20th June 2025

Explanation - James Cook (1728-1779) was a British naval captain, navigator, and explorer. James Cook was born on October 27, 1728, in Marton, Yorkshire, England. At age 18 he became a sailor on the North Sea. While ashore, he studied mathematics. In 1755 Cook joined the British Royal Navy. He was promoted quickly and took command of a ship at age 29. He took part in several battles in what is now Canada during the French and Indian War. After the war he charted the coast of Newfoundland. He sailed the seaways and coasts of Canada (1759 and 1763–67) and conducted three expeditions to the Pacific Ocean (1768–71, 1772–75, and 1776–79), ranging from the Antarctic ice fields to the Bering Strait and from the coasts of North America to Australia and New Zealand. In 1766 he wrote a paper about an eclipse of the Sun that won him fame as a scientific observer. 

Explanation - The Cook Islands are a group of 15 small islands that are spread over 2 million sq. km in the South Pacific Ocean. The islands are situated in the centre of the Polynesian Triangle about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand. The Cook Islands are located to the east of Niue, Tonga, and Samoa; to the northeast of New Zealand; to the south of Kiribati and to the west of French Polynesia. Named after Captain Cook, who explored them in 1773, the islands were once autonomous, home to tribes of mixed Polynesian ancestry. The islands cover a total land area of 240 sq. km. They are divided into a northern group of six islands and a southern group of nine islands. Northern Islands: These are mostly low-lying and sparsely populated coral atolls; and include the islands of Manihiki, Nassau, Penrhyn, Pukapuka, Rakahanga, and Suwarrow and are covered in light vegetation and equipped with stunning white sand beaches. Southern islands: These generally consist of much larger, higher islands that are volcanic in origin and more densely populated. The southern island group includes Rarotonga, Aitutaki, Atiu, Mangaia, Manuae, Mauke, Mitiaro, Palmerston, and Takutea. The distance between the two island groups is enormous. The highest point is Te Manga, which rises to 652 m on Rarotonga. Most of the population is found on the island of Rarotonga. Capital: Avarua, which is on Rarotonga island. It is a self-governing island country in free association with New Zealand, an arrangement dating from August 1965. Under the terms of the free association, Cook Islanders hold New Zealand citizenship and enjoy the right of free access to New Zealand and, by extension, Australia. System of Government — Parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy. Currency — NZ dollars (NZD). 

Explanation - The Bajau, also called the Sea Gypsies or Sea Nomads, come from the Sulu Islands region in the Southern Philippines. And because of their nomadic sea life, this tribe eventually spread into the waters of Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia. The Bajau are renowned for their extraordinary free-diving abilities. Without using modern diving gear, they can dive to depths of 20–30 metres and hold their breath for five to 13 minutes. Bajau have spleens that are, on average, 50% larger than those of ordinary people, a natural adaptation that enables them to dive deeper and longer. Scientists have traced this adaptation to a variation in the PDE10A gene. People of the Bajau Tribe live in wooden pole houses and houseboats called Lepa-Lepa. Their activities are mostly carried out on the boat. Following seasonal changes, they move between islands, entirely dependent on the sea for food, income, and daily needs. Fishing remains central to their lifestyle and is a strong reflection of their cultural heritage. Communal fishing activities help preserve traditional practices and strengthen social bonds. They occasionally go ashore only to sell their catch to buy secondary needs that they cannot make themselves. 

Explanation - The BBNJ Treaty, also known as the High Seas Treaty, is an agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). 

Explanation - Chandigarh has been adjudged the best performer in school education for the academic year 2023-24, as per the Performance Grading Index (PGI) 2.0 Report released by the Union Ministry of Education. 

The Union Ministry of Education released the Performance Grading Index for Districts (PGI-D) 2.0 for the academic year 2023-24. This upgraded framework assesses school education quality across States and Union Territories (UTs) on a scale of 1,000 points. It measures performance across multiple domains such as — 

• Teacher Education

The PGI-D 2.0 aims to enable data-driven policymaking, promote evidence-based interventions, and encourage States/UTs to improve learning environments and outcomes in schools.