Current Affairs MCQs – Page 22 (Q211-220)

Mount Everest, located in the Himalayas on the border between Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, is the highest mountain in the world above sea level, standing at 8,849 meters. It was first successfully summited in 1953 by Sir Edmund Hillary of New Zealand and Tenzing Norgay, a Sherpa mountaineer from Nepal. K2, located in Pakistan's Karakoram range, is a tempting distractor since it is the world's second-highest peak and is considered technically more dangerous to climb than Everest. Everest's height was most recently remeasured jointly by Nepal and China in 2020, confirming the current official figure.

Mount Everest stands at approximately 8,849 meters above sea level, according to the most recent joint measurement conducted by Nepal and China in 2020, which used advanced satellite and GPS technology. Earlier surveys, including a famous 1955 Indian measurement of 8,848 meters, had been used as the standard figure for decades before the updated calculation. 8,163 metres is a tempting distractor since it corresponds closely to the height of Manaslu, another prominent Himalayan peak in Nepal. Everest's height continues to change very slightly over time due to ongoing tectonic activity in the Himalayan mountain-building process.

Mount Everest is part of the Himalayas, the world's highest mountain range, which stretches across five countries: Nepal, India, Bhutan, China and Pakistan, and contains all fourteen of the world's peaks above 8,000 meters. The Himalayas were formed by the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, a process that began roughly 50 million years ago and continues today, still pushing the mountains slowly higher. The Karakoram range, home to K2, is a tempting distractor since it lies adjacent to the Himalayas in northern Pakistan and is often confused with it. The name Himalaya derives from Sanskrit, meaning abode of snow.

Russia is the largest country in the world by area, spanning approximately 17.1 million square kilometers and stretching across eleven time zones from Eastern Europe to the Russian Far East, bordering the Pacific Ocean. Its vast territory includes Siberia, a region famous for its extreme cold, mineral wealth and sparse population relative to its size. Canada, the second-largest country, is a tempting distractor since it too spans a massive area, though it is significantly smaller than Russia. Russia's land area is nearly twice that of the next-largest country, Canada, underscoring just how vast its territory truly is.

Vatican City is the smallest country in the world by area, covering just about 0.49 square kilometers, entirely enclosed within the city of Rome, Italy, and serving as the spiritual and administrative center of the Catholic Church. It became an independent sovereign state in 1929 under the Lateran Treaty signed between the Holy See and the Italian government under Benito Mussolini. Monaco is a tempting distractor since it is also famously tiny and densely populated, but at about 2 square kilometers it is still roughly four times larger than Vatican City. Vatican City's population is only around 800 people, making it the smallest country by population as well as area.

Greenland is the largest island in the world, covering approximately 2.16 million square kilometers, most of which is covered by a massive ice sheet that holds a significant portion of the planet's freshwater reserves. Although geographically part of North America, Greenland is politically an autonomous territory of Denmark, with a small population concentrated along its ice-free coastal areas. New Guinea, the second-largest island, is a tempting distractor since it is also enormous and divided between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Australia is not counted among the world's islands because its landmass is large enough to be classified as its own continent.

The Arabian Peninsula is the largest peninsula in the world, covering approximately 3.2 million square kilometers and encompassing Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain. It is bordered by the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf, and much of its interior consists of vast desert terrain, including the Rub' al Khali, or Empty Quarter, one of the largest continuous sand deserts on Earth. The Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia is a tempting distractor since it is also large and historically significant, but considerably smaller than Arabia. The peninsula holds some of the world's largest proven oil reserves, shaping global energy markets for decades.

Lake Superior, bordering the United States and Canada, is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area, covering approximately 82,100 square kilometers, and is the largest of North America's five Great Lakes. It holds roughly 10 percent of the world's surface freshwater and is so vast that it significantly influences regional weather patterns along its shores. Lake Victoria in East Africa is a tempting distractor since it is also enormous and the largest lake in Africa, but its surface area is smaller than Lake Superior's. Lake Superior was formed by glacial activity during the last Ice Age, which carved out its immense basin.

The Caspian Sea, bordering Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Azerbaijan, is the largest inland body of water in the world, covering approximately 371,000 square kilometers, more than four times the size of Lake Superior. Despite its name, it is technically classified as the world's largest lake, since it is entirely landlocked, though its salinity and vast size have long fueled debate over whether it should be called a sea or a lake. Lake Superior is a tempting distractor since it is the largest freshwater lake, but the Caspian's brackish waters and enormous size place it in a category of its own. The Caspian region holds significant oil and natural gas reserves, making it strategically important to the surrounding countries.

Lake Baikal, located in Siberia, Russia, is the deepest lake in the world, reaching a maximum depth of about 1,642 meters, and also holds the distinction of being the largest freshwater lake by volume, containing roughly 20 percent of the world's unfrozen freshwater. It is also one of the oldest lakes on Earth, formed an estimated 25 to 30 million years ago through tectonic rifting, and is home to many species found nowhere else, including the freshwater Baikal seal. The Caspian Sea is a tempting distractor since it is the largest inland body of water by area, though it is considerably shallower than Lake Baikal. Lake Baikal was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1996 for its unique biodiversity.