Places in News Current Affairs MCQs

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The remains of the luxury steamer Lac La Belle have been discovered at the bottom of Lake Michigan over 150 years after it sank in a storm. Lake Michigan is the third largest of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the only Great Lake entirely within the United States. By surface area, it is the fourth largest freshwater lake and the fifth largest lake in the world. The lake connects to Lake Huron through the Straits of Mackinac.

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Lake Victoria’s water has turned green due to severe ecological damage, mainly from algal blooms. Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa. It lies mainly in Tanzania and Uganda and also borders Kenya. It is known as Victoria Nyanza in Kenya, Nalubaale in Uganda, and Ukerewe in Tanzania. It is crossed by the Equator. It is the second-largest freshwater lake in the world after Lake Superior in North America.

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Mount Kanlaon, also called Kanlaon Volcano, recently erupted and released heavy ash and smoke over Negros Island in the Philippines, leading to safety warnings. It is a stratovolcano located on Negros Island, Philippines, and is the tallest peak in the Visayas region, about 2,465 metres above sea level. It is one of the active volcanoes of the Philippines and forms part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. It has many pyroclastic cones and craters with a broad caldera and crater lake at the summit. Its slopes have lava flows, lahar deposits and rich biodiversity, and act as major river headwaters.

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More than 2,700 tourists were recently rescued after being stranded due to heavy snowfall near Tsomgo Lake in East Sikkim. Tsomgo Lake, also known as Tsongmo or Changu Lake, is a glacial lake located in Sikkim. It is formed by melting snow from the surrounding mountains. The lake receives its water mainly from seasonal snowmelt in the high-altitude region. After winter ends around mid-May, the lake’s surroundings bloom with rhododendrons, primulas, blue and yellow poppies, and irises. Rhododendron is the state tree of Sikkim. The area supports rich biodiversity, including Brahminy ducks and the rare red panda.

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A 67,800-year-old hand stencil found in a limestone cave on Sulawesi is now the oldest known rock art in the world. Sulawesi, earlier called Celebes, is a large island in Southeast Asia and part of the Greater Sunda Islands of Indonesia. Makassar is its largest city. It is surrounded by Borneo (west), the Philippines (north), Maluku Islands (east), and Flores and Timor (south). The island is mountainous with some active volcanoes; its highest peak is Ratenkombola (Mario).

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Kharg Island is a small coral island in Iran in the northern Persian Gulf, recently discussed in United States strategic debates. It is one of the few Persian Gulf islands with natural freshwater, stored in porous limestone formations. The island has hot, humid summers and its highest point is Mount Didehban. In the early 1960s, discovery of offshore oil fields led to major petroleum and petrochemical infrastructure development. Its strategic importance comes from its location near the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global oil shipping route.

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Raisen Fort is a historic hilltop fort where police recently arrested youths after a cannon-firing video surfaced on social media. The fort is located on a sandstone hill in Raisen town, Madhya Pradesh and is among the largest forts in Central India. Built in the 11th century, it witnessed rule of local Hindu chiefs, Mandu Sultans, Mughals under Akbar, and later Nawabs of Bhopal. Around 1760, Fiaz Mohammad Khan occupied it and was recognised by Alamgir II as Faujdar. The fort has massive stone walls with nine gateways and panoramic views.

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A professor from the Indian Institute of Science recently summited Nevado Ojos del Salado. It is located in the Andes Mountains on the border between Chile and Argentina. With a height of 6,893 meters, it is the highest mountain in Chile and the highest active stratovolcano in the world. The mountain formed mainly from layers of lava flows and explosive volcanic materials, typical of stratovolcano formation.

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Illegal earth cutting is reported near Deepor Beel in Guwahati, despite restrictions by the Gauhati High Court and district administration. Deepor Beel is a permanent freshwater lake on the outskirts of Guwahati in Assam. It lies in a former channel of the Brahmaputra River; “Beel” means lake in Assamese. The wetland covers about 4.1 sq km and is among the largest lakes in the Brahmaputra Valley of Lower Assam. Main inflow rivers are Kalmani River and Basistha River, while outflow occurs through Khandajan rivulet joining the Brahmaputra. It functions as the main stormwater storage basin for Guwahati city.

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The Panama Canal is currently operating at full capacity (about 36–38 ships daily) due to rising global energy demand. The Panama Canal is a man-made waterway connecting the Atlantic Ocean and Pacific Ocean across the Isthmus of Panama. It is a highly strategic global trade route and is about 40 miles long. It was built by the United States and completed in August 1914. The United States controlled it until 1979, after which joint control began with Panama. Full control was transferred to Panama on December 31, 1999. The canal is now owned and managed by Panama.