🔆 Hambantota Port: Key Facts

📍 Overview
🌍 A deep-water port on Sri Lanka’s southwestern coast, overlooking the Indian Ocean. It is vital for international trade and economic growth.

📍 Construction and Funding
🔨 Built by the Sri Lankan Port Authority with funding from EXIM Bank of China.
🏗 Construction started in 2008, and the first phase finished in 2010.

📍 Lease to China
📜 In 2017, Sri Lanka leased the port to China Merchant Port Holdings for 99 years after failing to repay the loan.

📍 Strategic Importance
🌏 Part of China’s One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative.
🔗 Links Southeast Asia, Africa, and West Asia.
⚠️ India’s Concern: Possible Chinese military presence threatens India’s security in the region.

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Bharathappuzha River:
✅It is Kerala’s second longest river after the Periyar River.
✅It flows for a length of 209 km.
It is also known as Nila, Kuttipuram Puzha and Ponnaniyar.
Course:
✅The river originates in the Anaimalai hills located in the Western Ghats region in Tamil Nadu.
✅It flows in the northwesterly direction in Pollachi taluk of Coimbatore district in Tamil Nadu.
✅It enters the Palghat district of Kerala State through the Palghat gap.
It finally discharges into the Arabian Sea near Ponnani town, Kerala.
✅Out of the total drainage area, two-thirds, which is 4400 sq.km., is in Kerala, and the remaining 1786 sq.km. is in Tamil Nadu.
✅The Bharathapuzha basin receives copious rainfall during the southwest monsoon and it lies in the rain shed region of the Western Ghats.
✅Major Tributaries: Gayathripuzha River, Kannadipuzha River, Kalpathipuzha River, and Thuthapuzha River.
✅There are several dams constructed across this river, of which the Malampuzha dam is the largest.

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🔆Mount Ibu Erupts in Indonesia

📍Recent Eruption
🌋Mount Ibu, located on Halmahera Island, erupted, spewing an ash tower over 5 km high.
⚠️Authorities raised the alert level to the second-highest last week.
✅No damage or casualties were reported.

📍About Mount Ibu
📏Height: 1,325-meter stratovolcano with a truncated summit and nested craters.
🌎Located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, known for intense volcanic activity.
🔥History of frequent eruptions with lava flows, ash plumes, and pyroclastic activity.

📍What are Stratovolcanoes?
🏔Structure: Steep-sided cones formed by layers of viscous lava and ash.
🌐Location: Found above subduction zones like the Ring of Fire.
💥Prone to explosive eruptions due to gas buildup in magma.
🌋Make up 60% of Earth’s volcanoes.

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🔆 Gandikota Canyon: The Grand Canyon of India
📍 Location
🏞 The Gandikota Canyon, created by the Pennar River, is located in the Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh, India.
✅ Over millions of years, the Pennar River eroded the rocks, carving a deep canyon with steep, jagged walls in shades of red, resembling the Grand Canyon in the US.
✅ The Pennar River flows through Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, making it a key river in South India.

📍 Cultural and Historical Significance
✅ The canyon houses the 12th-century Gandikota Fort, which includes: House of the Drum, Charminar, Jail, and Red Koneru (a water tank).
✅ Inside the fort, the Madhavaraya Swamy Temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu.


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🔆 Abu Musa, Greater Tunb, and Lesser Tunb Islands

📍 Location
✅ The Greater Tunb and Lesser Tunb islands are located in the eastern Persian Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global trade route.
✅ Abu Musa is another strategically important island in the region.

📍 Recent Context
✅ Iran has summoned China's ambassador to protest a joint China-UAE statement regarding the sovereignty of these islands.
✅ Iran has held control over these islands since 1971, a move that has been contested by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

📍 Significance
✅ Strategic Importance: Proximity to the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of global oil supply passes.
✅ Geopolitical Tensions: Sovereignty disputes highlight the region's sensitive geopolitical dynamics.

📍 Current Status
✅ Despite claims by the UAE, the islands remain under Iranian control, adding to the complexity of regional diplomacy.

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🔆 The Blue Line: UN-Recognized Demarcation

📍 What is the Blue Line?
✅ A 120-km United Nations-recognized demarcation, established in 2000 to mark the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon.

📍 Key Features
✅ Separates Lebanon from Israel and the Golan Heights.
✅ Not recognized as an official international border.
✅ Marked by blue barrels, stretching from the Mediterranean Sea to the Golan Heights.

📍 Significance
✅ Serves as a buffer zone to reduce conflicts between Lebanon and Israel.
✅ Highlights the ongoing disputes in the Middle East over territorial boundaries.


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🔆Goma:

✅The M23 rebel group’s recent offensive in the Democratic Republic of Congo has seized key areas in Goma, eastern DRC, drawing global attention.

Location:
✅Goma is the capital of North Kivu Province in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
✅It is situated on the northern shore of Lake Kivu, near the borders with Rwanda and Uganda.

📍The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC):

✅Location: The DRC is located in Central Africa and is the second-largest country in Africa by land area.
✅It shares borders with nine countries: Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia, and Angola.

✅The M23 (March 23 Movement) is a rebel group primarily composed of ethnic Tutsis.

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Ghaggar River:

✅The Ghaggar River is an intermittent river that flows in India and Pakistan (Hakra).
✅The river flows only during the monsoon season.
✅It originates in the Shivalik Hills of Himachal Pradesh and flows through Haryana and Rajasthan before disappearing into the Thar Desert.
✅This seasonal river feeds two irrigation canals that extend into Rajasthan.
✅The Hakra, which flows in Pakistan, is the continuation of the Ghaggar River in India, and they are together called the Ghaggar-Hakra River.
📍Historical Significance:
✅Several historians identify Ghaggar with the Vedic Saraswati River.
✅Along the banks of the Ghaggar River, many settlements of the Indus Valley Civilization have been excavated.
✅It is believed that the rivers Sutlej and Yamuna once flowed into the Ghaggar-Hakra river bed.
✅Tributaries: The main tributaries of the Ghaggar are the Kaushalya, Markanda, Sarsuti, Tangri and Chautang.

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Darfur Region:
✅Darfur is a region in western Sudan.
It lies between Kordofan to the east and Wadai to the west and extended southward to the Al-Ghazāl (Gazelle) River and northward to the Libyan Desert.
✅It consists of an immense rolling plain that has an area of approximately 440,000 sq.km.
✅The volcanic highlands of the Marrah Mountains dominate the central part of this plain.
✅It was an independent sultanate until annexed by Sudan in 1916.
✅The name “Darfur” is derived from “dar fur,” meaning “the land of the Fur” in Arabic.

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Kurdistan Region: Key Facts

📍 Country: Iraq (Semi-Autonomous)
🏛 Capital: Erbil
📌 Governorates: Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, Dohuk, Halabja
🏛 Political Structure: Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) operates autonomously, but its authority is contested by Iraq’s central government.

🌍 Borders:
🇹🇷 Turkey | 🇮🇷 Iran | 🇸🇾 Syria | 🇮🇶 Baghdad-controlled Iraq

🏔 Geographical Features:
🗻 Mountains: Zagros Mountains form natural borders with Iran & Turkey.
🌊 Rivers: Tigris & Greater Zab support agriculture & settlements.
🌡 Climate: Continental—hot summers, cold winters, shaped by mountainous terrain.

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🔆 Blue Holes: Nature’s Mysterious Sinkholes

📍 What is a Blue Hole?
✅ Blue holes are vertical, water-filled sinkholes found in coastal regions, formed when soluble rocks like limestone, marble, or gypsum collapse after being dissolved by surface water.
✅ Famous examples include:
Dean's Blue Hole, Bahamas.
Dahab Blue Hole, Egypt.
Great Blue Hole, Belize.

📍 About Taam Ja' Blue Hole
✅ Located in Chetumal Bay, off the southeast coast of the Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico.
✅ Holds the title of the deepest known underwater sinkhole, extending at least 1,380 feet (420 meters) below sea level.
✅ Scientists believe it may be connected to a complex network of submarine caves and tunnels.

📍 Significance of Blue Holes
✅ Provide insight into geological processes and marine ecosystems.
✅ Act as time capsules, preserving ancient fossils and climate data.
✅ Offer opportunities for scientific exploration and discovery.

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🌍 Greenland’s Ice Loss: A Climate Warning

📍 Key Findings
✅ Over 1,000 gigatons of ice (20% of Greenland’s edges) lost in the past 40 years.
✅ Global Warming Impact: Greenland glaciers are highly sensitive to warming, with significant retreat since 1985.
✅ Sea Level Rise: Melting ice contributed 20%+ to global sea level rise since 2002.

📌 About Greenland
✅ Largest Island: Located in the North Atlantic Ocean, bordered by Canada, Iceland, and Norway.
✅ Capital: Nuuk
✅ Highest Point: Gunnbjorn’s Fjeld
✅ Physical Features:
Vast tundra and immense glaciers like Peterman Glacier.
Greenland Ice Sheet: Covers over 80% of the land, second-largest after Antarctica.
✅ Unique Geography:
Sun doesn’t set from May 25 to July 25.
Greenland Sea: Borders Arctic Ocean and Norwegian Sea.
✅ National Park: Northeast Greenland National Park is the world’s largest.

🌡 Climate Relevance
✅ Greenland’s ice loss highlights the intensifying impact of global warming on sea levels and global ecosystems.

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🔆 Scarborough Shoal: A Key Flashpoint in the South China Sea

📍 What is it?
A coral atoll in the South China Sea, disputed between China & the Philippines. Also known as Scarborough Reef (Huangyan Dao).

📍 Why is it Important?
✅ Strategic Location – Near key shipping lanes, close to Philippines, Vietnam, and China
✅ Rich Marine Life – A crucial fishing ground
✅ Military Significance – Ideal for military outposts

📍 The Dispute
✅ China’s Claim – Part of its Nine-Dash Line, covering most of the South China Sea
✅ Philippines’ Claim – Took the dispute to international arbitration
✅ China’s Control – Since 2012, with a constant coast guard presence

📍 International Response
✅ 2016 Tribunal Ruling – Rejected China’s claim
✅ Philippines’ Demand – Calls for international scrutiny of the shoal.

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Teesta River:
✅Origin: The Teesta River originates from Tso Lhamo Lake in the Himalayas, near the Pahurni and Khangse glaciers in Sikkim.
✅States it pass through: Sikkim and West Bengal.
Tributaries:
✅Left-bank Tributaries: Lachung Chhu, Chakung Chhu, Dik Chhu, Rani Khola, Rangpo Chhu.
✅Right-bank Tributaries: Zemu Chhu, Rangyong Chhu, Rangit River.
✅End Point: The river merges with the Brahmaputra (Jamuna) in Bangladesh.
✅Unique Features
Vital for Agriculture & Hydropower: Teesta’s waters are crucial for irrigation and hydroelectric projects in India and Bangladesh.
✅Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) Risks: The river is vulnerable to flash floods from glacial lakes, as seen in the 2023 Sikkim disaster.
✅Disputed Water Sharing: India and Bangladesh have long debated the Teesta water-sharing treaty, affecting bilateral relations

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🔆 Places in News: Toshka Lakes, Egypt 🇪🇬🌊

📍 Formation & Fluctuations
✅ Formed in 1998 due to Ethiopian flash floods, later dried up by 2018.
✅ Refilled (2020-22) after heavy rains in Sudan & South Sudan.
✅ Expansion ongoing, with new lakes emerging in the region.

📍 Flooding Impact
✅ Disrupts agriculture & livestock, affecting local communities.
✅ Causes displacement and increases overflow from Lake Nasser.

📍 Toshka Lakes Project
✅ Designed for irrigation, regional settlement, and to protect the Aswan High Dam.



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🔆 Blood Minerals: Conflict and Exploitation

📍 Context
✅ The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has raised concerns against Apple Inc. for using blood minerals extracted from conflict zones in the eastern region of the country.

📍 About Blood Minerals
✅ Definition: Mined in conflict zones, proceeds from these minerals often fund armed conflicts.
✅ Human Rights Issues: Linked to forced labor, child soldiers, and violence against civilians.
✅ Minerals in DRC: Includes 3TG—Tantalum, Tin, Tungsten, and Gold.

📍 Conflict in DRC
✅ Origins: The conflict dates back to the 1990s, worsened by the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
✅ Rebel Groups: Key groups include Tutsi-led M23, CODECO, and Allied Democratic Forces (ADF).

📍 About DRC
✅ Geography: Second-largest country in Africa by area.
Home to the second-largest rainforest after the Amazon.
✅ Independence: Gained from Belgium.

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