Places in News Current Affairs MCQs

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Sakurajima Volcano is located on the southern tip of Kyushu Island near Kagoshima city in Japan. It is one of Japan’s most active stratovolcanoes, with frequent eruptions of varying intensity. It is an andesitic volcano with high viscosity magma and high gas content, leading to explosive eruptions. It lies on a convergent plate boundary and forms part of the Aira Caldera system. The volcano consists of two main peaks: Kitadake (north) and Minamidake (south). Recent eruptions have sent large ash plumes, impacting nearby regions.

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The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has warned about severe ecological degradation of Hokersar Lake, with over 2,500 kanals encroached. Hokersar Lake is a natural wetland near Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, spread over 13.75 square kilometres at an altitude of about 1,585 metres. It lies in the Jhelum River basin and is mainly fed by the Doodhganga River, a tributary of the Jhelum. It is the largest bird sanctuary in Kashmir Valley and a Ramsar site, hosting around 68 species of migratory waterfowl from Siberia, Central Asia, and Northern Europe.

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China conducted military drills, including live-fire exercises, near Luzon Island, highlighting regional strategic tensions. Luzon is the largest and most important island of the Philippines, located in its northern part. It hosts over half of the country’s population, making it the political and economic centre. The capital city Manila is situated on Luzon. The island is bordered by the Philippine Sea (east), South China Sea (west), and Sibuyan Sea (south). The Luzon Strait lies to its north, separating it from Taiwan.

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Environmentalists have raised concerns over a proposed 100 megawatt solar power project near Sambhar Lake, stating that it may damage the fragile wetland ecosystem and biodiversity of the region. Sambhar Lake, located in the Jaipur and Nagaur districts of Rajasthan, is the largest inland saltwater lake in India and has an elliptical shape. The saline wetland is surrounded by the Aravalli Hills and is fed by five streams, namely Rupangarh, Mendha, Samoad, Khari, and Khandela. It was designated as a Ramsar Site in 1990 because of its ecological significance and importance for migratory birds and wetland biodiversity.

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Yavarí-Tapiche Territorial Corridor is a proposed 16-million-hectare protected territory in the western Amazon region. The corridor lies along the border areas of Brazil and Peru within the southern basin of the Amazon River. It is considered a major global biodiversity hotspot and home to the largest population of Indigenous Peoples in Voluntary Isolation and Initial Contact (PIACI) in the western Amazon. Several indigenous communities such as the Matsés, Matis, Korubo, Marubo, Remo, and Kapanawa live in or around the corridor. The Matsés community plays an important role in protecting isolated tribes and monitoring the forest using traditional ecological knowledge.

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Lake Chad recently came into news after a Boko Haram attack on a military post in Chad’s Lake Chad region killed several soldiers. Lake Chad is a freshwater lake located in the semi-arid Sahel region of west-central Africa and is shared by Chad, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Niger. The lake was once the world’s sixth-largest lake, but its size has drastically reduced since the 1960s due to prolonged drought and excessive water use. Lake Chad is an endorheic lake, meaning it has no outlet to the sea. The Chari River is the main source of water for the lake and contributes nearly 90 percent of its inflow.

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Tristan da Cunha was recently in news after British military medics conducted a parachute mission there to assist a suspected hantavirus patient from the cruise ship MV Hondius. Tristan da Cunha is a volcanic archipelago and the largest island in the South Atlantic Ocean, located midway between southern Africa and South America. It is regarded as the world’s most remote inhabited island chain. The islands were discovered in 1506 by Portuguese explorer Tristão da Cunha, after whom the archipelago is named.

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Lavan Island recently came into news after reports claimed it was targeted during the Middle East conflict. It is a strategic Iranian island located in the Persian Gulf near the Strait of Hormuz. The island lies about 40 km west of Qeshm Island and is an important oil export terminal of Iran. Lavan Island serves as the operating base for the Salman, Resalat, and Reshadat offshore oil fields. The Salman field, located south of the island, is among the largest offshore oil complexes in the Persian Gulf.

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Lake Kariba has recently witnessed rising water levels due to fresh inflows from the upper Zambezi River after years of drought, erratic rainfall, and heatwaves. Lake Kariba is located along the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe in central Africa. It is the world’s largest artificial lake and reservoir by volume and the fourth largest by surface area.
The lake was formed between 1958 and 1963 after the construction of the Kariba Dam.

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A fire and two powerful explosions at a shipyard on Staten Island caused one civilian death and injured around 36 people. Staten Island is one of the five boroughs of New York City in the United States. Historically, the island was inhabited by the Native American Lenape community before Dutch and English settlement. Staten Island is popularly known as the “Borough of Parks” because of its extensive parks, forests, and green spaces.