Places in News Current Affairs MCQs

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Mount Erebus, the world’s southernmost active volcano, has a permanent active lava lake. It is the only known volcano that releases tiny crystals of pure gold into the atmosphere. Mount Erebus is the world’s southernmost active volcano. It is a stratovolcano located on Ross Island in the Ross Sea, Antarctica. It is an intraplate volcano belonging to the McMurdo Volcanic Group in the West Antarctic Rift System. It is the second-highest volcano in Antarctica, after Mount Sidley. Mount Erebus and Deception Island are the only two active volcanoes in Antarctica.

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Taal Volcano in the Philippines recently experienced a brief phreatomagmatic eruption, caused by interaction between magma and water. It is a stratovolcano located in Batangas Province, about 70 km south of Manila, Philippines. It is classified as a complex volcano by the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS). The volcano consists of multiple stratovolcanoes, craters, and volcanic cones, rather than a single cone. It is one of the active volcanoes in the Philippines and lies on the Pacific Ring of Fire. It has a large caldera containing Taal Lake, within which lies Vulcan Point.

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The two-day Telugu Mahotsavam was inaugurated at the Undavalli Caves in Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh. The Undavalli Caves are one of India’s finest examples of rock-cut architecture. They are located at Undavalli village in Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, overlooking the Krishna River. The caves were built between the 4th and 5th centuries CE and are associated with the Gupta period. They were carved out of solid sandstone on a hillside. The largest cave has four storeys and houses a monolithic reclining idol of Lord Vishnu on the second floor.

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All 10 members of an international mountaineering expedition, including renowned climber Nirmal Purja, died after an avalanche. The accident occurred on Broad Peak, located on the Pakistan–China border. Broad Peak is the 12th-highest mountain in the world, with an elevation of 8,051 metres (26,414 feet). It lies about 8 km southeast of K2 in the Karakoram Range. Broad Peak is locally known as Falchan Kangri, meaning “Broad Mountain.”

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Recently, the Indian Army’s Red Shield Division conducted a 14-day joint security and counter-drone training programme for CISF personnel at the Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport. Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport is located in Agartala, Tripura. It is named after Maharaja Bir Bikram Kishore Manikya, the former ruler of Tripura. The airport is an important centre for regional connectivity and logistics in Northeast India. Its location near the India-Bangladesh international border gives it strategic importance.

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On August 15, 2026, the Gujarat Forest Department released 20 blackbucks into the Banni Grasslands of Kutch as part of a wildlife rewilding initiative. Banni grassland is located in Gujarat’s Kutch district and is home to 22 ethnic groups, mainly pastoralists. It has rich biodiversity with 37 grass species, 275 bird species, and domesticated animals like buffalo, sheep, and camel. The Banni Grasslands include the Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary and Chhari Dhand Conservation Reserve.

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The Orinoco Oil Belt is located in Venezuela, in the southern basin of the Orinoco River. It contains some of the world’s largest deposits of extra-heavy crude oil. The region has gained renewed attention following US licences allowing certain international entities, including ONGC Videsh Limited, to resume upstream petroleum operations. The development is significant for energy security and recovery of pending dividends.

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Kanlaon Volcano in the Negros Island Region recently emitted an ash plume about 200 metres above the volcano’s summit. 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.

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SpaceX recovered its Starship spacecraft nearly 24 days after its controlled splashdown in the Indian Ocean. The spacecraft was towed near Christmas Island for inspection and assessment. Christmas Island is an external territory of Australia located in the eastern Indian Ocean. It is situated about 350 km south of Java and Sumatra and around 1,550 km northwest of mainland Australia.

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The Tamil Nadu Government has directed the Water Resources Department (WRD) to redesign the proposed project to divert surplus Cauvery water from Mayanur Barrage to Ponnaniyar and Kannuthu dams as a solar-powered water-lifting irrigation project. It is located near Pooncholai village in the Kadavur hill region of Manapparai taluk, Tiruchirappalli district, Tamil Nadu. The dam has very low storage because its source channels receive little inflow.