The Islands

31. Which of the following islands is known for its Salt-Pan resources? [U.P.P.C.S. (GIC) 2017]

(a) Isle of Man
(b) Saint-Martin Island
(c) Norfolk Island
(d) Paracel Island

Correct Answer: (b) Saint-Martin Island

Solution:Salt Flat or Salt pan is a large area of land covered with salt and other minerals and often shines or looks white because of the presence of salt. These are formed in the desert and arid areas where large water bodies have dried up over thousands of years leaving behind salt and other remnants. In the given option Saint-Martin Island is a salt pan resource. Saint-Martin Island's interior is mostly hilly sloping down to coastal lagoons, salt pans, and sand spits. So, the correct answer would be option (b).

32. Which one of the following countries has the highest number of islands? [65th B.P.S.C. (Pre) 2019]

Correct Answer: (b) Indonesia

Solution:Indonesia with 17,508 islands has the highest number of islands in the given option, but in the world, Sweden has the highest number of islands.

33. With reference to Socotra Island which of the following statement is/are correct? [U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2021]

(a) Only 1
(b) Only 2
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Correct Answer: (b) Only 2

Solution:Socotra or Soqotra, located between the Guardafui Channel and the Arabian Sea, is the largest of four islands in the Socotra Archipelago. The island of Socotra constitutes around 95% of the landmass of the Socotra archipelago.
The territory is officially part of it; Yemen sites at the mouth of the Gulf of Aden and lies some 240 kilometers (150 mi) east of the coast of Somalia and 380 kilometers south of the Arabian Peninsula.
It was designated as a world natural heritage site by UNESCO in 2008.

34. It is an Island of Oman, situated in the Arabian Sea. [U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2021]

(a) Java, Sumatra, Lombok, Bali
(b) Sumatra, Java, Bali, Lombok
(c) Sumatra, Java, Lombok, Bali
(d) Bali, Sumatra, Java, Lombok

Correct Answer: (b) Sumatra, Java, Bali, Lombok

Solution:The correct sequence of the Islands of Indonesia from West to East is - Sumatra, Java, Bali, and Lombok.

Indonesia's islands can be grouped into the Greater Sunda Islands of Sumatra (Sumatera), Java (Java), the southern extent of Borneo (Kalimantan), and Celebes (Sulawesi); the Lesser Sunda Islands (Nusa Tenggara) of Bali and a chain of islands that runs eastward through Timor; the Moluccas (Maluku) between Celebes and the island of New Guinea; and the western extent of New Guinea (generally known as Papua).

The capital, Jakarta, is located near the northwestern coast of Java.

35. Which of the following Islands is NOT located in the Caribbean Sea? [U.P.P.C.S. (Pre) 2021]

(a) Grenada
(b) Montserrat
(c) Madeira
(d) Anguilla

Correct Answer: (c) Madeira

Solution:The Caribbean Islands is a massive archipelago located in the Caribbean Sea that can be subdivided into a few different regions: the Lucayan Archipelago, the Greater Antilles, the Lesser Antilles and the ABC Islands.

There are 13 sovereign states and 17 dependent territories in the Caribbean, and the predominant languages are English, Spanish, French, Dutch, and Antillean Creole.

Major islands are - Anguilla, Antigua, British Virgin Islands, Grenada, Montserrat, Saint Martins, etc.

Madeira Islands, is an archipelago of volcanic origin in the North Atlantic Ocean, belonging to Portugal. It comprises two inhabited islands, Madeira and Porto Santo, and two uninhabited groups, the Desertas and the Selvagens.

36. Which of the following is not a part of Polynesia group of Islands? [U.P.R.O./A.R.O. (Pre) 2021]

(a) Tonga
(b) Tuvalu
(c) Tahiti
(d) Tinian

Correct Answer: (d) Tinian

Solution:Tonga, Tuvalu and Tahiti are part of the Polynesian Islands. Tahiti is an island of French Polynesia and French Polynesia as a whole is a part of Polynesia.