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GK General Information

Posted on by Ikram Malik

GENERAL INFORMATION

  1. US territory

Mount McKinley is in the Alaskan region of Denali,

Death Valley is in Eastern California and is a desert,

Appalachians are mountain ranges in eastern side of North America and the highest peak in the Appalachian Mountains is Mount Mitchell.

Clark Glacier in Alaska on Mount Abbe. It is 8 miles long.

  1. Old name of Taiwan Formosa

Formosa means “beautiful island” and this name was given to Taiwan by the Portuguese who discovered the island in 1542.

  1. Trout Lake is in Ontario, Canada and receives many visitors that go there for fishing. The fish found in the lake are Trout, Musky, Largemouth Bass, Panfish, Walleye Smallmouth Bass, and Northern Pike.
  2. Statue of Liberty

It was gifted to mark the friendship and good relations between the two nations at the time of the American Revolution. The idea was proposed by a French political thinker, Edouard de Laboulaye. He appointed Auguste Bartholdi to sculpt the statue. Moreover, the man who built the Eiffel Tower – Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel – helped out in carving a steel frame for the statue. The construction was finished, and the statue was erected in 1886 and presented to President Grover Cleveland – the President of US at the time.

At the time the statue was called “Liberty Enlightening the World”, but the word ‘liberty’ had some negative connotations attached to it at the time – it meant uprising and revolt. But that is not the message the French wanted to convey, rather they wanted to convey a message of liberty that is about democracy, justice and liberty/freedom.

  1. Government Economic Policies

These are used to reach the macroeconomic goals of a country.

Fiscal Policy is about the revenue collected and expenditure of a government.

Monetary Policy deals with the interest rates that are used by banks for short-term borrowings from other banks, managing inflation, supply of money, stabilize prices and currency.

  1. Famous Bazaars of the World
  • Khan Al-Khalili (Cairo, Egypt)
  • Tsukiji Market (Tokyo, Japan)
  • Borough Market (London, England)
  • Grand Bazaar (Istanbul, Turkey)
  • Camden Market (London, England)
  • Kashgar Sunday Bazaar (Kashgar, China)
  • St Lawrence Market (Toronto, Canada)
  • Damnoen Saduak Floating Market (Thailand)
  • Muara Kuin Floating Market (Banjarmasin, Indonesia)
  • Pak Khlong Talad Flower Market (Bangkok, Thailand)
  • Maeklong Railway Market (Maeklong, Thailand)
  • Gold Souk (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)
  • Izmailovsky Market (Moscow, Russia)
  • The Witches’ Market (La Paz, Bolivia)
  • Gypsy Brides Market (Mogila, Bulgaria)
  • Jemaa el-Fnaa (Marrakech, Morocco)
  • Chichicastenango Market (Chichicastenango, Guatemala)
  • Mercado de Sonora (Mexico City, Mexico)

US missile attack on Syria – 2018

On 14th of April 2018, United States in collaboration with the UK and France attacked Syria and stroke them with missiles. Syria was having a civil war at that time. The reason they gave for this missile attack was that since Syria had carried out chemical attacks in the Douma region just a week before this, they had to stop them from proliferating such attacks. The Douma Chemical Attack had killed almost 50 people and the United States blamed the Syrian Army and government for this attack.

  1. World’s hottest and coldest deserts

Antarctic desert is the biggest desert in the world and is a cold desert

Arctic is the second biggest desert and is a cold desert

Sahara is the third biggest desert and is a hot desert.

  1. Most mentioned river in Bible Jordan

It is mentioned most often because it is considered a source of great fertility.

  1. The Greek epic poems “Iliad”, and “Odyssey” – which are the most important part of Greek literature – were written by Homer.
  2. Industrial revolution started with the invention of steam engine. This marked the transition from using human power to machine power. This also set the stage for other things like the power loom spinning mule.
  3. 8th Continent of the world

It is called Zealandia and is situated below New Zealand. This was confirmed in 2017.

  1. Oceania This area includes Australasia, Polynesia, Micronesia and Melanesia.
  2. Andes Mountains longest mountain range

It is 7,200 km long and is spread over several countries: Peru, Chile, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Bolivia.

  1. Biggest and deepest ocean of the world Pacific Ocean

It is the biggest and deepest ocean of the world has the deepest point at a place called Challenger Deep which is 36,200 feet deep. It is the largest ocean basin and is 63 million square miles in area coverage. It also contains more than half of earth’s free water.

  1. Sultan Ahmed Mosque/Blue Mosque Istanbul

It is a mosque from the Ottomon time which was built in 1609 during Sultan Ahmet I’s rule. The architect was Sedefkar Mehmed Agha.

UNESCO

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization was created in 1954 with a focus on preserving and protecting the heritage of different historically and culturally significant sites in the world. This was also done to achieve international cooperation and develop an understanding among people of others’ cultures.

Fashion capitals of the world

  • Milan, Italy
  • Paris, France
  • New York, USA
  • London, England

Deepest Lake of the World Lake Baikal, Siberia

 

Non EU European Countries

  • Bulgaria
  • Romania
  • Croatia
  • Cyprus
  • Ireland
  • United Kingdom

 

Members of the European Union

  • Austria
  • Italy
  • Belgium
  • Latvia
  • Bulgaria
  • Lithuania
  • Croatia
  • Luxembourg
  • Cyprus
  • Malta
  • Czechia
  • Netherlands
  • Denmark
  • Poland
  • Estonia
  • Portugal
  • Finland
  • Romania
  • France
  • Slovakia
  • Germany
  • Slovenia
  • Greece
  • Spain
  • Hungary
  • Sweden
  • Ireland

 

Facts about European Union

  • European Union suspended military assistance to Turkey in 2019 due to Turkey’s offenses in the Syrian Civil War.
  • The United Kingdom ceased to be a member of the European Union after the UK took a vote in 2016 to leave the EU. This event is known as ‘Brexit’.
  • After Brexit, David Cameron stepped down from his post as Prime Minister.
  • He was replaced by Theresa May as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

 

Discoveries by NASA’s

  1. Hubble telescope (used to discover everything else)
  2. Hidden cradles of newborn stars

iii.      Growing galactic metropolis

  1. Largest known ring around Saturn
  2. Buckyballs in space
  3. Blackholes

vii.     Most distant planet

viii.    Map of Milky Way

  1. Seven Earth-size planets around single star

 

The Orbital Velocities of the Planets

Planet Radius of Orbit Relative to that of Earth’s Length of Year Relative to Earth’s Year Orbital Velocity Relative to That of Earth’s
Mercury 0.387 0.2409 1.607
Venus 0.723 0.616 1.174
Earth 1.0 1.0 1.000
Mars 1.524 1.9 0.802
Jupiter 5.203 12.0 0.434
Saturn 9.539 29.5 0.323
Uranus 19.18 84 0.228
Neptune 30.06 165 0.182
Pluto 39.52 248 0.159

Famous Mobile Phone Companies in the world

Brand Country Founding Year
Samsung South Korea 1938
Apple USA 1976
Huawei China 1987
Xiaomi China 2010
Oppo China 2004
LG South Korea 1947
Motorola US 1928
Mobicel South Africa 2007
Lenovo China 1984
Nokia Finland 1865

 

Famous IT companies and their Founders

 

Company Founder(s)
Facebook Mark Zuckerberg
Twitter Jack Dorsey, Noah Glass, Biz Stone, Evan Williams
Apple  Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, Ronald Wayne
Instagram  Facebook, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger
WhatsApp Jan Koum, Brian Acton
Microsoft Bill Gates, Paul Allen
Alibaba Jack Ma
Amazon Jeff Bezos
Flipkart  Binny Bansal, Sachin Bansal
Quora  Adam D’Angelo, Charlie Cheever
Oracle  Larry Ellison, Bob Miner and Ed Oates
Wikipedia Jimmy Wales, Larry Sanger

The first google home delivery drone service was launched in Australia in 2019, after years of test flights.

 

List of Space Organizations / Companies/Agencies

Name Headquarters Year of Establishment
NASA Washington, D. C. United States 1958
United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs Vienna, Austria 1958
United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space Vienna, Austria 1959
Indian Space Research Organization Bengaluru, India 1969
Roscosmos Moscow, Russia 1992
JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Tokyo, Japan 2003
Canadian Space Agency Longueuil, Quebec 1989
German Aerospace Center Cologne, Germany 1959
China National Space Administration Beijing, China 1993
Italian Space Agency Rome, Italy 1988
UK Space Agency Swindon, United Kingdom 2010
Brazilian Space Agency Brasilia, Distrito Federal 1994
The Planetary Society California, United States 1980
Israel Space Agency Tel Aviv, Israel 1983
SUPARCO Karachi, Pakistan 1961

 

Carbon-emitting Nations

In ascending order:

  1. China
  2. United States

iii.      India

  1. Russia
  2. Japan
  3. Germany

vii.     Islamic Republic of Iran

viii.    South Korea

  1. Saudi Arabia
  2. Indonesia

 

Important Newspapers of the World

 

 

Name of Newspaper Country City
The News Pakistan Karachi/Lahore
Jang Pakistan Karachi/Lahore
Express Pakistan Karachi/Lahore
Dawn Pakistan Karachi/Lahore
Nawa-e-Waqt Pakistan Karachi/Lahore
Khabrain Pakistan Karachi/Lahore
Pakistan Today Pakistan Lahore
Ausaf Pakistan Islamabad
Mashriq Pakistan Peshawar
The Express U.K. London
The Mirror U.K. London
The Mail U.K. London
Manchester Guardian U.K. London
The Sunday Times U.K. London
The Economist U.K. London
Daily Express U.K. London
Sunday Telegraph U.K. London
Morning Star U.K. London
Spectator U.K. London
News Statesman U.K. London
The Times U.K. London
Daily Telegraph U.K. London
The Sun U.K. London
Observer U.K. London
Le Monde France Paris
Le Figaro France Paris
New York Times USA New York
Baltimore Sun USA Baltimore
Washington Post USA Washington
International Herald Tribune USA Washington
Washington Evening Star USA Washington
Christian Science USA Washington
Izvestia (Russian Federation) Moscow
Pravada (Russian Federation) Moscow
Red Flag China Beijing
People’s Daily China Beijing
Al Ahram Egypt Cairo
Akhbar EL Yom Egypt Cairo
AI Gomhouria Egypt Cairo
Yediot Aharonot Israel Tel Aviv
Nhan Dan Vietnam Hanoi
Asahi Shimbun Japan Tokyo
The Yomiuri Japan Tokyo
Suara Karya Indonesia Jakarta
Straits Times Singapore Singapore
Eastern Sun Singapore Singapore
The Malay Mali Malaysia Kuala Lumpur
Rising Nepal Nepal Kathmandu
Toronto Star Canada Toronto
Montreal Star Canada Montreal
Australian Australia Canberra
Sydney Morning News Australia Sydney
Ceylon Daily News Sri Lanka Colombo
Statesman Sri Lanka Colombo
Sangbad Bangladesh Dhaka
Janakantha Bangladesh Dhaka
Morning News Bangladesh Dhaka
Banglar Bani Bangladesh Dhaka
Bangladesh Observer Bangladesh Dhaka
Bangladesh Times Bangladesh Dhaka
The Peoples Bangladesh Dhaka
Al Hayat Lebanon Beirut
Al Anwar Lebanon Beirut
Al Nahar Lebanon Beirut
Al Howadess Lebanon Beirut
Al Dastour Lebanon Beirut
Al Massa Lebanon Beirut
Bangkok Post Thailand Bangkok
Kenyan Nation Kenya Nairobi
Frankfurt Allegiance W. Germany Frankfurt
China Times Taiwan Taipeh
Rudo Pravo Czechoslovakia Prague
Neues Deutschland E. Germany Dresden
Berliner Zeitung E. Germany Dresden
Le Europe Italy Rome
L. Unita Italy Rome
Al Sha’ab Algeria Rome
Al Thawara Syria Rome
Akbar-at-Kuwait Kuwait Kuwait

 

News Agencies of the World

 

Press Name Full Name Location
AAP Australian Associated Press Sydney
AASA Agence Arabe Syrienne d’Information Damascus
AE Agency Europe Brussels
AFP Agence France-Presse Paris
AIO Agencia Informativa Orbe De Chile Santiago Chile
AIP Agence Ivoirienne de Presse Abidjan
ALD Agencia Los Diarios Buenos Aires
ALI Agencia Lusa de Informacao Lisbon
AM Agencia Meridional Rio de Janeiro
ANA Athenagence Athens
ANP Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau The Hague
ANSA Agenzia Nazionale Stampa Associate Rome
ANTARA Indonesian National News Agency Jakarta
AN Agencia Nacional Brasilia
APA Austria Presse-Agentur Vienna
APP Agence Parisienne de Presse Paris
APP Associated Press of Pakistan Islamabad
APS Agence de Presse Sénégalaise Dakar
APS Algeria Presse Service Algiers
AP Associated Press New York
ATA Albanian Telegraphic Agency Tirana
AUP Australian United Press Melbourne
BELGA Agency Belga Brussels
BERNAMA Malaysia National News Agency Kuala Lumpur
BOPA Botswana Press Agency Gaborone
BTA Bulgarska Telegrafitscheka Agentzia Sofia
CANA Caribbean News Agency Bridgetown
CIP Centre d’Information de Presse Brussels
CAN Central News Agency Taipei
CAN Cyprus News Agency Nicosia
CNS China News Service Beijing
COLPRENSA Colprensa Bogata
CP Canadian Press Toronto
CTK Ceskoslovenska Tiskova Kancelar Prague
DPA Deutsche Presse-Agentur Hamburg
EFE Agencia EFE Madrid
ENA Eastern News Agency Dhaka
EXTEL Exchange and Telegraphy Company London
FIDES Agenzia Internationale Fides Vatican City
GNA Agence Guineenne de Presse Conakry
GNA Ghana News Agency Accra
GNA Guyana News Agency George-town
HHA Hürriyet Haber Ajansı Istanbul
IC Inforpress Centroamericana Guatemala
INA Iraqi News Agency Baghdad
IPS Inter Press Service Rome
IRNA Islamic Republic News Agency Teheran
JAMPRESS Jampress Kingston
JANA Jamahiriya News Agency Tripoli
JIJI Jiji Tsushin-Shah Tokyo
JTA Jewish Telegraphic Agency Jerusalem
KCNA Korean Central News Agency Pyongyang
KNA Kenya News Agency Nairobi
KPL Khao San Pathet Lao Vientiane
KUNA Kuwait News Agency Kuwait City
KYODO Kyodo Tsushin Tokyo
LAI Logos Agencia de Information Madrid
MENA Middle East News Agency Cairo
MTI Magyar Tavirati Iroda Budapest
NAB News Agency of Myanmar Yangon
DAEWOO Daewoo Press Seoul
NAN News Agency of Nigeria Lagos
NA Noticias Argentinas Buenos Aires
NOTIMEX Noticias Mexicanas Mexico City
NOVOSTI Agentstvo Pechati Novosti Moscow
NPS Norsk Presse Service Oslo
NTB Norsk Telegrambyra Oslo
NZPA News Zealand Press Agency Wellington
OPA Orbis Press Agency Prague
OTT-FNB Oy Suomen Tietotoimisto Notisbyrån AB Helsinki
PANA Pan-African News Agency Dakar
PAP Polska Agencija Praswowa Warsaw
PA Press Association London
PETRA Jordan News Agency Amman
PNA Philippines News Agency Manila
PPI Pakistan Press International Karachi
PRELA Prensa Latina Havana
PS Press Services Paris
PTI Press Trust of India Mombay
PJWC Pakistan Journalist Welfare Council Lahore
RB Ritzaus Bureau Copenhagen
REUTERS Reuters London
ROMPRESS Romanian News Agency Bucharest
SAPA South Africa Press Association Johannesburg
SDA Schweizerische Depeschenagentur Berne
SIP Svensk-Internationella Pressbyrån Stockholm
SN Sky News United Kingdom
SLENA Sierra Leone News Agency Freetown
SOFIA PRES Sofia Press Agency Sofia
SOPAC NEWS South Pacific News Service Wellington
SPA Saudi Press Agency Riyadh
TANJUG Novinska Agencija Tanjug Belgrade
TAP Tunis Afrique Presse Tunis
TASS Telegraf Note Agentstvo Sovietskovo Soyuza Moscow
TT Tidningarnas Telegrambyrå Stockholm
UNI United News of India New Delhi
UPI United Press International New York
UPP United Press of Pakistan Karachi
XINHIJA Xinhua Beijing
YONHAP Yonhap (United) Press Agency Seoul
ZIANA Zimbabwe Inter-Africa News Agency Harare

 

 

Important Treaties

  • Treaty of Hudaybiyyah (628 AH)
  • Treaty of Tordesillas (1494)
  • The Peace of Westphalia (1648)
  • The Treaty of Paris (1783)
  • The Congress of Vienna (1814–15)
  • Treaty of Versailles (1919)
  • Treaty of Hudaybiyyah (628 AH)
  • The Camp David Accords (1978)
  • Izmir Treaty (1977)

 

Facts about Treaty of Versailles

The Treaty of Versailles brought about the end of World War I.The Treaty of Versailles is a document made up of 15 parts and 440 articles that marked the end of World War I. The Treaty of Versailles was signed exactly 5 years after the start of World War I The Treaty of Versailles took territory away from Germany. In total, the territory and population of Germany was reduced by 10% after the Treaty of Versailles. The Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919

 

Major Industries of the world

(Manufacturer Countries)

Afghanistan Dry and fresh fruits, carpets, wool
Australia Wood, dairy products, wheat, meat, lea, zinc
Austria Machinery, textiles, leathers goods
Brazil Coffee
Belgium Glass, textiles
Chile Copper Nitrate
Canada Wheat, newsprint, machinery
China Silk, tea, rice
Congo Copper, uranium, cobalt, ivory
Cuba Sugar, tobacco, cigar
Denmark Textiles, paper
France Textile, Wine, silk
Germany Machinery, Chemical, Iron and steel equipment
India Jute, Textiles, sugar, spices, tobacco, tea, cement, mica
Indonesia Sugar, spices, rubber, rice cinchona, petroleum
Iraq Dates, petroleum
Italy Mercury, textiles
Japan Machinery, textiles, toys silk, automobiles
Kenya Coffee, tea, meat, sisal, hides and skins, cement, soda ash
Kuwait Petroleum
Malaysia Rubber, tin
Netherlands Machinery, aircraft, electrical
Saudi Arabia Oil, date
Spain Lead
Sweden Matches, timber
Switzerland Watches, chemicals, electrical
Taiwan Camphor, rice
UK Textile, medicines, machinery, cars
Russia Petroleum, wheat, chemicals, heavy machinery
Vietnam Tin, rice, rubber, teak

 

Top 5 Countries which participate in Internationally Genetically Engineered Machines (IGEM)

  1. United States 2.     China
  2. Canada 4.     Japan
  3. Germany

 

List of International Courts

Name Scope Years active Subject matter
African Court of Justice Africa 2009–present Interpretation of AU treaties
Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization Global 1995–present Trade disputes within the WTO
Caribbean Court of Justice Caribbean 2005–present General disputes
Court of the Eurasian Economic Union Former USSR 2015–present Economic disputes and interpretation of treaties within the EAEU
East African Court of Justice Africa 2001–present Interpretation of EAC treaties
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court Caribbean 1967–present General disputes
Economic Court of the Commonwealth of Independent States Former USSR 1994–present Economic disputes and interpretation of treaties within the CIS
European Court of Human Rights Europe 1959–present Human rights
European Court of Justice Europe 1952–present Interpretation of EU law
European Free Trade Association Court Europe 1994–present Interpretation of EFTA law
European Nuclear Energy Tribunal Europe 1960–present Nuclear energy disputes
International Court of Justice Global 1945–present General disputes
International Criminal Court Global 2002–present Criminal prosecutions
International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda Rwanda 1994−2015 Criminal prosecutions
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia Former Yugoslavia 1993−2017 Criminal prosecutions
International Military Tribunal Europe 1945–1946 Criminal prosecutions
International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals Global 2012−present Criminal prosecutions
International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea Global 1994–present Maritime disputes
Permanent Court of International Justice Global 1922–1946 General disputes

List of International Awards

  • Nobel Prize
  • Booker Prize
  • Academy Awards
  • Pulitzer Prize
  • The Golden Globes

The Grammys

Ikram Malik