Places in News Current Affairs MCQs

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Japan raised concerns over a prolonged incursion by Chinese Coast Guard ships near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. The Senkaku Islands, a disputed territory between Japan and China, are located in the East China Sea. They are uninhabited and located about 90 nautical miles north of Japan’s Yaeyama Islands and 120 nautical miles northeast of Taiwan. They are known as Diaoyu Islands in China, Diaoyutai Islands in Taiwan, and Pinnacle Islands by others. The islands cover 6.3 sq km, with the largest, Uotsuri Island, spanning 3.6 sq km. The terrain consists of sandstone, tuff, and andesite, with coral formations uplifted in the Holocene era.

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China recently deployed two long-range H-6 bombers near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea to assert sovereignty. Scarborough Shoal, also called Scarborough Reef, is a coral atoll in the eastern South China Sea. It is located 220 km west of Luzon, Philippines, and is the largest atoll in the region. The atoll is submerged at high tide, with only a few rocks visible above sea level. It is a rich fishing ground with valuable marine life. The shoal is a disputed territory between China and the Philippines, with both claiming exclusive rights.

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The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly has unanimously passed a resolution urging the Union government to retrieve Katchatheevu from Sri Lanka. Katchatheevu is a 285-acre uninhabited island located in the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka. It is 33 km northeast of Rameswaram (India) and 62 km southwest of Jaffna (Sri Lanka). The island serves as a maritime boundary marker between the two nations and is rich in fisheries, crucial for Tamil Nadu’s fishing economy.

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A United States (U.S.) national was arrested in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands for allegedly entering the prohibited tribal reserve area of North Sentinel Island. North Sentinel Island is part of the Andaman Islands, an Indian Union Territory in the Bay of Bengal. It is located west of the central Andaman Islands and covers about 60 square kilometers. The island is densely forested, surrounded by a shallow reef, and home to the Sentinelese tribe. The Sentinelese are believed to be direct descendants of the first humans who migrated from Africa around 60,000 years ago. They have lived in isolation for thousands of years, resisting contact with the outside world. The island is protected under the Andaman and Nicobar Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Act, 1956, prohibiting anyone from approaching within 5 nautical miles.

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Kazakhstan has found a major deposit of Rare Earth Elements (REEs) at the Kuirektykol site in the Karaganda Region, estimated to hold 1 million tons, which can support clean energy technologies globally. The Karaganda Region, in central Kazakhstan, is known for arid plains, hills, and seasonal streams, with major landscapes like Karkaraly National Park, Mount Aksoran, and Lake Balkhash. Important rivers in the region include the Ishim (Esil) and Nura, supported by the Irtysh–Karaganda Canal. Once known for coal mining and Gulag camps during Soviet times, it remains an industrial and mineral-rich hub. Rare Earth Elements (REEs) are 17 similar elements used in electric vehicles, wind turbines, smartphones, lasers, and defence technologies.

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A major archaeological discovery in Lefkada, Greece, revealed the first ancient Greek theater ever found in the Ionian Islands. The Ionian Islands are located off the western coast of Greece in the eastern Ionian Sea, covering 2,306.94 square kilometers. They are also known as “Heptanese,” meaning “Seven Islands,” which include Corfu (Kerkyra), Paxi, Lefkada, Ithaki, Kefalonia, Zakynthos, and Kythira. Kefalonia is the largest, with Mount Ainos as the highest point at 1,628 meters. Historically, they were ruled by Venice, later by Russian and Turkish forces, and finally ceded to Greece by Britain in 1864.

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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.

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Mount Lewotobi in Indonesia’s East Nusa Tenggara province recently erupted, leading to flight warnings and safety advisories. It is located on Flores Island, Indonesia. It lies along the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire’, known for frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The volcano has two peaks, separated by 2 kilometres and a 1232-metre-high saddle, giving it the name Lewotobi, meaning “husband and wife”. The two peaks are called Lewotobi Lakilaki (man) and Lewotobi Perempuan (woman), both stratovolcanoes.

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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.

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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.