Gulf of Tonkin:
✅It is referred as “Beibu Gulf”in Chinese and “Bac Bo Gulf” in Vietnamese.
✅It is a crescent-shaped, shallow, semi-enclosed water body situated off South China and Northern Vietnam coasts in the South China Sea’s northwestern portion.         
✅Bordering regions: It is bordered by the northern coastline of Vietnam in the west and northwest; by China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in the north; and by the Leizhou Peninsula and Hainan Island in the east.
✅It is connected with the South China Sea via the gulf’s mouth in the south and the Hainan Strait in the northeast. 
✅Many rivers empty into the Gulf of Tonkin, with the Red River supplying the major riverine discharge along with some smaller rivers along the northern and western coastal areas.
✅Major Ports: In Northern Vietnam, the gulf’s main ports include Haiphong and Ben Thuy, whereas, in China, its major port is Beihai (Pakhoi).

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BIMSTEC - Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation

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Which of the following provisions of the Constitution of India were given immediate effect from November 26, 1949?

1. Citizenship

2. Emergency provisions

3. Elections

4. Federal system

Consider the following statements about Cabinet Committees:

1. They are not mentioned in the Constitution

2. They are set up by the Prime Minister according to the exigencies of the time and requirements of the situation

3. The Cabinet cannot review the decisions taken by Cabinet Committees

🔆National Board for Wildlife
✅Established: Reconstituted in 2022 (Replacing the earlier Indian Board for Wildlife, which was formed in 1952).
Leadership:
✅Chairperson: Prime Minister of India (Ex-officio).
✅Vice-Chairperson: Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC).
📍Structure:
✅The 47-member committee includes government officials, conservationists, ecologists, environmentalists, and military personnel.
✅Approval from NBWL is Required for:
🔸Construction of tourist lodges.
🔸Alteration of Protected Area (PA) boundaries.
🔸Destruction/diversion of wildlife habitat.
🔸De-notification of Tiger Reserves.

🔆Gir National Park

✅ Location: Situated in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat.
✅ Established: In 1965, as a sanctuary, and later upgraded to a national park in 1975.
✅ It is the only place in the world outside Africa where a lion can be seen in its natural habitat.
1. Since the late 1960s, Asiastic lion numbers have increased from less than 200 to 674 (Census 2020).
✅ Gir is a home to 40 species of mammals and 425 species of birds.

MPPSC prelims result out

🌍 Lake Natron & Climate Change: A Silent Crisis

🔥 Tanzania’s Lake Natron—a unique, alkaline lake vital for flamingo breeding—is under threat! Rising temperatures, reduced rainfall, and human activities are altering its delicate ecosystem.

🦩 Why It Matters?

Home to 75% of the world’s lesser flamingo population.
Climate change is increasing water evaporation, making the lake even more saline.
Industrial projects pose a risk to biodiversity and local communities.

🔆Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary:

✅It is spread across three districts, i.e., Sagar, Damoh, and Narsinghpur, of Madhya Pradesh.
✅It was declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1975.
✅It covers nearly 1197 sq.km. area.
✅It is the largest wildlife sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh.
✅The entire Sanctuary is situated on a plateau, forming part of the upper Vindhyan range.
✅It acts as a corridor for Panna Tiger Reserve and Satpura Tiger Reserve while indirectly connecting Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve via Rani Durgawati Wildlife Sanctuary.
✅The Sanctuary is classified under the Deccan peninsula biogeographic region and forms part of the Ganga and Narmada basins.
Drainage:
✅Three-fourths of the wildlife sanctuary falls in the basin of the Ganges tributary, the Yamuna River, of which the Ken River is a tributary, and one-fourth of the sanctuary falls in the Narmada basin.
✅The north-flowing Kopra River, Bamner River, Vyarma River, and Bearma River, which are tributaries of the Ken River, are the major rivers of this protected area.
✅Vegetation: It is mainly a dry mixed-deciduous forest type.
Flora: Major trees found are teak, saja, dhawda, sal, tendu (Coromandel ebony), bhirra (East Indian satinwood), and mahua.
✅Fauna: The chief faunal elements include Nilgai, Chinkara, Chital, Sambhar, Black Buck, Barking deer, Common Langur, Rhesus Macaque, Freshwater Turtles, Spotted Grey Creeper, Cranes, Egrets, Lapwings, etc.