Golan Heights

The Golan Heights is a strategically significant region located in the southwest corner of Syria. Geographic Features Topography: The Golan Heights is a basaltic plateau that rises sharply from the surrounding areas, providing a commanding view of the surrounding regions. Borders: Yarmouk River to the south. Sea of Galilee and Hula Valley to the west. Anti-Lebanon Mountains and M

Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is a critical artificial waterway located in Panama, Central America, that connects the Atlantic Ocean (via the Caribbean Sea) to the Pacific Ocean. This strategic route has played a significant role in global trade since its completion, but it now faces challenges due to climate change. Geographic and Engineering Features Location: The canal is situated across the Isthmu

Aravali Range – Facts

The Supreme Court recently opined that if the State of Rajasthan believes that the mining activities in the Aravali Range pose a threat to the environment, it can also prevent mining activities in the Aravalli Range. About Aravalli Range It is a mountain range located in northwestern India. It is one of the oldest fold mountains in the world. It runs approxima

Gulf of Aden

Indian Navy’s destroyer INS Visakhapatnam responds to distress call from drone-hit merchant vessel in Gulf of Aden. It is a deep-water basin that forms a natural sea link between the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea. Geography – It is an arm of the Indian Ocean that runs in a west-east direction, is located between Yemen on the so

Arabian Sea

Context: In a positive end to a hijacking attempt in the North Arabian Sea, marine commandos (MARCOS) of the Indian Navy on Friday evening secured and safely evacuated all 21 crew members, including 15 Indians, from merchant vessel Lila Norfolk. News: The vessel, Lila Norfolk, transmitted a message through the UK Maritime Trade Operations portal while being approximately 460 nautical m

Panama Canal-Facts

Scientists recently stumbled upon a lost forest in the Panama Canal, dating back around 22 million years. Panama Canal It is an artificial waterway that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean.The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit for maritime trade.It was cut through one of the narrowest saddles of the isthmus that joins North an

Cabo Verde (also known as Cape Verde)

Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has certified Cabo Verde (also known as Cape Verde) as a malaria-free country. Why in the news?  Cabo Verde has become the third country to acquire the status in the global health organisation’s African region. The country has now joined Mauritius and Algeria, who were certified in 1973 and 2019, respectively.

Nine-degree Channel

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has proposed to set up a forward fighter airbase in Minicoy Islands, to safeguard the sea lanes of communications and to keep the Arabian Sea free from non-state actors in the region. Location - In the Indian Ocean between the Laccadive Islands of Kalpeni and Suheli Par, and Maliku Atoll of Minicoy. Features - Approximately 200 km wide with a depth of 2

Rock Glaciers

A study has pointed out that the 100 active permafrost structures identified in Jhelum basin, can cause catastrophic disasters in future. A rock glacier is a mass of rock, ice, snow, mud, and water that moves slowly down a mountain under the influence of gravity. Formation - They typically form in mountainous regions where there is a combination of

Czech Republic

The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe with its capital Prague. It borders Poland, Germany, Austria, and Slovakia. With a lack of natural lakes, reservoirs are important in the Czech Republic.

Yeonpyeong Island, North Korea Island

North Korea has fired more than 200 rounds of artillery shells off its west coast, towards the South's Yeonpyeong Island. Yeonpyeong Island – It is home to a military base and a small civilian population of about 2,000 people in South Korea. Geography – It lies 3km (2 miles) from the disputed maritime border in the Yellow Sea and 12km from the Nor

Indian Landslide Susceptibility Map

IIT Delhi team makes first hi-res landslide risk map for India. Landslide Susceptibility Landslide susceptibility is the likelihood of a landslide occurrence in an area depend on the terrain condition. It is an estimate of where landslides will have occurred. Relative susceptibility to land sliding is used as a measure of the potential hazard within an area. It is applicable to regi

RAFAH CROSSING

The Rafah crossing is the only passage in and out of the Gaza Strip to Eygpt, that is not controlled by Israel. It has been recognized by the 1979 Egypt–Israel peace treaty. As part of that treaty, a 100-meter-wide strip of land known as the Philadelphi Route was established as a buffer zone between Gaza and Egyp Gaza has been under a joint Israeli-Egyp

CHERIYAPANI

CHERIYAPANI     Cheriyapani is a high-speed craft will ply from Nagapattinam in T.N. to Kankesanthurai in the northern province of Sri Lanka. It shall involve a 4-hour journey between India and Sri Lanka. The vessel can accommodate 150 passengers on board and the one-way ticket for travel will cost around ₹7,670. The Nagapattinam port It

Sikkim flash floods - Chungthang dam

Why in News There is a popular folk tale in Sikkim about two rivers, the male Rangeet and female Rungnyu (Teesta), and how the Rangeet turned back angrily after losing a race. In 2021, a protest song gave a modern twist to this tale, referring to the Teesta's rage at hydropower projects. On October 4, 2022, the South Lhonak glacial lake in northwest Sikkim breached its embankment

Gaza Strip

  Gaza strip is a narrow piece of land located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea It is bordered by Israel to the east and north, and Egypt to the southwest.  It is ranked as the third most densely populated in the world with a population of 2 million in just 365 square kilometers of land area. It is one of the two Palesti

Mundra Port

Mundra Port     It is India's first private port and largest container port in India. It is located on the northern shores of the Gulf of Kutch near Mundra, Kutch district of Gujarat. Incorporated in 2003, it became India's first multi-product port-based special economic zone.  Formerly operated by Mundra Port and Speci

Vizhinjam port

Vizhinjam port     It is located in Vizhinjam, Kerala and has a natural depth of 18 metres. It is a deep-sea water port developed as India’s first Mega deepwater Transshipment Container Terminal. It is the only container transshipment hub in the Indian subcontinent closest to the international shipping routes, and is centrally located on the Indian coastline

Bekal Fort

Bekal Fort     Bekal Fort is a medieval fort built by Shivappa Nayaka of Keladi in 1650 AD, at Bekal.  It is the largest fort in Kerala. The fort appears to emerge from the sea and about three-quarters of its exterior lies in contact with water. The fort does not include any palaces or mansions as it was not an administrative centre. The

Karman Line

Karman Line Kármán Line is a boundary located at 100 km above sea level. It is an imaginary line that demarcates the earth’s atmosphere from space. A record-keeping body called Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) established this boundary in the 1960s. Any individual who crosses this line qualifies to be an astronaut. The

Kosi River

Kosi River   It is a transboundary river which flows through China, Nepal and India.  It drains the northern slopes of the Himalayas in Tibet and the southern slopes in Nepal. The Kosi River is also known as Saptakoshi for its seven upper tributaries which includes: Tamur river Arun river Sun Kosi The trib

Chabahar port

Chabahar port     India and Iran have agreed that disputes at Chabahar will not go for commercial arbitration in foreign courts but take investment arbitration or any other mode of dispute settlement. The arbitration will be pursued under rules framed by the UN Commission on International Trade Law This shall enable long-term agreement and boost investor confidenc

India and the Northern Sea Route

India and the Northern Sea Route   Why in the News? India has been witnessing the rising trend of involvement in cargo traffic in Murmansk port with a lion’s share of 35% of eight million tonnes of cargo handled by the port in the last 7 months in 2023.     Significance of Arctic region to India: The Arctic region encompassing Arctic Ocean with

Kerala to Keralam

Kerala to Keralam The Kerala’s Legislative Assembly has unanimously passed a resolution to rename the state as Keralam by adding a suffix ‘m’ to its existing name in the Constitution and official records. The rationale behind the move is that it seeks convergence with its Malayalam name ‘Keralam’, as states were formed on the basis of the language in the S

Chapter 1: AYUSH - Gifting Holistic Well-being to the World

Introduction The Ayurvedic discipline, in instance, is commonly referred to as the "Science of Life." It has its origins in the old Indian knowledge system.  The Ministry of Ayush (MoA) is actively promoting Ayush healthcare systems. This has resulted in increased study funding and collaborations between Ayush experts and modern scientific academics. The Ministry of Ayu

CHAPTER 6: AI CHATBOTS FUTURE AND CHALLENGES

A bot is a software, piece of code, or application that can do pre-defined tasks using a database of pre-existing responses or a restricted knowledge base. They are unable to provide acceptable responses to difficult issues that the creators were unaware would be raised. Chatbots of the future use artificial intelligence (AI) and natural language processing (NLP) to imitate human-like inter

CHAPTER 1 - INNOVATION IN SPACE TECH

Introduction Since its founding, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has been at the forefront of space technology and exploration. Over the years, the organisation has achieved several breakthroughs in space technologies by harnessing its critical resources, establishing India as a major player in the global space arena. ISRO has seen the progress of space technology and innov