Places in News Current Affairs MCQs

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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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A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck the South Shetland Islands in Antarctica, as reported by the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ). The islands are a remote archipelago about 120 km north of the Antarctic Peninsula, discovered in 1819 by William Smith and often called the “jewel of Antarctica.” They were formed by volcanic activity, with some islands still active, especially Deception Island, known for its flooded caldera. More than 80% area is covered with permanent ice, and there are no permanent residents, though countries maintain seasonal research stations.

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Iran fired two ballistic missiles targeting the joint U.S.–U.K. military base at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, escalating regional tensions. Diego Garcia is a strategically important military hub used by the United States and United Kingdom for operations across the Indian Ocean. Diego Garcia is a coral atoll in the central Indian Ocean and the largest island of the Chagos Archipelago. It is part of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), formed in 1965 after separation from Mauritius. It serves as a key geostrategic and logistics hub for US military operations in the Indian Ocean region. In 2019, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution asking the UK to end its control and return the islands to Mauritius.

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Cross-border trade between India and China through the Lipulekh Pass in Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand is set to resume from June, marking an important development in border trade. Lipulekh Pass is a high-altitude Himalayan mountain pass located in Uttarakhand. It connects India with the Tibet region of China, serving as a strategic and historic gateway to the Himalayan region. It was the first Indian border post opened for trade with China, later followed by Shipki La Pass (Himachal Pradesh) and Nathu La Pass (Sikkim).

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Kolleru Lake has shown a measurable ecological decline over the last 50 years as highlighted by environmental activists. It is a shallow lake located in Andhra Pradesh between Krishna and Godavari river deltas near Eluru. It acts as a natural flood-balancing reservoir for Krishna River and Godavari River. It is known as “Fisherman’s Paradise” and “Bird Heaven” due to rich biodiversity. It receives water from Budameru, Ramileru, Tammileru, and Errakalva rivers

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Bab el-Mandeb Strait is a strategic narrow waterway amid rising West Asia tensions. It is called the “Gate of Tears” due to frequent historical shipwrecks. It lies at the southern end of the Red Sea, between Yemen and the Horn of Africa. It connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden and further to the Indian Ocean. It separates Arabia (Asia) from Africa and links to the Mediterranean via the Suez Canal.

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A magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck Indonesia’s Northern Molucca Sea, causing damage, one death, tsunami waves, and multiple aftershocks. Molucca Sea is located in the western Pacific Ocean within the Indonesian archipelago. It is bounded by Sulawesi to the west, Halmahera to the east, the Sula Islands to the south, and connects northward to the Philippine Sea. The sea lies over the Molucca Sea Plate, which experiences Divergent Double Subduction — subducting westwards under the Eurasian (Sangihe) Plate and eastwards under the Philippine Sea (Halmahera) Plate. It is a highly active seismic region with frequent earthquakes and crustal movements.

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The Veli–Akkulam Estuary is located along the coast of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala. It is a small, shallow, bar-built estuary forming part of the Kerala backwater system adjoining the Lakshadweep Sea. The estuary is divided by a man-made bund into two parts: Veli (west) and Akkulam (northeast). Its connection to the sea is intermittent, opening mainly during the monsoon through sandbar breaching. It is currently facing degradation due to invasive species, pollution, urban runoff, and encroachment, impacting biodiversity.

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The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has warned about severe ecological degradation of Hokersar Lake, with over 2,500 kanals encroached. Hokersar Lake is a natural wetland near Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, spread over 13.75 square kilometres at an altitude of about 1,585 metres. It lies in the Jhelum River basin and is mainly fed by the Doodhganga River, a tributary of the Jhelum. It is the largest bird sanctuary in Kashmir Valley and a Ramsar site, hosting around 68 species of migratory waterfowl from Siberia, Central Asia, and Northern Europe.

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China conducted military drills, including live-fire exercises, near Luzon Island, highlighting regional strategic tensions. Luzon is the largest and most important island of the Philippines, located in its northern part. It hosts over half of the country’s population, making it the political and economic centre. The capital city Manila is situated on Luzon. The island is bordered by the Philippine Sea (east), South China Sea (west), and Sibuyan Sea (south). The Luzon Strait lies to its north, separating it from Taiwan.