Background
Nigeria has a land area of 923,768 square kilometres. The country's official portal records that on the west and north it is bordered by the Republics of Benin and Niger respectively, that on the east it adjoins the Cameroon Republic, and that the Gulf of Guinea lies to the south. The Niger and the Benue are its principal rivers, the Benue being the Niger's largest tributary. In the east the Cameroon Highlands rise to the highest point in the country, Chappal Waddi, at 2,419 metres. Nigeria has a tropical climate with variable rainy and dry seasons depending on location. The portal groups the country's states in six regions: North Central, North East, North West, South West, South East and South South.
Land area:
923,768 sq km
Highest point:
Chappal Waddi, 2,419 m
Principal rivers:
the Niger and the Benue
Neighbour to the west:
Republic of Benin
Neighbour to the north:
Republic of Niger
Sea to the south:
Gulf of Guinea
Why it matters for exams: Nigeria's land area, its highest point and the Niger-Benue pair are the standing geography facts an aspirant is asked, and they frame the Niger bridge and Niger Delta stories now in the news.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Chappal Waddi Chappal Waddi — The highest point in Nigeria, at 2,419 metres in the Cameroon Highlands in the east of the country.
Tributary Tributary — A river that flows into a larger river; the Benue is the Niger's largest tributary.
Background
Lakshadweep's tuna and seaweed plans are built on a water area out of all proportion to its land, as the Union Territory's own Department of Fisheries page sets out.
The lagoon area is 4,200 sq km, the territorial waters 20,000 sq km and the Exclusive Economic Zone 4,00,000 sq km.
The coastline is about 132 km.
Tuna is the primary fishery resource of the islands, and more than 300 ornamental reef fish species live in the lagoons.
The Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services issues Potential Fishing Zone advisories by SMS, mobile apps and display boards.
Wave rider buoys support ocean state forecasts, and a Vessel Communication and Support System tracks vessels by satellite.
Lagoon area:
4,200 sq km
Territorial waters:
20,000 sq km
Exclusive Economic Zone:
4,00,000 sq km
Coastline:
about 132 km
Why it matters for exams: Examiners pair the small land area of Lakshadweep with its very large EEZ, and ask which agency issues Potential Fishing Zone advisories.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
INCOIS Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services — A Hyderabad-based centre under the Ministry of Earth Sciences that issues ocean state and Potential Fishing Zone advisories.
Lagoon Coral lagoon — The shallow sheltered water enclosed by a coral reef around an atoll.
16 October 2026
The European Space Agency published an image of part of West Antarctica captured by Copernicus Sentinel-3 on 30 September 2026. At this time of year winter is coming to an end in the southern hemisphere and the sea ice is at its annual maximum extent, reaching as far as the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, which is visible in the central part of the image. The image shows an area of about 1200 km by 1700 km on the periphery of the Antarctic continent, whose main landmass is about 4500 km across. Elephant Island, about 50 km in length, is clearly visible against ice-free ocean on the left-hand side of the image and lies about 930 km from the tip of Argentina's Tierra del Fuego. According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, sea ice for Antarctica's winter season most likely peaked on 14 September 2026. The image shows sea ice engulfing the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula as well as part of the Weddell Sea to the east of the peninsula, with a variety of textures reflecting different types of ice, including tightly packed sea ice and large floes comparable in size to Elephant Island that break down into smaller pieces forming swirling shapes in the ocean.
Satellite:
Copernicus Sentinel-3
Image date:
30 September 2026
Area shown:
about 1200 km by 1700 km
Antarctic landmass:
about 4500 km across
Elephant Island length:
about 50 km
Sea ice peak:
most likely 14 September 2026, according to the NSIDC
Why it matters for exams: Antarctic sea ice maximum, the Weddell Sea, Elephant Island and the Copernicus Sentinel series are standard physical geography and space-application facts.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
Sentinel-3 Copernicus Sentinel-3 — A European Union Earth observation satellite mission operated with ESA that monitors ocean and land surfaces.
NSIDC National Snow and Ice Data Center — A research centre that monitors and reports sea ice extent in the Arctic and Antarctic.
16 October 2026
The UN human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine verified that at least 328 civilians were killed and 2,105 injured in September, 85 per cent more than in September 2025. Casualties were recorded across 22 regions and the city of Kyiv, where civilians were killed or injured on 22 of the month's 30 days, more often than in any month since the start of the full-scale invasion. On the night of 6 to 7 October a cruise missile and drone attack killed 22 civilians and injured 45 in Pryluky, Chernihiv region. Danielle Bell, head of the monitoring mission, said the first two weeks of October were among the deadliest periods for civilians in years. On 13 and 14 October strikes hit multiple energy facilities including Kyiv's three main power stations, temporarily leaving 600,000 people in the capital without electricity, according to Ukrainian authorities. The International Organization for Migration said some 1.45 million returnees now live in frontline districts, that during the last cold season only 32 per cent of households could heat their homes adequately, and that around 2.1 million older people live alone in apartment buildings. Less than seven per cent of IOM's crisis response plan for Ukraine this year has been funded. Separately, the eighth localised ceasefire brokered by the International Atomic Energy Agency began on Thursday to allow repairs to a damaged backup transformer at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant.
Civilians killed in September:
at least 328
Civilians injured in September:
2,105
Rise over September 2025:
85 per cent
Kyiv residents left without power:
600,000
Monitoring mission head:
Danielle Bell
Why it matters for exams: The UN human rights monitoring mission's verified casualty figures and the IAEA's localised ceasefires around Zaporizhzhya are the measurable facts examiners use on this conflict.
Kerala PSCUPSC
In plain words
IOM International Organization for Migration — The UN agency for migration, which assists displaced people and returnees.
IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency — The UN-linked nuclear watchdog, which has brokered localised ceasefires for repairs at the Zaporizhzhya plant.