World & Physical Geography MCQs

Notes:
Equatorial region – Doldrums or equatorial belt of calms, area around the earth centered slightly north of the equator between the two belts of trade winds. The large amount of solar radiation that arrives at the earth in this area causes intense heating of the land and ocean. This heating results in the rising of warm, moist air; low air pressure; cloudiness; high humidity; light, variable winds; and various forms of severe weather, such as thunderstorms and squalls. Hurricanes originate in this region. The doldrums are also noted for calms, periods when the winds disappear, trapping sailing vessels for days or weeks.

Notes:
The Sun is nearly 150 million km away from the Earth. Such large distances are expressed in another unit known as light year.
Light year is the distance travelled by light in one year.
Speed of light is about 300,000 km per second. Thus, the distance of the Sun from the Earth may be said to be about 8 light minutes.

Notes:
The Earth rotates 360° around its axis every 24 hours. There are 360 degrees of longitude around the Earth. To rotate 1 degree of longitude takes 24 hours/360 degrees = 4 minutes.

Notes:
During the equinox, either summer or Autumnal equinox, the Sun is exactly above the Equator and day and night are of equal length. It is either of the two points in the sky where the ecliptic (the Sun’s annual pathway) and the celestial equator intersect.

Notes:
The name “Ecuador” originates from the Latin word “aequator,” which means “equal”. It refers to the country’s geographical position straddling the equator, which bisects the nation into two nearly equal halves. This uniqueness has been reflected in its name to denote its location. In addition to this, Ecuador is the only country in the world to be named after a geographical feature.

Notes:
Quartzite is formed by the recrystallization of silica found in sandstone. Quartzite is a hard, non-foliated metamorphic rock that was originally sandstone. The transformation from sandstone to quartzite happens through recrystallization. The heating and pressure that causes the transformation is usually related to tectonic compression within orogenic belts.
Quartzite is composed almost entirely of quartz. The quartz grains from the original sandstone are enlarged and interlocked by recrystallization. Quartzite does not tend to be foliated because quartz crystals don’t align with the directional pressure.

Notes:
The African country which has the ethnic conflicts between Hutus & Tutsi ethnic groups is Rawanda. They endemic to that country. Its capital city is Kigali.

Notes:
The Horn of Africa is a peninsula in East Africa that juts into the Arabian Sea. It is the easternmost extension of the African continent and is home to several countries, including Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Somalia. The area is known for its unique blend of cultures and its strategic location at the crossroads of the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean. It has a long history of trade and migration, and has been an important hub for commerce and cultural exchange for centuries.

Notes:
Tectonic Wetlands examples are Nilnag in Jammu and Kashmir, Khajjiar in Himachal Pradesh, and Nainital and Bhimtal in Uttaranchal. They are formed due to tectonic activity.

Notes:
Pulsar emit radio (electromagnetic) signals at regular interval of time. Pulsars are a kind of neutron stars and the emission is detectable when the source of beam of the electromagnetic waves is towards Earth. This is known as Light house effect and is gives a pulsed nature to pulsars.