MAPS: PLACES IN NEWS

National Places In News

01 Bhoj Wetland • The National Green Tribunal has directed the Central Pollution Control Board
(CPCB) and Madhya Pradesh Pollution Control Board (MPPCB) to periodically
monitor the activities of a cruise vessel polluting the Bhoj wetland.
• It consists of two contiguous human-made reservoirs, the upper and lower lakes
located in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
• The lakes are very rich in biodiversity, particularly for macrophytes,
phytoplankton and zooplankton.
• It was designated as the Ramsar site in 2002.
02 Sunni Dam • The Central government approved an investment of Rs 2,614 crore for 382 MW
Hydro Electric for Sunni Dam Hydro Electric Project in Himachal Pradesh.
Project • It is a run of the river type development proposes to harness the hydel potential
of river Satluj.
• It will be governed by Indus water Treaty signed between India and Pakistan in
1960 as the project lies in Satluj basin (part of Indus basin)

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 • The objective behind generating hydroelectric power resources is to produce as
much energy as possible, with minimum cost and fewer negative impacts on the
environment.
03 Joshimath • Due to land subsidence, roads and over 560 houses in Joshimath developed
cracks.
• The town fall in high-risk seismic Zone-V of the Chamoli district, Uttrakhand.
• It is traversed by running streams with a high gradient from Vishnuprayag, a
confluence of the Dhauliganga and the Alaknanda rivers.
• It is a gateway to several Himalayan Mountain climbing expeditions, trekking trails
(Auli, Valley of Flowers) and pilgrim centres like Badrinath and Hemkund Sahib.
04 Ballavpur • Nature enthusiasts have voiced their concern over the recent decline in the
Wildlife number of migratory birds visiting the Ballavpur Wildlife Sanctuary, West Bengal.
Sanctuary • It is also known as Deer Park and was established in 1977.
• This area lies between two mighty rivers the Damodar and the Ajay.
• It has dense local vegetation of Sal, Akashmoni, Sishoo, Cashewnut, Amlaki,
Bahera and Haritaki.
• It also has a deer conservation park which is home to a large number of deer
including Cheethals (Spotted Deer) and the Blackbucks.
05 Deepor Beel • Guwahati Wildlife Division of the Assam Forest Department conducted the
2nd Bird Species Count Exercise in Deepor Beel Wetland.
• It is considered one of the largest freshwater and important riverine wetlands in
the Brahmaputra Valley of lower Assam.
• Due to the richness of avian fauna, it has been selected as one of the Important
Bird Area (IBA) sites by Birdlife International.
• It was designated as a Ramsar site in 2002.
06 Kotia • Odisha government has mooted a proposal allowing officers above joint
secretaries to reach Kotia, using flight service to review progress on
developmental activities.
• It is a territory claimed by both Odisha and Andha Pradesh.
• The area is reported to be rich in mineral wealth.
07 Kanger Valley • A rare orange-coloured bat, also known as ‘painted bat’ was spotted in
National Park Chhattisgarh’s Kanger Valley National Park.
• This National Park derived its name from the Kangar river.
• It was established as national park in the year 1982.
• This Park is home to three exceptional caves – famous for their amazing geological
structures of Kutumbasar, Kailash and Dandak
• The structures are composed of Stellagmites and Stalactites.
• Tirathgarh Waterfall is located in this park.
08 Silent Valley • A bird survey conducted at the Silent Valley National Park identified 141 species,
National Park of which 17 were new.
• It is located in Kerala, in the Southwestern corner of Nilgiris and declared as a
national park in 1984.

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 • Bhavani River, a tributary of Kaveri River, and Kunthipuzha River, a tributary of
Bharathappuzha river, originate in the vicinity of Silent Valley.
• The Kadalundi River has also its origin in Silent Valley.
• Tribals found inside are: Irulas, Kurumbas, Mudugas and Kattunaikkars.
09 Chamundi Hills • The citizens committee have urged the government to conserve & promote the
religious sanctity and environmental integrity of Chamundi Hills under Pilgrimage
Rejuvenation and Spiritual Heritage Augmentation Drive (PRASHAD) scheme.
• It is located in Karnataka.
• The famous Sri Chamundeshwari Temple dedicated to the Hindu goddess
Chamundeshwari is situated on top of Chamundi hills.
• These hills are mentioned in the ancient Hindu texts 'Skanda Purana'.
10 Chanakha- • The Inter-State Channaka-Korata (Rudha) Barrage got environmental clearance.
Korata Barrage • It is a Telangana-Maharashtra joint project on the Penganga River.
• Penganga River originates in the Ajantha ranges in Aurangabad district
in Maharashtra.
• The famous Sahastrakund falls on this river.

International Places in News

01 Kilauea • Kilauea volcano, one of the world’s most active volcano, erupted again.
volcano • It is also called Mount Kilauea, located in Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, U.S.A.
• It is a shield volcano which is a type of volcano composed of fluid lava
02 Groningen gas • The Netherlands wants to shut down operations of Groningen, due to the risk of
field earthquake.
• It is the largest natural gas field in Europe.

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 • Gas extraction resulted in subsidence above the field.
• From 1991 this was also accompanied by earthquakes.
• This led to damage to houses and unrest among residents
03 Croatia • Croatia adopted the euro currency and enter Europe’s passport-free Schengen zone.
• It shares its borders with Slovenia, Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia, Herzegovina and
Montenegro.
• Its coast lies entirely on the Adriatic Sea.
• Its capital and largest city is Zagreb.
• It is a member of the European Union, the Eurozone, NATO, the United Nations.
04 Abyei • Indian Army has developed its largest contingent of women peacekeeper in a UN
mission at Abyei.
• It is contentious region that is oil-rich near the demarcation line which divides Sudan
and the south Sudan.
05 Tel Tsaf • Nearly 5200 BCE, or 7,200 years old cotton fibres, dyed in blue and other colours,
were found in Tel Tsaf.
• It is a Middle Chalcolithic site, is located in the central Jordan Valley.
• This site is distinguished by its superb preservation of mudbrick architecture, as well
as by its burials, the earliest metal object in the southern Levant, and evidence for
large-scale storage and long-distance trade.
06 Japan • Japan and India began 1st ever joint fighter jet drill near Tokyo.
• It is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean.
• Nearly the entire land area is taken up by the country’s four main islands; Hokkaido,
Honshu (largest), Shikoku, and Kyushu.
• Tokyo is the nation's capital and largest city.
• There are many active and dormant volcanoes, including Mount Fuji, is Japan’s
highest mountain.
07 Samarkand • 18 children died in Samarkand allegedly after consuming India-manufactured syrup
due to ethylene glycol. It is city in Uzbekistan.
• City is known for its ancient buildings, which principal features are splendid portals,
their vast coloured domes, and their remarkable exterior decorations in majolica,
mosaic, marble, and gold. The historic city was designated a UNESCO World Heritage
site in 2001.
08 Lake Albert • Uganda is launching a pipeline which will connect the oil fields in Lake Albert to the
Tanzanian coast for easy transport. This lake is located on the border between Congo
and Uganda.
• It is Africa's 7th-largest lake, as well as the 2nd biggest of Uganda's Great Lakes.
Semliki River is a waterway connecting Lakes Edward and Albert, in the Western Rift
Valley.
09 Machu Picchu • The iconic tourist site Machu Picchu was shut down, due to the ongoing anti-
government protests that are spreading throughout the South American nation. It is
a 15th-century Inca site located in Peru.

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 • The site is believed to have been built by Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui, the ninth ruler of
the Inca, in the mid-1400s.
• It is made up of temples, palaces, terraces, monuments, complexes and walls. It was
designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983.
10 Suriname • At the 17th Pravasi Bhartiya Divas event, Suriname President suggested setting up a
Hindi language training institutions in Caribbean region. It is a country in South
America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, French Guiana, Guyana and Brazil. It is
the smallest sovereign state in South America. The economy is heavily dependent on
its large natural resources, namely bauxite, gold, petroleum, and agricultural
products.

Important Lakes In World

01 Great Slave It is the 2nd-largest freshwater lake in Canada, after Great Bear Lake. It is the deepest
Lake lake in North America and one of the top 10 deepest lakes in the world. This lake is named
after the Slavey people—an American Indian group in the region.

02 Great Bear It is the largest lake located entirely inside Canadian borders. It is also the 4th largest in
Lake North America and the 8th largest in the world. Water flows out of the lake into the Great
Bear River, then into the Mackenzie River. Other rivers connected to this lake include the
Dease, Camsell and Johnny Hoe.
03 Lake Superior It is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area and the 3rd-largest by
volume. It is located in central North America. It is the largest of the five Great Lakes.
Other four lakes are Lake Huron, Lake Michigan, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.
04 Lough Neagh It is a freshwater lake in Northern Ireland. It is the largest lake in the British Isles. Its main
inflows come from the Upper River Bann and River Blackwater, and its main outflow is
the Lower River Bann.

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05 Loch Ness It is a freshwater loch in Scotland. It takes its name from the river Ness, which flows from
the northern end. It contains more water than all the lakes of England and Wales
combined, making it the most voluminous lake in the UK.
06 Lake Baikal It is located in Russia's Irkutsk province. It has the largest water volume of any continental
lake on the planet and it is the world's deepest lake. This lake provides 20% of the world’s
fresh water. UNESCO declared Baikal a World Heritage Site in 1996.
07 Lake Como It is located in the northern portion of Italy. It was formed during a period of glaciation.
As the ice swept into the area thousands of years ago, it carved deep notches into the
land. As it retreated and melted, those notches filled with water and formed Lake Como.
08 Lake Balkhash It is located in south-eastern Kazakhstan. It sits in the Balkhash-Alakol Basin, an endorheic
basin (having no outflow to an external body of water). The lake has a narrow, quite
central, strait. The lake's western part is fresh water. The lake's eastern half is saline.
09 Lake Mackay It is a Salt Lake located in western Australia. It is located within the Great Sandy Desert.
It is classified as an ephemeral lake, meaning it exists only after precipitation.
10 Lake Victoria It is the largest tropical lake in the world, and the 2nd largest freshwater lake in the world
after Lake Superior. It is the largest reservoir feeding the river Nile. This lake is mainly in
Uganda and Tanzania, but a small part of it is in Kenya.
11 Lake Tikitapu It is the smallest of the four Small Lakes in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of
(Blue Lake) New Zealand. The other three are Lake Rotokakahi (Green Lake), Lake Okareka, and Lake
Ocataina. It got its name for its aqua color.
12 Lake It is a freshwater lake in Africa. According to estimates, this lake is the 2nd deepest, 5th
Tanganyika largest, and 3rd greatest (in terms of volume) in the world. This lake makes a boundary
between Tanzania and Congo. It also divides eastern and western Africa.

13 Argentino It is the biggest freshwater lake in Argentina. The lake lies within the Los Glaciares
Lake National Park. Waters from this lake flow into the Atlantic Ocean through the Santa Cruz
River.
14 Lake Titicaca It is a freshwater lake in the Andes mountains on the border of Bolivia and Peru. It is the
highest large lake (navigable lake) in the world. By volume of water and by surface area,
it is also the largest lake in South America.
15 Lake Michigan It is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It connects with Lake Huron through
the Straits of Mackinac. Approximately 100 streams flow into the lake, which include the
Manistee, Muskegon, St. Joseph rivers Menominee rivers, Chicago River.

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