🔆 The Mascarene High (MH) and its Influence on Monsoons

📍 What is the Mascarene High?
✅ The Mascarene High (MH) is a subtropical high-pressure system located over the South Indian Ocean.
✅ It plays a key role in the Asian-Africa-Australia monsoon system during austral winter (June to September).
✅ The MH is characterized by high pressure, a north-westward tilt, and uneven thermal structure.

📍 Behavior in Summer
✅ In summer, the Indian subcontinent experiences high temperatures, leading to low-pressure conditions over the land.
✅ The Mascarene High (located between 25° and 35°E in the Indian Ocean) creates high-pressure conditions over the ocean.
✅ This pressure difference causes winds to blow from the south-west, bringing moisture to the land. When these cloud-laden winds reach India, rain occurs.

📍 Impact on the Monsoon
✅ The Indian Summer Monsoon is influenced by the Mascarene High.
✅ If there is a delay in the formation of the MH, it could cause a delay in the onset of the monsoon in India.
✅ This is because of teleconnections, which are distant weather connections between different parts of the globe.

Wallace line

🔆 Yemen (Capital: Sanaa)

📍 Current Context:
✅ The United States carried out new airstrikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen.

📍 Political Features:
✅ Location: South-Western tip of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East.
✅ Land Boundaries: Saudi Arabia (North), Oman (East).
✅ Maritime Boundaries: Red Sea (West), Gulf of Aden (South), Arabian Sea (Southeast).
✅ Strategic Location: On Bab el-Mandeb, the strait linking the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, an important shipping route.
✅ Socotra Archipelago is located in the Indian Ocean.

📍 Geographical Features:
✅ Climate:
- Hot and humid along the west coast.
- Temperate in the western mountains, affected by seasonal monsoon.
- Dry, harsh desert in the east (Rub' al-Khali desert).
✅ Natural Resources: Petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble, etc.

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🔆Kyushu Island:
✅It is the southernmost and third largest of the four main islands of Japan.
✅The island has a land area of 35,640 sq.km.
✅It is bordered by the East China Sea to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east.
✅The Eastern Channel, or Tsushima Strait, separates Kyushu from the Korean Peninsula in the northwest.
✅A series of volcanic ranges, including the world’s largest active volcanic crater, Mount Aso, are located in Kyushu.
✅Highest Peak: Mount Kuju (1,794 m)
Major parts of Kyushu have a subtropical climate and heavy rainfall, which supports its subtropical vegetation.
✅The Chikugo (142 km) is the island's longest river.
✅The chief cities are the northern industrial complex of Kita-Kyūshū, the commercial centre of Fukuoka and Nagasaki.
✅The main crops raised on the island include rice, tea, tobacco, sweet potatoes, and citrus fruit.
✅Industries, concentrated in northern Kyushu, include iron and steel and chemicals.
✅Saga ken (prefecture) is famous for porcelain and pottery.

🔆 Geography of the Chagos Archipelago 
📍 Location: 
✅ Comprises 58 islands located about 500 km south of the Maldives in the Indian Ocean.

🔆 History of the Chagos Archipelago 
📍 Colonization: 
✅ First colonized by the French in 1715 along with Mauritius. 
✅ Slave labour from Africa and India was brought in during the late 18th century for coconut plantations. 
✅ The UK took control in 1814 after Napoleon Bonaparte’s fall. 
✅ In 1965, the UK constituted the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), with Chagos as a key part.

🔆 Mauritius’ Claims Over Chagos 
📍 Administrative Attachment: 
✅ Chagos was administered with Mauritius as a British colony. 
✅ When Mauritius gained independence in 1968, Chagos remained with Britain after a 3 million pound grant was given for its detachment.

🔆 Strategic Importance of Chagos and Diego Garcia 
📍 Military Significance: 
✅ In 1966, Britain allowed the US military to use BIOT for defense purposes. 
✅ Diego Garcia, the largest island, became a key US military base in 1986. 
✅ The base played a crucial role in the “war on terror” after the 9/11 attacks.

🔆 International Pressure on the UK 
📍 ICJ Ruling (2019): 
✅ The International Court of Justice (ICJ) advised the UK to withdraw its colonial administration within six months. 
✅ The ICJ ruled the 1965 detachment of Chagos from Mauritius was illegal.

🔆 UK-Mauritius Agreement (Key Details) 
📍 Sovereignty: 
✅ Mauritius gains sovereignty over Chagos except Diego Garcia. 
📍 Resettlement: 
✅ Mauritius is allowed to resettle the Chagossians on Chagos, excluding Diego Garcia, where 2,000 islanders were evicted for the US naval base. 
📍 Trust Fund: 
✅ The UK has promised a new trust fund for the Chagossians.

Himachal’s Durgesh Aranya Zoological Park to Become India’s First IGBC-Certified Zoo
Located in Kangra’s Dehra (Bankhandi), Durgesh Aranya Zoological Park is set to achieve IGBC certification, a first for Indian zoos. The park features 34 enclosures across its Van Vaibhav Path and Biodiversity Court, hosting 73 species, including Asiatic lions, crocodiles, and indigenous birds.

The Indian Green Building Council (IGBC), under CII (Confederation of Indian Industry), promotes sustainable infrastructure. IGBC’s voluntary rating systems align with global green building standards, aiming for India’s leadership in sustainable built environments by 2025.

This eco-friendly zoo emphasizes biodiversity conservation and low-environmental-impact design. It aims to boost Kangra’s eco-tourism, generate employment, and solidify the region’s status as Himachal’s “Tourism Capital.”

Relevance for UPSC: Aligns with SDGs, eco-tourism, CII’s role in sustainability, and IGBC’s certification frameworks.

🔆 Narva River Dispute

📍 Context
- A new dispute emerged between Russia and Estonia, centered around the removal of navigation markers on the Narva River, which forms part of the border between the two countries.

📍 About Narva River
- Location: The Narva basin is situated in the Baltic Sea basin on the eastern part of Estonia and the northwest part of the Russian Federation.

- Transboundary Water Bodies:
✅ Lake Peipsi
✅ Narva Reservoir

- Connection: It connects Lake Peipsi with the Gulf of Finland (Baltic Sea).

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🔆 Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) Revival

📍 Key Update
✅ Karnataka government approved the Centre’s proposal to revive gold mining at Kolar Gold Fields (KGF).
✅ 13 tailing dumps spanning 1,003 acres will be auctioned for extraction.