Places in News Current Affairs MCQs

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The Prime Minister recently visited the Arul Mihu Navasakthi Vinayagar Temple during his State visit to Seychelles. It is a Hindu temple located in Victoria, the capital of Seychelles. It is the only Hindu temple in Seychelles. The temple was built in 1992 by the Hindu community in Seychelles. It is dedicated to Lord Vinayagar (Lord Ganesha) and is located on Mahé Island. The temple is built in the Dravidian architectural style, resembling the temples of Tamil Nadu.

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Qeshm Island was recently in the news after projectiles struck the island amid renewed hostilities in the region. It is the largest island in the Persian Gulf and belongs to Iran. The island is located near the Strait of Hormuz, opposite the Iranian port city of Bandar Abbas. It has a hot and arid climate with rocky terrain, sandy bays, and mud flats. Qeshm is home to the Hara Mangrove Forest, an important habitat for migratory birds. It also hosts the Qeshm Geopark, the first UNESCO-recognised geopark in the Middle East (2006).

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Recently, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened heavy strikes on Iran’s Pickaxe Mountain, citing concerns over its nuclear programme. Pickaxe Mountain (also called Kuh-e Kolang Gaz La) is located in Isfahan Province, Iran, in the Zagros Mountain Range. It houses a fortified underground nuclear facility believed to be over 100 metres beneath hard granite. The facility is intended for the production and assembly of advanced centrifuges.

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UNESCO has added Sebastia (West Bank) and five castles in Lebanon’s Mount Amel region, including Beaufort Castle, to both the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger. Sebastia, near Nablus in the West Bank, was the ancient city of Samaria, the capital of the biblical Kingdom of Israel. The Mount Amel inscription covers five historic castles in southern Lebanon, including Beaufort Castle. These castles represent a blend of Crusader, Ayyubid, Mamluk, and local architectural styles, reflecting nearly 900 years of military and cultural history.

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Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park is located in East Java Province, Indonesia. It is famous for its spectacular volcanic landscape, including Mount Bromo and Mount Semeru. Mount Bromo is an active volcano and one of Indonesia’s most iconic tourist destinations. Mount Semeru is the highest mountain in Java. The park is also known for the Tengger Caldera, savannahs, volcanic sand plains and diverse biodiversity. In August 2026, the national park was in the news after a major wildfire affected around 20 hectares near Mount Bromo’s caldera, leading to a temporary suspension of tourism activities and aerial firefighting efforts.

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Lake Mead was recently in the news after its water level fell to about 1,040.4 feet, the lowest recorded level since the reservoir was created. It is a reservoir on the Colorado River, located on the Arizona–Nevada border in the southwestern United States. Lake Mead was created by the construction of Hoover Dam, which impounds the Colorado River. It is the largest reservoir in the United States by total water-storage capacity.

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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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Russian President Vladimir Putin recently visited Iturup, one of the disputed southern Kuril Islands, for the first time. Japan claims four southern Kuril Islands as the “Northern Territories”, while they are administered by Russia. The Kuril Islands form a volcanic chain stretching about 1,300 km from Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula to Japan’s Hokkaido. The islands lie along the Pacific Ring of Fire and separate the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific Ocean. The region is strategically important because of its location, fishing grounds and mineral resources. The territorial dispute has contributed to the absence of a formal Russia–Japan World War II peace treaty.

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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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On August 15, 2026, the Gujarat Forest Department released 20 blackbucks into the Banni Grasslands of Kutch as part of a wildlife rewilding initiative. Banni grassland is located in Gujarat’s Kutch district and is home to 22 ethnic groups, mainly pastoralists. It has rich biodiversity with 37 grass species, 275 bird species, and domesticated animals like buffalo, sheep, and camel. The Banni Grasslands include the Kutch Desert Wildlife Sanctuary and Chhari Dhand Conservation Reserve.