Places in News Current Affairs MCQs

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A proposal to transfer water from Manikaran to Kasol for a hot bath facility has sparked local opposition. Manikaran is a small town in Himachal Pradesh, known for its hot springs and religious significance. It is situated in Parvati Valley along the Parvati River at 1,829 meters altitude. The town is famous for natural hot springs believed to have healing properties. The water is said to be radioactive and beneficial for rheumatism. Manikaran is a major pilgrimage site for Hindus and Sikhs, home to a Shiva temple, Manikaran Sahib Gurudwara, and a Rama temple.

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The Israel-Hamas conflict has escalated, leading to a fragile ceasefire brokered by the US, Egypt, and Qatar. A key issue is Israel’s withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor, a strategic area along Gaza’s border with Egypt. The corridor is a 14 km long, 100-meter-wide strip, including the Rafah crossing and Kerem Shalom crossing. It was designated a demilitarized zone under the 1979 Camp David treaty. After Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority took control, but Hamas seized it in 2007.

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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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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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Russian troops launched a large-scale offensive to retake parts of the western Kursk region from Ukrainian forces. Kursk is a city and the administrative center of Kursk Oblast, located along Russia’s southwestern border. It lies about 450 km (280 miles) south of Moscow, along the upper Seym River. The region is part of the Black Earth territory, known for its highly fertile soil. Kursk has a moderately continental climate, experiencing distinct seasonal variations.

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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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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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The United States President imposed a 10% tariff on imports from Heard and McDonald Islands, even though these islands have no known exports to the US. Heard and McDonald Islands are remote volcanic islands in the southern Indian Ocean, about 4,100 km from Perth, Australia, and 1,600 km from Antarctica. They are one of Australia’s seven external territories and are directly governed by the Australian government. Heard Island has Big Ben volcano with Mawson Peak, the highest mountain in Australia outside mainland and Tasmania. McDonald Island is smaller but has doubled in size due to volcanic eruptions in the 1990s and 2000s. These are the only volcanically active sub-Antarctic islands and are used to study earth’s crust, climate change, and glaciers. They are part of a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site since 1997

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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.

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After two years of civil war, Sudan’s Tuti Island was reclaimed by the national army but is now devastated and depopulated. Tuti Island is located at the confluence of the Blue and White Nile rivers in Khartoum, Sudan and was known for its lush greenery and agriculture. The island spans 8 square kilometers and was called “Khartoum’s garden” due to its farming and fishing activities. The Mahas community, who settled there in the 15th century, consider the island a symbol of indigenous identity. The war has displaced 13 million people and caused severe famine in Khartoum. Climate change has worsened the island’s vulnerability, disrupting the Nile’s flooding cycle. To preserve the Taya system and document community knowledge, the HEART (Heritage Empowered Action for Risk in Tuti) Project was initiated.