Daily Quiz: UPSC Prelims Marathon (Map Based Questions) – September 27, 2020

India’s Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia in the Andaman Sea.

• Further, on 23-12-1986, there has been an agreement between the Myanmar and India on the Delimitation of the Maritime Boundary in the Andaman Sea, in the Coco Channel and in the Bay of Bengal.
• This established Burma-India Maritime Border in North Andaman Sea.

Thus the countries that share maritime border with India in Andaman Sea are:

• Indonesia
• Thailand
• Myanmar

Geographically, the South China Sea plays a significant role in the geopolitics of the Indo-Pacific.

• The South China Sea is bordered by Brunei, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
• Their recent economic growth has contributed to a large portion of the world’s commercial merchant shipping passing through these waters.
• Japan and South Korea rely heavily on the South China Sea for their supply of fuels and raw materials and as an export route, although the availability of diversionary sea lanes bypassing the South China Sea provides non-littoral states with some flexibility in this regard.
• The South China Sea also contains rich, though unregulated and over-exploited fishing grounds and is reported to hold significant reserves of undiscovered oil and gas, which is an aggravating factor in maritime and territorial disputes.
• The major island and reef formations in the South China Sea are the Spratly Islands, Paracel Islands, Pratas, the Natuna Islands and Scarborough Shoal.

Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, composed by an anonymous Greek sailor (c. first century CE).

“Periplus” is a Greek word meaning sailing around and “Erythraean” was the Greek name for the Red Sea.

The Persian Gulf is an arm of the Arabian Sea between the mountainous coast of southwestern Iran and the rather flat coast of Arabian Peninsula.

• The gulf is approximately 1000 km long and 200 to 300 km wide, with an area of about 250,000 km².
• The inland sea is connected to the Gulf of Oman in the east by the Strait of Hormuz.
• Eight countries border the Persian Gulf, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Oman (Musandam exclave) and Iran.

Udayagiri and Khandagiri Caves are partly natural and partly artificial caves of archaeological, historical and religious importance near the city of Bhubaneswar in Khordha district of Orissa.

• The caves are situated on two hills Udayagiri and Khandagiri, mentioned as Kumari Parvat in Hathigumpha Inscription and face each other across the road.
• They have a number of finely and ornately carved caves. It is believed that most of these caves were carved out of huge residential blocks for the Jain monks, during the reign of King Kharavela.
• Udayagiri meaning Sunrise Hill, has 18 caves while Khandagiri has 15 caves.
• The caves of Udayagiri and Khandagiri, called Lena in the inscriptions, were dug out mostly during the reign of Kharavela for the abode of Jaina ascetics.
• The most important of this group is Ranigumpha in Udayagiri which is a double storeyed monastery.

Shillong Plateau, highland region in eastern Meghalaya state, northeastern India.

• It is a rolling tableland and the highest portion of the hill mass that comprises most of Meghalaya.
• The plateau’s western, northern, and southern escarpments are called the Garo, Khasi, and Jaintia hills, respectively.
• The Shillong Plateau is an outlier of the plateau of peninsular India and is composed primarily of ancient rocks.
• It contains reserves of coal and iron ore, and limestone is quarried.
• The highest point is Shillong Peak, at 6,433 feet (1,961 metres) located 3 miles (5 km) south of the city of Shillong.
• Khasi Hills is perhaps best known for Sohra (Cherrapunjee), geographically famous for being the wettest place on earth and also Shillong, one of the most beautiful hill stations in India.
• In fact the entire Khasi Hills region that forms the central part of Meghalaya is richly endowed with natural beauty.
• Everywhere you go, you will never cease to be mystified by the spectacular charm the state offers.
• So, Khasi hills are the part of plateau not the Himalayas. And they receive the rainfall from the southwest monsoon.