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📌 The Question:
One of the following regions has the world’s largest tropical peatland, which holds about three years’ worth of global carbon emissions from fossil fuels; and the possible destruction of which can exert a detrimental effect on the global climate.

Which one of the following denotes that region?

(a) Amazon Basin
(b) Congo Basin
(c) Kikon Basin
(d) Rio de la Plata Basin

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✅ Correct Answer: (b) Congo Basin

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🔍 Classroom Explanation (Core Concept):

The Congo Basin hosts the world’s largest tropical peatland complex, discovered and mapped in detail only in the last decade.

• The Congo peatlands store ~29 billion tonnes of carbon,
  👉 roughly equal to three years of global fossil-fuel CO₂ emissions.
• These peat swamp forests act as a massive carbon sink, absorbing more carbon than the region emits annually.
• Large-scale drainage, deforestation, or fires here would release enormous amounts of CO₂, accelerating global climate change.

The basin spans six countries:
Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon.

➡️ Hence, Congo Basin is the correct answer.

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🧠 Curiosity Raiser:
👉 The Congo peatlands were scientifically confirmed only in 2017, yet they rival the Amazon in climate importance.

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📚 Enrich Notes (Prelims Edge):

• Peatlands
  • Store carbon accumulated over thousands of years
  • Drainage converts them from carbon sinks → carbon bombs
• Why Congo Basin matters more than Amazon here
  • Amazon peatlands are fragmented
  • Congo peatland is continuous and deeper
• Frequently asked UPSC theme:
  “Hidden climate regulators” (peatlands, mangroves, permafrost)