the coast of Sierra Leone lost two-thirds of its surface area in less than a decade. It now measures only about 200 metres long and 100 metres wide (approximately 650 by 330 feet). Nyangai Island is part of the Turtle Islands archipelago in Sierra Leone. It is a low-lying island located in a region with strong coastal currents, making it highly vulnerable to erosion. The island has long served as a hub for trade, agriculture, fishing, and maritime transport.