GK (Geography)

Forest Research Institute is located in Dehradun.

Venus is the planet that comes nearest to Earth. At its closest approach (inferior conjunction), Venus can be approximately 38 million kilometers from Earth. While Mercury can sometimes be closer than Venus, Venus has the closest minimum distance of all the planets listed.

Correct option is (2). 

The Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary is located in the Little Rann of Kutch, Gujarat. It was established in 1972 to protect the endangered Indian wild ass (Equus hemionus khur), also known as the ghudkhur. This sanctuary spans nearly 5,000 square kilometers of salt marshes and grasslands.

Earth reaches aphelion (maximum distance from the Sun) around July 4th each year. At this point, Earth is approximately 152.1 million kilometers from the Sun. Conversely, perihelion (closest approach) occurs in early January when Earth is about 147.1 million kilometers from the Sun.

Correct option is (3). 

A solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between Earth and the Sun, casting its shadow on Earth's surface. This can only happen during a new moon phase when the Moon is at or near one of its orbital nodes (points where the Moon's orbit crosses the ecliptic plane).

Mathura is located on the banks of the Yamuna River in Uttar Pradesh. It is an ancient city with religious significance in Hinduism. Kanpur and Lucknow are situated on the Ganges River, while Cuttack is on the Mahanadi River in Odisha.

Cairo is located on the banks of the Nile River in Egypt. Tokyo is in Japan, Paris is on the Seine River in France, and Ottawa is on the Ottawa River in Canada.

The Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) is located in Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), Kerala. Sriharikota hosts the Satish Dhawan Space Centre launch site. Digboi is known for oil and Bangalore is ISRO headquarters.

The Pacific Ocean is the largest ocean on Earth, covering about 63 million square miles. The Atlantic is second, Indian Ocean is third, and the Arctic Ocean is the smallest and shallowest.

Arunachal Pradesh has over 90% of its geographical area under forest cover, making it India's most forested state. Himalayan states like Arunachal, Himachal, and Uttarakhand have significant forest cover but Arunachal leads.

The Narmada River flows between the Satpura Range to the north and the Vindhya Range to the south. It is one of the major west-flowing rivers of peninsular India. Mahanadi, Krishna, and Ganga flow eastward.

Tamil Nadu lies in the rain shadow area of the Western Ghats during the southwest monsoon (June-September). The moisture-laden winds shed most of their rainfall on the western side (Kerala), leaving Tamil Nadu relatively dry.

Cuba has historically been called the 'Sugar Bowl of the World' due to its vast sugarcane plantations and sugar production, which formed the backbone of its economy for much of its history.

Eskimos (Inuit, Yupik, and related peoples) live in the Arctic regions around the North Pole, including Greenland, northern Canada, Alaska, and Siberia. They do not inhabit Antarctica (South Pole) or deserts.

The Bhakra Dam has a height of 226 metres (741 feet) above its foundation. It is one of India's highest gravity dams, built across the Sutlej River in Himachal Pradesh.

The Roman civilization was founded on the banks of the Tiber River in central Italy. Rome's legendary founding dates to 753 BCE along the Tiber, which provided water, transportation, and fertile soil for agricultural development.

Wells and tube wells are the largest source of irrigation in India, covering about 45-50% of irrigated area. Canals are second (around 30-35%), followed by tanks and other sources. Wells provide critical irrigation in areas where canal networks are less developed.

Deodar (Cedrus deodara) is a high-altitude conifer found in the Himalayan region, typically growing at elevations between 1500-3000 meters. This places it firmly in the alpine forest zone, not in tropical or scrubland forests at lower elevations.

The McMahon Line is the demarcation line between India and China (Tibet), agreed upon in the 1914 Simla Convention. It represents the boundary between British India (now Arunachal Pradesh) and Tibet, and remains a disputed border between India and China.