Places in News Current Affairs MCQs

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In August 2026, the United States and Venezuela reportedly announced an oil pact covering around 65 billion barrels of proven oil reserves. The Orinoco Belt is located in Venezuela, along the southern part of the eastern Orinoco River Basin. It contains one of the world’s largest deposits of extra-heavy crude oil. Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves, exceeding 300 billion barrels. The crude oil of the Orinoco Belt is generally heavy and sour, requiring specialised refining facilities for processing.

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On 30 August 2026, US forces struck two Iranian rocket launchers on Larak Island, located in the Strait of Hormuz. Larak Island is a small Iranian island located in the Strait of Hormuz. It lies south of Hormuz Island, southeast of Bandar Abbas, and southeast of the eastern end of Qeshm Island. The island is strategically important because it is situated close to the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s major maritime chokepoints. The Strait of Hormuz connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman, providing a crucial maritime route for global energy transportation.

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Maharashtra authorities have been directed to conduct an objective assessment of unauthorised structures around Shivneri Fort, the birthplace of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Shivneri Fort, located in Pune district, Maharashtra, is historically significant as the birthplace of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The fort was associated with the Yadavas of Devagiri and later came under several ruling powers. It was an important defensive stronghold overlooking the Junnar region and surrounding trade routes.

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Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have captured the strategic Mayun Island, also known as Perim Island. The island is located in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, at the entrance to the Red Sea. Mayun lies approximately 3.5 km off Yemen’s western coast. The island is a small, barren volcanic island with major strategic importance because of its location along a key maritime route. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea.

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A seminar organised by the Cochin Port Employees Organisation (CPEO) called for the comprehensive revitalisation of Willingdon Island. The objective is to unlock the full potential of Cochin Port and increase revenue and employment. Willingdon Island is a man-made/artificial island located in Kochi (Cochin), Kerala. It is situated in the Vembanad Lake–Kochi backwater system. The island was created primarily to support the development and expansion of Cochin Port. It is named after Lord Willingdon, the former Viceroy and Governor-General of India.

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China is carrying out large-scale vegetation planting around the Taklamakan Desert to control desertification, sandstorms and wind erosion. The initiative is linked mainly to China’s Three-North Shelterbelt Program, launched in 1978. The programme has increased vegetation particularly along the edges of the desert. It is located in western China. It lies mainly within the Tarim Basin, between the Kunlun Mountains to the south and the Tian Shan Mountains to the north. It is one of the largest sandy deserts in the world. It is a cold desert, with very hot summers and extremely cold winters. The desert is famous for its vast sand dunes and extremely low precipitation.

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Scientists have identified a new penguin species for the first time in more than 100 years. The new species is called Pygoscelis kerguelensis, commonly known as the southeastern gentoo penguin. It is found on the remote Kerguelen Islands in the Southern Indian Ocean, north of Antarctica. The archipelago consists of Grande Terre, the main island, along with more than 300 smaller islands and islets.

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Japan’s Coast Guard detected discoloured seawater near the Fukutoku-Okanoba submarine volcano, indicating possible renewed volcanic activity. Fukutoku-Okanoba is an underwater volcano located in the Pacific Ocean, south of Japan’s Izu-Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands. Its eruptions can cause discoloured seawater, floating pumice, ash and temporary formation of volcanic islands. The volcano is located in a region of significant tectonic and volcanic activity, making it important for monitoring potential hazards to shipping and nearby islands.

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A UN report has called for further steps by the United States to address the long-term consequences of its nuclear testing legacy in the Marshall Islands. The recommendations include providing better healthcare to affected communities and releasing classified historical records related to the nuclear testing programme. Marshall Islands is located in Central Pacific Ocean, roughly between Hawaii and Australia. It is a Micronesian island country consisting mainly of atolls and small islands. The country has 29 atolls and 5 individual islands, containing more than 1,000 individual islets. The two major population centres are Majuro Atoll and Kwajalein Atoll.

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Researchers from Pennsylvania State University studied Masaya Volcano’s underground magma movements using Sentinel-1 satellite data collected between 2018 and 2024. Masaya Volcano is located in Nicaragua, Central America. It is an active basaltic shield volcano known for its lava lake inside the Santiago crater. Approximately two million people live within 20–21 km of the volcano.