28 Mar

China: Shanghai Goes Into Lockdown









*|MC:SUBJECT|*


China
Shanghai Goes into Lockdown
China is imposing the largest COVID-19 lockdown on a city in two years, starting the first of a two-stage lockdown in the country’s financial capital of Shanghai today. Portions of Shanghai had already been in lockdown for a week prior to today’s broader lockdown centered on the Pudong financial district, which will run through Friday and will include mass testing in the lockdown area. Starting Friday, a portion of the city to the west of the Huangpu River, across from the Pudong district, will go into its own five-day lockdown. China has continued to follow what is termed a “zero-COVID” strategy, imposing strict lockdowns and causing major slowdowns in economic activity in affected areas. Much of the rest of the world has begun to take the approach of recognizing the virus as endemic, with recent variants being less threatening to the health of the broader population.
 
This map depicts the two portions of Shanghai subject to a new, two-phase lockdown being imposed by Chinese authorities. Click on the map to learn more.

Graphic Source: AFP via Barron’s
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El Salvador
State of Emergency After Killings
El Salvador has declared a state of emergency after a record 62 homicides were reported this past Saturday. Fighting between rival gangs and the government has been an ongoing issue, with the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio-18 gangs having around 70,000 members combined. Saturday’s violence was most concentrated in the capital San Salvador and the departments of La Libertad and Ahuachapan, with some deaths recorded across other areas of the country as well. Salvadorean President Nayib Bukele, with a majority of allies in the legislature, was elected on a platform of fighting crime and improving safety, but has also been accused of authoritarian measures.

This map depicts the country of El Salvador, the country’s capital of San Salvador, and the departments of Ahuachapan and La Libertad, where recent gang-driven violence drove the government to declare a state of emergency. Click on the map to learn more.

Graphic Source: France24
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Philippines
Taal Volcano Eruption
The Philippines’ Taal Volcano, located in the middle of a lake south of Manila, erupted on Saturday. The volcano spewed a plume into the air about one mile (1.5 km) high as part of the eruption. The event received a level 3 alert on a 5-level scale, causing more than 3,000 residents to evacuate. Residents shared observations of mud appearing to fall from the sky as well as a foul smell from the volcanic gases that were released. 14 volcanic earthquakes were recorded around Taal in the first day after the eruption. Taal erupted in January 2020, forcing 100,000 people to evacuate and cancelling flights. A previous eruption in 1911 killed more than 1,300 people.

This map depicts the location of the Taal Volvano and a summary of a 24-hour observation of activity surrounding the volcano. Click on the map to learn more.

Further Reading: Reuters, The Guardian, France24, Axios
Graphic Source: Phivolcs

Friday’s Answer

Q: The highly disputed border drawn in 1914 between which two Asian countries was named after the chief British negotiator? 

A: India and China 
The McMahon Line refers to the boundary between Tibet and Assam in British India, which was originally negotiated between Tibet and Great Britain by the end of the Simla Convention in 1914. The border was named after Sir Henry McMahon, then-Foreign Secretary of British India. The 553 mile (890 km) long line runs along the Himalayas from the eastern border of Bhutan to the great bend of the Brahmaputra River emerging from Tibet into the Assam Valley. Delegates from China attended the conference but refused to sign the principal agreement around Tibet’s boundaries, maintaining that Tibet did not have the power to make treaties and that China’s territory extended to the base of the Himalayas. This dcontested border led to increasing hostilities between the two neighboring countries, and in 1962 Chinese forces occupied Indian-designated territory south of the McMahon Line, however they withdrew after a cease-fire was agreed. Today, disputes regarding the McMahon line continue to be a source of contention for Sino-Indian relations. 

Source

Today’s Question


Q: Between 1925 and 1954, around 2.3 million immigrants coming to America passed through which immigration station? (Hint: Close to 40% of U.S. citizens can trace an ancestor here!)
 
 

Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.

 

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