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World
Omicron Variant Raises Concerns
The United States and a handful of other countries introduced new travel restrictions following the discovery of a new COVID-19 variant. The “omicron” variant was first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) last Wednesday from South Africa, and it has since been detected in ten countries, from Europe to Australia. While omicron has a high number of spike mutations that have unknown effects on transmissibility and immune response, the South African doctor who first identified and alerted the WHO to the new variant characterized its symptoms as “unusual but mild.”
This map depicts both the countries where cases of the new omicron variant of COVID-19 has been detected, as well as the countries that have introduced new travel restrictions in response. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: The Sun (UK)
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United Kingdom
Storm Arwen Kills 3 People
At least 3 people are dead in the U.K. after winter snowstorm Arwen hit parts of northern England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland with winds as powerful as 100mph (160 kph) an hour. In addition to fatalities, the storm caused road closures, power cuts, and train delays before slowing down on Saturday. Arwen is estimated to have caused the worst damage in 20 years to northeast England’s power network. Repairs are currently underway, with power already being restored to over 211,000 homes while at least 29,000 homes remain without power.
This map depicts the snowy weather forecast for the next three days. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Daily Mail
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Peru
800-Year Old Mummy Unearthed
On Friday, a team of archeologists and experts uncovered an 800-year old mummy near Lima, Peru. The mummy, which was discovered in an underground structure amongst pottery, food remains, and stone tools, was tied up in a fetal position with hands covering the face. This position is customary of local funeral patterns. The area of the archeological site was first occupied by the Huari civilization in 400 CE, and then thought to be taken over by the Incan Empire, which was present in the area until the time of Spanish conquest in the 16th century.
This map depicts the location of the archeological discovery near Lima, Peru. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: There are over 7,000 languages in the world. Which continent is home to the largest number of native languages spoken?
A: Asia
The Asian continent has over 2,300 languages spoken or 32 percent of all languages spoken in the world. Many factors determine the number of languages spoken in a particular region and how they are spread, including geography, terrain, and cultural history. Political borders frequently determine language borders, however prior to nationally mandated languages, the natural geographic spread of languages resembled a gradient of dialects to the languages closest to them. The number of languages around the world is constantly changing, with older languages risking extinction.
Source
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Q: At 344 feet (105 meters) below ground, where is the deepest metro station in the world?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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