Turkey
Turkey Approves Finland to NATO
Turkey’s parliament voted on Thursday to approve Finland’s application to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Turkey was the last of the 30 members of the alliance to ratify Finland’s membership after the country asked to join NATO last year in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. With Finland set to become the seventh NATO country on the Baltic Sea, Russia’s coastal access to St. Petersburg has been reduced, creating a major strategic setback. Finland’s is the first enlargement of the defensive bloc since North Macedonia joined in 2020. Turkey is still withholding approval of Sweden, which applied to join NATO at the same time as Finland. Most NATO members hope that both countries become official members of the alliance at a NATO summit due to be held on July 11th in Lithuania.
This map depicts when each member of NATO joined the alliance prior to the Turkey’s approval of Finland on Thursday. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Anadolu Agency
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India
Fatal Temple Floor Collapse
At least 36 people are confirmed dead after a floor collapse in a Hindu temple in the Indian city of Indore yesterday. Worshipers had gathered in the Shri Beleshwar Mahadev Jhulelal temple for the festival of Ram Navami when the floor above a stepwell gave way, plunging the victims into muddy water 25 feet (7.6 m) deep. The flooring over the well consisted of only tiles over a metal grate. Municipal authorities have suspended the local building inspector and a building officer, and police have arrested the president and secretary of the temple on charges of culpable homicide. Records show that building authorities had mandated the removal of the makeshift floor in January but pushback by local Hindus caused them to back down.
This map depicts the location of the Indian city of Indore, where a makeshift floor covering a stepwell collapsed yesterday, killing 36 Hindu worshippers. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Barron’s
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United States
New Gulf Drilling Leases Sold
The Biden Administration’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) sold 1.6 million acres of seabed in the Gulf of Mexico for new drilling leases, as provided under last year’s Inflation Reduction Act for offshore energy development. The sale of 5 and 10-year leases attracted a total of 32 companies to 313 tracts of the 13,670 offered, resulting in $264 million worth of bids. Despite the agency’s claims of minor effects on existing natural resources, air and water quality, habitats, protected species and fisheries, and the “unlikely” scenario of a catastrophic oil spill, a coalition of environmental organizations filed a lawsuit against BOEM and others, attempting to prevent or revoke the sale. It is expected 1 billion barrels of oil and 4.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas will be extracted over the next 50 years, which is seen by critics as contradicting the Administration’s stated commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and transition to clean energy. However, the new drilling leases are expected to contribute to meeting domestic demand and enhance national economic security.
This map depicts the sections of planning for development on their portion of proposed leasing sales. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: Fed by 33 rivers, what is the world’s largest gulf?
A: The Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is located south of the United States and east of Central America. It was most likely formed as a result of seafloor subsidence – the gradual sinking of the seafloor – around 300 million years ago. Bordered by 1,680 miles (2,700 km) of US coastline, the Gulf of Mexico is fed from 33 major rivers flowing out of the States, the largest being the Mississippi River. The Gulf features a large, easily accessible continental shelf, mostly around Florida and the Yucatan Peninsula, which has been heavily exploited for its rich oil deposits. Aside from being oil-rich, the Gulf has also created large fishing economies at its shores. In the US, the Gulf holds four of the country’s largest fishing ports, and Mexico has eight of the top 20 largest, with shrimp and oysters among the top fishing products that come from the region. The Gulf is filled with rich biodiversity in animals, including reptiles, dolphins, whales, as well as with ecosystems that include coastal wetlands and mangrove forests.
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Q: Known as the “Galapagos times ten” what large island nation’s rainforest biodiversity is primarily creditable to a long period of isolation?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in Monday’s DailyGeo.
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