|
|
|
Syria
Bomb Blast at Damascus Shrine
A large bomb blast in a southern suburb of the Syrian capital, Damascus, has left six people dead and over 30 injured. The explosion occurred yesterday near the Sayeda Zeinab Mausoleum, and is believed to be a terrorist attack on the Shia Islamic community. The blast originated in a vehicle approximately 0.4 miles (600 meters) from the mausoleum. This mausoleum acts as a shrine for Shia Muslims during the upcoming commemoration of Ashura, a day of mourning for the death of Prophet Mohammed’s grandson, Imam Hussein, in a seventh-century battle. The religious site has been subject to terrorist violence in the past, with an attack occurring earlier this week, and a 2017 attack killing at least 40 people. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the bombing, however, the Islamic State group has claimed previous attacks on the site.
This map depicts the location of the Sayeda Zeinab mausoleum in Damascus, where a large bomb blast occurred at a Shia Muslim holy site. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
|
Graphic Source: Barrons
__________________________________________
|
|
|
|
India
Ethnic Violence in Manipur
Manipur, a small state in northeastern India, has been engulfed in ethnic violence between the Meitei majority and the Kuki minority. The violence flared up in May, with escalating militarization since. Manipur is home to around 3.3 million people, with more than half being Meiteis and around 43% comprising Kukis and Nagas. The violence has resulted in over 130 deaths, 400 injuries, and the displacement of over 60,000 people. The conflict’s root cause is Meitei demand for official tribal status, which the Kukis oppose, fearing it will strengthen Meitei influence in their areas. Other factors contributing to the violence include the war on drugs waged by the Meitei-led government, unauthorized migration from Myanmar, and pressure on land use due to population growth and unemployment. The central government provided little response to the conflict until Prime Minister Narendra Modi deployed security forces following the recent widespread release of a video of a brutal attack on two Kuki women by a gang of Meitei men.
This map depicts the region of Manipur where the escalating ethnic violence is taking place. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
|
Graphic Source: BBC
__________________________________________
|
|
|
|
India
‘Gravity Hole’ in the Indian Ocean
The cause of a mysterious ‘gravity hole’ in the Indian Ocean may finally have a credible explanation. A ‘gravity hole’ is the lowest point on the geoid, a hypothetical model of the Earth’s mean sea level based on its gravitational pull. In the gravity hole, gravitational pull is measurably weaker and sea level dips by over 328 ft (100m). Researchers from the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru, India, argue that plumes of magma coming from deep inside the planet are the cause. The team used supercomputers to simulate how the area could have formed, going back as far as 140 million years. The findings, published in a study in the journal, Geophysical Research Letters, center around an ancient ocean that no longer exists today. Some scientists argue there are inconsistencies with the study, but it is the strongest study to date in terms of direction.
This map depicts the ‘gravity hole’ in the Indian Ocean (in blue), where the force of gravity has been observed to be weaker. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Q: What coral reef in the Marshall Islands consisting of 23 islands surrounding a central lagoon was chosen by the US as a nuclear weapon testing site after WWII?
A:
Bikini Atoll was the site of experimental peacetime atomic detonations by the US military between 1946 and 1958. It consists of 20 small coral islands whose average elevation is only 7 feet (2.1 meters) above low tide level, with the area of the group amounting to little more than 2 square miles (5 square km) of dry land. It was administered by the US from 1947 until it became part of the Marshall Islands in 1979. In 1946, Bikini became the site of Operation Crossroads, a military-scientific experiment to determine the impact of atomic bombs on naval vessels. These tests made it necessary to relocate the atoll’s 166 native Micronesians to Kili Island, about 500 miles (800 km) southeast of Bikini. The world’s first peacetime atomic weapons test was conducted at Bikini on July 1, 1946. A 20-kiloton atomic bomb was dropped from an airplane and exploded in the air over a fleet of obsolete WWII naval vessels. The second test, on July 25, was the world’s first underwater atomic explosion. In 1956, Bikini was the test site of the first hydrogen bomb dropped by a US airplane. In 1969, the US government began work to attempt to repatriate the Bikinian population, but radioactivity levels were still dangerously high. This led to a lawsuit by the Bikini Islanders, and the US government funded a cleanup project, which was completed in 1998. However, radiation levels were still considered too high for resettlement, although they were deemed low enough to permit tourism on the atoll. In 1996, it was opened for scuba diving among the sunken warships, and sport fishing began two years later.
Source Britannica
|
|
|
|
|
Q: After the 1893 overthrow of Queen Liluokalani by Sanford Dole, what island did his cousin, James Dole, buy and convert into the largest pineapple plantation in the world, which remains the largest privately owned island in the Hawaiian chain?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in Monday’s DailyGeo.
|
|
|
|
|
AGS is accepting DailyGeo GeoQuestion suggestions.
Write to ags@americangeo.org with any ideas!
Please include GeoQuestions in the subject line, along with your answer and source.
|
|
|
|
DailyGeo is a daily digital communication created by the American Geographical Society (AGS) for the geography community. If you are receiving this email, it is because you are an affiliate of AGS or a participant in one of our programs. Feel free to share and encourage others to become part of the community too!
Copyright © 2023 American Geographical Society, All rights reserved.
We understand this might not be for everyone. Although we would hate to see you go, you can unsubscribe here.
How are we doing? We want to hear your feedback on the DailyGeo – what are we doing right and what should we be doing differently. Talk to us by emailing ags@americangeo.org.
|
|
|
|
|
