March 2026
In short: India's places in the news and physical geography this month — distilled for SI/Constable Prelims.
Current Affairs — India › Geography · 16 min read · Free to read · English & Telugu
Bilingual study notes for the Andhra Pradesh Police SI & Constable exams (SLPRB AP) by AP Police Hub, a product of Anvil Academy.
March 2026's places-in-the-news round-up — the Lipulekh and Shipki La border-trade passes reopening, Kolleru Lake's ecological decline, a Godavari-estuary turtle rescue at Coringa, Devon Island's Mars-analogue research, the West Asia conflict's chokepoints (Hormuz, Ras Laffan, Fujairah, Diego Garcia), a world tour of ten major straits, the ISRO study that traced the 2025 Dharali flash flood to a collapsing Himalayan ice patch, and the Rossby-wave link behind rising humid heatwaves.
March 2026 — At a Glance
March 2026's Geography content, as usual, is scattered across 'places in the news' boxes rather than a dedicated section — but the month's maps were unusually rich. At home, India's border-trade passes were back in focus as Lipulekh and Shipki La prepared to reopen for trade with China, while Kolleru Lake's decades-long ecological decline, a mass Olive Ridley turtle rescue at Coringa, and a new Reserved Forest near Assam's Burachapori Sanctuary made genuine geography news. Globally, the West Asia conflict repeatedly touched strategic straits and energy chokepoints — the Strait of Hormuz, Qatar's Ras Laffan, the UAE's Fujairah — while Devon Island's Mars-analogue terrain, a magnitude-7.6 quake near Tonga, and another near Antarctica's South Shetland Islands rounded out the physical geography. A special feature toured ten of the world's most important straits, and fresh Himalayan science linked the 2025 Dharali flash flood to a collapsing glacial ice patch — a genuinely new class of mountain hazard.
1. India — Places in the News
- Lipulekh Pass, Uttarakhand — Cross-border trade between India and China through this pass in Pithoragarh district is set to resume in June 2026. Located in Kumaon, at the India-Nepal-China trijunction, altitude ~5,334 m; connects India with Tibet; opened for trade in 1992; also on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra route.
- Gurudongmar Lake, Sikkim — Tourism to this high-altitude lake in North Sikkim is reviving after over two years of disruption from the South Lhonak Lake GLOF, which damaged road infrastructure. Altitude ~5,430 m (one of the world's highest lakes), near the Tibet border; glacier-fed, linked to the Teesta basin; sacred to Buddhists, Sikhs and Hindus; partially unfrozen even in winter.
- Burachapori Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam — The Assam government is planning a new Reserved Forest adjacent to this sanctuary in Sonitpur district, on the south bank of the Brahmaputra. Part of the Laokhowa-Burachapori landscape; habitat of alluvial grasslands, wetlands and forests; sub-tropical monsoon climate.
- Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh — Madhya Pradesh's largest tiger reserve is set to become the third home of cheetahs in India, spread across Sagar, Damoh and Narsinghpur districts. Comprises the Nauradehi and Durgavati Wildlife Sanctuaries; named after the Gond queen Rani Durgavati; spans the Narmada and Ganga river basins; dry deciduous forest habitat.
- Mundra Port, Gujarat — The Indian-flagged tanker 'Jag Laadki', carrying ~80,886 MT of crude oil, arrived here amid the West Asia conflict. Located on the Gulf of Kutch; India's largest private and container port, operated by Adani Ports; an SEZ, all-weather port with the largest coal import terminal and rail connectivity.
- Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary, Andhra Pradesh — Wildlife officials rescued nearly 20,000 Olive Ridley Turtle eggs on Hope Island here. Located at the Godavari estuary; a mangrove ecosystem and Olive Ridley turtle nesting coast.
- Kolleru Lake, Andhra Pradesh — Environmental activists report a sustained, measurable decline in this lake's ecological health over the last 50 years. Located between the Krishna-Godavari deltas; a shallow freshwater lake and flood buffer, fed by four rivers (Budameru, Ramileru, Tammileru, Errakalva), draining to the Bay of Bengal via the 'Upputeru' outlet; declared a wildlife sanctuary in 1999 and a wetland of international importance (Ramsar Site) in 2002.
- Aghanashini River, Karnataka — UNESCO advised the Centre that the Aghanashini-Vedavathi river-linking project must comply with World Heritage Conservation norms. Originates at Gadihalli (Sirsi), altitude 676 m, in the Western Ghats; mouth at Tadri (Arabian Sea); its estuary is a designated Ramsar Site; tributaries include Donihalla and Benne Hole; notable falls include Burude, Dabbe and Unchalli.
- Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu — Tamil Nadu informed the Madras High Court that illegal resorts in this reserve's eco-sensitive zone have been sealed. At the Eastern-Western Ghats junction; part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, contiguous with the Mudumalai and Bandipur Tiger Reserves; rivers Bhavani, Moyar and Noyyal flow through it; home to the Irula and Kurumba tribes.
2. International — Places in the News
- Devon Island, Canadian Arctic — NASA used this island to study Mars, since its barren, freezing polar-desert conditions allow testing of next-generation rovers. The world's largest uninhabited island; climate polar desert (-50°C winters, short summers); features the Haughton Crater, a meteor-impact site.
- Litani River, Lebanon — Israeli airstrikes destroyed the Qasmiyeh Bridge, a key crossing over this river. Originates west of Baalbek, flows southwestward through the Bekaa Valley between the Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon mountains, bends west near Marjayoun, then falls into the Mediterranean Sea south of Sidon; dammed at Qaraoun; important for irrigation, water supply and hydropower.
- South Pars Gas Field, Iran — The world's largest known natural gas reserve, near Assaluyeh in the Persian Gulf, came under Israeli attack this month. Shared with Qatar's North Field (Iran holds ~1/3 share); scale ~9,700 sq km, ~1,800 trillion cubic feet reserves; supplies 70-80% of Iran's domestic natural gas.
- Qeshm Island, Iran — Iran's Foreign Minister accused the US of attacking a desalination plant here. In the Persian Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, separated from the Iranian coast by the Clarence Strait; the largest island in the Persian Gulf (~1,491 sq km — larger than Bahrain).
- Ras Laffan, Qatar — Iran's attack on Qatar's Ras Laffan Industrial City caused global oil and gas prices to soar. In northeast Qatar (~80 km from Doha); the world's largest LNG export hub (~295 sq km), linked to the North Field, supplying ~20% of global LNG — a key supplier to Europe and Asia.
- Fujairah, UAE — A day after drone-debris damage and a fire, this UAE port resumed oil-loading operations. In the Gulf of Oman, outside the Strait of Hormuz; a major global oil and bunkering hub, the 4th-largest ship-refuelling port (after Singapore, Rotterdam, Zhoushan); exports ~1.7 million barrels/day; connected via the Abu Dhabi Crude Oil Pipeline (ADCOP) which bypasses Hormuz.
- Diego Garcia, Chagos Archipelago — One of only two major bomber bases in the Indo-Pacific (the other being Guam), in the central Indian Ocean, ~3,000 km from both the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Malacca Strait; operated jointly by the US and UK. In May 2025, the UK transferred sovereignty of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius but leased the base back for 99 years (£101 million annually), following a 2019 ICJ ruling.
- Tonga, South Pacific — A strong magnitude-7.6 earthquake struck near Tonga this month. A Polynesian archipelago of 169 islands in three main groups — Tongatapu (south), Ha'apai (centre) and Vava'u (north); capital Nuku'alofa (Tongatapu); highest point Kao Island (Ha'apai group).
- South Shetland Islands, Antarctica — A magnitude-6.7 earthquake struck this volcanic archipelago. Discovered in 1819 by William Smith (UK); active volcanism, key island Deception Island (a flooded caldera); ~80% glaciated; no permanent residents — only seasonal research stations.
3. Physical Geography Special: Straits, Glaciers & Climate
The Recital carried a special world-tour feature on international straits — a genuinely geographic theme (chokepoints, connectivity, strategic control) useful well beyond this month's news cycle — while fresh Himalayan glacier science and a climate-pattern study rounded out the month's physical geography.
Major international straits| Strait | Key fact |
|---|
| Strait of Gibraltar | Between Spain and Morocco, separating Europe from Africa; connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea; narrow (~14 km), a major naval chokepoint. |
| Dardanelles Strait | Turkey; connects the Aegean Sea to the Sea of Marmara; part of the Turkish Straits system (with the Bosphorus); governed by the Montreux Convention (1936). |
| Bosphorus Strait | Istanbul, Turkey; connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara; divides Europe and Asia; one of the busiest waterways, vital for Russia-Ukraine trade. |
| Kerch Strait | Between Russia and Crimea; connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov; site of the Kerch Bridge; strategically important in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. |
| Strait of Hormuz | Iran to the north, Oman/UAE to the south; connects the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman; ~20% of global oil trade passes through — the world's most critical oil chokepoint. |
| Bab-el-Mandeb Strait | Yemen (Arabian Peninsula)-Djibouti/Eritrea; connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, leading to the Suez Canal; a trade chokepoint, prone to piracy and conflict. |
| Palk Strait | India-Sri Lanka; connects the Bay of Bengal to the Gulf of Mannar; features Adam's Bridge (Ram Setu); shallow, limiting large vessels. |
| Strait of Malacca | Between Malaysia and Indonesia; connects the Indian Ocean to the South China Sea; the busiest global shipping lane, critical for Asia's energy trade, a piracy hotspot. |
| Sunda Strait | Between Java and Sumatra, Indonesia; connects the Java Sea to the Indian Ocean; an alternative route to the Malacca Strait. |
| Taiwan Strait | China-Taiwan; connects the South China Sea to the East China Sea; ~130-180 km wide; a major geopolitical hotspot and key trade route. |
The 2025 Dharali flash flood: a new class of Himalayan hazard
- What — An ISRO study found the 2025 Dharali flash flood, Uttarakhand, was caused by the sudden collapse of an exposed ice patch in the Srikanta Glacier's nivation zone — not a cloudburst or a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) as first assumed. The collapse is linked to deglaciation in the Himalaya, expanding the recognised range of glacier-related hazards.
- Nivation — Defined as the erosion of the ground beneath and around a snow bank, primarily from alternate freezing and thawing — the study identifies exposed ice patches (distinct from glacial lakes) as an under-recognised risk from glacier melt.
- ICIMOD report — Hindu Kush Himalaya glacier melting — The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) found glacier melting across the Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH) has doubled since 2000; the region lost 12% of glacier area and 9% of ice reserves between 1990-2020. The Ganga and Brahmaputra basins saw the steepest declines (21% and 16% area loss), while the Karakoram range stayed relatively stable (2% loss); glaciers smaller than 0.5 sq km are shrinking fastest.
Shipki La Pass and the Rossby-wave heatwave link
- Shipki La Pass, Himachal Pradesh — India-China trade will resume from 1 June 2026 through this pass — one of three designated trading points along with Lipulekh (Uttarakhand) and Nathu La (Sikkim), re-agreed in 2025 after disruption from the Doklam standoff and COVID-19. Connects India with Tibet; earlier known as Pema La ('Shared Pass'); the Sutlej River enters India here.
- Rossby waves and rising humid heatwaves — A study finds rising sea-surface temperatures in coastal waters are driving a 50-64% rise in humid heatwaves over land, worsened by atmospheric Rossby wave trains — huge, westward-undulating atmospheric movements triggered by Earth's rotation and ocean-land temperature differences. Stalled Rossby winds trap hot, humid air, raising the wet-bulb temperature (the lowest temperature air can reach by evaporative cooling) — above 31.5°C, the human body can no longer cool itself by sweating.