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Chad
Flood Emergency Declared
Chad’s President Mahamat Idriss Deby has declared a state of emergency due to flooding that has affected more than one million people, covering up over one million acres of fields. The flooding has struck over 630 localities in 18 of the 23 regions, especially impacting the southern regions close to Lake Chad. Chad typically experiences its rainy seasons between May and October, and this year the rains were the heaviest they have been in decades. As a result, other tributaries fed Lake Chad earlier than the main Chadian rivers, the Chari and Logone, and water levels surpassed their normal rates, flooding the towns and villages. The flooding is forecasted to affect the country and its southern neighbors until the end of the year.
This map depicts the worst-affected southern provinces around Lake Chad, the Chari River, and the Logone River. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Al Jazeera
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Myanmar
Prison Bombings Kill Eight
Parcel bombs are being blamed for a pair of explosions that killed eight people at Insein prison on Wednesday morning, on the outskirts of Yangon. Insein is Myanmar’s largest prison, with around 10,000 inmates, including many foreigners and political prisoners. The explosions went off as visitors delivered parcels for inmates, killing three prison staff and five visitors, including a ten-year-old girl. Military authorities say a third, unexploded bomb was discovered in another parcel. Many resistance groups opposing Myanmar’s military government released statements condemning the attacks for killing civilians, however, a group calling itself the Special Task Agency of Burma has claimed responsibility for the bombs, but placed the blame for civilian deaths on the prison guards, alleging the guards fired on civilians fleeing after the blasts.
This map depicts the location of Myanmar’s city of Yangon, where a bombing attack on the country’s largest prison led to the death of at least eight people. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Barron’s
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Russia
Neanderthal Family DNA Analyzed
According to a study published in the scientific journal, Nature, DNA extracted from Neanderthal bones discovered in two Russian caves has provided new insight into the family and social dynamics of these prehistoric human relatives. Researchers successfully extracted DNA from a total of 13 individuals living in two caves in the Altai mountains of southern Siberia. In one of the caves, the researchers discovered a father-daughter pair and other secondarily-related individuals who in all likelihood lived together and died around the same time roughly 54,000 years ago, marking the first known discovery of a Neanderthal family group. The results suggest Neanderthals formed tight-knit groups of around 10-20 individuals, and the genetic diversity of the females versus the males in the group indicated females were more likely to leave their own family groups to join their mate’s than the other way around.
This map depicts the locations of Neanderthal fossil remains from around Eurasia, including those newly discovered from caves in Siberia. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: With an area of around 29,000 sq miles (75,000 sq km), the English Channel separates what two countries?
A: England and France
The English Channel is a narrow arm of the Atlantic Ocean, around 350 miles (560 km) long and 150 miles (240 km) wide at its widest point, separating the southern coast of England from the northern coast of France before flowing into the North Sea. At its eastern end, the Strait of Dover is its narrowest point at only 21 miles (34 km) wide. A few islands are found within the English Channel, including the Isle of Wight, the Channel Islands, and Mont Saint-Michel. Around 8,000 years ago, sea levels rose to current day levels due to glacial melting and flooding, and the land bridge across the Strait of Dover was submerged, cutting off the British Isles from continental Europe. Historically, the channel has served as a natural barrier against invasions, and today, the channel serves as one of the world’s most important shipping routes, facilitating trade and cultural exchange across the globe.
Source
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Q: Known for its Spanish colonial history and its legacy of piracy, what is Nicaragua’s oldest city?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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