Places in News Current Affairs MCQs

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The Taftan Volcano in Iran is showing signs of reawakening after 700,000 years. It is a 12,927-foot or 3,940-metre-high semi-active stratovolcano. It lies in southeastern Iran, about 56 kilometres from the Pakistan border. It is the only active volcano in the Makran continental volcanic arc. The volcano formed due to the subduction of the Arabian Ocean crust beneath the Eurasian continent. It has two summits named Narkuh and Matherkuh. Taftan has an active hydrothermal system with sulfur-emitting vents called fumaroles. It has not erupted in recorded human history.

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Lake Suchitlán in El Salvador is facing a crisis due to the rapid spread of invasive water lettuce. Lake Suchitlán is located in El Salvador. Water lettuce is a perennial, free-floating aquatic weed found in tropical regions across Asia, Africa, and the Americas. It is also called water cabbage, Nile cabbage, or shellflower. The plant has lettuce-like leaves with long, feathery white to tan roots hanging below.

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A drying climate in East Africa caused Lake Turkana’s water levels to drop, triggering earthquakes and volcanic activity beneath it. Lake Turkana, formerly Lake Rudolf, is a vast, shallow lake in northern Kenya, extending slightly into Ethiopia. It lies along the Eastern Rift Valley, separated from Lake Logipi by volcanic formations called the Barriers.

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Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki erupted on 13 November 2025, sending volcanic ash 10 km (6.2 miles) into the sky. The Geological Agency of Indonesia raised the alert system to its highest level following the eruption. It is located on Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. It is part of a twin-volcano system, with Lewotobi Laki-Laki (male) and Lewotobi Perempuan (female). These are stratovolcanoes, formed by repeated lava layers. Indonesia frequently experiences volcanic eruptions as it lies on the Pacific ‘Ring of Fire,’ where tectonic activity causes earthquakes and tsunamis

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Japan’s Sakurajima volcano recently erupted several times, sending ash up to 4.4 kilometres high. It is located on the southern tip of Kyushu Island near Kagoshima city in Japan. It is one of Japan’s most active volcanoes with frequent eruptions. Sakurajima is a stratovolcano made of layered lava and ash on a convergent plate boundary. It is an andesitic volcano with high gas content and very viscous magma at the edge of the Aira Caldera

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Udupi Police recently filed a case against eight people for entering the restricted Dariya Bahadur Island, highlighting its protected status. The island, also called Bhadragada Island or Lighthouse Island, lies near Malpe Beach in Udupi district, Karnataka. It is a small rocky island with a breadth of about 1.6 sq km and an area of less than 250 yards. It is known for its scenic buildings and the historic Daira Bahadurgarh Fort built by Basavappa Naik of Bidanur.

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The Rajasthan High Court recently sought a detailed conservation plan from the state government due to rising ecological threats to Gadisar Lake in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. Gadisar Lake is a 14th-century artificial reservoir originally built by Raja Rawal Jaisal and later renovated by Maharawal Gadsi Singh, giving it its present name. It historically served as Jaisalmer’s main water source through an efficient rainwater harvesting system in the desert. Encroachment, urban pressure, siltation and pollution have reduced its catchment area and damaged ecological balance. The lake supports local biodiversity and migratory birds, making it a vital urban-wetland ecosystem.

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Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority (HMDA) will use bioremediation with enzyme solutions and biochar-based Bokashi balls to reduce algal blooms bad smell and poor water quality in Hussainsagar Lake. Hussainsagar Lake is an artificial lake located in Hyderabad Telangana. It is also known as Tank Bund and lies on a tributary of the River Musi.

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Nearly 70% of corals at UNESCO-listed Ningaloo Reef have died due to Australia’s most intense and prolonged marine heatwave. Ningaloo Reef is Australia’s largest fringing coral reef and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, famous for rich marine life and whale-shark aggregations. It is one of the world’s longest near-shore reef systems, located on the north-west coast of Western Australia, around 1,200 km north of Perth in the East Indian Ocean. The reef formed over millennia through coral limestone growth on a shallow shelf, supported by tectonic uplift of Cape Range and stable sea levels.

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Researchers found a nearly intact ancient pottery vessel near Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture, dating back over 10,000 years. It is Japan’s largest freshwater lake on Honshu, about 64 kilometres long and 672 square kilometres in area. The lake looks like a biwa musical instrument and is over four million years old. It is fed by mountain rivers and drains into Osaka Bay through the Yodo River. It supports fish, pearl culture, water supply, textile industries, and was listed under the Ramsar Convention in 1993.