The Islands

Total Questions: 36

11. Kalimantan is a part of which of the following islands? [R.A.S./R.T.S. (Pre) 2010]

Correct Answer: (b) Borneo
Solution:Kalimantan is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. It comprises of 73% of the island area. Kalimantan is divided into five provinces- West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, and North Kalimantan. In Indonesia, the term "Kalimantan" is often used to refer to the entire island of Borneo.

In 2019, Indonesia's President Joko Widodo proposed moving the country's capital to Kalimantan, and in January 2022, the Indonesian government agreed to the idea, with the move expected to take around 10 years.

12. Madagascar is the largest island in- [Uttarakhand U.D.A./LDA (Mains) 2007]

Correct Answer: (a) Indian Ocean
Solution:Madagascar is an island located in the south west of the Indian Ocean. Mauritius is located to its east and Mozambique to its west. Madagascar is the world's second largest island country, behind only Indonesia. In addition, Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world, ranking behind Greenland, New Guinea, and Borneo respectively.

Madagascar is an island nation that is part of the African continent and may be found in the Indian Ocean to the east of Mozambique and Tanzania. The primary island is located approximately 400 kilometres (250 miles) off the coast of East Africa. Along the length of Madagascar's coastline, which is around 3,100 miles long and 5,000 kilometres long, there are a number of smaller islands.

Madagascar is called Madagasikara or simply Mada in the Malagasy language. The explorer Marco Polo is credited with being the first person to record the existence of the island of Madagascar. The 15th century was the first time when travellers from Europe landed on the island.

Madagascar has an area that is approximately four times larger than Georgia in the United States of America, yet is only slightly smaller than Spain and Portugal combined. In contrast, the island has only 27 million people, making it one of the least inhabited parts of
the country.

13. In the map given below, four islands of Indian Ocean region i.e., (A) Seychelles, (B) Chagos, (C) Mauritius and (D) Socotra are marked as 1, 2, 3 and 4. Match them and select the correct answer from the codes given below: [I.A.S. (Pre) 2002]

ABCD
(a)1342
(b)3124
(c)1324
(d)3142
Correct Answer: (d)
Solution:The four islands of Indian Ocean indicated on the map are as follows:

Seychelles is indicated by point 3. Seychelles is completely surrounded by the Indian Ocean. It is located between 4°-11° south latitude and 45-56° East longitude. The archipelago consists of 155 islands in which some granite islands and some Coral islands also exist.

Chagos is indicated by point 1. Chagos Archipelago coordinates are 4.5°-7.5° south latitude and 71°-73° eastern longitude in the Central Indian Ocean. Diego Garcia (44 km²) is the largest islands of the Chagos Archipelago.

Mauritius is indicated by point 4. It is located at approx. 20° south latitude and 57° eastern longitude.

Socotra is indicated by point 2. Socotra is a part of Yemen and located at approx. 12° 30' N latitude & 54° E longitude.

14. Which one of the following islands is located in the south Indian Ocean ? [U.P.P.C.S. (Spl) (Mains) 2004]

Correct Answer: (c) Mauritius
Solution:See the explanation of above question. Because Chagos, Mauritius and Seychelles also in South Indian Ocean. So correct option will be (a), (c) and (d).

Mauritius is an island country in the Indian Ocean. It comprises the main island, Rodrigues, Agaléga, and St. Brandon, forming part of the Mascarene Islands. The capital is Port Louis. Explored by Arabs in 975, Portuguese and Dutch sailors visited later.

Mauritius is ethnically diverse, with Hinduism being the predominant religion. It follows a Westminster parliamentary system, boasts high economic and political freedom, and is classified as a high-income economy.

Known for its biodiversity, Mauritius is home to endemic species and, historically, the dodo. It is consistently ranked as the most peaceful African country.

15. Which of the following islands of the Pacific Ocean belongs to Melanesia group of islands? [U.P.P.C.S. (Mains) 2012]

Correct Answer: (a) Soloman island
Solution:Melanesia is a subregion of Oceania extending from the western end of the Pacific Ocean to the Arafura Sea and eastward to Fiji. The following islands and groups of islands are traditionally considered as part of Melanesia :

1.Bismarck Archipelago

2.Fiji

3.New Caledonia

4.New Guinea (Country - Papua New Guinea)

5.Solomon Islands

6.Vanuatu

16. Diego Garcia is situated in - [M.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 1999]

Correct Answer: (a) Indian Ocean
Solution:Diego Garcia is located in the Indian Ocean. Portuguese adventurer Diego Garcia first spotted it in early 16th century. Thus, it was named after him. It was administered by Colonial Mauritius from 1814 to 1965.

Later it came under the control of United Kingdom and was leased to the USA. Currently, it serves as a strategic base for both countries.

17. The distance from Aceh in the far North West to Torres Strait in the east is 5000 miles, almost equal to the distance between London and Baghdad. The archipelago has 14,000 islands, some mere equatorial rocks, others some of the largest in the world." This description best fits : [I.A.S. (Pre) 1997]

Correct Answer: (d) Indonesia
Solution:This description best fits Indonesia which stretches from Aceh in the far north-west to Torres Strait in the east. It consists of 17508 islands about 1,000 of which are inhabited.

18. Consider the map given below: The numbers marked 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively indicate the islands of : [I.A.S. (Pre) 1994]

Correct Answer: (c) Azores, Cape Verde, the Bahamas and Falkland
Solution:The numbers marked 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively indicate the Islands of Azores (Portugal), Cape Verde, the Bahamas and Falkland (U.K.). Thus, the correct answer is option (c).

19. Which of the following statement is not correct ? [U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 1993]

Correct Answer: (a) Falkland Archipelago is located in the Indian Ocean.
Solution:The Falkland archipelago is in South Atlantic. The main island is around 650 km. east of South American continent. It comprises of two large islands (East Falkland and West Falkland) and several hundred smaller ones.

The two large islands are separated by Falkland Sound (strait). The islands are positioned both in the southern and western hemispheres of the Earth. It covers a total area of 12,173 sq.km. (4,700 sq mi).

  • Climate : A cool temperate oceanic climate that is characterised by its lack of extremes.
  • Capital: Located on the island of East Falkland, is Stanley (also, Port Stanley) is the capital of the Falkland Islands.
  • Demographics: The population of the Falkland Islands is English-speaking and consists primarily of Falklanders of African-Irish descent (88% of population).
  • Economy: Almost the whole area of the two main islands, outside of Stanley, is devoted to sheep farming.
  • Currency: The official currency is the Falkland pound, which is on par with the British pound.

20. Fiji Island is located in - [44th B.P.S.C. (Pre) 2000]

Correct Answer: (b) Pacific ocean
Solution:Fiji is an island country in the South Pacific Ocean. Its closest neighbours are Vanuatu to the west, Tonga to the east and Tuvalu to the north. Fiji is an archipelago of 333 islands of which the two major islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, are inhabited by 87% of the total population.