Places in News Current Affairs MCQs

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A Chinese ship recently ran aground due to severe weather near Thitu Island, raising alert levels among Filipino soldiers in the disputed South China Sea. Thitu Island, also called Pag-asa Island in the Philippines, lies within the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. The Spratly Islands are claimed entirely by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, and partially by Malaysia and the Philippines. Thitu is the second largest natural island in the Spratlys and the biggest of the nine occupied by the Philippines.

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Guatemalan authorities recently evacuated over 500 people as Fuego Volcano released gas and ash. Volcan de Fuego, meaning “Volcano of Fire” in Spanish, is located in Guatemala and is one of the most active volcanoes in Central America. Fuego Volcano has erupted over 60 times since the year 1524, showing a long history of intense volcanic activity.

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Recently, a major wildfire broke out near the main town of Chios Island in the eastern Aegean Sea, with over 100 firefighters and water-dropping aircraft working to control the flames. Chios is a Greek island located in the Aegean Sea, just 8 kilometres off the western coast of Turkey. It is the fifth-largest island in Greece. Chios is known for producing mastic gum and is often called “the Mastic Island.”

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Recently, a satellite image showed Alaska’s Iliamna Volcano “ready to rumble,” following a rise in earthquakes on its slopes, drawing scientific attention. Iliamna Volcano is located in southwest Alaska, United States, within the Chigmit Mountains of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. It is a stratovolcano, known for its steep shape and occasional explosive eruptions. The volcano is made up of andesite lava flows and pyroclastic rocks over Jurassic-era granite.

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Recently, Japan’s Mount Shinmoedake erupted, sending a huge ash plume into the sky. Mount Shinmoedake is an active stratovolcano on Kyushu Island in Japan. It is part of the Kirishima mountain range in Kagoshima Prefecture. The volcano stands 1420.8 meters above sea level. It shows frequent eruptions and unique geological formations.

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Physicists recently highlighted Helgoland as the birthplace of quantum theory. Helgoland is a small red-sandstone island in the German Bay (Deutsche Bucht) of the North Sea. It covers less than one square kilometre and was once used as a naval fortress. In June 1925, physicist Werner Heisenberg, suffering from hay fever, moved to Helgoland for relief. There, he abandoned the idea of electrons orbiting nuclei and focused only on observable experimental data. He organized light absorption and emission data into grids called matrices.

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In July 2025, scientists extracted 18–20 million-year-old proteins from the tooth enamel of extinct mammals found near Lake Turkana. Lake Turkana is located in northern Kenya and partly extends into Ethiopia. It lies in the Eastern Rift Valley and is mainly fed by the Omo River, which supplies 90% of its water. It is the fourth-largest lake in Africa and the world’s largest permanent desert lake. Lake Turkana is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site.

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Recently, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president and Lok Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) Gaurav Gogoi urged the Prime Minister to resolve the worsening connectivity crisis in Barak Valley. Barak Valley is the southernmost region of Assam, named after the Barak River. It includes three districts – Cachar, Hailakandi, and Karimganj – covering about 9% of Assam’s area. It borders Meghalaya (north), Mizoram (south), Manipur (east), and Tripura and Bangladesh (west).

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A recent study found that four proposed Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) projects in Cabo Delgado could consume at least 17% of the world’s remaining carbon budget. Cabo Delgado has faced an ongoing insurgency since 2017, adding to regional instability. Cabo Delgado is the northernmost province of Mozambique, located in East Africa. It borders Tanzania via the Rovuma River in the north and the Indian Ocean in the east.

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Machilipatnam is seeing a revival as nearly 48% work on the new Greenfield port at Manginapudi is completed. Machilipatnam, also called Masulipatnam, is a coastal city in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh. It lies on the southeastern Coromandel Coast of India. In medieval times, it was a major port and global trading hub. Traders from different countries visited this vibrant town for commerce. The city is also known for its traditional handloom industry.