In News

Every place, scheme, treaty and entity in the news — with why it matters, key facts, and UPSC angles. 231 entities tracked.

archipelagos (3)

Kuril Islands

Between Hokkaido, Japan and Kamchatka, Russia

Japan protested the Russian President's visit to the islands, which Russia administers but Japan claims as its Northern Territories (Etorofu), separating the Sea of Okhotsk from the North Pacific.

Paracel Islands

South China Sea

Satellite imagery suggests China is building its largest military base in the South China Sea on the Paracels, intensifying the militarisation of these disputed waters.

Svalbard

Arctic Ocean, Norway

India's Himadri station here drew attention as Arctic sea ice hit record lows and polar research gained urgency.

citys (28)

Ahmedabad

Gujarat, India

India's bid city for the 2030 Commonwealth Games won Cabinet approval.

Amaravati

Andhra Pradesh, India

Parliament moved to declare it the state's sole permanent capital, and it also hosted the launch of India's first open-access quantum reference facility.

Biratnagar

Nepal

Indian Railways ran the first direct commercial container freight train from Kolkata Port to this Nepali city.

Bunia

Ituri province, Democratic Republic of the Congo

The town near the epicentre of an Ebola outbreak — linked to the Bundibugyo virus with no approved vaccine — was visited as the death toll in eastern Congo crossed 1,700.

Busan

South Korea

The port city hosted the 48th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee (July 19-29), which added 25 new properties to the list by consensus.

Migrants crossed into the Spanish enclave from Morocco, prompting Spain to deploy troops; at least 18 deaths were reported. The Spanish enclave saw a surge of more than 50,000 migrants in a few days, with Spanish authorities executing over 48,000 returns within 48 hours.

Colombo

Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankan capital hosted the fourth India-Sri Lanka diving exercise DIVEX 2026 with INS Nireekshak.

Delhi

National Capital Territory of Delhi, India

The capital drew twin alarms: ground-level ozone emerging as a major pollutant alongside PM2.5, and the country's lowest total fertility rate at 1.4.

El Fasher

North Darfur, western Sudan

Reports of crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing by the Rapid Support Forces put this North Darfur capital in focus.

Évian-les-Bains

Haute-Savoie, France

France chose this town to host the 2026 G7 Leaders' Summit.

Geneva

Switzerland

The 79th World Health Assembly convened here, shaping global health decisions including the pandemic accord.

Glasgow

Scotland, United Kingdom

This Scottish city hosted the 2026 Commonwealth Games, where India won 39 medals and finished fourth. The city hosted the 23rd Commonwealth Games with 215 medal events across ten sports; India finished with 39 medals, including 13 gold.

Guwahati

Assam, India

BRICS nations adopted the Guwahati Declaration against drug trafficking here, while the city also battled severe urban flooding.

Gwalior

Madhya Pradesh, India

India signed an MoU to build its first Telecom Manufacturing Zone here for 5G/6G hardware.

Indore

Madhya Pradesh, India

The 16th BRICS Agriculture Ministers' Meeting here adopted the Indore Declaration.

Jodhpur

Rajasthan, India

The Jodhpuri Mojari craft from here earned a geographical indication tag, alongside Pithora art of Chhota Udepur.

Kochi

Kerala, India

The CMLRE's Bhavasagara centre here was designated India's first national repository for deep-sea fauna.

Machilipatnam

Andhra Pradesh, India

India's new I-2SEA undersea cable landed here and in Chennai, reducing dependence on the congested Mumbai landing strip.

Mecca

Saudi Arabia

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye signed a joint defence agreement in Mecca under which an armed attack on any one signatory is treated as an attack on all. The city hosted the signing of a trilateral Saudi-Pakistani-Turkish defence agreement treating an armed attack on any one signatory as an attack on all three.

Melilla

North African coast, Spain

Melilla, held by Spain since 1497, was back in the news with Ceuta as the EU's only land frontiers with Africa faced renewed migrant pressure.

Mexico City

Mexico

NISAR satellite data revealed the metropolis is sinking rapidly from excessive groundwater extraction.

Muscat

Oman

The UN Secretary-General launched the Muscat Plan of Action, led by Oman, to revive global dialogue and cooperation.

Namangan

Uzbekistan

The eastern Uzbek city hosted the 7th edition of the India-Uzbekistan DUSTLIK military exercise.

Santa Marta

Colombia

The Caribbean coastal city hosted the first international conference on transitioning away from fossil fuels.

Singapore

The Shangri-La Dialogue was held here, where India signed a $700-million BrahMos missile deal with Vietnam on its sidelines.

Trincomalee

Eastern Province, Sri Lanka

The port district was pushed as a joint energy hub with a proposed India-Sri Lanka fuel pipeline and WWII-era oil tank farms.

Ulaanbaatar

Mongolia

The Mongolian capital hosted UNCCD COP17 (August 17-28, 2026) on land restoration and drought resilience, themed 'Restoring Land. Restoring Hope.', with nearly 77% of Mongolia's own land degraded.

Yaoundé

Cameroon

The Cameroonian capital hosted the WTO's 14th Ministerial Conference, which ended without consensus and let the e-commerce moratorium lapse.

countrys (45)

Armenia

South Caucasus

India's growing defence supplies to Yerevan, including rocket systems, sit at the heart of its de-hyphenated Caucasus policy and the friction with Azerbaijan.

Australia

Oceania

The third annual summit with this Quad partner covered defence, trade and critical minerals cooperation. The Indian Air Force concluded its participation in Exercise Pitch Black 2026, the Royal Australian Air Force-hosted multinational air exercise involving air forces from over 20 countries.

Austria

Central Europe

The Austrian Chancellor's first visit to India in over four decades produced a defence letter of intent and a deeper technology partnership.

Azerbaijan

South Caucasus

New Delhi began resetting ties with Baku through fresh foreign-office consultations after a year of strain over Operation Sindoor, with Azerbaijan key to India's Pakistan-bypassing trade corridor to Central Asia.

Bahrain

Persian Gulf

The Gulf state, which hosts the US Fifth Fleet and a large Indian diaspora, was in the news after Iranian drone and missile strikes hit US-linked military sites.

Bangladesh

South Asia

Dhaka-origin undocumented migrants were the main target of India's new district-level deportation policy with 90-day verification timelines. Dhaka turned to China for the long-pending Teesta river project amid the stalled water-sharing deal with India.

Cambodia

Southeast Asia

Phnom Penh's army trained with India in the CINBAX counter-terrorism exercise under a UN peacekeeping framework.

Chad

Central Africa

This Central African nation quit the International Criminal Court, the latest exit from the Hague-based tribunal.

China

East Asia

Beijing's backing was sought by Dhaka for the Teesta project, and China separately dragged India to the WTO over solar tariffs.

Colombia

South America

Bogota co-hosted the first Santa Marta conference on moving away from fossil fuels with the Netherlands. An earthquake struck the country with its epicentre in San Jose del Palmar, trapping residents under collapsed buildings and shaking as far as the capital, Bogota.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Central Africa

The Bundibugyo-strain Ebola outbreak here, the country's 17th, was declared a WHO public health emergency of international concern.

Egypt

North Africa

Cairo hosted the 11th Joint Defence Committee meeting and the Cyclone-IV special-forces exercise, deepening the 2023 strategic partnership.

Indonesia

Southeast Asia

The Prime Minister's state visit yielded cooperation pacts, including India's help in conserving the Prambanan Temple.

Iran

West Asia

Tehran's reopening of the Strait of Hormuz under a Pakistan-brokered pause in the West Asia crisis eased India's energy-supply fears, while Chabahar remained central to its connectivity plans. Tehran's foreign minister called Chabahar a 'golden gate' to Central Asia, while Iranian media floated tolls on undersea cables in the Strait of Hormuz. US-Israel strikes on Iran from late February triggered the year's West Asia crisis, threatening oil flows through nearby straits and regional stability. The continuing West Asia crisis and attacks around its ports and oil infrastructure kept Iran central to July's conflict news.

Israel

West Asia

Tel Aviv was a party to the Pakistan-mediated two-week ceasefire with Iran and the United States after weeks of escalation.

Jamaica

Caribbean

The External Affairs Minister's visit celebrated Girmitiya-descendant bonds with the island nation.

Japan

East Asia

The 16th annual summit advanced the Special Strategic partnership across technology, security and economic cooperation.

Kenya

East Africa

Four mountain bongos arrived in Kenya en route to native forests after years in a Czech zoo.

Kuwait

Persian Gulf

Kuwait featured in the same round of news as Iranian drone and missile strikes targeted US-linked military facilities across the Gulf.

Lebanon

Mediterranean coast, West Asia

Israel-Hezbollah tensions and wider West Asia unrest kept this Mediterranean country in the spotlight through June.

Maldives

Indian Ocean

The Favara-UPI corridor went live, letting Indians pay in the Maldives through their home payment apps.

Mauritius

Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar

The Union Petroleum Minister's August visit yielded a five-year pact under which IndianOil will meet the island's entire import requirement of petrol, diesel and aviation turbine fuel.

Moldova

Eastern Europe

India's President paid the first-ever presidential visit to this Eastern European nation. President Droupadi Murmu included Moldova in a week-long state visit to Eastern Europe, laying a wreath at the monument of Stephen the Great.

Myanmar

Southeast Asia

Alongside Bangladesh, Myanmar-origin migrants were named in the new deportation framework; origin-country acceptance remains the diplomatic hurdle.

Netherlands

Western Europe

The Hague returned 11th-century Chola copper plates during the Prime Minister's state visit.

New Zealand

Oceania

The Prime Minister's visit marked a new chapter in ties with this Pacific nation.

North Macedonia

Balkan Peninsula, Southeastern Europe

India's President paid the first-ever presidential visit to this Balkan nation. President Droupadi Murmu included North Macedonia in a week-long state visit to Eastern Europe, the first such visit by an Indian President to the country.

Norway

Northern Europe

The Prime Minister's historic two-day visit elevated relations to a Green Strategic Partnership and brought a top Norwegian honour.

Oman

West Asia

The India-Oman Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement entered into force, and Oman led the Muscat Plan of Action initiative.

Pakistan

South Asia

Islamabad brokered the two-week US-Iran-Israel ceasefire dubbed the Islamabad Accord, burnishing its image as a middle-power peacemaker. India rejected a Court of Arbitration ruling on the Indus Waters Treaty, keeping the 1960 treaty in abeyance after the Jammu and Kashmir attack.

Romania

Southeastern Europe, Black Sea coast

President Droupadi Murmu included Romania in a week-long state visit to Eastern Europe, signalling India's growing strategic focus on the region.

Saudi Arabia

West Asia

Riyadh joined the India-conceived International Big Cat Alliance as its 26th member.

Seychelles

Indian Ocean

The Prime Minister's visit highlighted maritime security cooperation in the western Indian Ocean.

South Sudan

East-Central Africa; capital Juba

India condemned an attack on UN peacekeepers (UNMISS) in Jonglei State, drawing attention to the country's continuing instability since the 2013 civil conflict.

Sri Lanka

South Asia

The first-ever visit by an Indian Vice President brought expanded OCI eligibility for Indian-origin Tamils, housing-project progress and a Trincomalee energy-hub push.

Sudan

Northeast Africa

Khartoum's Tuti Island became a focal point of the SAF-RSF civil war after a two-year blockade turned it into an open-air prison.

Suriname

South America

The EAM's Caribbean-South America tour honouring Girmitiya links included Suriname.

Trinidad and Tobago

Caribbean

The third stop on the EAM's Girmitiya-heritage visit.

Uganda

East Africa

Uganda confirmed an Ebola case imported from DRC as WHO declared a public health emergency of international concern.

United Arab Emirates

West Asia

New Delhi and Abu Dhabi signed a framework for a strategic defence partnership, adding to counter-terror and maritime-security cooperation. India-UAE defence and security ties deepened with a May visit and an institutionalised security dialogue.

United Kingdom

Europe

The India-UK Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement entered into force, cutting tariffs on 99% of tariff lines.

United States

North America

Washington joined a two-week ceasefire with Iran and Israel, pausing strikes in exchange for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The US administration moved to add a $103,265 fee on every new H-1B visa petition through formal rulemaking, a step with direct stakes for India's tech workforce.

Uzbekistan

Central Asia

Tashkent hosted the 7th India-Uzbekistan DUSTLIK exercise, which has alternated between the two countries since 2019. The Prime Minister visited Tashkent for the 26th SCO summit, where India-Uzbekistan ties were elevated to a comprehensive partnership with a long-term uranium supply pact and a $5-billion trade target; he also received Uzbekistan's highest state honour.

Venezuela

northern South America

A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off its coast, and India launched Operation Amistad to evacuate its citizens. A strong earthquake struck the country, renewing attention to its seismic vulnerability where the Caribbean and South American plates interact.

Vietnam

Southeast Asia

Ties were upgraded to an Enhanced Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, with Vietnam cast as the linchpin of Act East policy and a BrahMos customer. India signed a $700-million deal to supply BrahMos supersonic missiles to Vietnam, a landmark defence export.

dams (3)

Padma Barrage

Bangladesh

Bangladesh approved the New Padma Barrage on the Padma, the Ganga's main distributary in Bangladesh, for irrigation, salinity control and climate resilience — raising transboundary river-governance concerns.

Subansiri Lower Dam

Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border, India

India's largest hydel project (2,000 MW) with the Northeast's tallest concrete gravity dam saw buyers balk at its power costs.

Tungabhadra Dam

Koppal district, Karnataka, India

Thirty-three new spillway gates were inaugurated in late June 2026 alongside a water-sharing consensus among Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The dam irrigates the Krishna basin and supports the Hampi region.

deserts (3)

Atacama Desert

Chile

Growing light pollution is threatening the world's darkest skies over this premier astronomy site.

Rub' al Khali

Southern Arabian Peninsula (Saudi Arabia, Oman, UAE, Yemen)

Oman and Saudi Arabia signed a cross-border freight corridor deal through the world's largest continuous sand desert as an alternative to chokepoints like the Strait of Hormuz.

Thar Desert

Rajasthan, India

The bustard's core habitat was in focus as a chick hatched in Gujarat's Kutch after a decade under the first inter-state conservation initiative.

disputed_territorys (6)

Aksai Chin

Ladakh, India

India continued to assert its claim over this Ladakh plateau under Chinese control amid the ongoing boundary negotiations. The 25th round of India-China Special Representatives talks reached an eight-point consensus on the boundary question; Aksai Chin remains the disputed core of the western sector, claimed via the Johnson Line and countered by the Macartney-MacDonald Line.

Bara Hoti

Chamoli district, Uttarakhand, India

This area was named as the flashpoint of the middle sector in India-China border negotiations.

Gilgit-Baltistan

Pakistan-occupied Kashmir

China reaffirmed that the CPEC corridor passes through this Pakistan-occupied region, which India claims as its own.

Kalapani-Limpiyadhura-Lipulekh

Pithoragarh district, Uttarakhand, India

Nepal's Prime Minister acknowledged that Nepal had been encroaching on Indian territory in this disputed trijunction area.

Nagorno-Karabakh

South Caucasus, between Armenia and Azerbaijan

The unresolved enclave dispute underlies the Azerbaijan-Armenia hostility that complicates India's Caucasus reset.

Tawang Tract

Arunachal Pradesh, India

China's claim of roughly 90,000 sq km in Arunachal Pradesh, including this tract, defined the eastern sector of the boundary dispute.

glaciers (1)

Siachen Glacier

eastern Karakoram, Ladakh, India

With India-China and India-Pakistan boundary tensions persisting, strategic attention on this Karakoram glacier and its supply routes intensified.

heritage_sites (11)

Asuka and Fujiwara

Japan

The archaeological sites of Japan's ancient capitals were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List at the 48th session.

Bhojshala

Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, India

The protected monument's religious character and management remained under judicial consideration, with archaeological surveys and legal proceedings continuing over its identity as a Saraswati temple versus a mosque.

D-Day Landing Beaches

Normandy, France

The Second World War D-Day landing beaches were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as sites of memory at the 48th session in Busan.

Konkan Petroglyphs

Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts, Maharashtra, India

Over 1,500 prehistoric petroglyphs across nearly 70 Konkan sites, some 10,000-12,000 years old, are being pushed for UNESCO recognition.

Prambanan Temple

Central Java, Indonesia

India agreed to assist Indonesia in conserving this 9th-century Hindu temple complex in Java. Renewed India-Indonesia cultural engagement spotlighted Prambanan, the largest Hindu temple complex in Indonesia and a 9th-century Mataram-era UNESCO World Heritage site.

Rakhigarhi

Hisar district, Haryana, India

India's largest known Harappan site stayed in focus as ancient-DNA studies from its excavated skeletons reshaped debates on South Asian population origins.

Sarnath

Varanasi district, Uttar Pradesh, India

This ancient Buddhist site became India's 45th World Heritage Site at the 48th World Heritage Committee session in Busan. The ancient Buddhist site of the Buddha's first sermon was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List at the 48th session in Busan, becoming India's 45th such site.

Sebastia

West Bank, Palestine

The ancient site evidencing some 2,000 years of layered civilisations was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List at the 48th session.

Somnath

Veraval, Saurashtra, Gujarat, India

The temple marked 75 years since its post-Independence reopening.

Thotlakonda Buddhist Site

Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India

Delegates of the 2026 BRICS Youth Ministers' Meeting visited the ancient Buddhist heritage site on the Andhra coast.

Vaishya Tekri

Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, India

The Madhya Pradesh government began restoring the Mauryan-era Buddhist monuments linked to Emperor Ashoka; the main stupa's base spans about 350 feet, dwarfing Sanchi's.

islands (8)

Cocos (Keeling) Islands

Indian Ocean, Australia

India commissioned a telemetry tracking terminal here to support the Gaganyaan human spaceflight mission.

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam Island

Off the Odisha coast, India

The Agni-5-based Divyastra missile with MIRV technology completed its second flight trial from here.

Elephanta Island

Mumbai Harbour, Maharashtra, India

Archaeologists identified ancient water reservoirs on this Mumbai harbour island, revealing new details of its early settlement history.

Great Nicobar Island

Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India

Reports noted that environmental and tribal scrutiny of the island's Rs 81,000-crore infrastructure project remains incomplete.

Iturup

Kuril chain, North Pacific

The island, called Etorofu by Japan, sits at the heart of the Russia-Japan dispute that has blocked a formal peace treaty ending Second World War hostilities.

Kharg Island

northern Persian Gulf, Iran

This Iranian oil-export island faced disruption risks as the West Asia war threatened shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Majuli Island

Brahmaputra River, Assam, India

Sediment studies around it reconstructed the Brahmaputra's 3,200-year climate history, yielding an unusually dense record of past floods and droughts.

Tuti Island

Khartoum, Sudan

The Nile-confluence island, Khartoum's historic garden, became a war focal point under a 2023-25 RSF blockade.

lakes (9)

Ana Sagar Lake

Ajmer, Rajasthan, India

The 12th-century artificial lake built by Anaji Chauhan was in the news over lake conservation and urban water management amid pollution, siltation and encroachment pressures.

Chilika Lake

Odisha, India

Asia's largest brackish lagoon drew attention for conservation gains — rising dolphin numbers and fish productivity — alongside continuing human-pressure concerns.

Dal Lake

Jammu and Kashmir, India

Satellite analysis across 1980-2020 showed this iconic Srinagar lake shrinking and fragmenting, mirroring Wular's decline.

Ghepan Lake

above Sissu, Lahaul-Spiti district, Himachal Pradesh, India

It was placed in the highest-risk category for glacial lake outburst floods, endangering downstream settlements and a hydropower project near Sissu.

Glaw Lake

Lohit district, Arunachal Pradesh, India

The pristine Eastern Himalayan lake inside the Kamlang Tiger Reserve was designated India's 101st Ramsar site.

Kolleru Lake

Andhra Pradesh, India

The Central Empowered Committee ordered Andhra Pradesh to immediately remove fish ponds from this lake.

Lake Ontario

Between Ontario, Canada and New York, US

The US changed its federal reference for the lake to 'Lake America' while Canada kept the existing name, sparking a cross-border naming row over the smallest and easternmost Great Lake. A US executive order of August 27 directed federal agencies to call the lake 'Lake America'; Canada's Prime Minister rejected the change, noting the name comes from the Wendat word Ontari'io and predates both countries.

Umiam Lake

Meghalaya, India

After protests, Lumpongdeng Island in this Shillong reservoir was dropped from a proposed luxury resort project.

Wular Lake

Jammu and Kashmir, India

This Ramsar-listed lake registered significant shrinkage in the same long-term satellite study that flagged Dal Lake's decline.

mountains (7)

Aravalli Range

Delhi to Gujarat, India

A multi-state study tied this range to dust storms and air pollution reaching the Indo-Gangetic Plain, spotlighting its ecological role.

Mount Kailash

Tibet Autonomous Region, China

The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra resumed in 2026 after a five-year halt, with pilgrim batches set to increase under the SR talks consensus; the sacred mountain is revered in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Bon.

Mount Olympus

Greece

The wider area of Mount Olympus joined the UNESCO World Heritage List at the 48th session in Busan.

Nilgiri Hills

Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, India

A forest fire here was contained; the Blue Mountains sit at the meeting point of the Western and Eastern Ghats.

Nun-Kun Massif

Zanskar Range, near Suru Valley, Ladakh, India

The twin 7,000-metre peaks featured in the July 2026 Himalayan expedition season and are a key site for glacier studies and high-altitude mountaineering research.

Sijimali-Kutrumali bauxite hills

Rayagada and Kalahandi districts, Odisha, India

A proposed Tikiri rail link to these Eastern Ghats bauxite hills drew tribal protests over livelihood and forest rights.

Western Ghats

Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, India

The Centre reissued the draft notification for an Ecologically Sensitive Area across 56,825 sq km of these hills spanning six states. The Centre declared the biodiversity hotspot an eco-sensitive area, with the notification stuck at its sixth draft amid state-level resistance.

mountain_passs (5)

Dolma La Pass

Tibet Autonomous Region, China

The roughly 5,600-metre pass on the Mount Kailash parikrama circuit was in focus with the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra resuming in 2026 after a five-year halt.

Lipulekh Pass

Uttarakhand, India (India-China-Nepal trijunction)

The pass reopened for cross-border trade with China after six years; it also serves as a key Kailash Mansarovar Yatra route to the Tibetan trading town of Taklakot.

Nathu La

Sikkim, India

The Indo-China border pass, reopened in 2006 after its post-1962 closure, resumed cross-border trade with China after six years.

Shipki La

Kinnaur district, Himachal Pradesh, India

Cross-border trade between India and China resumed through the pass after six years. The Sutlej enters India from Tibet near this historic trade point on the Line of Actual Control.

Zojila Pass

between Sonamarg and Dras, Zaskar Range

A deadly avalanche near the pass renewed debate over the safety of the Srinagar-Leh lifeline, even as the upcoming tunnel promises all-weather access. Final breakthrough works on the 14.2-km all-weather tunnel here marked a major step toward year-round Srinagar-Leh connectivity.

national_parks (4)

Kanha National Park

Madhya Pradesh, India

Six tiger deaths from canine distemper put over a hundred of the park's tigers under watch.

Kaziranga National Park

Assam, India

A gharial was spotted here after a long gap, and India's first satellite-tagged soft-shell turtle was released in the park.

Kuno National Park

Madhya Pradesh, India

Two cheetahs flown in from Botswana were released here under Project Cheetah.

Namdapha National Park

Arunachal Pradesh, India

India's record dragonfly checklist of 234 species drew heavily on a two-decade survey of this Arunachal park's insect life.

ports (6)

Chabahar Port

southeastern Iran, on the Gulf of Oman

Iran's only oceanic port was spotlighted as the symbol of India-Iran cooperation and a Pakistan-bypassing route to Central Asia. US CENTCOM destroyed a surveillance tower at its Shahid Kalantari terminal amid the West Asia crisis, at the port where India operates a terminal.

Deendayal Port

Gujarat, India

It topped India's major ports in FY26 cargo at 160 million tonnes as the dozen major ports crossed 915 million tonnes.

Gwadar Port

Balochistan, Pakistan

This CPEC terminal port on Pakistan's Arabian Sea coast stayed central to the India-China-Pakistan strategic contest over trade routes.

Mongla Port

Bangladesh

China and Bangladesh set up a joint economic zone at this Bangladeshi port, drawing strategic attention.

Odesa

northwestern coast of the Black Sea, Ukraine

A Russian missile strike on a merchant vessel here killed ten crew members, including four Indians.

Sabang Port

Weh Island, Aceh, Indonesia

India and Indonesia moved to jointly develop this strategic port at the mouth of the Malacca Strait.

regions (14)

Agasthyamalai

Kerala and Tamil Nadu, India

The Supreme Court took note of large-scale encroachment in this Western Ghats biosphere reserve straddling Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Banni Grasslands

Kutch district, Gujarat, India

An NTPC solar project was flagged as an ecological threat to this vast Kutch grassland, a critical habitat for migratory birds. Gujarat released 20 blackbucks into the grassland, a salt-tolerant ecosystem on the edge of the Rann of Kutch known for its rich wildlife.

Darjeeling

West Bengal, India

A committee was tasked with preparing a framework for a 'permanent political solution' to the century-old Gorkha demand for a separate administrative identity covering Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Kurseong, the Terai and the Dooars.

Hara Mangrove Forests

Near Qeshm Island, southern Iran, Persian Gulf

Oil residues reached the protected mangrove ecosystem of the Mehran River delta, posing a serious environmental threat to the reserve.

Hasdeo-Arand Forest

Northern Chhattisgarh, India

A Rajasthan state power utility's plan to divert 1,742 hectares and fell 4.48 lakh trees here sparked an outcry.

Hindu Kush Himalaya

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan

Its development investment partnership released a roadmap to unlock climate finance for this 3,500-km, eight-country mountain region.

Hormozgan Province

Southern Iran, Persian Gulf coast

US strikes landed near the Strait of Hormuz in this southern Iranian province as the West Asia crisis intensified. The province, whose capital Bandar Abbas hosts Iran's principal port and key naval bases, came into focus after US strikes on coastal and military infrastructure.

Kashmir Himalaya

Jammu and Kashmir, India

A glacier survey flagged five high-altitude lakes in this region as critically prone to outburst floods, sharpening GLOF concerns in the state.

Mayurbhanj

Mayurbhanj district, Odisha, India

A severe pre-monsoon nor'wester battered this district, the kind of storm that sweeps eastern India each April to June.

Puga Valley

Ladakh, India

Ladakh's Lieutenant Governor laid the foundation for a geothermal pilot plant here at 14,000 feet, tapping one of India's hottest known geothermal fields.

Saranda Forest

West Singhbhum district, Jharkhand, India

The Supreme Court directed the state to notify Asia's largest contiguous sal forest as a wildlife sanctuary.

Segur Plateau

Tamil Nadu, India

The Supreme Court upheld the removal of commercial activity from this Tamil Nadu plateau, a key elephant corridor of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.

Sixth Schedule tribal areas (Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram)

Northeastern India

The constitutional framework granting autonomous district councils to tribal areas in four northeastern states became the template at the centre of Ladakh's demand for similar protections.

Sundarbans

West Bengal, India and Bangladesh

A Kolkata research study found microplastics disrupting the delta's food web and weakening its blue-carbon function.

rivers (16)

Alaknanda River

Uttarakhand, India

The Centre told the Supreme Court it opposes any new hydroelectric project in the Alaknanda-Bhagirathi basin.

Bhagirathi River

Uttarakhand, India

The Centre told the Supreme Court it opposes any new hydroelectric project in the Alaknanda-Bhagirathi basin.

Brahmaputra River

Northeastern India

The river and its basin were named priority areas under the extended River Basin Management scheme, including flood protection for Majuli Island. Record flooding along this river devastated Assam, with the Brahmaputra Board under scrutiny over flood management.

Cauvery River

Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, India

The tribunal authority upheld Karnataka's release order to Tamil Nadu, while Karnataka's Mekedatu reservoir proposal kept the dispute alive.

Dhansiri River

Nagaland and Assam, India

The Brahmaputra's south-bank tributary swelled at Numaligarh, keeping the flood situation in Assam's Golaghat district critical.

Indus River

Tibet (China), Ladakh (India), Pakistan

The river system at the centre of the 1960 treaty stayed in abeyance as India dismissed the arbitration court's ruling. The 1960 Indus Waters Treaty, signed in Karachi on September 19, faced a season of strain as India-Pakistan water tensions sharpened.

Lohit River

Arunachal Pradesh, India

The proposed Kalai-II project on this Arunachal river was flagged as a threat to the critically endangered White-bellied Heron.

Musi River

Telangana, India

The Krishna tributary entered Phase-I of a state riverfront development project.

Narmada River

Madhya Pradesh, India

The Sleemanabad Tunnel project was proposed to connect the Narmada and Son river basins for water transfer.

Pamba River

Kerala, India

Heavy rain in the Sabarimala forest catchment triggered severe flooding in the river, Kerala's third-longest, revered as the 'Ganga of Kerala' with the Sabarimala temple on its banks.

Siyom River

Arunachal Pradesh, India

An expert panel deferred the 1,000 MW Siyom barrage project on this Arunachal tributary of the Brahmaputra over seismic and landslide risks.

Sone River

Bihar and Jharkhand, India

Bihar and Jharkhand signed a new agreement to share this river's water, 53 years after the Bansagar pact.

Subansiri River

Tibet, Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, India

The Brahmaputra's largest tributary hosts India's biggest hydel project, whose unallocated power Assam and Meghalaya declined to buy.

Tamirabharani River

Tamil Nadu, India

The Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court declared the Tamirabharani (Porunai) a deity and legal person, extending juristic-personhood jurisprudence to rivers.

Teesta River

Sikkim and West Bengal, India; Bangladesh

The disputed Himalayan river returned to headlines as Bangladesh sought Chinese support for its Teesta project.

Yamuna River

Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, India

The Supreme Court set up an expert committee to draft a cleanup roadmap for this river, whose pollution load exceeds 2,500 million litres a day.

seas (4)

Caspian Sea

Between Europe and Asia; bordered by Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Iran and Azerbaijan

Its hydrocarbon basin and transit routes featured in India's energy-security and INSTC calculations with Azerbaijan. It emerged as a backdoor logistics route between Russia and Iran during the West Asia conflict. A study warned this landlocked sea is shrinking, threatening its unique ecology and the economies of its littoral states. The world's largest inland water body kept shrinking from climatic and human causes — reduced river inflow, water withdrawal and higher evaporation — prompting a regional cooperation declaration on its falling level.

Red Sea

between the African continent and the Arabian Peninsula

Escalating attacks on commercial vessels disrupted this trade lane, forcing ships onto longer and costlier routes and underlining its centrality to global commerce.

Sea of Azov

bounded by Russia and Ukraine; linked via the Kerch Strait to the Black Sea

Reported Russian air strikes in its waters raised security concerns around this inland sea that links Russia and Ukraine to the Black Sea.

South China Sea

Southeast Asia

China tightened administrative control in the region, which carries over half of India's trade via the Malacca Strait and sits at the centre of overlapping claims by China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan. China issued management measures for the Huangyan Dao National Nature Reserve in the disputed sea, a move set to deepen the maritime row with the Philippines, which claims the shoal as Scarborough.

states (8)

Arunachal Pradesh

India

The eastern sector of the boundary dispute follows the McMahon Line here, and the SR talks' consensus covered reopening Himalayan trade points and increasing Kailash Mansarovar Yatra batches.

Assam

Northeast India

The state's floods were the worst in the Northeast, with over 25,000 people in relief camps, while Guwahati battled severe urban flooding.

Karnataka

India

The state announced a ban on social media use for children under 16, part of a wider child-safety regulatory push.

Kerala

India

Parliament passed the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 to change the state's name to 'Keralam' in the Constitution, an exercise of the Article 3 power to alter state names.

Maharashtra

western India

The state enacted a law mandating one-third reservation for women farmers in agricultural schemes.

Punjab

India

The Supreme Court flagged the state's deepening drug crisis as a national public-health emergency.

Sikkim

India

It became the first state with a fully paperless judiciary under the national e-Courts mission.

Uttar Pradesh

India

Unseasonal thunderstorms killed multiple people in the state.

straits (4)

Bab el Mandeb Strait

between Yemen and Djibouti/Eritrea; connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden

It featured among the key global chokepoints as shipping disruptions and tariff pressures slowed the IMEC corridor's progress and forced vessels to reroute. Yemen's Houthis declared a naval blockade against Saudi Arabia at this Red Sea-Gulf of Aden chokepoint.

Palk Strait

Between Tamil Nadu, India and Sri Lanka

The long-running fishermen dispute across this strait figured in the Vice-Presidential visit, with a humanitarian approach agreed.

Strait of Hormuz

between Iran and Oman/UAE; links the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman

Its closure and reopening during the West Asia crisis directly threatened India's Gulf energy imports, which meet about 60% of its needs. Iran proposed licensing and toll fees on undersea fibre-optic cables passing through the strait. The West Asia conflict revived global anxiety over this chokepoint, through which a large share of the world's oil moves; India pushed its fair, firm and focused diplomatic approach while diversifying energy sources. Iran and Oman agreed to reopen the strait for 60 days; about a fifth of the world's oil and liquefied natural gas passes through this key chokepoint.

Taiwan Strait

Between Taiwan and mainland China

Sightings of Chinese government vessels in the strait rose from 30 to 55 during June 2026, underlining its role as a busy and contested Indo-Pacific flashpoint connecting the East and South China Seas.

tiger_reserves (3)

Dudhwa Tiger Reserve

Uttar Pradesh, India

Twenty-five Himalayan griffon vultures died here from suspected secondary poisoning, spotlighting scavenger conservation risks.

Sariska Tiger Reserve

Alwar, Rajasthan, India

The reserve completed 18 years of the world's first tiger reintroduction programme.

Satkosia Tiger Reserve

Odisha, India

The Odisha government set up a high-level inquiry committee to examine the relocation of villages from the reserve.

towns (9)

Dholera

Gujarat, India

The special economic zone here was notified as the site of India's first semiconductor fabrication plant.

Farakka

Murshidabad district, West Bengal, India

The 30-year India-Bangladesh Ganga water-sharing treaty signed on December 12, 1996 expired, with a confrontation brewing in Bihar over its terms.

Kalpakkam

Tamil Nadu, India

The indigenous 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor here attained criticality, advancing stage two of India's nuclear programme.

Kasauli

Himachal Pradesh, India

Miocene fossils from the Kasauli Formation helped revise the evolutionary history of the Jamun genus, placing its early diversification in India.

Khavda

Kutch district, Gujarat, India

A record 3.37 GWh battery-storage system was commissioned at its hybrid renewable park, the site of the world's largest planned 30 GW solar-wind project.

Naying

Upper Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh, India

The Naying hydroelectric project on the Siang River stayed in focus as part of India's north-east hydropower push, with strategic weight given its proximity to the India-China border.

Pahalgam

Anantnag district, Jammu and Kashmir, India

Flash floods from intense rainfall and cloudburst-like events caused widespread destruction in the mountain town, exposing Himalayan vulnerability to extreme weather.

Sivakasi

Tamil Nadu, India

The fireworks-manufacturing hub was flagged for illegal production as regulators pushed safer alternatives after festival accidents.

Umroi

Meghalaya, India

The military station here hosted PRAGATI 2026, a multilateral Indian Ocean Region army drill.

union_territorys (1)

Ladakh

India

Protests in Leh and Kargil revived demands for full statehood and Sixth Schedule cover after the 2019 UT transition, with locals citing a representation deficit, tribal land safeguards and high graduate unemployment. Five newly created districts prompted approval of hill councils for all seven districts, reshaping grassroots governance in the UT. Ladakh hosted its first-ever Black-Necked Crane Festival, spotlighting the endangered crane whose main Indian breeding ground is Ladakh's high-altitude cold desert; a Cryosphere study also found the Zanskar Himalaya's glaciers slowing.

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