Places in News Current Affairs MCQs

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New Zealand has recently suspended millions of dollars in budget funding to the Cook Islands due to growing tensions over the island group’s closer ties with China. The Cook Islands are a group of 15 small islands spread over 2 million square kilometres in the South Pacific Ocean. They lie in the centre of the Polynesian Triangle, about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand. Geographically, they are east of Niue, Tonga, and Samoa; northeast of New Zealand; south of Kiribati; and west of French Polynesia.

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Recently, a major wildfire broke out near the main town of Chios Island in the eastern Aegean Sea, with over 100 firefighters and water-dropping aircraft working to control the flames. Chios is a Greek island located in the Aegean Sea, just 8 kilometres off the western coast of Turkey. It is the fifth-largest island in Greece. Chios is known for producing mastic gum and is often called “the Mastic Island.”

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Recently, researchers discovered a buried ancient forest under the Falkland Islands, which grew before humans or sheep ever arrived. The Falkland Islands, also called the Malvinas Islands, is an internally self-governing overseas territory of the United Kingdom in the South Atlantic Ocean. It lies about 480 kilometers northeast of South America’s southern tip and east of the Strait of Magellan. The islands include East Falkland, West Falkland, and 776 smaller islands, separated by the Falkland Strait.

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Recently, the Wandan mud volcano in Taiwan erupted, sending bubbling mud into the air while locals set the escaping gases on fire with burning rags. A mud volcano is a small cone of mud and clay, usually less than a few meters high. It forms from hot water mixed with fine sediment, which either flows gently like lava or bursts out like a fountain due to volcanic gas and boiling water. The craters are shallow and erupt mud on and off, rebuilding cones that erode easily. Mud volcanoes, also called mud domes or sedimentary volcanoes, release gases like methane, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen along with often salty or acidic water.

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Recently, Teghbir Singh, a six-year-old from Punjab, set a new world record by becoming the youngest mountaineer to scale Mount Elbrus. Mount Elbrus is the highest mountain in Russia and Europe, with a height of 18,510 feet or 5,642 metres. It is also ranked as the tenth-most prominent peak in the world. The previous record was held by Wagah Kushagra from Maharashtra, who climbed it at 7 years and 3 months.

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Ethiopia’s Prime Minister recently announced that the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) is now complete and will be inaugurated in September. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), earlier called the Millennium Dam, is built on the Blue Nile River. It is located in Ethiopia’s Benishangul-Gumuz region near the border with Sudan. The Blue Nile is a major tributary of the Nile River.

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Recently, heavy rainfall caused severe flooding and damage in central Texas, especially along the Guadalupe River. The Guadalupe River is located in Texas, United States. Guadalupe River is a spring-fed river that starts from the North and South Forks in Kerr County, Texas. It flows into San Antonio Bay, which connects to the Gulf of Mexico. The river basin includes Canyon Reservoir and Edwards Aquifer in the Balcones Fault Zone, San Antonio portion. The area is known as “Flash Flood Alley” due to frequent flash floods.

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Recently, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president and Lok Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) Gaurav Gogoi urged the Prime Minister to resolve the worsening connectivity crisis in Barak Valley. Barak Valley is the southernmost region of Assam, named after the Barak River. It includes three districts – Cachar, Hailakandi, and Karimganj – covering about 9% of Assam’s area. It borders Meghalaya (north), Mizoram (south), Manipur (east), and Tripura and Bangladesh (west).

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Machilipatnam is seeing a revival as nearly 48% work on the new Greenfield port at Manginapudi is completed. Machilipatnam, also called Masulipatnam, is a coastal city in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh. It lies on the southeastern Coromandel Coast of India. In medieval times, it was a major port and global trading hub. Traders from different countries visited this vibrant town for commerce. The city is also known for its traditional handloom industry.

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Recently, the Lakshadweep administration is considering acquiring Bitra Island for defence purposes. Bitra is the smallest inhabited island in the Lakshadweep archipelago. It lies in the northern part of Lakshadweep. The island houses a shrine of Malik Mulla, an old Arab saint, and is a pilgrimage site. Its climate is similar to Kerala, with temperatures between 25°C to 35°C and humidity ranging from 70% to 76%.