|
|
|
Russia
Russian Ship Attacked
A Ukrainian naval drone attack damaged a Russian ship in the Black Sea near the port of Novorossiysk. The ship, named Olenegorsky Gornyak, was hit by a sea drone carrying almost 1000 pounds (450kg) of dynamite. Although Russia’s defense ministry acknowledged repelling a Ukrainian attack on its naval base involving two sea drones, it did not admit to any damage. This marks the first attack on a major Russian port during the conflict and highlights the increasing significance of the Black Sea as a battleground in the war between Ukraine and Russia. Clashes in the region have escalated recently, partly due to Russia’s withdrawal from a UN agreement that allowed safe grain exports from Ukraine. Ukrainian forces have been utilizing sea drones in their attacks against Russia’s superior navy, and this attack illustrates Ukraine’s increasing capacity to disrupt Russian naval operations and economic activities further from contested territory.
This map depicts Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory and the location of the recent attack. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
India
Increase in Anti-Muslim Violence
International rights groups are expressing concern over an increase in violence against Muslims by the Hindu majority in India. Recent incidents include an imam stabbed and shot to death in a mosque that was then burned to the ground, a young Muslim doctor beaten by a mob while walking home, and three Muslim men shot dead by a railway officer, all within the space of a week following several Hindu-Muslim clashes across the country. Since the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata party (BJP) came to power in 2014, led by the prime minister, Narendra Modi, incidents of sectarian violence targeting the Muslim minority have increased drastically. The growing violence has resulted in curfews and the deployment of hundreds of paramilitary forces in the northern Haryana state in particular.
This map depicts the locations of several anti-Muslim attacks that have occurred recently across India. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
|
Graphic Source: The Guardian
__________________________________________
|
|
|
|
Mars
Curiosity Finishes Toughest Climb
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover will reach its 11th year on Mars on August 5th. The rover recently investigated a location nicknamed “Jau”, which acted as a pitstop on its journey into the foothills of Mount Sharp. A 3-mile-tall (5-kilometer-tall) mountain, the path up the mountain was the most difficult climb Curiosity has taken to date. The mountain proved to be a trifecta of challenges: a sharp 23-degree incline, slippery sand, and wheel-sized rocks. The journey to Jau took from May into July, following the addition of several weeks due to a necessary detour. Because of the distance, Curiosity’s control crew cannot direct the rover in real time, instead having to pre-program a day’s instructions for transmission to the rover before it undertakes its next step. The rover’s most difficult challenges lay ahead, as it moves to explore higher regions on Mount Sharp.
This map depicts the route NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover took from May to July to complete the most difficult climb of its mission. The route is shown in white with dots representing each stop the rover made. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Q: Between which two Himalayan buffer states did mountain warfare and border disputes occur during the 1962 Sino-Indian War?
A: Bhutan and Nepal
Bhutan and Nepal are the buffer states on the Indian border adjacent to Tibet, which China annexed in 1951. After the 1959 Tibetan uprising against China, India granted asylum to the Dalai Lama as well as Tibetans in exile. India inherited the colonial legacy of the British Empire and has a “special relationship” with Bhutan, controlling its national defense and economy. Nepal, however, has accused India of disregarding its sovereignty, with protests as recent as 2020. The 1962 Sino-Indian War was a military escalation of ongoing disputes over the sovereignty of two large territories. This includes Aksai Chin, west of Nepal, administered by China as part of its Xinjiang Uyghur and Tibet Autonomous Regions and claimed by India as part of Ladakh in Kashmir. The other disputed territory borders Bhutan to the east and is south of the McMahon line, in an area called Arunachal Pradesh, which is administered by India but claimed by China as South Tibet. The McMahon Line was part of the 1914 Simla Convention between British India and Tibet, without China’s agreement.
Source Britannica
|
|
|
|
|
Q: What are the two countries in the world with countries enclaved within them, sovereign nations completely surrounded by another country’s land and/or internal waters?
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.
|
|
|
|
|
