Current Affairs 16 April 2026
Amazon Rainforests
- It is the world’s largest rainforest located in South America in the Amazon River Basin.
- It spans across Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana (an overseas territory of France).
- Often called the ‘Lungs of the Earth’, it is the most biologically diverse place on Earth, holding over 10% of all known plant and animal species.
Harvest Festivals and New Years
- Baisakhi – Punjab and Haryana
- Bohag Bihu- Assamese New Year
- Meshadi Puthandu- Tamil New Year
- Vishu – Kerala New Year
- Pana Sankranti- Odia New Year
- Cheiraoba- Lunar new year in Manipur
- Poila Boishakh- Bengali New Year
Panna Tiger Reserve
- It is a National Park, Tiger Reserve and a Biosphere Reserve.
- Core constitutes: Kenghariyal Sanctuary and Panna (Ganga) Sanctuary.
- Location: Panna and Chhatarpur District of Madhya Pradesh (Vindhya Hills).
- Vegetation: Dry deciduous forest along with grassland.
- River Ken: Flows from South to North.
- Fauna: Tiger, leopard, nilgai, chinkara, chousinga.
- Flora: Teak, Kardhai forestMadhuca indica etc.
Andaman Sea
- Location: Northeast Indian Ocean.
- It is bounded by Myanmar (north/east), Thailand & Malaysia (east), Sumatra (south), Andaman & Nicobar Islands (west).
- Economic Significance: Important for Fisheries, limited minerals (tin deposits), and ports (Yangon).
- Strategic significance: Part of the maritime route through the Strait of Malacca.
Ghaggar River
- Overview: It is an intermittent river in India and Pakistan that flows only during the monsoon season.
- The river is known as Ghaggar before the Ottu barrage and as the Hakra downstream of the barrage.
- Origin: It originates in the village of Dagshai in the Shivalik Hills of Himachal Pradesh.
- It flows through the states of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.
- Tributaries: Kaushalya, Jhajra.
- Significance: Many archaeologists identify Ghaggar with the Vedic Saraswati River while Harappan sites such as Kalibangan, Cholistan are found along the bed of the River.
Garo Hills
- Location: It is located in western part of Meghalaya State.
- People and Culture: Predominantly Inhabited by Garos tribes.
- Garos tribe is a matrilineal society belonging to the Bodo family of the Tibeto-Burman race tribes.
- These are the second largest tribe after the Khasis in Meghalaya.
- Significance: Garo Hills Conservation Area forms the western most limit of the Indo Malayan Biodiversity Hotspots.