Places in News Current Affairs MCQs

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China’s natural resource ministry released its first survey report on the disputed Sabina Shoal in the South China Sea.
Sabina Shoal, also known as Xianbin Reef, is an oceanic coral atoll located in the eastern part of the Spratlys Islands in the South China Sea. It is situated 75 nautical miles from the Philippine province of Palawan and lies within the Philippines’ 200-nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) under UNCLOS. China claims the shoal and much of the South China Sea as its territory and maintains a presence there, though it is 630 nautical miles from China. Sabina Shoal is 23 km long, composed of two main parts connected by a narrow section, with central lagoons surrounded by a coral ring.

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Oceanographers found a new seamount on the Nazca Ridge, 900 miles off Chile’s coast. Nazca Ridge is a submarine ridge in the southeastern Pacific Ocean near South America. It is around 1,100 kilometers long and varies in width. The ridge starts at the Nazca Plate off Peru and extends southwest towards Easter Island, Chile. It was created by volcanic activity from a hotspot in the Earth’s mantle. The ridge consists of unusually thick basaltic ocean crust.
It is tectonically active, subducting beneath the South American Plate at the Peru-Chile Trench.

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The central government has designated the international trans-shipment hub at Galathea Bay in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands as a ‘Major Port.’ It is located on Great Nicobar Island and is being developed as an International Container Transshipment Port (ICTP). The project will receive central funding and be developed under a public-private partnership model. Phase 1 is set to begin in 2028 with a handling capacity of 4 million TEUs, growing to 16 million TEUs by 2058. The port’s strategic location near international trade routes and its deep water depth make it significant for capturing transshipment cargo from other ports.

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Rapa Nui, also called Easter Island, did not experience a population collapse, based on ancient DNA analysis of 15 former inhabitants. Rapa Nui is a Chilean territory in the southeastern Pacific Ocean and is the easternmost Polynesian island.
It is located 3,540 km west of Chile and 1,900 km east of Pitcairn Island. The island covers 163.6 sq. km and is one of the most remote inhabited places. It is a small volcanic island with a tropical rainforest climate. Easter Island was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996, with much of it protected under Rapa Nui National Park.

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A bathymetric study is being conducted around Pallikaranai marshland to measure the amount of sludge that can be removed.
This study, essential for wetland restoration and flood management, is a response to the increasing pressures from encroachments and sewage discharge. The marsh is a freshwater and partly saline wetland located 20 km south of Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It acts as a flood buffer for the Chennai and Chengalpattu districts. The marsh includes 65 wetlands connected to the Bay of Bengal through Okkiyam Madavu and Kovalam Creek. Pallikaranai is a Ramsar site in India.

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Mount Erebus, Antarctica’s second-largest volcano, is unexpectedly spewing gold dust, surprising scientists. Typically, the volcano releases steam, gases, and rocks, but now tiny crystallized gold particles are also emerging. These particles have been found 621 miles from the volcano, valued at around $6,000 (Rs 5 lakh). NASA scientists suggest molten rock brought the gold particles to the surface, crystallizing in Antarctica’s sub-zero temperatures. While other volcanoes produce gold in gas or liquid form, Mount Erebus uniquely releases solid gold particles carried by the wind.

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Experts report that 430 of the 450 hectares of Albania’s Little Prespa Lake have become swamps or dried up. It is one of Europe’s oldest and highest tectonic lakes, located at the junction of three geological masses: granite, karstic, and Suva Gora. The area contains rocks from the Paleozoic era to the Neogene era. The lake system includes Great Prespa Lake (shared by Albania, Greece, and Macedonia) and Little Prespa Lake, mostly in Greece. Climate change, rising temperatures, and lack of snowfall and rain have significantly impacted the lake.

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A boat capsized in Lake Kivu, eastern Congo, killing at least 78 people out of 278 passengers. Lake Kivu is one of East Africa’s Great Lakes, between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda. It is Rwanda’s largest lake and the sixth largest in Africa, situated in the Albertine Rift. The lake covers 1,040 square miles and lies 1,460 meters above sea level. 58% of the lake’s waters are in DRC, with the rest in Rwanda. It has a maximum depth of 475 meters and empties into the Rusizi River flowing into Lake Tanganyika.

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Pilgrims recently had the first-ever view of the sacred Kailash peak from the Old Lipulekh pass in Indian territory.
Lipulekh Pass is a high-altitude pass in Uttarakhand, near the trijunction of India, Nepal, and China, at 5,334 meters.
It links Uttarakhand with Tibet and serves as a gateway to the Himalayas. It is situated in Vyas Valley, Pithoragarh. It opened for trade with China in 1992. It has ancient trade significance and is part of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, a sacred Hindu pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, believed to be Lord Shiva’s abode.

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The regional assembly of Portugal’s Azores Islands approved the largest protected marine area in the North Atlantic. This decision aims to meet international conservation goals ahead of schedule. The Azores Archipelago consists of nine volcanic islands located in the North Atlantic. The islands are part of the Autonomous Region of the Azores and were formed from the Azores Plateau. They sit above the Azores Triple Junction, where the Eurasian, North American, and African tectonic plates meet. The Mid-Atlantic Ridge runs between the African-Eurasian and North American Plates, crossing the Azores Plateau.