WORLD GEOGRAPHY QUIZ (5 QUESTIONS

GOLDEN TRIANGLE & GOLDEN CRESCENT

Golden Triangle comprises areas of Myanmar, Laos, Thailand.

Golden Crescent overlaps Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan.

Golden Triangle and Golden Crescent are Asia’s two main Opium producing centers.

Almost 90% of the world’s illicitly produced opiates originate in these two main production areas.

Due to India’s close proximity with both golden triangle and golden crescent, India is facing serious menace of drug trafficking as a spillover effect.

Chao Phraya Drainage System

Question 523.

CHAO PHRAYA

Chao Phraya is the principal river of Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country.

It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand.

RAJA AMPAT ISLANDS, INDONESIA

Raja Ampat Islands of Indonesia are situated upon the Equator and form a part of the 'Coral Triangle'.

The Raja Ampat archipelago currently holds the title of the world's most diverse marine habitat.

CORAL TRIANGLE

The Coral Triangle is a vast territory formed by different seas and thousands of islands stretching about six countries of South East Asia & the Pacific :

Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands & East Timor.

In total it covers 6 million sq. km.

Despite its name, the Triangle is more than coral.

Extensive seagrass beds and mangroves can be found in this area, which makes this triangle even more valued.

It is the area with the greatest marine biodiversity in the world.

5 Important coral reef locations of the world

1⃣ Great Barrier Reef - Australia

2⃣ Belize Barrier Reef Reserve - Caribbean Sea

3⃣ New Caledonia - South Pacific Ocean

4⃣ Chagos Archipelago - Indian Ocean

5⃣ Raja Ampat Islands - Indonesia

BORNEO

Borneo is politically divided among three countries :

Malaysia and Brunei in the north and Indonesia to the south.

✅ Approximately 73% of the island is Indonesian territory.

✅ In the north, the East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak make up about 26% of the island.

Mount Kinabalu in Malaysian Borneo, is the highest mountain of the Malay Archipelago as well as Malaysia.

✅ The sovereign state of Brunei, located on the north coast, comprises about 1% of Borneo's land area.

Borneo is home to one of the oldest rainforests in the world.

Malaysia is made up of two major land areas :

1) Peninsular Malaysia
2) Malaysian Borneo

Peninsular Malaysia, as its name suggests, is located on a peninsula of the Asian mainland.

Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia is located in Peninsular Malaysia.

The other land area is Malaysian Borneo or East Malaysia, which takes up about one third of the island of Borneo.

Malaysian Borneo or East Malaysia consists of two states Sabah and Sarawak + Labuan (a federal territory of Malaysia)

MASSIVE AVALANCHE IN CHAMOLI, UTTARAKHAND

A glacial burst in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district has triggered an avalanche and massive flooding along the Alaknanda and Dhauliganga rivers today morning (7th February 2021), forcing the emergency evacuation of thousands from surrounding areas, and damaging houses and the nearby Rishiganga power project.

The Water level at Rishikesh may rise to 340.50 m at 20:00 hrs and Haridwar the Water Level may Reach 294.00 m at 21:00 hrs (crossing danger level at Rishikesh and Haridwar).

Sea of Azov - The shallowest Sea in the world

Sea of Azov is an internal sea of Russia and Ukraine with passage to the Atlantic Ocean going through the Black Sea, Sea of Marmara, Aegean Sea and Mediterranean Sea.

It is connected to the Black Sea by the Strait of Kerch.

Sea of Azov is the shallowest sea in the world, with depth varying between 0.9 and 14m.

Political status of Crimean Peninsula is disputed.

Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 following a referendum, administers it as two federal subjects and claimed it to be 'fully integrated' in July 2015.

Ukraine and majority of international governments continue to regard Crimea as an integral part of Ukraine.

Map of the Afar Triangle (the shaded area in the center of the map) and the East African Rift zones.Red triangles show historically active volcanoes.

The Afar or Danakil Depression in Northern Ethiopia is the centre of a "Y" shaped rift system, where the continental lithosphere is being stretched and is splitting.

Afar Triple Junction is located along a divergent plate boundary dividing the Nubian, Somali and Arabian plates.

This area is considered a present-day example of continental rifting leading to seafloor spreading and producing an oceanic basin.

🔎 [Very Important] See how these water bodies are linked !!!!

Aegean Sea 🌊🌊
👇
Dardanelles Strait
👇
Sea of Marmara 🌊🌊
👇
Bosporous Strait
👇
Black Sea 🌊🌊
👇
Kerch Strait
👇
Sea of Azov 🌊🌊

Llama

The llama is a South American relative of the camel, though the llama does not have a hump.

Pack Animals

These sturdy creatures are domestic animals used by the people of the Andes Mountains.

Native peoples have used llamas as pack animals for centuries. Pack trains of llamas, which can include several hundred animals, move large amounts of goods over even the very rough terrain of the Andes.

Llamas are very social animals and live with others as a herd. Their wool is very soft and lanolin-free.

In a recent research, antibodies derived from llamas have been shown to neutralise the SARS-CoV-2 virus in lab tests.

Llamas and alpacas naturally produce quantities of small antibodies with a simpler structure, that can be turned into nanobodies.

Scientists from Oxford University have recently isolated these mini antibodies (nanobodies) against COVID-19 from a Llama named Cormac.

Nanobodies are more stable, easier to engineer than typical antibodies and
less expensive to produce on mass scale.

On average, these nanobodies are about one-tenth of the weight of most human antibodies.

The nanobodies so engineered using a collection of mini antibodies taken from llama blood cells, bind tightly to the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, blocking it from entering human cells and stopping infection.

Elfin Forest

Elfin forest, dwarf forest or pygmy forest is an strange ecosystem featuring miniature trees, inhabited by small generation of fauna such as rodents and lizards.

They are usually located at high elevations, under conditions of sufficient air humidity but poor soil.

There are two leading dwarf forest ecosystem types, involving different species & environmental characteristics:

1) coastal temperate
2) montane tropical

Coastal temperate dwarf forest is common for parts of Southern California.

Montane tropical forests are found across tropical highlands of Central America, northern South America in addition to Southeast Asia.

The largest elfin forest is found in the Philippines.

High-altitude tropical Elfin Forests

These forests are characterized by small trees 5-8m, with shallow root systems and abundant epiphytes.

These high-altitude tropical dwarf forests are found on isolated mountains due to the massenerhebung effect.

The massenerhebung effect is a phenomenon where treelines are typically higher among mountains in close proximity to other mountains.

The mountains in close proximity affect the rate of wind and heat retention, decreasing the negative effects of climate. When the treeline is lower on remote mountains, the climatic effects are more severe.

The high wind speeds act as the determining factor of the stature in elfin forest flora, especially on ridges and slopes.

A low stature increases the structural stability of the plants.

Wind-exposed trees invest more of their resources to increasing strength than to growth, compared to non-wind-exposed trees.

The increased focus on strengthening leads to thicker trunks and twigs.

A large percentage of energy is also directed to growing and maintaining heavy and extensive root structures, further strengthening the tree and increasing its resistance to high winds.

Elfin or Pygmy forest of Mount Hamiguitan on Mindanao, Philippines at the altitude of 1160–1200 m.

It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014.

Lake Victoria

From the above map, it is clear that Lake Victoria is not situated in the Rift valley.

It occupies the depression between the eastern and western rifts formed by the uplift of the rifts to either side.

Eastern = Gregory Rift, includes the Afar Triple Junction.

At the Afar Triple Junction, the Arabian plate, Nubian plate and Somali plate are all tearing away from each other.

Western Rift = Albertine Rift, includes many of the African Great lakes.

Lake Victoria is the largest lake in Africa.

Dead Sea - Jordan Rift Valley

The northern part of the Great African Rift Valley System is the Jordan Rift Valley.

The Jordan Rift Valley stretches from the Golan Heights to the Dead Sea, to the Gulf of Aqaba—an inlet of the Red Sea that separates the Sinai Peninsula from the Arabian Peninsula.

The Dead Sea is a rift lake in the Jordan Rift Valley.

Although the Dead Sea is not the world's deepest lake, the deep Jordan Rift makes it the lowest land elevation on Earth.

The surface of the Dead Sea is 429 m (1407 ft) below sea level, and the lake’s depth is another 304 m (997 ft).

Red Sea Rift

Associated with the Jordan Rift Valley to the south is the Red Sea Rift.

Millions of years ago, the Arabian Peninsula was connected to Africa.

Seafloor spreading caused the Arabian and African plates to rift apart.

The Indian Ocean flooded the rift valley between the continents, creating the Red Sea.

Today, Africa and Asia are connected by the triangle of the Sinai Peninsula.

Eventually, the Red Sea Rift will separate Africa and Asia entirely and connect the Mediterranean and Red Seas.

Lake Baikal - Baikal Rift Valley

Lake Baikal, the rift lake over the Baikal Rift Valley in Siberia, is the deepest and oldest freshwater lake in the world.

The deepest parts of Lake Baikal are 1642 meters (5387 ft) and are getting deeper every year.

In addition, over the past 25 million years, layers of soft sediment have accumulated on the lake bed.

The actual floor of the rift valley is more than 5 km deep.

Myanmar is an extremely ethnically diverse nation with 135 distinct ethnic groups.

Ethnic communities officially recognised by the Government of Myanmar are grouped into 8 major national ethnic races:

1) Bamar
2) Chin
3) Kachin
4) Kayin/Karen
5) Kayah/Karenni
6) Mon
7) Arkanese
8) Shan

Unrecognised ethnic groups

Rohingya people
Taungtha people
Burmese Chinese
Panthay
Burmese Indians

Donbas

Donbas or Donets Basin is a large mining and industrial region of southeastern Europe, notable for its large coal reserves.

The coalfield lies in southeastern Ukraine and in the adjoining region of southwestern Russia.

The Donbas Basin has large coal reserves, much of it of high quality.

Of the proved reserves of Donbas, about one-fourth is anthracite coal, concentrated chiefly at the eastern end of the field.

Question 213.

📌 Rio Grande

Rio Grande River flows along the US-Mexico border for nearly 2000 km.

Although snowmelt from the San Juan Mountains of Colorado is a major source of water for the Rio Grande, runoff from northern Mexico also contributes to its flow.

The river serves as part of the natural border between the US state of Texas and the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León, and Tamaulipas.

As in all arid to semiarid regions, the waters of the Rio Grande River are highly sought after. The water division between the U.S. and Mexico is regulated by Treaty.

📌 List of countries by length of coastline

1) Canada's coastline is world's longest, measuring 202,080 km (includes the mainland coast and the coasts of offshore islands)
2) Indonesia (99,083 km)
3) Norway (58,133 km)
4) Greenland* (44,087 km)
5) Russia (37,653 km)
6) Philippines (36,289 km)
7) Japan (29,751 km)
8) Australia (25,760 km)
9) United States (19,924 km)
10) Antarctica* (17,968 km)
11) New Zealand (15, 134 km)
12) China (14,500 km)
13) Greece (13,676 km)
14) United Kingdom (12,429 km)
15) Mexico (9330 km)
16) Italy (7782 km)
17) India (7516km)

Sargasso Sea

The Sargasso Sea is a region of the Atlantic Ocean bounded by four ocean currents forming an ocean gyre.

Unlike all other seas, it has no land boundaries. It is the only sea in the world which has no coast. It is distinguished from other parts of the Atlantic Ocean by its characteristic brown seaweed called Sargassum and often calm blue water.

Sargasso Sea is famous for its floating seaweed that covers large swathes of ocean. But it also boasts an astounding wealth of biodiversity that has earned it the nickname "The Floating Rainforest of the Sea."

North Atlantic Gyre

Sargasso Sea is bounded by
1) Gulf Stream on the west
2) North Atlantic Drift on the north
3) Canary Current on the east
4) North Atlantic Equatorial Current on the south

The four together forming a clockwise-circulating system of ocean currents termed the North Atlantic Gyre.

It is approximately 1,100 km in width by 3,200 km in length.

Bermuda is near the western fringes of the sea.

The four ocean currents deposit the marine plants and refuse which they are carrying into this sea, yet the ocean water in the Sargasso Sea is distinctive for its deep blue color and exceptional clarity, with underwater visibility of up to 61m (200 ft).

5 Important coral reef locations of the world-

Great Barrier Reef - Australia
Belize Barrier Reef Reserve - Caribbean Sea
New Caledonia - South Pacific Ocean
Chagos Archipelago - Indian Ocean
Raja Ampat Islands - Indonesia

New Caledonian barrier reef is located in New Caledonia in South Pacific Ocean.

It is the longest continuous barrier reef in the world and the third largest after the Great Barrier Reef of Australia and the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef

Chagos Archipelago is known for -

1) having the world's largest CORAL ATOLL
2) US Military base at Diego Garcia
3) recent sovereignty dispute between UK and Mauritius

Chagos Archipelago - A Case Study in Rapid Reef Recovery

Chagos represents the rare case where
scientists can examine effects of global climate change in the absence of human influence.

Chagos archipelago is home to the most geographically isolated reef system in the Indian Ocean, in terms of both distance and ocean current patterns. Local human influence is low, as most of the archipelago is uninhabited.

Only the military base on the atoll Diego Garcia is populated.

In April 2010, British government designated the entire Chagos Archipelago as a marine protected area.

Raja Ampat Islands of Indonesia are situated upon the Equator and form a part of the 'Coral Triangle'.

The Raja Ampat archipelago currently holds the title of the world's most diverse marine habitat.

Points to note from today’s News Articles in THE HINDU (16-SEP-2020):

🔎 Home Ministry will soon introduce a Bill to amend 69th CAA, 1991 to give more discretionary powers to Lt. Governor (L-G) of Delhi in matters of All India Services and Anti-corruption Branch (ACB).

Background - What is Art 239AA, the law that defines the powers of L-G and Chief Minister of Delhi ?

Issues related to Art 239AA-
1) Delhi statehood issue
2) Delhi-Centre power tussle

Delhi Govt has power to make laws on all subjects, except public order, police and land.

🔎 How the recent discovery of Phosphine gas on Venus indicates towards the possibility of extra-terrestrial life ?

🔎 After UAE, Bahrain also signs peace deal with Israel under US stewardship.

Bahrain is the 4th Arab country - after Egypt, Jordan and UAE to recognise Israel since it was founded in 1948.

Background - For decades, most Arab countries have boycotted Israel, insisting that they would only establish ties with Israel after Palestinian dispute is settled. Saudi Arabia, the biggest gulf power is still holding out.

🔎 The Aircraft (Amendment) Bill, 2020 has been passed by both the houses of Parliament.

Important provisions -

1) The bill gives statutory powers to Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DCGA), Bureau of Civil Aviation Security and Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority.

2) The bill empowers DCGA to levy enhanced penalties of upto ₹1 Crore from existing ₹10 lakh on airlines, airports and other aviation entities.

🔎 UK has formally handed over 3 antique bronze idols of Rama, Lakshmana and Sita to Tamil Nadu Govt which were stolen and smuggled out of India in 1970s.

Background - What is India Pride Project ?

🔎 Kerala has become the first state in the country to have certified snake handlers who would be trained by Kerala Forest Department in rescuing snakes from human dominated places.

🔎 Atal Tunnel - world's longest high-altitude highway tunnel (9 km long) will be inaugurated by PM at the end of this month. It will provide all weather connectivity to Leh.

What is the strategic significance of Atal Tunnel ?

🔎 Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package Insurance Scheme for health workers has been extended for 180 days.

It is a central sector scheme which provides insurance cover of ₹50 lakh to healthcare providers in direct contact and care of covid patients.

Pantanal - Mato Grosso, Brazil
Everglades - Florida, United States
Okavango Delta - Botswana, Africa

The Pantanal is a natural region encompassing the world's largest tropical wetland area, and the world's largest flooded grasslands.

More than 42 million acres, it sprawls across three South American countries— Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia.

It is the wildlife habitat for caimans, capyparas, jaguars and anacondas. It has the highest density of jaguars in the world.

Less than 5% of the Pantanal is protected. Around 95% of the Pantanal is under private ownership, the majority of which is used for cattle grazing.

The Everglades is 1.5-million-acre wetland preserve in the US state of Florida.

Often compared to a grassy, slow-moving river, the Everglades is made up of coastal mangroves, sawgrass marshes and pine flatwoods, that are home to hundreds of animal species. The ecosystem it forms is not presently found anywhere else on earth.

The Okavango Delta in Botswana is a swampy inland delta formed where the Okavango River reaches a tectonic trough in the central part of the endorheic basin of the Kalahari.

All the water reaching the delta is ultimately evaporated and transpired and does not flow into any sea or ocean.

The Moremi Game Reserve, a National Park, is on the eastern side of the Delta.

Okavango was named as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa.

On 22 June 2014, the Okavango Delta became the 1000th site to be inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Salar De Uyuni is the world's largest salt flat or playa

🌎 LOCATION - BOLIVIA 🌎

Hexagonal formations on the surface of Salar de Uyuni as a result of salt crystallization from evaporating water.

After rain, a thin layer of calm water transforms the flat into the world's largest natural mirror, 129 km across.

The crust serves as a source of salt and covers a pool of brine, which is exceptionally rich in lithium. It contains 50% to 70% of the world's known lithium reserves.

Prime breeding ground for several species of flamingos.

The Salar serves as the major transport route across the Bolivian Altiplano.

The large area, clear skies, and exceptional flatness of the surface make the Salar ideal for calibrating the altimeters of Earth observation satellites.

Patagonia is a region encompassing the vast southernmost tip of South America, shared by Argentina and Chile (mostly it is in Argentina), with the Andes Mountains as its dividing line.

Altiplano or Andean Plateau is the area where the Andes are the widest.

It is the most extensive area of high plateau on Earth outside Tibet.

The bulk of the Altiplano lies in Bolivia, though some parts of it extend to Peru and Argentina also.

Lake Titicaca – The world’s highest navigable lake (3800m) and South America’s largest, is situated on the northern end of the Altiplano, on the border Bolivia's border with Peru.

Mato Grosso is in Brazil, mostly covered with Amazon rainforest, wetlands and savanna type grasslands. It is the gateway to Pantanal wetlands which are home to diverse wildlife, including macaws, caimans and jaguars.

The Argentine side features arid steppes, grasslands and deserts, while the Chilean side has glacial fjords and temperate rainforest.

Katabatic winds are often associated with wildfires. These winds can easily turn a small fire into a conflagration. Wind-driven fires cause catastrophic losses because they tend to encroach more often on the densely populated areas.

Strong, hot and dry winds like Southern California's Santa Ana winds and Northern California's Diablo winds have greatly stoked the wildfires.

GALAPAGOS ISLANDS (ECUADOR)

The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed on either side of the equator in the Pacific Ocean.

Located 906 km west of continental Ecuador, the islands are known for their large number of rare and endemic species, not found anywhere else in the world.

Fauna and flora of Galapagos Islands was studied by Charles Darwin. His observations and collections contributed to the inception of Darwin's Theory of Evolution by means of natural selection.

KASHMIRI RED STAG (HANGUL)

Kashmir Red Stag is commonly known as hangul.

IUCN Status : Critically endangered

It is the only Asiatic survivor or sub-species of the European red deer.

It is known for its giant antlers bearing 11 to 16 points.

DISTRIBUTION AND HABITAT

This deer is endemic to India. It lives in groups of 2 to 18 individuals in dense riverine forests, high valleys and mountains of the Kashmir valley and northern Chamba in Himachal Pradesh.

➡️ It is found mostly in DACHIGAM NATIONAL PARK of Jammu and Kashmir.

It is also found in RAJPARIAN (DAKSUM) WILDLIFE SANCTUARY of Jammu and Kashmir.

It is the official Animal of Jammu and Kashmir.

➡️ It is also reported from GAMGUL WILDLIFE SANCTUARY of Himachal Pradesh.

Predation : Brown bear, snow leopard and Himalayan black bear are it’s main predators.

Grass Cutting : The locals tend to cut much grass for their domesticated animals at the cost of the food of the Kashmir stag.

The IUCN Red Data Book has listed the Hangul as one of three species that are critically endangered and at the risk of extinction in J&K.

The other two species are :

1⃣ The Markhor — the world’s largest species of wild goat found in Kashmir and several regions of central Asia.

2⃣ The Tibetan antelope or ‘Chiru’.

Saras Crane is the world's tallest flying bird, standing at a height up to 1.8 m (5 ft 11 in).

Question 565.

SARAS CRANE

Sarus Crane is a large non-migratory crane found in parts of the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and Australia.

IUCN Status : Vulnerable

Habitat : Natural wetlands with low water depth, marshy and fallow areas and agricultural fields.

It is easily distinguished from other cranes in the region by its overall grey colour and the contrasting red head and upper neck.

The Saras pair builds an enormous nest "island" during the rainy season, a circular platform of reeds and grasses nearly 2 m in diameter and high enough to stay above the shallow water surrounding it.

Saras Crane is the state bird of Uttar Pradesh.

Tierra Del Fuego ➡️ Chile + Argentina

Kuril Islands ➡️ Russia

Nova Scotia ➡️ Canada

Newfoundland ➡️ Canada

TIERRA DEL FEUGO (CHILE-ARGENTINA)

Tierra del Fuego is an archipelago at South America’s southernmost tip, shared by Chile and Argentina.

Known as the world’s final frontiers, Tierra Del Feugo is home to the town of Ushuaia, located at the very tip of South America.

Ushuaia is known as ‘The end of the world’ and the gateway to Antarctica.

KURIL ISLANDS (RUSSIA)

Kuril Islands is an archipelago in Sakhalin province of far-eastern Russia.

The archipelago extends for 1,200 km from the southern tip of the Kamchatka Peninsula of Russia to the northeastern corner of Hokkaido island of Japan and separates the Sea of Okhotsk from the Pacific Ocean.

There are 56 islands and many minor rocks. It consists of the Greater Kuril Chain and the Lesser Kuril Chain.

Japan stakes partial claim to southernmost islands.

NOVA SCOTIA (CANADA)

Nova Scotia is a province of Canada. It is latin for "New Scotland".

It borders the Bay of Fundy which is known for world's highest tides.

BAY OF FUNDY - WORLD'S HIGHEST TIDES

Twice each day, 160 billion tonnes of seawater flow in and out of the Bay of Fundy — more than the combined flow of the world’s freshwater rivers!

Tides in the Bay of Fundy coastal zone reach a peak of around 16 m (50′) — the height of a 5-storey building.

The Bay of Fundy’s tides transform the shorelines, tidal flats and exposed sea bottom as they flood into the bay and its harbours and estuaries.

NEWFOUNDLAND (CANADA)

Newfoundland is a large island off the east coast of the North American mainland.

Newfoundland and Labrador form the most easterly province of Canada.

Newfoundland Island is the most populous part of Newfoundland and Labrador.

It blocks the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River, creating the Gulf of Saint Lawrence, the world's largest estuary.

Grand Banks along the coast of Newfoundland is one of the richest fishing grounds of the world.

GRAND BANKS OF NEWFOUNDLAND

Grand Banks of Newfoundland is the meeting point of the cold Labrador current and the warm Gulf Stream.

The mixing of these waters and the shape of the ocean bottom lifts nutrients to the surface (upwelling), causes extreme foggy conditions.

These conditions help to create one of the richest fishing grounds in the world.

Fish species include Atlantic cod, swordfish, haddock and capelin and shellfish including scallop and lobster.

INDONESIA

It consists of more than 17,000 islands.

It is world's fourth-most populous country and the most populous Muslim-majority country.

MAJOR ISLANDS AND PROVINCES OF INDONESIA

JAVA - world's most populous island. Indonesia's capital, Jakarta is located on Java.

SUMATRA - largest island of Indonesian archipelago

KALIMANTAN (Indonesian Borneo) - 73% of Borneo

SULAWESI (Celebes) - The Strait of Makassar separates it from Borneo

BALI - it is an island province of Indonesia

WESTERN NEW GUINEA (also known as Papua) is governed by Indonesia.

NEW GUINEA

New Guinea is the world's second-largest island.

It is the largest island in the Southern Hemisphere.

Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, it is separated by the 150 Km wide Torres Strait from the Australian continent.

New Guinea = Papua New Guinea (independent country) + Western New Guinea/Papua (governed by Indonesia)

The eastern half of the island is the independent country Papua New Guinea.

The western half, known as Western New Guinea or West Papua, forms a part of Indonesia and is organized as the provinces of Papua and West Papua.

IAS PANTI, [16-02-2021 03:34 PM]
🌍 WORLD'S LARGEST ISLANDS 🌏

1⃣ Greenland (Denmark)

2⃣ New Guinea (Papua New Guinea + Western New Guinea)

3⃣ Borneo (Indonesia + Malaysia + Brunei)

4⃣ Madagascar (African island country)

5⃣ Baffin Island (Canada)

6⃣ Sumatra (Indonesia)

7⃣ Honshu (Japan)

8⃣ Victoria Island (Canada)

9⃣ Great Britain (largest island of the British Isles)

🔟 Ellesmere Island (Canada)

🌍 WORLD'S LARGEST ISLAND COUNTRIES 🌏

1⃣ Indonesia

2⃣ Madagascar

3⃣ Papua New Guinea

4⃣ Japan

5⃣ Malaysia

6⃣ Philippines

7⃣ New Zealand

8⃣ Great Britain

9⃣ Cuba

🔟 Iceland

NOTE: Great Britain is an island that combines the countries of England, Scotland and Wales.

It is a part of the country "The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland," commonly referred to as the UK.

The map above demonstrates the difference between the British Isles, United Kingdom(UK), Great Britain and England.

Great Britain = England + Scotland + Wales
👇
UK = Great Britain + Northern Ireland
👇
British Isles = UK + Ireland

See the above Venn Diagram Map,
England < Great Britain < UK < British Isles