Places in News Current Affairs MCQs

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New Zealand’s High Court overturned the conviction of White Island’s owners after the 2019 volcanic eruption that killed 22 people. White Island (Whakaari) is an active composite stratovolcano in New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty, located 48 km off Whakatāne. It is New Zealand’s most active cone volcano, formed over 150,000 years. The 2019 eruption was its last major event, causing fatalities and injuries. The island, privately owned, was declared a private scenic reserve in 1953, attracting tourism and scientific research. It features hot springs, geysers, and fumaroles and was named by Captain James Cook in 1769.

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A six-day survey in Majuli River Island, Assam, highlights rising human-wildlife conflict (HWC) concerns. Majuli is the world’s largest river island in Assam, covering 421 sq. km, formed by the Brahmaputra and Subansiri Rivers. It became India’s first island district in 2016 and is known for its lush greenery, water bodies, and paddy fields. The island is a hub of Assamese neo-Vaishnavite culture, with Satras preserving dance, literature, theatre, and mask-making.

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Fugitive ex-IPL chief Lalit Modi has applied to surrender his Indian passport and has acquired Vanuatu citizenship. Vanuatu is a small island country in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of 83 islands, with only 65 inhabited, forming an irregular Y shape. It lies east of Australia and north of New Zealand, between Australia and Fiji. The landscape includes mountains, plateaus, hills, terraces, and coral reefs. It has several active volcanoes, including Mount Yasur. The capital and largest city is Port Vila on Efate Island. The country’s currency is the vatu.

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Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki volcano in Indonesia erupted frequently, sending an ash column 8,200 meters high. Authorities expanded the danger zone, but evacuation details are unavailable. 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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A strong 6.7 magnitude earthquake struck off New Zealand’s South Island recently. South Island is the larger and southernmost of New Zealand’s two main islands, located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It is separated from North Island by Cook Strait and from Stewart Island by Foveaux Strait. The island is mostly mountainous, dominated by the Southern Alps, with Mount Cook (3,754m) as its highest peak.

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Japan raised concerns over a prolonged incursion by Chinese Coast Guard ships near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. The Senkaku Islands, a disputed territory between Japan and China, are located in the East China Sea. They are uninhabited and located about 90 nautical miles north of Japan’s Yaeyama Islands and 120 nautical miles northeast of Taiwan. They are known as Diaoyu Islands in China, Diaoyutai Islands in Taiwan, and Pinnacle Islands by others. The islands cover 6.3 sq km, with the largest, Uotsuri Island, spanning 3.6 sq km. The terrain consists of sandstone, tuff, and andesite, with coral formations uplifted in the Holocene era.

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China recently deployed two long-range H-6 bombers near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea to assert sovereignty. Scarborough Shoal, also called Scarborough Reef, is a coral atoll in the eastern South China Sea. It is located 220 km west of Luzon, Philippines, and is the largest atoll in the region. The atoll is submerged at high tide, with only a few rocks visible above sea level. It is a rich fishing ground with valuable marine life. The shoal is a disputed territory between China and the Philippines, with both claiming exclusive rights.

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A 7.1 magnitude earthquake struck near Tonga, triggering a tsunami warning. Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga, is an archipelago of 169 islands, with 36 inhabited. It lies south of Samoa, east of Fiji, and north of the Tropic of Capricorn in the South Pacific Ocean. The western islands are volcanic, with four active volcanoes, while the eastern islands are coral and low-lying. Tongatapu, Ha’apai, and Vava’u are the largest islands, with Nuku‘alofa as the capital. Located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, Tonga frequently experiences volcanic activity.

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The Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly has unanimously passed a resolution urging the Union government to retrieve Katchatheevu from Sri Lanka. Katchatheevu is a 285-acre uninhabited island located in the Palk Strait between India and Sri Lanka. It is 33 km northeast of Rameswaram (India) and 62 km southwest of Jaffna (Sri Lanka). The island serves as a maritime boundary marker between the two nations and is rich in fisheries, crucial for Tamil Nadu’s fishing economy.

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A major archaeological discovery in Lefkada, Greece, revealed the first ancient Greek theater ever found in the Ionian Islands. The Ionian Islands are located off the western coast of Greece in the eastern Ionian Sea, covering 2,306.94 square kilometers. They are also known as “Heptanese,” meaning “Seven Islands,” which include Corfu (Kerkyra), Paxi, Lefkada, Ithaki, Kefalonia, Zakynthos, and Kythira. Kefalonia is the largest, with Mount Ainos as the highest point at 1,628 meters. Historically, they were ruled by Venice, later by Russian and Turkish forces, and finally ceded to Greece by Britain in 1864.