Daily Quiz: UPSC Prelims Marathon (Geography) – August 28, 2020

Abdul Kalam Island, formerly known as Wheeler Island, is an island off the coast of Odisha, India, approximately 150 kilometers (93 mi) from the state capital Bhubaneshwar.

• The Integrated Test Range missile testing facility is located on the island. The island was originally named after English commandant Lieutenant Wheeler.
• On 4 September 2015, the island was renamed to honour the late Indian president – Abdul kalam.
• Abdul Kalam Island is located in the Bay of Bengal approximately 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) off the eastern coast of India and about 70 kilometres (43 mi) south of Chandipur in Balasore district, Odisha.
• The island is about 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) in length and 390 acres (1.6 km2) in area.

Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey and the fifth-largest city in the world by population, is considered European, yet it occupies two different continents.

• One part of Istanbul lies in Europe and the other part lies in Asia.
• Istanbul’s European part is separated from its Asian part by the Bosphorus strait, a 31-km-long waterway that connects the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara, and forms a natural boundary between the two continents.
• Two suspension bridges across the Bosphorus—the Bosphorus Bridge and the Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridge, also called Bosphorus Bridge II—connect the two sides, yet many tourists prefer to visit the European side of Istanbul because of its historical significance.
• The European side is also the city’s commercial center with banks, stores and corporations and two-third of its population.
• The Asian side feels more relaxed, with wide boulevards, residential neighbourhoods and fewer hotels and tourist attractions.

In vertical farming, crops are grown indoors, under artificial conditions of light and temperature.

• Crops are grown indoors, under artificial conditions of light and temperature. It aims at higher productivity in smaller spaces.
• It uses soil-less methods such as hydroponics, aquaponics and aeroponics.
• Vertical farming uses significantly less water and pesticides than traditional agricultural methods.
• Being indoors, the crops aren’t subject to seasons and hence give high productivity year-round.
• Lettuces, tomatoes and green crops can be produced through this practice.
• Japan has been one of the early pioneers in vertical farming.
• It holds the largest share in the global vertical farming market.
• In Japan, vertical farming is born out of necessity where traditional farming is losing its face due to ageing population and rural migration.

India is critically deficient in the reserve and production of copper.

• Being malleable, ductile and a good conductor, copper is mainly used in electrical cables, electronics and chemical
• The Balaghat mines in Madhya Pradesh produce 52 per cent of India’s copper.
• The Singbhum district of Jharkhand is also a leading producer of copper.
• The Khetri mines in Rajasthan are also famous.

Mica is a mineral made up of a series of plates or leaves. It splits easily into thin sheets.

• These sheets can be so thin that a thousand can be layered into a mica sheet of a few centimeters high.
• Mica can be clear, black, green, red yellow or brown. Due to its excellent di-electric strength, low power loss factor, insulating properties and resistance to high voltage, mica is one of the most indispensable minerals used in electric and electronic industries.
• Mica deposits are found in the northern edge of the Chota Nagpur plateau. Koderma Gaya – Hazaribagh belt of Jharkhand is the leading producer.
• In Rajasthan, the major mica producing area is around Ajmer. Nellore mica belt of Andhra Pradesh is also an important producer in the country.

Tropical thorn forests occur in the areas which receive rainfall less than 50 cm.

• These consist of a variety of grasses and shrubs. It includes semi-arid areas of south west Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
• In these forests, plants remain leafless for most part of the year and give an expression of scrub vegetation.
• Important species found are babool, ber, and wild date palm, khair, neem, khejri, palas, etc. Tussocky grass grows upto a height of 2 m as the under growth.

Australia is the largest producer of bauxite in the world.

• It is a leading producer of gold, diamond, iron ore, tin and nickel. It is also rich in copper, lead, zinc and manganese.
• Kalgoorlie and Coolgardie areas of Western Australia have the largest deposits of gold.

India has 15,106.7 Km of land border and a coastline of 7,516.6 Km including island territories. The length of our land borders with neighbouring countries is as under:

Chambal, Betwa, Ken and Son are the northward flowing rivers. Kosi originates in Tibet and flows southwards to merge in Ganga.