🔆 Kailash Mansarovar Yatra Resumption
📍 Resumption of Yatra
• Kailash Mansarovar Yatra resumes in 2025 after a four-year suspension due to Covid-19 and border tensions.
• This signals improving India-China relations, especially after a disengagement pact in October 2024.

📍 Geopolitical Context
• The yatra was paused after the 2020 Galwan Valley clash, a pivotal moment in India-China relations.
• Diplomatic engagements, such as meetings between Ajit Doval and Wang Yi, and Vikram Misri’s visit to Beijing in January 2025, paved the way for the resumption.

📍 Religious and Cultural Significance
• Mount Kailash and Lake Mansarovar are sacred to Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and Tibetan Bon followers.
• This yatra holds cultural and religious significance, also acting as a tool for Indian soft power.

📍 Official Routes
• Lipulekh Pass Route (Uttarakhand):
▪ Altitude: 5,115 meters, 200 km trek.
▪ Direct route, operational since 1981.
• Nathu La Pass Route (Sikkim):
▪ Altitude: 4,310 meters, 1,500 km long, 35–40 km trek.
▪ Operational since 2015.

📍 Other Route via Nepal
• Informal route via Nepal exists, reopened in 2023.
• High costs and visa issues limit its use.

🔆Senkaku / Diaoyu Islands

Click here

#mapping

OPERATION SINDOOR : INDIAN ARMED FORCES CARRIED OUT PRECISION STRIKE AT TERRORIST CAMPS

🔆 Great Pacific Garbage Patch

📍 Key Details:
✅ Location:
• Eastern Pacific Garbage Patch: Between Hawaii and California.
• Western Pacific Garbage Patch: Lies east of Japan.

✅ Size & Study:
• Eastern Patch: Larger and more studied, covering 1.6 million km².
• Western Patch: Smaller and more dispersed.

🔆Kassala port

#Places_in_news
#mapping

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🔆Persian Gulf

✅The US President Donald Trump plans to officially rename the ‘Persian Gulf’ as the ‘Arabian Gulf’ during a visit to Saudi Arabia, aligning with the preferences of Arab Gulf nations.

📍Geographical Features of the Persian Gulf

✅The Persian Gulf is a marginal sea of the Indian Ocean, located in Western Asia, and is a vital geopolitical chokepoint.
✅It is connected to the Arabian Sea via the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most strategic maritime passages for global oil shipment.
✅The coastline stretches ~5,117 km, with Iran having the longest stretch (~1,536 km).
✅It is bounded by:
🔰North: Iran
🔰Southwest: Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE
🔰Northwest: Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain

✅Important Islands: Qeshm Island (Iran) is the Largest island in the Persian Gulf, with an area of ~1,491 km²—about 2.5 times the size of Bahrain.
✅Bahrain: A sovereign archipelago state, comprising over 50 islands, and a significant US naval base location.

#gs2
#prelims
#mapping

🔆 Indian Passes & Plateaus

📍 Aghil Pass
✅ Location: Between Ladakh (J&K) and Sinkiang (China)
✅ Significance: Important for military movement, part of the Karakoram Range.

📍 Banihal Pass (Jawahar Tunnel)
✅ Location: Connects Banihal town (Doda District) and Qazigund (Anantnag, Kashmir Division)
✅ Significance: Key highway pass on NH44 connecting Jammu and Kashmir.

📍 Baralacha La
✅ Location: Between Keylong (Himachal Pradesh) and Leh (Ladakh)
✅ Significance: Located on the Leh-Manali highway, an important trade route.

📍 Burzil Pass
✅ Location: Connects Srinagar to Gilgit (now in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir)
✅ Significance: Historically significant for trade.

📍 Karakoram Pass
✅ Location: Between Ladakh (J&K) and Sinkiang (China)
✅ Significance: An ancient trade route on the Silk Road.

📍 Khardung La
✅ Location: Between Leh and Siachen Glacier via Nubra Valley
✅ Significance: One of the highest motorable roads in the world (5,359 m).

📍 Umling La (Uming La)
✅ Location: Ladakh
✅ Significance: Highest motorable road in the world at 5,883 m.

📍 Zoji La
✅ Location: Between Srinagar and Leh
✅ Significance: Important link between Kashmir Valley and Ladakh, often blocked by snow.

📍 Chang La
✅ Location: Between Ladakh (J&K) and Tibet (China)
✅ Significance: One of the highest passes in the world.

📍 Shinkun La
✅ Location: Between Himachal Pradesh & Ladakh
✅ Significance: India has started construction of Nimmu-Padum-Darcha (NPD) route for all-weather connectivity to Ladakh.

📍 Balcha Dhura
✅ Location: Connecting Uttarakhand with Tibet (China)
✅ Significance: High-altitude pass in the Himalayas.

📍 Mana Pass
✅ Location: Between Uttarakhand and Tibet (China)
✅ Significance: Highest motorable pass in Uttarakhand, connects to Tibet.

🔆 Karakum Desert

📍 Location & Geography
✅ The Karakum Desert covers much of Turkmenistan.

📍 Key Features
✅ Known for its shifting sand dunes and extreme climate.

🔆 Kyzylkum Desert

📍 Location & Geography
✅ The Kyzylkum Desert spans across Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
✅ Lies between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya Rivers.

📍 Natural Resources
✅ Contains large deposits of natural gas.

🔆 Colorado Plateau

📍 Location:
• USA

📍 Significance:
✅ Known for the Grand Canyon: A world-famous landmark.
✅ Highly dissected by the Colorado River: Creating the iconic Grand Canyon and other geological formations.

🔆 Columbia Plateau

📍 Location:
✅ Volcanic Plateau: Known for its volcanic origin.
✅ Snake River Valley is here: A significant geographical feature.
✅ In USA: Located in the United States.

🔆 Important Rivers of Europe

📍 Volga
✅ Basin Countries: Russia
✅ Source: Valdai Hills, Russia
✅ Mouth: Caspian Sea

📍 Danube
✅ Basin Countries: Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Moldova (Germany HAS CRUMBS)
✅ Source: Black Forest, Germany
✅ Mouth: Black Sea

📍 Ural
✅ Basin Countries: Russia, Kazakhstan
✅ Source: Ural Mountains, Russia
✅ Mouth: Caspian Sea

📍 Dnieper
✅ Basin Countries: Russia, Belarus, Ukraine (RUB)
✅ Source: Valdai Hills, Russia
✅ Mouth: Black Sea

📍 Dniester
✅ Basin Countries: Ukraine, Moldova
✅ Source: Carpathian Mountains, Ukraine
✅ Mouth: Black Sea

📍 Tiber
✅ Basin Countries: Italy
✅ Source: Apennines, Italy
✅ Mouth: Tyrrhenian Sea

🔆 Important Trenches

📍 Mariana Trench
• Location: Western Pacific (Near Guam)
• Plates Involved: Pacific Plate subducting under Philippine Plate. Includes the Challenger Deep (10,971m)

📍 Tonga Trench
• Location: South Pacific (Near Tonga)
• Plates Involved: Pacific Plate subducting under Indo-Australian Plate

📍 Kuril-Kamchatka Trench
• Location: Northwest Pacific (Near Russia, Japan)
• Plates Involved: Pacific Plate subducting under Eurasian Plate

📍 Peru-Chile Trench (Atacama Trench)
• Location: Eastern Pacific (Off South America)
• Plates Involved: Nazca Plate subducting under South American Plate

📍 Philippine Trench
• Location: West Pacific (Near Philippines)
• Plates Involved: Philippine Plate subducting under Eurasian Plate

🔆 Oceans (Pacific & Atlantic Oceans)

📍 Japan Trench
• Location: Northwest Pacific (Off Japan)
• Plates Involved: Pacific Plate subducting under Eurasian Plate

📍 Kermadec Trench
• Location: South Pacific (Near New Zealand)
• Plates Involved: Pacific Plate subducting under Indo-Australian Plate

📍 Aleutian Trench
• Location: North Pacific (Near Alaska)
• Plates Involved: Pacific Plate subducting under North American Plate

📍 Middle America Trench
• Location: Eastern Pacific (Off Central America)
• Plates Involved: Cocos Plate subducting under North American & Caribbean Plates

🔆Arctic circle

✅The Arctic Circle is a line of latitude at approximately 66.5° North, marking the southern boundary of the Arctic region.

✅It's a crucial geographical feature for understanding solar radiation and the experience of daylight, especially during the solstices.

✅ The Arctic Circle passes through parts of Canada, Russia, Greenland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and the United States (Alaska).

✅Geographical Significance:
The Arctic Circle defines the area where the Sun does not set for at least one day in the summer solstice (June 21) and does not rise for at least one day in the winter solstice (December 21)

✅The Arctic is home to a unique ecosystem, including polar bears, seals, whales, and various species of birds.

#mapping

UPSC CALENDAR- 2026
Prelims - 24 May
Mains - 21 Aug.

🔆 Grasslands of South America

📍 Pampas
✅ Located in Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil
✅ Temperate Grassland
✅ Fertile plains known for extensive agriculture (wheat, corn, soybeans) and cattle ranching; home to the gaucho culture

📍 Llanos
✅ Located in Venezuela, Colombia
✅ Tropical Grassland
✅ Seasonally flooded grasslands; rich in biodiversity; major source of cattle grazing and oil reserves

📍 Campos
✅ Located in Southern Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay
✅ Subtropical Grassland
✅ Includes regions like Campos Gerais; used for livestock grazing and agriculture

📍 Gran Chaco
✅ Located in Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil
✅ Woodland Savanna
✅ A semi-arid region with grasslands interspersed with thorny shrubs; rich in wildlife and a critical ecological zone

🔆Dirang Geothermal Well

✅India’s Northeast witnessed a milestone in clean energy as Arunachal Pradesh’s Dirang became home to the region’s first geothermal production well

📍What it is?

✅A renewable geothermal energy project using closed-loop binary Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) to tap Earth’s subsurface heat for sustainable applications like electricity, heating, and agricultural processing.
✅Location: Situated in Dirang, West Kameng district, Arunachal Pradesh, nestled in the eastern Himalayan terrain.

📍Key Features:

✅Developed by: Centre for Earth Sciences and Himalayan Studies (CESHS), Itanagar
Supported by: Ministry of Earth Sciences, Arunachal Pradesh govt, with global scientific partners from Norway, Iceland, and Guwahati.
✅Temperature Reservoir: ~115°C — ideal for direct-use geothermal technologies.
Low-impact drilling with precision targeting fault zones between quartzite and schist formations.

📍Significance:

✅First such project in Northeast India, with potential to power Dirang entirely via geothermal energy.
✅Reduces dependence on diesel and wood in cold Himalayan climates.
✅Can improve agricultural productivity and quality of life in high-altitude areas.
✅Adds to India’s geothermal potential (~10,600 MW), ensuring base-load renewable power, unlike intermittent sources like solar/wind.

#gs3
#environment

@upsc_4_environment