Places in News Current Affairs MCQs

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A recent submarine volcanic eruption in the Bismarck Sea has highlighted the limited mapping of Earth’s deep ocean floor. The Bismarck Sea is located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean near the northeast coast of Papua New Guinea. It is surrounded by the Bismarck Archipelago, including the Admiralty Islands, New Ireland, and New Britain. The sea connects to the Pacific Ocean and the Solomon Sea through the Vitiaz and Dampier Straits and St. George’s Channel.

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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.

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Kopra Reservoir has emerged as a national biodiversity model reflecting the 2026 International Day for Biological Diversity theme — “Local Action, Global Impact.” It is the first Ramsar Site in Chhattisgarh. The reservoir serves as an important wetland ecosystem and supports regional communities through hydrological and socio-economic benefits. It is also a crucial habitat for aquatic biodiversity and migratory birds.

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Rapid melting of the Ghepan Glacier is posing a threat to Sissu Village. Ghepan Lake, also called Ghepang Ghat glacial lake, is located at an altitude of 4,068 metres above Sissu, Himachal Pradesh. It is a moraine-dammed glacial lake formed behind natural deposits of rocks, sand, and debris left by retreating glaciers. According to the National Remote Sensing Centre, the lake nearly tripled in size between 1989 and 2022. The National Disaster Management Authority has classified the lake as “highly vulnerable”.

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A recent study reconstructed nearly 4,000 years of climate and vegetation history of Majuli Island using pollen-based palaeoecological evidence. Majuli is the world’s largest inhabited river island and is culturally important as a centre of Neo-Vaishnavite culture and settlement of several tribal communities. The island is located between the Brahmaputra River and the Subansiri River in Assam. The study examined climate variability, vegetation changes, and flood patterns over thousands of years to better understand environmental changes in the region.

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Shiveluch Volcano recently erupted, sending ash plumes nearly 10 km into the atmosphere and triggering red-level aviation alerts in Russia’s Far East. It is one of the largest and most active volcanoes on the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia. Shiveluch is a stratovolcano, formed by alternating layers of hardened lava, volcanic ash, and volcanic rocks.

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A powerful earthquake recently struck off Mindanao Island in the Philippines. Mindanao is the second-largest island of the Philippines after Luzon and is located in the southern part of the Philippine archipelago. It is popularly known as the “Food Basket of the Philippines” due to its significant agricultural production. The Philippines is an island nation in Southeast Asia situated in the western Pacific Ocean.

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Geochronologists recently found that Giant’s Causeway was formed over 5.5 million years, which is 8 million years less than previously estimated. The Giant’s Causeway is located on the Antrim Plateau in Northern Ireland. The site consists of around 6 km of black basalt columns along the coast. The basalt columns resemble stepping stones and are mostly polygonal or hexagonal in shape. These pillars rise from the sea and gradually increase in height until they reach the cliff top. Its stair-like appearance is believed to be the reason behind the name “Giant’s Causeway.” The site was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986.

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Recent research has shown that stress levels along the San Andreas Fault in Southern California are the highest in nearly 1,000 years. The San Andreas Fault is a major continental transform boundary located in the western part of United States in North America. The fault is believed to have started forming around 30 million years ago during the mid-Cenozoic Era. It marks the boundary between the North American Plate and the Pacific Plate. The San Andreas Fault is classified as a strike-slip fault, where tectonic plates slide horizontally past each other.

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The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has proposed a redevelopment plan for Powai Lake in Mumbai, with consultancy support from AECOM Asia Company Limited. Powai Lake is an artificial lake located in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It was constructed by the British in 1890 by damming the Mithi River to augment Bombay’s water supply. The lake is surrounded by the Powai Bird Sanctuary and serves as an important habitat for resident and migratory birds, besides supporting Marsh Crocodiles and the conservation of the Indian Mahaseer.