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China
Beijing Flood Diversion
Typhoon Doksuri has caused the most severe torrential rainfall in China in 140 years, with deadly floods affecting the capital region. The Beijing area received 30 inches (76 cm) of precipitation in five days, according to the Beijing Meteorological Bureau. At least 20 people are dead and 27 are missing after the flooding destroyed roads, uprooted trees, and knocked out power. Mentougou and Fangshan in Beijing were severely affected, as well as Zhuozhou in Hebei province. Hebei residents have faced off with officials seeking to divert floodwaters to the rural province after China’s water resources minister called for flood control measures that protect Beijing at all costs. Many residents have been guarding the levees protecting their homes to prevent excavation teams from breaching them, with video clips of clashes with police emerging on social media. More than 1.5 million people have been evacuated in Hebei province, which has received more than two years’ worth of rain.
This map depicts Beijing and surrounding areas, which have been hit by torrential rains from Typhoon Doksuri. Click on the map to learn more.
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Italy-Tunisia
Piracy and Stranded Migrants
Italian police have arrested four Tunisians, charging them with piracy. Authorities say they reflect the increasing number of Tunisian boat crews who switch from fishing to the more lucrative business of plundering the boats that ferry migrants to Sicily. The suspects have been accused of intercepting migrant boats in the central Mediterranean and stealing their engines, leaving the vessels adrift. On the suspects’ boat, police found at least three engines, hundreds of euros, and dozens of mobile phones. The arrests come at a time of rising tensions in Tunisia’s migration hub of Sfax, and highlight organized crime around human trafficking and the shift in migrant departures from Libya to Tunisia. It is believed that around 25,000 Sub-Saharan African migrants currently reside in Sfax. Deteriorating economic conditions, political repression, and xenophobia against Black Africans has further pushed migrants to attempt the crossing from Tunisia to Italy. This increase in traffic raises fears of more deaths across the world’s most lethal sea route, described by NGOs as a “liquid graveyard.”
This map depicts Tunisia, and its port city of Sfax, an increasingly active departure point for migrants headed to Europe. Also pictured is the southern part of Italy, a regular arrival point for migrants coming from Tunisia. Click on the map to learn more.
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United States
Killer Ocean Heatwave
Unusually warm sea temperatures off the southern Florida coast have caused coral bleaching to set in around the Florida Keys. Average annual summer sea temperatures in south Florida generally range from 74 to 88⁰F (23 to 31⁰C), however, water temperatures in the region have reached about 100⁰F (38⁰C) in recent weeks. This water temperature is unbearably hot for corals, killing the colourful algae that reside in a symbiotic relationship within them. This process, known as coral bleaching, can ultimately kill corals. In a last-ditch attempt to save some coral species, scientists have resorted to transferring corals from the sea to climate-controlled labs. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), these moves are supposed to be temporary, “for rehabilitation and safekeeping.” So far, organizations such as the Coral Restoration Foundation have saved over 484 coral specimens, however, much work is still needed, leading many marine officials to increase pressure for climate change action.
This animated map depicts the build-up of ocean heat stress in the waters around Florida between June 25th and July 23rd, 2023. Click on the map to learn more.
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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?
A: Italy and South Africa
There are three sovereign enclaves in the world: Lesotho, San Marino, and Vatican City. The Kingdom of Lesotho is surrounded entirely by territory belonging to South Africa. It is situated in the Maloti Mountains and contains the Sotho ethnic group. The Republic of San Marino is located on top of Monte Titano in the Apennines. It was founded by Saint Marinus, a stoneman from the then-Roman island of Rab in present-day Croatia, as an independently ruled monastic community in 301 AD. It lays claim to being the oldest extant sovereign state as well as the oldest constitutional republic. Vatican City State became independent from Italy in 1929 with the Lateran Treaty, making it a distinct territory under full jurisdiction of the Holy See. It is an ecclesiastical or sacerdotal-monarchical state ruled by the Pope, who is the bishop of Rome and head of the Roman Catholic Church. It is the smallest state in the world both by area and population.
Source Facts Institute
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Q: Which island nation is the most linguistically diverse country in the world?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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