Current Affairs Revision For UPSC 2026 Prelims | Places In News | By Bhanwar Singh

0:01 Hello everyone, Jend and welcome to the platform of study

0:04 IQIS in English and my name is Bhar Singh Sroy

0:07 MXND 115th course and in these current affairs revision we

0:11 are going through the complete things the complete current affairs which

0:15 are important for your upcoming UPSC prelims 2026 and in uh

0:20 today's session we'll be discussing the important places which had

0:23 been in newssh when it comes to you know

0:26 the the places uh which are very very important all All right.

0:29 Uh just give me a second and uh then we will be starting off

0:33 the first place that had been in news and it is also very important.

0:37 All right.

0:38 So we'll be going through it and again these places are very

0:41 important because we have seen that in the prelims in the preliminary

0:44 examination of the UPSC you may find that there are the questions

0:48 which had been asked about the places which had been in news.

0:52 Now moving ahead to the first of the uh place that had been news.

0:56 It is uh basically we all know about it.

0:59 This is the state of Hormuz.

1:01 Now when it comes to state of Hormuz,

1:03 it is a narrow waterway that connects the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman.

1:08 Please note over here that it connects Persian Gulf with Gulf of Oman.

1:14 All right.

1:14 Again, very important where the UPSC may trap you.

1:17 It is bounded by Iran which is there

1:19 in the north along with the Musandam Peninsula.

1:23 Please remember this Musandam Peninsula where it is located.

1:26 It is in Oman to the south and again when it comes to the sea passage

1:31 so this is the only sea passage

1:33 from the Persian Gulf that opens to the open ocean.

1:37 Now since uh the late February 2026 the US

1:41 and Israel they have been engaged in a war

1:44 with the Iran and that is why the state

1:46 of Homos it becomes important for your prelims.

1:50 All right.

1:50 So over here you can see that this is the state of Homos.

1:53 All right.

1:53 This is state of almost also you can see that band abas

1:58 that is a prominent port of Iran that is located just over here.

2:03 All right.

2:03 As well as you can see that there is Oman as well as we have UAE and again

2:09 when it comes to the west Asia the complete

2:11 West Asia becomes very important for your upcoming prelims.

2:15 All right.

2:15 So this is state of homes.

2:17 This is Kishmu Island as well as you can see Kish Island,

2:20 Lavan Island as well on the screen.

2:24 All right.

2:24 So this is uh the uh you know Musandam peninsula that is there because

2:28 it is surrounded by water from the three sides and this is the Oman.

2:33 All right.

2:33 Or it comes under the Oman.

2:36 All right.

2:37 You can see over here again this these are important.

2:39 These are the islands which are located in uh the region.

2:43 All right.

2:43 uh when it comes to these islands.

2:45 So these are important islands.

2:46 Again, UPSC may ask you about arranging them moving

2:50 forward from west to east or to east to west.

2:55 All right.

2:55 So you must remember the sequence as well.

2:58 All right.

2:58 We have Lavan here.

2:59 We have Shido.

3:01 Then there is Huru Abi.

3:03 Then Kish Island.

3:05 Then there is Faruran, Siri island, Abu Musa, Farur,

3:10 the Lessa and the greater Tuna islands which are located here.

3:14 Then there is Henam, Keshma Island and Larak and Hormuz Island as well.

3:20 So these are the important islands which

3:22 are located here and they are under Iran

3:24 and as well as there is Kirk Island and Carco Island and even Farsy Island.

3:30 These are the important islands in the region.

3:33 again important for your upcoming prelims.

3:37 Now when it comes to the set of foremost

3:39 it is a prominent choke point that is there.

3:41 All right the choke point where from where a prominent uh

3:45 you know trade when it comes to the international trade that happens.

3:48 So ultimately again your UPSC may link the state

3:52 of homos to the important uh choke points which are there.

3:55 You can see that these are the important uh uh the uh you know the choke points.

4:00 We have straight of gibral tar the state straight

4:03 of gibraltar it connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea.

4:07 Then we have Swiss canal as well.

4:08 Babal Mandde there are Turkish straits which are there and then this is state

4:13 of foremost that we are discussing as the first

4:15 important place that is in the news.

4:18 All right.

4:18 30% of all the oil is traded through the state

4:22 of then there is cape of good hope as well.

4:24 All right.

4:25 There is state of Malaa again very important

4:27 because when it comes to the all traded goods uh uh in the globe so there is 25%

4:34 of the trade that happens through state of Malika.

4:37 All right.

4:37 There are northern passages as well like the bearing straight which

4:41 lies between the Alaska and the Russian territory or the Kamchatka peninsula.

4:46 We have over here Kamchatka Peninsula and here

4:48 this is Alaska and also Panama Keral is

4:51 also very important choke point when it comes

4:54 to the global choke points which are there.

4:57 So this is the first place that had been in news.

4:59 The next important place that was in the news is Jwanduka plate.

5:04 Now this Janifuka plate is a minor plate.

5:07 All right.

5:07 When it comes to the plate tectonics,

5:09 so the complete earth is divided into various plates

5:13 and we have minor as well as major plate.

5:16 Joan Fuka is a minor plate that is there and a small tectonic plate

5:21 which is located between North American plate

5:24 and the Pacific plate that is there.

5:26 All right.

5:27 So you must know where it is located between North American

5:31 and the Pacific plate of the coast of the northern Oregon and Washington.

5:37 Now also it deres the Pacific Northwest Cascadia subduction zone and why it

5:43 had been in news because in April 2026 the seismologist they have revealed

5:49 that the Jand fuka plate is not descending as one intact slab but it

5:55 is basically falling apart into the different

5:58 fragments as it is sinking into the mantle.

6:01 So there are different fragments uh of the plate that are sinking

6:06 into the mantle and then this is a very important discovery which had been made.

6:11 Now over here these are the important plates that you can see.

6:13 We have the minor major plates.

6:16 There are total seven of the major plates which are there.

6:19 The first one over here is North American plate.

6:22 Then we have South American plate as well.

6:24 Then third is African plate.

6:27 The fourth major plate is the Eurasian plate.

6:30 And then comes Indo-Australian plate which is again a very important uh plate.

6:35 Indo-Australian plate this is single plate.

6:37 Then we have Pacific plate and the Antarctic plate that is there.

6:42 So in total there are seven major plates which are there.

6:46 [clears throat] All right.

6:46 Along with this when it comes to the major minor plates again you have to note

6:50 them over here Jandi Fuka plate this is where the Jandi Fuka plate is located.

6:57 All right.

6:57 We have Koko's plate as well.

6:59 There is Caribbean plate.

7:00 All right.

7:01 Nazca plate.

7:02 These are the minor plates that are there

7:04 along with Scottia plate that you can see.

7:07 And also Arabian plate is a small or the minor plate

7:11 that is there along with the Philippine Ca plate that is there.

7:15 So again these are the important minor plates which are there.

7:18 There are total seven of the major plates.

7:21 Please remember there are seven major and total 21 minor plates.

7:28 uh on which or through which the complete earth is

7:31 divided and these plates they are uh in a constant motion

7:35 that is what we call as the plate tectonics right

7:39 moving ahead to the next uh important place that had been

7:43 in news it is the egala islands which are there

7:47 in the morishes now when it comes to egala islands basically

7:51 they are pair of islands there is two of the islands

7:54 which are there north agela as well as south agela islands.

7:58 They are located nearly about 1,00 kilometer north of Mauritius

8:04 and south of Shashel's island in the Indian Ocean.

8:08 Now why they had been in news?

8:10 Because in late 2025, India had operationalized a maritime support base

8:16 at the Agela base including an extended airship and even

8:20 a jetty to monitor the southwest Indian Ocean

8:23 and also to improve the maritime domain awareness as well.

8:27 So over here you can see these islands.

8:30 All right on the uh map you can see that these are the islands.

8:33 We have Seel's island then there is Maldiv's island.

8:37 There is assumption island as well and here lies Agalea islands.

8:41 This is Dio Garcia which is under the control

8:44 of UK and also we have Mauritius along with Madagascar.

8:49 So these are the prominent islands which are there uh in the Indian Ocean

8:53 as well as when it comes to the Indian presence in the Indian Ocean.

8:57 So India has signed the MOU or the memorandum of understanding

9:02 with shells as well to build the airirstrip and docking facility.

9:06 There is a listening point that is there

9:08 at Madagascar and with Mauritius as well we have aou

9:13 to build the uh docking uh docking facility

9:16 as well as to build the air strip as well.

9:20 All right.

9:20 The next important place that had been

9:23 in news is uh basically this is uh Chahabar port that is uh there and we have

9:29 Shahed Behesti terminal that is located at Chahabar port.

9:33 Now again Chahabar port is important because Iran had been

9:36 in news and also when it comes to Chahabar port

9:39 it is located on the Macran coast in the Sistan

9:43 Baluchistan province of Iran at the mouth of Gulf of Oman.

9:48 All right.

9:49 At the same time, there had been US sanctions.

9:52 The [clears throat] US sanctions waver were

9:53 there for the India's involvement in the Chahabar.

9:55 But they have expired on 26th of April 2026.

10:00 And that is why this Chahabar port or Shahid

10:02 Behisti terminal is important for your upcoming prelims.

10:07 All right.

10:07 At the same time am I mean amidst the US Iran

10:10 war India is considering transferring its uh operational stakes to a local

10:15 Iranian entity so that India can avoid the secondary sanctions uh

10:20 while preserving the complete strategic access to the Chahabar port as well.

10:25 All right.

10:25 So this is where the Chahabar port is located.

10:28 You can see that this is Chahabar port.

10:31 All right.

10:32 and uh as well as when it has this come to Chabar port it is very important

10:36 for the connection that India has or Mumbai has

10:39 or even the Kandla port it will have towards the St.

10:43 Petersburg so this is a complete we have Chahabar port along

10:46 with this there is Bundabas again in Iran then Banda a Anzali this will

10:52 connect to Astrahan towards or through the Caspian Sea this is where we

10:56 have the Caspian Sea and then it will get connected to the St.

11:00 Petersburg that is in Russia.

11:02 All right.

11:03 So again this is very important because uh this is the direct uh

11:07 you know when it comes to the Chahabar port Kandla or the Mumbai

11:10 it is connected to the Chahabar port and then it also uh you

11:13 know uh it also opens up the complete trade route towards Afghanistan as well.

11:20 All right.

11:20 When it comes to the Chahabar port so from Chahabar port there is Zahedan.

11:25 Then there is Zarange and it connects to Kabul or in Afghanistan.

11:29 There is complete uh you know uh uh uh the the the road

11:34 or the uh you can say that the complete infrastructure towards towards

11:38 the land route is from Zarange to Dalam that is being or it

11:43 has been constructed for uh improving

11:46 the connectivity of India with Afghanistan.

11:49 Now coming to the next important place that had been in news.

11:52 It is IMC corridor or IMEC corridor uh where we have two of the important nodes

11:58 that is Hiba and PIS nodes which are

12:02 there on this particular uh corridor that is there.

12:05 Now this corridor is important because it uh is or it is very

12:09 important for the connectivity of India to the Middle East as well as Europe.

12:13 So I it stands for India, Middle East,

12:16 Europe economic corridor which links India to the Europe

12:20 and this complete corridor it passes through UAE,

12:23 Saudi Arabia and Jordan and Israel as well.

12:27 Now despite that the Gaza and the Hormuz conflict are there

12:32 or the IMEC have received a new lease of the life in the early

12:36 2026 with long awaited India and EU trade deal that had been

12:41 struck and infrastructure construction have started

12:45 across the Gulf region as well.

12:47 So again IMAX corridor is very important when it comes to the UPAC.

12:51 You can see that it will connect Mumbai.

12:53 Mumbai will be connected to the Dubai or Jabel Ali and this is the sea route.

12:59 Then there is the complete land route that you can see that will connect

13:02 Dubai to the algafihat then to Har and ultimately to Riyad and Alharita as well.

13:10 Now from here there is Hifa and again Hifa will be

13:14 connected to Pas and then it will get connected to the Europe.

13:18 So this is IMAC corridor again very important for the economic

13:23 uh prosperity of India and for the trade relations that India

13:27 has with EU and the recent uh again it becomes important

13:31 because of the recent uh EU India free trade agreement as well.

13:35 Now coming to the next important place that had been in news is Turkana rift

13:40 which is there in Africa and there is

13:42 a breakup that is happening in Turkana rift.

13:45 It is located in Turkana region in east of Africa and it

13:49 is part of the Vaida East African rift system that is there.

13:53 Now scientists they have discovered in April 2026 that the earth's crust

13:58 that is beneath the Turkana rift it is thinning to a critical nicking point

14:03 and this indicates that Africa is closer

14:07 to splitting apart into two continents that is

14:10 we'll have the Nubian and the Somalian

14:12 plates than previously it had been modeled.

14:15 So again this rift system it is very important and we have seen

14:18 UPSC asking about the lakes which are located in the rift system as well.

14:23 So you can see over here this is

14:25 the complete east Africa uh rift system that is there.

14:31 All right this is complete east African uh uh rift system that is there.

14:36 There is this Nubian plate.

14:39 There is Somalian plate as well.

14:41 There is Victorian plate and Rouma plate of which

14:45 this complete rift system is made up of.

14:47 All right.

14:48 And at the same time when it comes to the various

14:51 lakes which are located in the African rift system,

14:54 you can see that we have Lake Turkana very important.

14:57 Then we have Lake Kyoga.

14:59 There is Lake Victoria as well.

15:01 Then we have lake Albert, Lake Edward, Lake Ku which is located.

15:06 We have the longest lake of the globe that is Lake Tanganyanyaka, Tanganyanyaka.

15:12 We have Lake Rrooka, Lake Malabi as well.

15:15 Then we have Lake Chuta and Lake Chilva

15:18 that is located in the complete rift valley system.

15:21 And we have Lake Meru.

15:23 Along with this in the north, you'll see that Lake Tana is there.

15:27 We have Gala lakes, lake abaya and lake shamu as well which is located

15:32 in the complete rib system along with various

15:35 lakes which are there in Kenya as well.

15:38 So again [clears throat] this is very important because

15:40 uh in the past UPSC have asked the questions

15:43 related to the lakes which are there in the African

15:47 rift system or rift valley that is there.

15:50 Now there is the divergence of the plates

15:53 that you can see and that is creating this rift

15:55 system that is there that is the complete

15:58 rift system is made up of the divergent plates.

16:01 Now moving to the next important new uh the place

16:04 that had been in lake uh in news is the Turkana lake.

16:08 Now when it comes to the Turkana lake,

16:10 it is located basically in Kenya's great African

16:13 lift valley with the northern tip that extends

16:16 into Ethiopia and this is [clears throat] recognized

16:20 as the world's largest permanent desert lake as well.

16:25 Also it is the world's largest alkanine lake

16:28 and that is why this is very important.

16:30 Now this is known locally as the Jade Sea because of its color.

16:36 It has a color of turquoise green color

16:38 and that is why it is called as JC as well.

16:41 It is crucial for the ecological and even

16:44 paleo anthropological site as well and this has been referred to as the cradle

16:50 of the humankind because of the exceptional concentration

16:54 of the early homminin uh fossils which had been found in its basin and again

17:00 lake turkana becomes very important when it comes

17:02 to the places which had been in use.

17:04 So over here you can see Lake Turkana.

17:07 Now Lake Turkana is uh you can see which all uh countries are there.

17:12 This is Lake Turkana and you can see that we

17:14 have Kenya and it extends into Ethiopia as well.

17:18 The northern part just a small part that extends into Ethopia and this is

17:22 Lake Turkana again important which is located in the uh African rift system.

17:30 All right.

17:30 Coming to the next important news which had been the place

17:33 which had been in news is the Migla pass in Ladak.

17:36 Now very important the question could be asked about it because when

17:40 it comes to the highest motorable pass in India or the world.

17:44 So it was the umla pass but now it has

17:48 been you know it has been changed by the migla pass.

17:52 So this Migla pass is located

17:54 in the eastern Ladak sector of the Indian Himalayas

17:57 and it is very close to the line

17:59 of actual control that is between India and China

18:03 and in late 2025 BRRO or border road

18:06 organization have opened this Migla pass at the altitude

18:10 of 19,400 ft and it has surpassed

18:14 the umla to become the world's highest motorable pass.

18:18 Again very important for your upcoming examination.

18:23 All right.

18:23 So over here you can see where Migla pass is located.

18:26 This is part of the Legaru Migla or Pukche road.

18:30 All right.

18:30 So this is the complete road that is or that connects

18:34 the Legaru along with Migla and the Pukche road.

18:37 This has been opened and you can see where this is located.

18:40 This is located very close to the Dalat Bay Oldi road as well.

18:45 All right.

18:45 And we have different uh you know we have the Daladbi

18:49 this is the airport or the airirst strip that is located

18:51 here very close to the LAC also we have the Galwan

18:55 region that is here we have seen the skirmishes between the India

18:59 and the Chinese troops also we have Konga laas we have

19:03 the hot springs as well Pangongo lake is also located here we

19:07 have Chushul sector and even the spangur gap is located here all

19:12 right you can see them and chumar are also on the map.

19:16 So this is the region where we have

19:18 the highest motor pass of the world that is located.

19:22 [clears throat] Now coming to the next important place

19:24 is Somali land and also Burbara port that is located.

19:29 [clears throat] Now when it comes to Somali land

19:32 basically it is a selfdeclared autonomous state that is there

19:36 in northwestern of the horn of Africa and it borders

19:40 the Djibouti as well as Ethopia and even Somalia as well.

19:45 Now Isil had become the first country to recognize the Somali land in the early

19:50 2026 and it has also appointed the first ambassador to the Somali land.

19:56 Now this move is strategically very important because it is

19:59 tied to securing the Bab al- Mandave trade and also

20:02 countering the Houthi rebels which are there in the region

20:06 and that is why this is again very very important.

20:09 So over here you can see on the map where we have the Somali land.

20:13 So this is Somali land that is here and this is the port of Burbra that is here

20:19 and this port of Burbara actually there is the land

20:21 route that connects it to Adis Ababa as well.

20:25 All right.

20:25 Right.

20:25 So again this is very important and here you

20:28 can see the Djibouti uh uh is also located.

20:32 All right.

20:32 So this is Somali land.

20:33 Again you can see this is in the horn of Africa

20:37 and here we have the Burbara port which is located.

20:43 All right.

20:44 Coming to the next important uh place that had

20:46 been in news is the Nagoro Karabak region

20:51 and again let me tell you that there had

20:54 been already a PQ that had been asked about

20:58 this particular region and again this is a trend

21:01 that UPSC follows that if there had been any

21:03 PQ it tries to reshape the question and ask

21:06 the question again in the next prelims as well.

21:09 So again this becomes very important and when it comes to Nagono Karabak.

21:13 So this is a landlocked mountaneous region that is located in south Cauashes.

21:19 This is had been internationally recognized as the Azab Bejan territory.

21:24 But again when it comes to it was

21:26 previously controlled by the ethnic Armenians which are here.

21:30 Now there was a conflict escalations in 2024-225 where Azarbjan had

21:35 gained the total control of this particular region and that had led

21:39 to the resolution of the selfdeclared or proclaimed republic of Arthus or uh

21:46 and also massive displacement of the ethnic

21:49 Armenians from this particular region.

21:52 So this is where we have Norno Karabak.

21:54 This is here.

21:56 All right.

21:56 It was earlier that this region was controlled by the Armenians

22:00 but now this is in the control of Azarban.

22:03 Again very important for your UPSC.

22:07 All right.

22:09 Also here you can see uh this is where we

22:12 have the lesser Caucases and even we have the Cauashes region.

22:16 So this is located over here.

22:18 All right.

22:18 You can see that we have Azerban and also over here we have Armenia.

22:23 So this is a Karabak range.

22:24 the Karabak region that was there and again it

22:27 is under the Caucasus region that is there and Cauishes

22:31 are the mountain ranges which lies between the Black

22:34 Sea as well as the Caspian Sea that is there.

22:37 [clears throat] All right.

22:38 The next of the important place that was

22:41 in the news it is the Nitzarim and the Philadelphia corridors.

22:47 Now Nidzarim and the Philadelphia corridors they had been in news.

22:51 These corridors basically are where Nidzarim is basically a horizontal

22:56 military strip that divides or it is dividing the Gaza strip.

23:01 And when it comes to Philadelphia corridor,

23:03 it is a buffer zone that is between Gaza and Egypt.

23:06 Again, very important for your upcoming prelims.

23:10 Over here, the Israeli forces,

23:11 they have fortified the Nidarim corridor to divide

23:15 Gaza into north and the south zone.

23:17 Also, it had completed the takeover of the Philadelphia

23:21 or the Murag Axis to control any kind of involvement

23:25 or the movement and smuggling that happens through the tunnels

23:29 into Egypt and that is why they had been in the news.

23:32 So, you can see over here where these corridors

23:34 are located there is the Nid Zarim corridor.

23:38 This complete corridor it's Nid Zarim.

23:40 You can see its width as well.

23:42 It is 6 km wide 6 km long and just 2 km wide.

23:47 All right.

23:47 At the same time, you can see over here,

23:49 this is the Philadelphia corridor which connects the Rafa with Egypt.

23:54 Now, this had been closed and ultimately this had been taken care

23:58 or this has been taken over by the Israeli forces which are there.

24:02 So, these are again very important uh you know corridors when

24:05 it comes to the places which had been in the news.

24:10 Now coming to the next important place, it is the Kursk and Belgurod.

24:16 Now Kusk and Belgod they are located in uh the Russia.

24:20 All right and they are the administrative regions which are

24:24 there in western Russia and they border the Ukraine as well.

24:28 In early 2026 a Ukrainian drone they have stried the or they have

24:33 targeted the Russian air bases which are located in Kurs and Belgod region.

24:38 All right, this is again under the operation spiders web

24:41 and kurs also saw that there had been significant crossber incursion marking

24:46 a shift in the conflicts uh territorial scope and also when it

24:51 comes to the complete region this has been drained by the niper

24:55 and the dawn rivers very important river system and also this region

24:59 is known for the iron o deposits and even the black earth

25:03 agricultural belt now what is black earth black earth is basically a very

25:08 fertile soil that that is there on the surface of the earth.

25:13 These you know the soil it is also called as molly soul.

25:18 It is also called as molly soil.

25:21 And this soil is basically found in the uh you know in the uh

25:26 region where we have temperature low temperature or the temperate uh zone.

25:30 And there these uh molly souls or the black earth the the fertile

25:35 very or you can say that these are the most fertile of the soil.

25:39 They are found in this particular region.

25:42 [clears throat] All right.

25:43 So this is the region where we have uh both of the region.

25:46 You can see over here that we have

25:47 Belgar road along with Belgar road we have Kursk

25:50 and they are just you know located uh or situated

25:54 just at the border of the Ukraine as well.

25:56 At the same time there is Rosto as well

25:58 as Tambbo region as well that is located in Russia.

26:05 All right.

26:06 Now coming to the next important place which had been in news.

26:09 It is the point Nemo.

26:11 Now this is called as the oceanic pole as well.

26:14 Point Nemo is basically located at the South Pacific Ocean where

26:19 at 48° 52.6 minutes south and 123° and 23.6 minute west as well.

26:28 So this is the point which is farthest from any

26:32 of the land part or land boundary that is there.

26:35 And in 2025 very important you must remember this that the Indian Navy

26:40 women officers in INSV Tarini they have crossed the point Nemo during a complete

26:46 or global circum navigation as well as when it comes to the space agencies

26:51 they continue to use it as a graveyard

26:54 or the spacecraft craft symmetry for de-orbiting

26:57 the for for the de-orbiting satellites

27:00 and also it is nutrient poor uh biological

27:04 desert And uh when it comes to the complete region so it lies at 48°

27:09 so this is the region where you'll find the westerlys that is the roaring 40s

27:13 and even there is the coralus effect that is very much higher in this region.

27:19 All right.

27:20 So this is point Nemo that is there.

27:23 [clears throat] This is point Nemo.

27:24 And when it comes to the uh you know uh the closest land.

27:29 So closest land it lies at about 2700 kilometers.

27:34 All right.

27:34 That is Pitken and Motu Nui Islands which are located over

27:38 here and Nemo actually means that no one in uh Latin.

27:42 So that is why it is called as point Nemo.

27:45 And when it comes to the human presence or the closest human.

27:48 So it is not the people which are there on the land.

27:52 It is the people which are there

27:53 in the international space station which are closer

27:56 to point Nemo as compared to the people

27:58 which are there on the surface of the earth.

28:02 Right now coming to Jen Tanmoy now coming

28:05 to the next important place that had been in news.

28:08 It's G or Grand Ethopian Reconnaissance Dam.

28:12 Now when it comes to Jur again it is

28:14 very important it had been in news and there

28:16 were tensions about the dam because it is a gravity

28:19 dam that had been constructed on blue Nile River.

28:23 All right this dam is there in Ethiopia near the border with the Sudan

28:28 and Ethiopia have announced the final completion

28:30 of the dam construction in late 2025.

28:34 Now this has remained a point of high tension because

28:37 of the you know flow of the blue Nile and the tension is

28:41 between the Ethopia as well as Egypt and Sudan regarding the water

28:46 rights during the filling periods and thereby this had been in news.

28:50 So this is where we have the Grand

28:52 Ethiopian reconnaissance dam that had been constructed.

28:56 [snorts] All right you can see that this is

28:58 the main dam as well as there is reservoir.

29:01 This is where the good or the great

29:04 Ethiopian renaissance dam had been constructed.

29:07 Now when it comes to the complete dam,

29:09 so this is the height is about 145 of the meter and it is located in Ethiopia.

29:15 Again a very important place that had been in news.

29:19 Now coming to the next important place is

29:22 Sunds which is there between India and Bangladesh.

29:26 They are the mangroves which are located where we have Ganga,

29:29 Brahmaputra as well as Magna River.

29:31 They uh you know they meet or they merge with Bay of Bengal.

29:36 So they are the world's largest mangro forest delta

29:39 and the confluence of Ganjes along with Ganga river

29:42 there's Brahmaputra and Magna river and in late 2025

29:47 the Sundabans they have received the international blue flag certification.

29:52 Now this is for the environmental

29:53 conservation as well as sustainable beach management

29:56 and this highlights the efforts to mitigate the sea level rise as well.

30:02 The sundaban is also the UNESCO heritage uh site.

30:06 Uh this is the region where you will find the royal

30:08 Bengal tiger and even the iradi dolphins are found in these sundabuns.

30:14 All right.

30:15 The next important news or the place that had been

30:18 in news is Atakama salt flat which is there in Chile.

30:22 Now these region or Atakama salt flat is

30:26 basically a high altitude plateau that is located

30:28 in the Andes of North Chile and they are

30:32 the part of the lithium triangle that is there.

30:35 Now it is very important because lithium is very important

30:38 for the EV revolution or electronic or electric vehicle revolution.

30:43 The lithium triangle it comprises of Chile, Argentina and Bolivia.

30:47 Now in 2026 there was a study and this has revealed that the salt flat it is

30:53 sinking by 1 to 2 cm annually and this is

30:56 because of the excessive extraction of the lithium.

31:00 All right, excessive groundwater extraction is there for the lithium mining

31:04 and that is resulting into the sinking of etakama salt flat.

31:08 All right.

31:09 This has prompted the calls for the ecoside to be recognized

31:12 as the international law and thereby this place had been in news.

31:17 So you can see where we have the Atakama desert.

31:20 This is where we have the Atkakama desert and in Atakama you'll find

31:25 that this region it is the Atakama salt flat enriched or there are

31:30 the reserves of the lithium which are found in this complete region and it

31:34 is sinking because of the excessive

31:37 extraction of the groundwater for lithium purpose.

31:41 Now coming to the next important place is Sua that is there in Syria.

31:47 Now, Suvida is basically a city that is located in southern

31:50 Syria on the Huran plateau on the Huran plateau that is there.

31:55 It is near the trijunction of Jordan, Israel as well as Syria.

31:59 So, it is near the trijunction.

32:02 Now, this is known as little Venezuela as well.

32:06 And when it comes to the community that is over here is Drew's community.

32:11 Now they are facing the ethnic cleansing

32:13 by the Beduin militias that is over here

32:16 in the early 2026 and that have highlighted

32:19 the splintering of the Syrian civil war as well.

32:23 There are strategic position as well again when it

32:25 comes to the complete sua it is a place

32:28 of strategic importance because it is near the Golan

32:31 heights as well as Jabal Aldrus's volcanic fields as well.

32:35 So over here you can see where we have Souida.

32:38 This is Assua or Suvida and you can see this is

32:42 at the tri junction and uh this is located in Syria.

32:48 Now coming to the next important news it is

32:51 again over here you can see it is Pokeosk.

32:54 Now Pocrovosk is basically located in Ukraine.

32:57 Now why Pocrovosk was or Pocrovosk is basically a major industrial

33:02 center and even the logistics hub that is there in Doneska region.

33:07 Now when it comes to the Russian forces,

33:09 they have captured Pocrok in early 2026 and they have taken the complete control

33:14 of the Ukraine's only coing coal mine that is located over here in Pocravosk.

33:21 It serves as a primary supply route

33:23 for the Ukrainian fortress belt as well and there is

33:26 a proximity to the Dawnbus coal mines and even

33:29 there is cell river that flows through this region.

33:32 Again this is all very important.

33:35 All right.

33:35 So you can see this Pocro region.

33:38 This is basically the Russian controlled territory you will find over here.

33:41 And we have over here Pocro that had been taken control

33:46 or the control had been taken care uh taken over by the Russian army.

33:51 All right.

33:51 The next important place is the port of Dukum.

33:55 The port of Dukum is located in Oman

33:58 and on the east coast or the southern southeast coast of Oman.

34:02 And this opens directly to the Arabian scene.

34:05 Now this has been targeted by the Iranian drone strikes

34:08 in 2026 that we have seen and also there is the India.

34:14 All right.

34:14 Now why why this is important?

34:15 Because India had heavily invested in this region for the deep water port so

34:21 that it can secure alternative energy route

34:24 and the maritime domain awareness as well.

34:27 Now this port is very close to the state

34:29 of Hamuza as well and also Alguayat that is

34:32 the land link for the imme corridor or India

34:36 middle east and European corridor that is there.

34:39 So this is where we have the port of Dukum that is here.

34:43 All right.

34:43 You can see that this opens directly to the arriv.

34:46 It bypasses the state of again this is very

34:50 important because UPSC can connect this and it can ask

34:53 the statement and it can give you the state statement

34:56 that port of Dukam is located in the Gulf of Oman.

35:00 So it is not in the Gulf of Oman.

35:01 It opens directly towards the Arabian Sea.

35:05 All right.

35:05 And there is Salala port of Salala as well.

35:10 All right.

35:10 So again this is uh the AMC corridor that is India,

35:14 Middle East, Europe corridor that is there.

35:17 You can see that it will connect Mundra and Mumbai

35:20 to the uh Fujayra the port that is here.

35:24 All right and also through this there will be

35:27 the land route that will connect the Jabel Ali.

35:30 It will connect Khalifa.

35:32 These are the ports which are located and then

35:34 algayat then it will connect to the Harad.

35:38 There is Jabel, Jubel and Dawham as well.

35:40 These are the ports and also Ras Alkar.

35:43 These will get connected to Riyad and Al Zabira.

35:47 And then it will get connected to Alhadita.

35:49 Then to Maf, Mafra, even B Shan and also there will be the ports.

35:55 These are the important ports Hifa and Ashdod which are located and then

35:59 this will get connected to the Europe that is to pas to Thessaloninoi

36:05 and even Trieste and Mars port that is located and this is again

36:10 very important route when it comes to the trade between India and Europe.

36:17 Now the next important place that had been in news is Malaka street.

36:21 Now this is very important again it is a choke point that is there and it is

36:25 a 900 uh kilometer long narrow waterway that lies

36:29 between the Mallay peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

36:34 Now when it comes to Malaka state basically

36:37 with the state of Homus that had been blockaded.

36:40 Now the complete global attention is there

36:42 on the state of Malaka and ultimately this is

36:45 the world's busiest oil transit choke point that handles

36:49 23.2 2 million barrels per day in 2025.

36:53 Now there is Malaka dilemma as well.

36:55 All right.

36:55 When it comes to China,

36:56 China is also dependent upon the import of oil and the natural gas.

37:01 All right.

37:02 And most of most of the import that happens for the China

37:06 that is through the state of Malaka and if the Malaka

37:10 had been choked just like that we have seen uh

37:13 in the case of the state of Homos which had been blockaded.

37:16 If the mala will also be blockaded so that will be a death to China as well.

37:22 So again this is the dilemma or the malaka dilemma that is

37:25 for China and here you can see the Malika state that is there.

37:29 Here we have the state of Malaka.

37:31 All right and also Sunda state that lies state

37:34 of Malaka it connects the South China Sea to the Arabian

37:36 Sea and over here you will see that Sunda state

37:39 it connects Java sea to the Indian Ocean as well.

37:42 There's Lombok state as well that you can see on the map.

37:45 This is uh the state of Mala or Malaka state.

37:48 This is the main state.

37:49 Along with this the main state there is the another channel that is there.

37:53 This is called as Singapore channel as well.

37:55 You can see that it uh you know it

37:58 uh uh circumvents the complete Singapore that is located here.

38:04 All right.

38:05 Now coming to the next important place that had been in news.

38:09 It is uh the GMA and Bukavu.

38:12 Now GMA and Bukavu they are located in Democratic Republic

38:15 of Congo and these are the cities which lies in the eastern

38:20 part of DRC or Democratic Republic of Congo near

38:23 the borders where it is near Rwanda and Uganda as well.

38:28 over here M23 rebels they have captured GMA in the late

38:32 2025 and they have expanded their control over the mineralrich

38:36 north as well as south kiw provinces and that is why

38:40 this uh region or this place had been in use now

38:43 the complete region there are vast resources for various minerals like

38:48 for example cobalt and gold and that is again a very

38:51 important mineralrich region that is under the M23 rebels that is

38:55 there so this is where we have the both of them.

38:59 All right.

38:59 There is GMA as well as Bukavu.

39:02 All right.

39:03 This is in Democratic Republic of Congo.

39:05 Again, mineralrich uh very close to Rwanda.

39:09 Uh you can see and with Uganda as well.

39:12 Now this complete region lies in the uh you know

39:14 in the rift valley system that is there for the Africa.

39:18 All right.

39:19 This is the complete rift valley system that is there.

39:21 And here you can see that there is south kiw

39:24 that is located and there is north kiw as well.

39:31 All right.

39:31 So you can see that this is Rwanda.

39:33 There is Lake Kiwu that is located here.

39:36 Again you can see that this is the complete Democratic Republic of Congo.

39:40 Lake Kiwu.

39:41 It lies with Rwanda as well as with Democratic Republic of Congo as well.

39:48 All right.

39:48 Coming to the next important place that had been in news.

39:50 It is the Great Salt Lake.

39:53 Now when it comes to the Great Salt Lake again it is very important.

39:56 This lies in USA and this is an endoric lake.

40:00 This is an endoric lake that is in the UTA in USA

40:04 and also the largest saltwater lake that is there in the western hemisphere.

40:08 Now in early 2026 the scientists they have discovered that there is massive

40:13 freshwater reservoir in the great salt lake

40:16 hidden beneath the lakes's hypers saline water.

40:19 So in the upper part there is the salt water and beneath it there is

40:23 a fresh water that offers potential solution

40:26 to the region severe water scar scarcity that is there.

40:30 So this is great salt lake located in uta and again

40:35 a very important discovery had been made where the upper part

40:39 of the water in the lake it is hypers saline

40:42 but beneath it there is the fresh water which had been found.

40:46 All right.

40:47 Now again over here there is the Andoric

40:49 lakes they had been asked in the examination

40:52 and we have RLC as well which is there

40:54 in Kazakhstan and Usbakistan lies between both of them.

40:58 There is lake Urmia that is there in Iran and also

41:02 great salt lake that is there in Uta in USA.

41:05 Now over here these of the lakes they are

41:07 facing the ecological decline which is because of the upstream

41:11 water diversion for the agriculture and the UPSC may

41:15 ask about the location of these lakes as well.

41:19 Now coming to the next important place that had

41:22 been in news is uh the pumban bridge.

41:25 Now when it comes to the pan bridge it is very important because it

41:29 is the new uh you know vertical lift bridge that had been constructed over here.

41:34 This is a railway bridge which connects the Mandapam town.

41:38 There is Mandapam town in the mainland and there

41:41 is Ramshwaram that is there on the Pampan island.

41:44 So this uh bridge it connects Mandapam with Ramsheshwaraam.

41:47 This is the India's first.

41:49 Please remember it is the first vertical lift railway sea bridge

41:53 that had been completed in late 2025 and it is 3 m

41:57 higher than the earlier structure of 1914 and it has been

42:02 designed so that larger vessels they can also pass underneath the bridge.

42:08 There is the proximity of the this bridge to the Gulf

42:11 of Manar Marina Biosphere Reserve and Adams bridge or Ram Setu as well.

42:17 All right.

42:17 Okay.

42:18 So this is Pan bridge over here.

42:20 Pan bridge is located.

42:22 All right.

42:22 And you can see that this is vertical

42:25 lift bridge that had been constructed uh which

42:28 connects the mainland to the Pan or the Dhanushki or the Ram Setu that is there.

42:35 Now coming to the next important news it is uh

42:37 the the place it is the Tapach Jo that is there in Brazil.

42:43 Now when it comes to this river it is a major tributary of Amazon river.

42:47 Please remember it is major tributary of Amazan river.

42:50 It flows entirely within Brazil through the Mato Graaso

42:54 as well as par states which are located in Brazil.

42:58 Now this river has hit the historical lows in late

43:01 2025 because of the mega drought leading to the declaration

43:05 of the first ever water scarcity emergency in its lower

43:10 stretches and that is why this river had been in news.

43:13 Again this is a prominent uh you know dis uh tributary of the Amazon river.

43:20 This is Tapajou's river and again Amazon and its

43:23 tributaries becomes important for your upcoming UPSC prelims.

43:28 Now coming to the next important place it is Mount Etna that is there in Sicily.

43:34 Now when it comes to Mount Setina,

43:35 it is a active strate volcano that is there on the east coast of Sicily in Italy

43:41 and it is the Europe's highest as well

43:43 as the most active volcano that is located in the region.

43:47 There had been constant eruptions in 2025-26

43:50 that have underscored the tectonic activity at the convergence

43:54 of the Eurasian and the African plate and that is why this had been in news.

44:00 Again very important because when it comes to the volcanoes

44:03 which are over here you can see that there

44:05 is Mount Etna that is located there Stromboli as well

44:09 which is called as the lighthouse of the Mediterranean Sea.

44:12 Then there is volcano volcano.

44:15 There is Panaria volcano as well.

44:17 You can see that there is uh Midi Sicilia volcano that is located.

44:22 Vesuvius as well and Kempi Flegory volcano that is located in this region.

44:28 Now this complete volcanic belt is because of the merging

44:33 or convergence of the Eurasian as well as the African plate.

44:37 Now when it comes to the volcanoes, UPIC has the tendency to ask about

44:41 the volcanoes where we have seen the recent eruptions.

44:45 So these are the volcanoes where we have the recent eruptions.

44:48 We have Kikai that is located in Japan.

44:51 Then we have Home Reef in Tonga.

44:53 Then MBE in Vatu.

44:55 Then we have Haley Gubby in Ethopia.

44:58 Pures in Colombia.

45:00 Then we have Planchon Petroa volcano in Chile.

45:04 Then AI that is they located in US.

45:07 Then Akan volcano is in Japan.

45:09 Then Sabankaya in Peru.

45:12 Ioto in Japan.

45:13 In New Zealand there is White Island or Wakari uh volcano which is located.

45:20 Along with this we have in Indonesia Tempo.

45:22 Then in Russia we have Crashen Nikov volcano and Baron Island is there in India.

45:29 Along with these we have the other important volcanic eruptions in 2025 and 26.

45:35 You can see we have Rake Janes in Iceland, Telisia in Nicaragua.

45:39 We have Krishna Mayama that is located in Japan.

45:42 Again there is Karim Sky that is in Russia.

45:46 Northern EPR is the undersea feature.

45:49 Then we have Bulusan in Philippines.

45:51 We have Kushio Koy that is in Russia.

45:54 Then Rig Janes again in Iceland and also Ulavun that is in Papua Nug Guini.

45:59 Then Rang that is in Indonesia.

46:02 Atka volcanic complex in US and Pures in Colombia

46:06 and Livertook in Indonesia and Telisia that is there in Indonesia.

46:11 Again UPSC generally asked the questions from these volcanoes which had

46:16 seen the recent eruptions in the form of match the following.

46:19 So you may get the match the following.

46:21 There could be four of the volcanoes and the country of the origin

46:25 that could be asked and match the following in your upcoming prelims 2026.

46:31 All right, these are the major volcanoes that you can see on the world map.

46:34 All right, these are the major volcanoes which are located

46:37 uh again you can see this in the complete PDF.

46:40 The PDF will be uploaded on my telegram channel.

46:43 So do not forget to join my telegram channel as well.

46:46 All right.

46:47 The telegram channel is located or you can find

46:49 it at at the rate BHA and W study IQ.

46:57 All right.

46:58 The next of the important place that had been in news is Bosphorus Strait.

47:03 Now the Bosphorus state there is the Montrein and the Bosphorous

47:07 Strait is the part of the Turkish straits that are there.

47:10 The narrow state that lies in Turkey.

47:13 It connects Black Sea with the sea of Murmmora.

47:16 Please remember it connects Black Sea to the sea of Murmura

47:19 and Turkey have strictly enforced the 1936 Montre's convention during the Black

47:24 Sea naval tensions in 2025 and ultimately it has controlled the passage

47:30 of the warships and this has impacted NATO's eastern flank as well.

47:35 Now this Bosphorous state it divides Turkey or it is

47:39 there in Turkey which divides Istanbul into European and Asian sides.

47:44 In 1936, Montre's convention was uh made regarding the regime

47:49 of the states in the international agreement and that had

47:52 granted Turkey the complete control over the Bosphorus as well

47:56 as Dardinalist state that is located in the region.

47:59 Now please remember that this is Montre's convention.

48:02 This is different.

48:03 Please remember Montre's convention as compared to Montre's record.

48:10 All right.

48:11 When it comes to Montreuk's record,

48:13 you could be asked about it as well or you could be asked about

48:16 the the the you know the difference

48:18 between Montre's convention and the Montre's record.

48:21 Now Montreuk's record is the part of the Ramsar convention.

48:24 All right.

48:25 This the the uh the wetlands which are facing

48:28 severe threat they are basically placed in the Montre's record.

48:32 So please remember that both of them they are different.

48:34 Montre's convention is different.

48:36 Montre's record is also different.

48:38 Again important for your upcoming prelims.

48:41 And here you can see the T is straight.

48:43 There is state of Bosphorus or Bosphorus state.

48:46 This connects over here.

48:47 There is black sea and sea of maramara.

48:50 All right.

48:50 And then we have the dardinal state that is there.

48:53 It connects sea of marmmora to the agency or to the meditarian sea.

48:58 Here we have meditarian sea.

49:00 Agency is part of meditarian sea.

49:03 So this connects or the dalist state.

49:05 It connects sea of Marmura with the materian sea that is here.

49:11 All right.

49:11 Next important place that had been in news is the Arakawa and the Potomarmac.

49:17 Now Arakawa and Putomak they have been uh declared as the uh sister rivers.

49:23 All right.

49:23 Arakawa is basically it originates from the Mount Kubushi

49:27 that is there in Japan and it flows into Tokyo Bay.

49:31 All right.

49:31 Tokyo and it it flows very close to Tokyo.

49:35 uh or it flows into the Tokyo as well.

49:37 So again the river that is flowing in Tokyo is basically Arakawa.

49:42 Then we have Putomac as well.

49:44 This is this flows in the eastern US

49:46 and flows into the Chesapeake Bay that is located.

49:50 Again Ptomak is the river that flows through Washington DC.

49:58 All right.

49:59 So Ptomarmac is the river that is flowing

50:01 through the capital of USA that is Washington

50:03 and Arakawa is the river that is flowing

50:06 through the capital of Japan that is Tokyo.

50:09 Now Arakava has been designated as the sister river of Putomak in 2025 focusing

50:14 upon the urban river management and the flood

50:17 control cooperation between both the countries.

50:20 So over here you can see both the rivers.

50:22 We have uh the Arakawa river.

50:25 All right.

50:26 And you can see that this is the Rakawa river and it flows into the Tokyo Bay.

50:29 Then when it comes to the Ptomak river you can see

50:32 this is a Putomak river and it flows into the Chesapeake

50:35 Bay that is located over here and it flows

50:38 the Pmarmac river it flows through the Washington DC as well.

50:43 Now coming to the next important place which had been

50:45 in use is great Ruhava river that is there in Tanzania.

50:50 Now again this river was or it is it is one of the Tanzania's major rivers

50:55 which flows through the Ruhava National Park

50:57 and this river is reported to be drying up completely

51:00 in the segments because of the climate change

51:03 and mismanagement as well and this threatens the complete

51:07 biodiversity of the national park that is located

51:09 here along with the usangu wetlands which are here.

51:14 Now when it comes to Ruhava, so this is basically a tributary

51:17 to the Rufijuji river that flows through the region.

51:22 All right, you can see over here

51:23 that this is when it comes to great Ruhava river.

51:26 This is the great Ruhava river that is here

51:30 and you can see that it is flowing through

51:32 the Ruhava National Park and it is the tributary

51:35 to the uh major river that is over here.

51:39 All right, that is Rufi River.

51:44 Now coming to the next important place uh that had

51:47 been in news is lake Nyasa that is in Malawi.

51:51 Now Lake Nyasa that is in Malawi is

51:53 the southernmost lake of the eastern African rift system.

51:57 It borders Malawi along with Malawi.

52:00 It borders with Tanzania and Mozambi as well.

52:04 Now there are certain border disputes which are ongoing

52:07 between the Tanzania and Malabi over the lakes resources.

52:11 they they were exasperated by the 2025 climate induced water level

52:16 fluctuations in this uh particular lake or lake you know lake Nyasa.

52:22 Now when it comes to the lake Nyasa it is

52:24 miomctic lake it is miomctic lake that is a rare type

52:29 of the lake that does not undergo complete vertical mixing

52:33 of the water and that results into the separate layers that are formed.

52:38 There is no vertical mixing of the water in these lakes

52:41 and these lakes are called as Miro Miktic lake and also

52:44 when it comes to lake Nasa it is the ninth largest

52:47 lake in the world and in Africa it is the third largest

52:51 of the lake that is there and this is over here

52:54 you can see lake Nyasa all right this is lake Nyasa you

52:57 can see Malawi you can see Tanzania Mozambi so these are

53:00 the border states which are located along the lake Nyasa as Well,

53:07 now coming to the next important next [clears throat] important

53:10 place that had been used is Sankaku and the Aayou Islands.

53:14 Now, one of the important and the very uh you know

53:17 uh uh favorite topic of the UPSC is the South China Sea.

53:21 So when it comes to Sang Kaku and Dauu islands,

53:24 they are the inhabited islands which are located in the East

53:27 China Sea that is northeast of the Taiwan and there

53:31 have been repeated incursion by Chinese vessels in 202526 that have

53:35 led to a reinforcement of the US Japan security treaty

53:40 application to these islands and that is why they had

53:43 been in news again very important and these are the over

53:47 here you can see when it comes to the disputed Saku

53:50 and the Dauayu islands They are located here north of Taiwan.

53:54 All right.

53:55 We have over here you can see that the distance that they have.

53:58 So again you can see that it is just 330 km to WZO.

54:02 From the Taipai it is 170 kilometers.

54:05 And these are basically the islands which are

54:07 called as the S kaku island by Japan.

54:10 These islands are named as the Aayou by the China and by the ROC or the uh

54:17 the republic sorry uh the Arosci it is called as the Aayotai island as well.

54:25 All right the next important place that had been in news

54:28 is basically the Chago Aripilago as well as Diago Garcia.

54:34 Now very important because this is located in India

54:37 uh Indian Ocean and basically there are group of seven

54:40 ATLs which are there in the central ocean uh

54:43 Indian Ocean approximately about 500 kilometers south of the Maldives.

54:48 Now in 2026 UK have paused the bill to return the islands to Mauritius

54:54 and this is because of the US concerns

54:56 over the strategic importance of the Diago Garcia

54:59 military base and that is why uh you know although UK was thinking of returning

55:04 these islands to Mauritius but now they have

55:07 paused the bill to return the islands back.

55:09 So this is where we have Diago Garcia base uh that is located.

55:13 All right.

55:14 And this is the complete chos archipilago that is there in the Indian Ocean.

55:19 You can see that they are close to Maldives which are there close to Maicius

55:23 as well as Seials as well which lies in the region in the Indian Ocean itself.

55:30 All right.

55:31 [clears throat] So over here you can see

55:32 that this is the British Indian Ocean Territory or Bot.

55:39 Now this British Indian Ocean territory or Boot is controlled

55:42 by UK and this is where we have the Chago's archipilago.

55:46 All right you can see that this is Chago Aripilago that lies

55:50 over here and this is where we have the Diago Garcia.

55:54 All right, we have the Diago Garcia as well

55:56 and this is where we have the different islands which are located.

56:00 We have Solomon Islands.

56:01 We have Nelson Island, Three Brothers Island as well,

56:04 Eagle Island, Danger Island, Eggmont Island.

56:07 And here you will find Diago Garcia that is located.

56:12 Now another important place that had been used is the Luzon state.

56:17 Now Luzon state is again very important because it is

56:20 a state that lies between Taiwan and Luzon that is in Philippines.

56:25 Now it connects the South China Sea with the Philippine

56:27 Sea and it is important because it became a critical

56:32 typhoon's hot spot in the late 2025 and also it

56:36 is a major hub for the international submarine cables as well.

56:40 So basically this makes this complete Luzon uh state a kind

56:44 of a digital choke point where if the submarine cables they would be cut.

56:48 So that will impact the global internet as well.

56:52 All right.

56:52 And it also contains the Baines as well

56:54 as Bauan Islands which are located in the region.

56:57 So you can see over here that this is Bashi channel.

57:01 This is Bashi channel.

57:03 Then we have over here the Luzon

57:05 state which lies between the Taiwan and Philippines.

57:08 Over here these are called as the Batain or the Batain Island.

57:12 These islands are basically called Batain.

57:15 And we have Babuan island as well which are located here.

57:18 So these Baines and the Bavan they are the islands of Philippines.

57:24 Now coming to the next important news

57:26 that the place that had news is the Otranto state.

57:30 Now when it comes to Otranto state it is a state

57:33 that connects the Adriatic Sea along with the Ionian sea that is there.

57:38 All right.

57:39 So basically it separates Italy from Albania

57:41 and it was identified in 2026 as a key naval route for the NATO southern flank

57:47 and a major migration route from the Balkans into Italy.

57:52 So this is again important state that you can see over here.

57:55 This is the state of Otranto.

57:58 All right.

57:58 You can see Ian Sea and Adriatic Sea.

58:01 All right.

58:06 Next important place that had been in news is Turkam crossing.

58:10 Now again it had been in news and again very important for the UPSC

58:14 because it is a transit point that lies on the Durand line between Afghanistan

58:19 and Pakistan and there had been frequent

58:21 closure in 202526 because of the broader

58:25 clashes that have disrupted the trade between

58:28 or along the historical Grand Trunk Road.

58:31 So this is a part of Grand Trunk road

58:33 as well and it has impacted the central Asian supply chains.

58:37 This uh Turkham crossing basically it connects the Jalalabad

58:41 with the Peshawa and the Kyber pass region as well.

58:46 So this is where we have the uh you know we have Jalalabad along

58:51 with this we have Peshawar or Pakistan

58:53 and here you can see Turkham crossing is there.

58:56 All right.

58:56 Okay.

58:56 So, Torham border or crossing.

58:58 It lies on the Durant line and between the Pakistan and Afghanistan.

59:04 Next important place that had been in news is the Petra and Allora.

59:09 Now, when it comes to Petra and Allora,

59:11 they have been declared as the twin uh heritage.

59:14 The Petra is located in Jordan in the Ara valley and Allora caves.

59:19 They are there in India in Maharashtra.

59:22 In 2025, UNESCO have officially recognized them

59:25 as the twin world heritage sites to promote

59:28 the cultural tourism as well as the architectural

59:30 research linkage between both the different sites.

59:34 Now when it comes to Petras,

59:35 it is location is between the Dead Sea as well as the Gulf of Akaba and Allora

59:41 is where we have the 34 caves which uh you know which are related to the Hindu,

59:46 Buddhist as well as Jajan religion that is there.

59:50 All right.

59:50 Right.

59:50 So over here you can see that here we have Petra that is uh here in Jordan.

59:57 All right.

59:58 These are the Petra caves which are there and then we have

1:00:01 the Allora caves as well which are located in India itself in Maharashtra.

1:00:07 The next important place that had been used is Fukushima seafood resumption.

1:00:11 Now Fukushima is where we had a major nuclear disaster.

1:00:16 So these are or the Fukushima is located on Honshu

1:00:19 Island which is in the Japan and in the To<unk>hoku region.

1:00:24 Now China have resumed the seafood consumption or the imports

1:00:27 from the Japan in early 2026 after they had been banned

1:00:32 following the discharge of the treated radioactive water from the Fukushima

1:00:36 Dachi plant and uh thereby this is in the news.

1:00:40 The Fukushima region is in news.

1:00:42 So over here you can see that this is

1:00:44 Fukushima that is located and also it is very

1:00:48 important to note that these are the major islands

1:00:50 that that you know combinedly they makes up the Japan.

1:00:55 Again UPSC have asked about it.

1:00:57 All right.

1:00:57 So we have Hokkaido along with this Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu.

1:01:02 These are the four major islands of Japan.

1:01:06 Next important place that is in news is Mount Taranaki.

1:01:11 The mount taranaki is basically an active stat volcano

1:01:14 that is there on the north island of New Zealand.

1:01:18 In late 2025, the New Zealand government,

1:01:21 it had granted the unique cultural rights to the local

1:01:25 Maui tribes which are there for the management of the mountain

1:01:29 and also acknowledged the Maui tribe as the ancestor or acknowledge

1:01:35 the status of the mountain as the ancestor of the Mai tribes.

1:01:39 Now when it comes to the mount Tamama Naki,

1:01:42 it is formerly or it was formerly known as Mount

1:01:45 Eggmmont and it has a symmetrical cone that you know

1:01:50 where you can compare this mountain or the volcano

1:01:52 to Mount Fuji or Mount Fuji that is located in Japan.

1:01:58 All right.

1:01:59 So this is where we have Mount Taranaki in the north island of New Zealand.

1:02:07 Now coming to the next important place that had

1:02:09 been used is Tuti Island which is there in Sudan.

1:02:12 Now this island is a cryen shaped island which is

1:02:16 located at the confluence of blue and white Nile in Kartum.

1:02:20 So blue and white Nile they are the major uh

1:02:23 rivers which you know they they when they combine together

1:02:26 they make the Nile river and ultimately both blue

1:02:30 and the white Nile they meet at the Kartum and it

1:02:34 has become the center of the humanitarian catastrophe in 2026

1:02:38 as there was a war that was between the Sudan's

1:02:41 uh army and the RSF that has escalated and it

1:02:45 had blocked all the excess routes to the island itself.

1:02:49 So this is where you'll find that this is the uh crescent

1:02:52 shape island that is touti island and there are the two rivers we

1:02:55 have white Nile and the blue Nile they merge here and then

1:02:59 they flow in the northwards direction in the form of the Nile river.

1:03:05 All right the next one is the Katanoi Kanau is in Benine and it

1:03:10 is the largest city as well as the economic capital of Benine in West Africa.

1:03:16 Now there had been a failed military coupe that was attempted uh over here

1:03:21 uh in September 2025 and that has brought this particular region in the news

1:03:27 or the port city into the news and this has highlighted the fragility

1:03:31 of the coastal sahil region that is uh there in the complete region.

1:03:36 So over here you can see that here we have benign and uh we have over

1:03:41 here you can see that katanau is located and it is a port that is located here.

1:03:48 All right so this is the region and uh it is located in benign region.

1:03:53 Now when it comes to the sahil region so

1:03:55 region had also been asked by the UPSC again

1:03:57 it is very important you have to see

1:03:59 that which all countries they lie in the sahil region.

1:04:02 Basically Sahil region it borders the uh you know

1:04:05 the the uh African we have the Saharan desert.

1:04:08 So just bordering the Saharan region is the Sahel region

1:04:12 that lies here and it includes Moritania Sineagal as well.

1:04:17 There is Mali along with Burkina Faso Niger and Nigeria.

1:04:22 Then there is Chad Sudan.

1:04:24 They are the part of the Sahil region

1:04:26 that is there which borders the uh Saharan desert.

1:04:31 All right.

1:04:31 Okay, now coming to the next important place that had been

1:04:34 in news is the Sootra Island which is there in Indian Ocean.

1:04:38 Now Sotra Island had been in news because of the increased

1:04:41 militarization and even presence of the UAE backed forces.

1:04:45 There is also the strategic importance to the Red Sea security as well.

1:04:51 Now when it comes to this Sotra island, it has a unique biodiversity.

1:04:55 There is the dragon blood tree which is found in the region

1:04:58 and also it is located very close to Babal Mandave.

1:05:01 Again a very prominent choke point and again you could

1:05:05 be asked about which country does the Sotra island belongs to.

1:05:09 So it belongs to Yemen.

1:05:12 All right.

1:05:12 So over here you can see that here we have the Sotra island.

1:05:19 All right.

1:05:19 Next important place that had been in use

1:05:21 is the Shakam Valley in the Karakuram range.

1:05:25 Now Shakjigam Valley is again very important region.

1:05:28 Over here the China had rejected India's claim over the valley

1:05:31 and it has continued the infrastructure development in the region.

1:05:35 This is a part of Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

1:05:38 When it comes to Shakam Valley, it was occupied by Pakistan but later on it

1:05:42 was seeded by Pakistan to China in 1963.

1:05:46 Strategically this is very important point because it overlooks the Siain

1:05:50 glacia and you can see over here the complete region.

1:05:53 All right.

1:05:54 Over here this is the Jammu and Kashmir.

1:05:56 This region is the Pakistan occupied Kashmir.

1:06:00 This is Pakistan occupied Kashmir that is there.

1:06:02 Then this complete region is Golgit Baltistan.

1:06:05 Again this is controlled by Pakistan but again this is the part of Jammu

1:06:10 and Kashmir and we have the complete uh you know stake in this region.

1:06:15 Then Sakam Valley was also it was earlier occupied by the Pakistan

1:06:19 but then it was seeded to China by the Pakistan.

1:06:23 Again this axai chin this was uh you know this was actually

1:06:27 captured by the China during the Indo-China war or SinoIndian war in 1962.

1:06:32 Here you can see that this region is this is where we have the Siachan glacia.

1:06:37 All right.

1:06:38 This is the region of Siain glacia.

1:06:40 So you can see the strategic point where we have

1:06:42 Sakam Valley which overlooks the Siain glacier and Siain glacier

1:06:46 is located at the tri junction where we can look

1:06:49 for the China for the Pakistan and India as well.

1:06:55 Now coming to the next important place it

1:06:57 is lake Natron that is there in Tanzania.

1:07:01 There had been stunning satellite images of the blood

1:07:04 red color that went viral for this lake.

1:07:07 So lake uh Natron uh is again very important and it had

1:07:12 been in news because you know over here what had happened was

1:07:16 that that there were the environmental changes due to the volcanic activity

1:07:20 and that led to the blood red color of this particular lake.

1:07:24 Now the complete lake lake Nethron is an alkaline lake with high

1:07:28 pH and it is also deadly to many of the animals

1:07:32 but it is the breeding ground for the lesser filamingos

1:07:36 and again this is important news or the place for your UPSC.

1:07:41 All right so over here you can see that here we have the lake Natron that lies.

1:07:49 Now the next important place is the PNI port of Pakistan.

1:07:55 Now when it comes to the PNI port so there had been

1:07:58 the revitalization efforts by the China as the part of CPEC phase

1:08:03 2 and this is located on the Macran coast and it is

1:08:07 also open compared to the Guada and the Chavar port as well.

1:08:12 So you can see over here that this is the PNI port.

1:08:15 You can see Pasni again here we have Karachi there is

1:08:19 Guadada port these ports are of Pakistan and this is Chahabar port.

1:08:24 Again you could be asked about the sequence from west to east.

1:08:28 So again you have to remember the sequence of Chahabar,

1:08:31 Pni, Guadada and Karachi port.

1:08:33 So it is Chahabar then Guada then Pasni and Karachi.

1:08:39 Now the next important place is the Juju Island which is there in South Korea

1:08:43 and there had been disputes over the installation

1:08:46 of the new missile defense radar here.

1:08:49 Here when it comes to the Juju island basically they have a strategic

1:08:53 location with because they are located in Korean strait that is just

1:08:58 midway between Japan as well as China and the Korean peninsula

1:09:02 and that is why there was the dispute about the installation of the radar.

1:09:06 So you can see over here when it comes to the juju

1:09:08 island this is where we have the juju island that is located.

1:09:12 It is very close to Japan to Korea as well

1:09:15 as towards the uh you know to the uh China as well.

1:09:19 So this is Jju Island again they were there in the news.

1:09:23 Now coming to the next important place it is

1:09:26 the Priya Vihar temple that is located in Cambodia Thailand border.

1:09:31 All right.

1:09:31 Now when it comes to Priya Vihar temple it had been renewed.

1:09:35 There had been renewed administrative friction because

1:09:37 of the tourism management at the border.

1:09:40 And this temple is the 11th century Hindu

1:09:43 temple which is dedicated to Lord Shiva and uh

1:09:46 or the god Shiva and it had been subject of the longstanding ICJ ruling as well.

1:09:52 So you can see where we have Priyhar temple.

1:09:56 All right.

1:09:56 So when it comes to Priyha temple it

1:09:58 is just at the border of Cambodia and Thailand.

1:10:02 This is where we have uh Priya Viha temple and at at the same time if you'll

1:10:08 see over here so it is uh you know when it comes to this Priyha temple so

1:10:14 it is located here we have Nome Dangri range

1:10:18 as well so it is located in the Dangri range that is of Thailand and again it

1:10:24 is at the border of Thailand and Cambodia.

1:10:26 Now the next important place is basically

1:10:29 Tilabiri and Tawwa that is there in Niger.

1:10:34 Now these two important places are basically they were

1:10:37 in the news because of the major insurgent attacks

1:10:40 in the tribal region of the Sahel and they are

1:10:44 part of the Lipaco Gurma region where we have Mali,

1:10:49 we have Niger and Burkina Faso they meet.

1:10:52 So Lipaco Gurma region is also very important because it is

1:10:56 at the trijunction of the three of the states which are there.

1:11:00 All right.

1:11:01 So over here you can see that here we have Tahawu that is

1:11:04 located and we have Taberry as well and again these are very important places.

1:11:11 All right.

1:11:11 So these are the important places which had been

1:11:13 in newssh or between 2025 to 2026 from May to May.

1:11:18 All right.

1:11:19 These are the places from where you will find

1:11:21 the question that will be there in your UPSC prelims.

1:11:24 So again these places are very important to revise and also please do not forget

1:11:28 to join my telegram where you will find the complete PDF of uh today's session.

1:11:33 At the same time I'm I will be starting off

1:11:35 with the public administration optional for the 2027 and 2028.

1:11:40 So if you are preparing and looking for a better optional for 2027 and 28.

1:11:45 So you can enroll into the classes and the batches will be starting

1:11:48 from the 15th of May and you can use the code that is BRS live

1:11:52 for the maximum discount and also today is the last day today the enrollment

1:11:57 or the admission in the batch that is

1:11:59 resolution P2I the GS foundation batch it is closing.

1:12:03 So again you can enroll into the courses for the uh

1:12:07 2027 and 2028 for the foundation batch that is

1:12:11 GS foundation resolution P2i batch and again you can use

1:12:15 the code that is the BRS live for the maximum discount.

1:12:19 Now that will be all in this today's uh session.

1:12:22 I hope that now you have a complete understanding of the important

1:12:25 places which were there in the news uh from May 2025 to 2026.

1:12:30 I will see you in the another video or the live

1:12:33 session where we'll be discussing tomorrow we'll be going forward

1:12:36 and we'll be doing the complete current affairs marathon where I'll

1:12:40 be discussing various questions that could be asked in your upcoming prelims.

1:12:44 All right.

1:12:45 So again I'll be coming forward and tomorrow we'll be doing

1:12:48 the complete session for the current affairs questions but at the same

1:12:52 time we will keep moving ahead and we'll be uh

1:12:55 revising the complete current affairs uh in the series as well.

1:12:59 So that would be all.

1:13:00 Thank you very much guys for joining me over here on the platform of study IQIS.

1:13:04 I will see you in the next.

1:13:05 So till then please do take care of yourself

1:13:08 and also uh you know do not forget to like,

1:13:10 share and even subscribe to our channel so

1:13:12 that you do not miss any of the important updates.

1:13:15 Thank you.

1:13:16 Bye-bye.

1:13:16 Take care and jin.