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Germany
Eight Dead in Mass Shooting
A gunman killed seven people Thursday night at a Jehovah’s Witness hall in Hamburg, Germany before turning the gun on himself. The attacker, a German citizen, was identified as a former member of the congregation. German police are still searching for a possible motive after the shooter opened fire at an event attended by 50 people, however police state there was no indication of terrorist intent. Germany has, per capita, the fourth-highest gun ownership of any country in the world, but has further tightened gun control laws in recent years after several shooting incidents.
This map depicts the location of the Jehovah’s Witness Hall in Hamburg, Germany that was the site of a mass shooting Thursday night. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: BBC
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United Kingdom
Storm Triggers Closures
Winter storm Larisa battered parts of the United Kingdom with high speed winds and blizzards, causing widespread travel disruption and the closure of over 300 schools. Temperatures plunged as low as -16°C (3°F) in the Scottish Highlands and snow depths reached 10.6 inches (27 cm) at Capel Curig in Gwynedd. Motorists were stranded overnight and commuter trains and flights were delayed or cancelled. Although the Met Office’s warnings for blizzards and heavy snow have passed, yellow warnings about hazardous icy conditions remain in place across the UK.
This map depicts the timeline of forecasts and the locations of warnings. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Kent Online
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Bulgaria-Hungary-Romania
Evidence of First Horse Riders
Archaeologists have released new findings published in the journal, Science Advances, on the earliest evidence of human horsemanship in the remains of individuals from the Yamnaya culture. Horses were known to be domesticated for milk as far back as 5,500 years ago, however the timeline of when humans first began to ride horses has remained a matter of debate. Researchers revealed how the remains of five individuals from kurgan burial mounds in Bulgaria, Hungary, and Romania, dated in a range of 5,000 to 4,500 years ago, show multiple changes to their skeletal structure known to result from adaptations to the stresses of riding a horse. Mastering horseback riding would help explain the rapid spread of the Yamnaya people across a stretch of around 2,800 miles (4,500 km), from Hungary to Mongolia, spreading with them Indo-European language and culture.
This map depicts the areas of Eastern Europe and Central Asia known to have been inhabited by the Yamnaya people around 5,000 years ago. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: Brazil is the most biodiverse country in the world. What is the second most biodiverse country in the world?
A: Colombia
While Colombia is the second most biodiverse country behind Brazil, it is in fact the most biodiverse country in the world by area. One in every 10 species of flora and fauna can be found there. There are more birds, amphibians, butterflies, and frog species in Colombia than anywhere else in the world. The country is among only 17 countries classified as megadiverse. The key is Colombia’s varied ecosystems, with six natural regions – Andean, Caribbean, Pacific, Orinoquía, Amazon, and Insular – meaning the country is home to just about every type of habitat. From tropical rainforests to open savannahs, and high-altitude moorland, one can travel through Colombia and pass through jungles and rivers on the way to desert or alpine tundra in just a few days. While many would assume Colombia’s most biodiverse region is its Amazon, it is actually the Andean region. The Andes split into three ranges in the country, and each range’s deep valleys and divisions have become home to many endemic species that have evolved out of isolation. The National Geographic Society once stated, “If Earth’s biodiversity were a country, it would be called Colombia.”
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Q: What East African desert is known for its funky white chalk rock formations rising from what used to be a seabed millions of years ago?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in Monday’s DailyGeo.
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