World Political Geography (UPSC) (Part-II)

• It is the site of the annual New Year's Eve "Reveillon" celebration, attracting millions of people for fireworks and festivities.
• The beach is located near other major Rio landmarks like Sugarloaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer.
• The neighborhood was named after a chapel built there that held a replica of the Virgen de Copacabana, the patron saint of Bolivia.

Hanoi-Red River Yangon - Irrawaddy River

• The Irrawaddy River is the longest river in Myanmar (formerly Burma), Rowing through the country from north to south, Bangkok, on the other hand, is the capital city of Thailand and is located near the Chao Phraya River, not the Irrawaddy River.
• Phnom Penh is the capital city of Cambodia, and it is indeed located along the Mekong River. The Mekong River is one of the major rivers in Southeast Asia, flowing through several countries including China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam.
• Hanoi is the capital city of Vietnam and is situated far north of Thailand. The Menam River, also known as the Chao Phraya River, is the major river of Thailand. It runs through Bangkok, the capital city of Thailand, and eventually empties into the Gulf of Thailand.
• Yangon is the largest city in Myanmar and is not associated with the Red River. The Red River is a significant river in northern Vietnam, flowing through the capital city, Hanoi. It plays a vital role in the agricultural and cultural aspects of the region.

• It is the world's largest river by water volume and width and the second-longest river in the world after the Nile.
• Course: Its journey begins high in the Andes Mountains and empties into the Atlantic Ocean on the northeastern coast of Brazil.
• River basin:
• It has the largest drainage area of any river system.
• Its watershed spans the countries of Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, and Bolivia.
• Roughly two-thirds of the Amazon's main stream and by far the largest portion of its basin are within Brazil.
• The river's size changes with the seasons. In the dry season, it spans 4 to 5 km in width, but during the wet season, this can swell to 50 km. Tributaries: Notable tributaries include the Rio Negro, the Madeira River, and the Xingu River, among many others.
• The Amazon Rainforest, which represents about half of the Earth's remaining rainforest, also constitutes its single largest reserve of biological resources.
• It is sometimes referred to as the "lungs of the Earth" due to its role in regulating the planet's oxygen and carbon

• The Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel, is where the Channel Tunnel connects the United Kingdom and France.
• Davis Strait, is located between Greenland and the northeastern part of Canada, and has no connection with either the United Kingdom or France.
• Denmark Strait, while in the general vicinity of the UK, is between Iceland and Greenland and also does not connect the UK to France.
• Strait of Gibraltar, is at the southern tip of Spain and is the gateway to the Mediterranean Sea, not a connection point between France and the UK.

• It is a complex of coral reefs, shoals, and islets in the Pacific Ocean off the northeastern coast of Australia in the Coral Sea.
• It is the longest and largest reef complex in the world and is the largest living structure on Earth.
• It extends in roughly a northwest-southeast direction for more than 2,000 km, at an offshore distance ranging from 16 to 160 km, and its width ranges from 60 to 250 km.
• It has an area of some 350,000 sq.km. It makes up about 10 percent of the world's coral reef ecosystems.
• The reef, which is large enough to be visible from space, actually consists of some 2,100 individual reefs and some 800 fringing reefs (formed around islands or bordering coastlines).
• It contains 400 types of coral, 1,500 species of fishes, and 4,000 types of mollusks species.
• The reef is also home to six of the seven known species of sea turtles, more than a dozen sea snakes, and nearly two dozen species of birds. It also holds great scientific interest as the habitat of species such as the dugong ('sea cow') and the large green turtle, which are threatened with extinction.
• Much of the Great Barrier Reef is a marine protected area, managed by the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority of Australia.
• UNESCO declared the Great Barrier Reef a World Heritage Site in 1981.

• About Mediterranean Sea:
• It is an intercontinental sea that is bordered by the continent of Europe in the north, by Asia in the east, and by Africa in the south.
• In the west, the Mediterranean Sea is connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the narrow Strait of Gibraltar.
• In the extreme northeast, it is connected to the Black Sea via the Dardanelles Strait, the Sea of Marmara, and the Bosporus Strait.
• The Mediterranean Sea is also connected to the Red Sea via the Suez Canal in the southeast.

• Location: Singapore is a city-state located at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, about 137 kilometres north of the Equator.
• It consists of the main diamond-shaped Singapore Island and about 60 smaller islets.
• The main island is separated from Malaysia by the Johor Strait and from Indonesia by the Singapore Strait.
• Highest point: The highest point is Timah Hill at 162 metres, while most of the island lies below 15 metres above sea level.
• Four official languages are recognised: English, Mandarin Chinese, Malay, and Tamil.
• Singapore is a unitary parliamentary democracy based on the Westminster system.
• Singapore is the largest port in Southeast Asia and one of the busiest in the world.

• It is the northernmost part of the Pacific Ocean, separating the continents of Asia and North America, particularly Russia and the United States.
• This important waterway is just south of the Arctic Circle.
  It connects the Bering Sea to the Chukchi Sea of the Arctic Ocean.
  At the strait's narrowest point, Asia (Russia) and North America (the US) are just 85 km apart.
• The narrowest point is between Cape Prince of Wales in Alaska and Cape Dezhnev in Russia.
• The international boundary between the two countries passes through the Bering Sea and Strait.
• It is relatively shallow, with an average depth of 50 m.
• The Strait has numerous islands, including the Diomede Islands and St. Lawrence Islands.
• St. Lawrence Island is the US's sixth-largest Island.
• The two Diomede Islands are located in the middle of the strait.
• The Big Diomede Island belongs to Russia, while the Little Diomede Island is on the US side.
• The International Date Line runs between the two islands, leaving the American and Russian sides on different calendar days.

• Capital-Chisinau
• It is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe.
• It is bordered by Romania to the west and Ukraine to the north, east, and south.
• It is situated in the northeastern corner of the Balkan Peninsula.
  The country lies to the east of the Carpathian Mountains.
• Rivers: Most of Moldova is located between the Prut River, which borders Romania to the west, and the Dniester River, a major waterway in the east.
• Notable landscapes: Bălți Steppe and Codru Hills, known for their scenic beauty and fertile lands.
• EU Status: Moldova is not a member of the European Union but was granted EU candidate status in 2022.
• Transnistria Region:
• It is a breakaway territory located east of the Dniester River.
• It is controlled by pro-Russian separatists and permanently hosts Russian troops as well as a large arms depot.