PLACES IN NEWS 9th SEPTEMBER 2025

1. Nepal

Why in the News?

1. Nepal witnessed massive youth-led protests after the government imposed a sweeping social media ban, leaving at least 19 dead and over 300 injured.
2. Demonstrations spread across major cities like Kathmandu, Pokhara, and Dharan, with protesters denouncing corruption, nepotism, and misgovernance.
3. The Oli government revoked the ban late at night amid nationwide outrage, following the resignation of Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak.
4. Civil society condemned the state’s violent crackdown, comparing it to King Gyanendra’s regime nearly two decades ago.

About Nepal

1. Location: A landlocked country in South Asia, sharing borders with China in the north and India on the south, east, and west.
2. Borders with India: Extends for about 1,850 km, adjoining Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
3. Capital: Kathmandu, popularly called the “City of Temples”.
4. Language: Nepali is the official language.
5. Mountains: Hosts 8 of the 10 tallest peaks on Earth, including Mount Everest (8,849 m), the world’s highest mountain.
6. Geography:
   1. Divided into three main regions: Terai Plains (Madhesh), Hill Region (Pahad), and the Mountain Region (Himal).
   2. Around 75% of the country is mountainous.
   3. The Terai Plains are low, fertile lands running along the southern border with India.
7. Drainage System:
   1. Kathmandu Valley: Drained by the Bagmati River, known for religious importance and aquifers.
   2. Pokhara Valley: Fed by the Seti River, with Phewa Lake and surrounded by the Annapurna Massif.
   3. Major Rivers: Kosi, Narayani (Gandak), and Karnali; used for hydropower projects in collaboration with India.
   4. Major Lakes: Rara, Phewa, and Tilicho.
8. Wildlife:
   1. Terai forests shelter endangered species like Bengal tiger, rhinoceros, elephant, gaur, and swamp deer.
   2. The Lesser Rapti Valley is a notable habitat for the one-horned rhinoceros.

2. Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary

Why in the News?

1. The Supreme Court has stayed all developmental activities in proposed tiger reserve areas of Goa, including Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary.
2. The stay comes while hearing Goa govt’s plea against a 2023 Bombay HC order directing notification of Mhadei and surrounding sanctuaries as a tiger reserve.
3. SC has referred the matter to the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) and sought a report within two weeks.
4. Goa govt argues that declaring the sanctuaries as a 1,000 sq km tiger reserve would place nearly one-third of the state under protected area.
5. Conservationists counter that the proposed reserve lies within existing sanctuaries and does not require fresh land acquisition or relocation.

About Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary

1. Located in North Goa within the Western Ghats, the sanctuary covers an area of about 208 sq. km and is named after the Mhadei River flowing through it.
2. It features scenic waterfalls, including the Vazra Sakla Falls and Virdi Falls, and houses Goa’s highest peaks – Sonsogod (1027 m), Talvche Sada (812 m), and Vagheri (725 m).
3. Flora:
   1. The forests are mainly semi-evergreen and moist deciduous, with species like teak, sal, bamboo, medicinal plants, and orchids.
   2. The sanctuary is also noted for its sacred groves, which safeguard rare and indigenous trees.
4. Fauna:
   1. It hosts rich wildlife, including Bengal tiger, black panther, leopard, sloth bear, gaur (Indian bison), and several deer species.
   2. A hotspot for herpetologists, it harbors all of India’s “big four” venomous snakes – Indian krait, Russell’s viper, saw-scaled viper, and spectacled cobra.
   3. Over 250 bird species thrive here, such as the Malabar trogon, great pied hornbill, and Nilgiri wood pigeon, many endemic to the Western Ghats.
   4. The cliffs near Vazra Falls serve as nesting grounds for the critically endangered long-billed vulture.