Places in News

Summary

Announced on 3 August 2026, Glaw Lake is India's 101st Ramsar site and Arunachal Pradesh's first. The 129-ha freshwater lake sits inside Kamlang Tiger Reserve in Lohit district and helps regulate the Kamlang River.

Why it matters

• India's 101st Ramsar site and Arunachal's first
• a high-altitude Eastern Himalayas wetland inside a tiger reserve
• India has risen from 26 Ramsar sites in 2014 to 101

Summary

Inscribed on 25 July 2026 at UNESCO's 48th World Heritage Committee session in Busan, the Ancient Buddhist Site of Sarnath became India's 45th World Heritage Site. The serial property covers Chaukhandi Stupa and the archaeological remains, including Dhamek Stupa and the Ashokan pillar.

Why it matters

• India's 45th World Heritage Site (sixth globally)
• site of the Buddha's first sermon (Dharmachakra Pravartana)
• the Lion Capital from Sarnath is India's National Emblem

Summary

A shallow M7.3 quake off Chiapas on the Middle America Trench triggered Pacific tsunami warnings; observed waves were about 0.3 m at Puerto Madero. No fatalities.

Why it matters

• Cocos Plate subducting beneath North America along the Middle America Trench
• a Ring of Fire megathrust case
• tsunami warning with modest wave heights is a depth-and-distance lesson