Places in News Current Affairs MCQs

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Oman is tackling an oil spill from a grounded tanker near the Hallaniyat Islands in the Arabian Sea. The Hallaniyat Islands, formerly known as the Kuria Muria Islands, are a five-island archipelago located in the Arabian Sea, off the southern coast of Oman. The islands are a protected nature reserve known for coral reefs, turtle nesting beaches and rich marine biodiversity. They provide habitat to Arabian Sea humpback whales, whale sharks, dolphins and diverse fish species.

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A German-Turkish research team conducted the first scientific survey of Mount Ararat’s glacier in eastern Turkey in July 2026. The researchers worked at an altitude of over 5,000 metres, facing extreme cold, strong winds and very low oxygen levels. Mount Ararat is a snow-covered dormant/inactive compound stratovolcano in eastern Turkey, near the borders of Armenia and Iran. It has two main peaks: Greater Ararat (5,137 m) and Lesser Ararat (3,896 m). Greater Ararat is the highest mountain in Turkey, standing at 5,137 metres. Mount Ararat is traditionally associated with the resting place of Noah’s Ark and holds significant cultural importance, particularly for Armenians.

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Recently, a sudden surge of water and debris entered the under-construction Tail Race Tunnel of the 444 MW Vishnugad-Pipalkoti Hydroelectric Project (VPHEP) in Chamoli, Uttarakhand. The incident, suspected to be caused by a rain-saturated aquifer burst, left 7 workers dead and 3 missing.It is located is on the Alaknanda River, a major tributary of the Ganga River, in Chamoli district, Uttarakhand. It is a 444-megawatt run-of-river scheme expected to generate 1,665 gigawatt-hours of electricity annually.

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Kanlaon Volcano in the Negros Island Region recently emitted an ash plume about 200 metres above the volcano’s summit. 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.

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In August 2026, the United States and Venezuela reportedly announced an oil pact covering around 65 billion barrels of proven oil reserves. The Orinoco Belt is located in Venezuela, along the southern part of the eastern Orinoco River Basin. It contains one of the world’s largest deposits of extra-heavy crude oil. Venezuela has the world’s largest proven oil reserves, exceeding 300 billion barrels. The crude oil of the Orinoco Belt is generally heavy and sour, requiring specialised refining facilities for processing.

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Recently, the Lahaul-Spiti district administration announced the installation of an Early Warning System (EWS) at Ghepan Glacial Lake in September 2026 to strengthen monitoring and reduce the risk of glacial lake-related disasters. Ghepan Glacial Lake is located in Lahaul-Spiti district of Himachal Pradesh, at an altitude of around 4,070 metres. The initiative is important for disaster risk reduction in the Himalayan region, particularly in view of the threat of Glacial Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs).

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The Mindoro bleeding-heart pigeon (Gallicolumba platenae) was photographed by a camera trap in Mindoro, Philippines, in 2026 after a long gap in confirmed records. Mindoro is located south of Luzon and northeast of Palawan. The pigeon is endemic to Mindoro and is classified as Critically Endangered. Mindoro is the seventh-largest island of the Philippines and is known for rich biodiversity and high endemism.

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Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau volcano erupted on September 6, 2026, sending volcanic ash across parts of western Indonesia. Anak Krakatau, meaning “Child of Krakatoa,” is located in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra in Indonesia. It is a stratovolcano, formed by alternating layers of solidified lava and ash. The volcano sits at the convergent boundary between the Indo-Australian and Eurasian tectonic plates. Anak Krakatau is part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, a seismically active zone around the Pacific Ocean.

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Maharashtra authorities have been directed to conduct an objective assessment of unauthorised structures around Shivneri Fort, the birthplace of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Shivneri Fort, located in Pune district, Maharashtra, is historically significant as the birthplace of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The fort was associated with the Yadavas of Devagiri and later came under several ruling powers. It was an important defensive stronghold overlooking the Junnar region and surrounding trade routes.

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Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels have captured the strategic Mayun Island, also known as Perim Island. The island is located in the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, at the entrance to the Red Sea. Mayun lies approximately 3.5 km off Yemen’s western coast. The island is a small, barren volcanic island with major strategic importance because of its location along a key maritime route. The Bab el-Mandeb Strait connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea.