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Ukraine-Russia
UN Security Council to Talk
The United States and Russia are set to present their positions on the situation between Russia and Ukraine at the United Nations Security Council this week. These will be the highest-level diplomatic talks on the crisis, following weeks of negotiations through varied channels throughout Europe. The U.S. has requested a meeting of the council on the crisis, and Russia can only block the discussion if nine out of the fifteen-member group agree to halt the talks. The U.N. Security Council is highly unlikely to sanction any concrete measures to address the situation, given that both the U.S. and Russia have veto power over any measure voted on by the council, but the U.S. will take the opportunity to compel Russia to give a public explanation for its actions and face questioning from other countries in the U.N.’s most powerful body.
This map depicts the deployment of Russian troops along its border with Ukraine, which has raised international alarm. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Al Jazeera
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North Korea
Further Missile Tests
North Korea conducted its largest missile test since 2017 on Sunday, launching a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile soaring into space. In January 2022 alone, North Korea has launched more missile tests than any other month in the last 10 years. Such increased launches are raising fears that North Korea is one step closer to resuming nuclear weapon and ICBM tests that have not been seen since 2017. Following the launch on Sunday, the U.S. made a direct appeal to North Korea to join in talks with the Biden administration with no preconditions. The previous ICBM tests of 2017 caused an exchange of war threats between President Trump and Kim Jong-un. Despite urging dialogue, the U.S. has maintained sanctions on North Korea and is imposing more, urging the U.N. Security Council to do the same.
This map depicts provinces where launches have occurred in 2022 with a timeline of all missile launches since 2012, showing a drastic increase in January of 2022. Click on the map to learn more.
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United States
Bridge Collapse in Pittsburgh
The Fern Hollow bridge in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania collapsed early Friday morning in the Frick Park neighborhood. It is not known yet what caused the bridge to collapse. It was built in 1970 and represents one of 123 bridges in Allegheny County rated ‘poor’ by the US DOT National Bridge Inventory. The bridge was 470ft (143m) long and carried about 14,500 vehicles a day with a 26-ton weight limit. Four vehicles were on the bridge at the time of the collapse, including a passenger bus, but no major injuries were reported. The collapse happened just hours before President Biden was set to visit and speak on infrastructure in America.
This map depicts the location of the bridge collapse in Pittsburgh. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: The subject of decades of debate, what location has been officially designated the geographic center of the United States?
A: Kansas and South Dakota
There are two locations designated as the geographic center of the United States, however according to the National Geodetic Survey (NGS), they do not maintain a stance on the center. The original geographic center of the contiguous United States was measured in 1918, finding a home about a couple miles northwest of Lebanon, Kansas. When being measured by the U.S. National Geodetic Survey (NGS), there weren’t complex tools for determining such a measurement then. How they found it was by taking a cardboard cutout of the country and balanced it on the head of a pin, and where the cutout balanced perfectly was set as the geographic center. While not the best method, NGS’ measurements were only off by about 20 miles (32 km). The geographic center of the U.S. including Hawaii and Alaska, is a very different location however. The measurement including the two newest states, taken in 1959, is considered the more accurate measurement, which lies about 20 miles north of Bell Fourche, South Dakota.
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Q: Which American states exist today due to territory gained by the Louisiana Purchase?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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