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Sweden
Fears of Baltic Sea Sabotage
Sweden has sent a formal request for China to cooperate with its investigations into the severing of two undersea data cables in the Baltic Sea. The cables were severed on November 17 and 18 when a Chinese ship, Yi Peng 3, was sailing in the area. China has said it is ready to assist in the investigation, while its ally Russia has denied involvement. There have been at least three incidents of possible sabotage to the sea’s 40-plus telecommunication cables and critical gas pipelines since 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine. At the recent summit of NB8 (Nordic-Baltic 8) countries, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk proposed a joint surveillance of the Baltic Sea by the navies of the western coastal states. NATO’s Center for Maritime Research and Experimentation in Italy is launching software combining private and military data and imagery to surveil the undersea infrastructure more effectively.
This map depicts the locations of the undersea cables and landing points, as well as the route of the Chinese cargo ship Yi Peng 3. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Bloomberg
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Georgia
Pro-EU Demonstrations in Tbilisi
Tens of thousands of demonstrators have clashed with riot police in Georgia over the past five nights in protests against the governing Georgian Dream party’s decision to suspend talks aimed at joining the European Union until 2028. Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, chairman of the populist Dream Party, announced the decision after the European Parliament rejected the results of Georgia’s October 26 parliamentary elections. The European Union (EU) resolution called for new elections to be held within a year under international supervision and called for sanctions on Georgian leaders, including Kobakhidze. On Sunday, Kobakhidze told reporters parliamentary elections would not be held again. Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili, who favors accession to the EU, has encouraged the thousands who have taken to the streets nightly to protest the delay.
This map depicts Georgia, and the regions of Russian occupation within its territory, including Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: The Economist
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China
“Big-Headed” Hominid Discovered
In a new study published in Nature Communications journal, researchers have identified a new species of ancient humans, which they have named Homo juluensis, meaning “big head,” based partly on a very large skull found in northern China. The skull was very large and wide, with some Neanderthal-like features, but also traits common to modern humans and to Denisovans. The brains of these extinct humans were much bigger than any other hominin of their time, including our own species. Scientists propose that the growing fossil record in east Asia requires new terminology. This study puts forth a split of the “archaic Homo” classification in this area into at least four species — H. floresiensis, H. luzonensis, H. longi and the newly named H. juluensis. This new categorization will help researchers better understand the complexity of recent human evolution.
This map depicts the locations in Asia where archaic human skull fragments have been discovered, as well as a timeline of the four hominid species proposed in the study. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: What petroleum-rich river delta was once known as the “Oil Rivers” because of the production of palm oil?
A: Niger River Delta
The Niger Delta is the delta of the Niger River sitting directly on the Gulf of Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean in Nigeria. The Niger is the third-longest river in Africa, exceeded by the Nile and the Congo Rivers. Its source is in the Guinea Highlands in south-eastern Guinea near the Sierra Leone border. The river runs in a crescent shape through Mali, Niger, on the border with Benin, and then through Nigeria. The Niger Delta is a very densely populated region sometimes called the Oil Rivers because it was once a major producer of palm oil. The area was the British Oil Rivers Protectorate from 1885 until 1893, when it was expanded and became the Niger Coast Protectorate. The delta is a petroleum-rich region and has been the center of international concern over extensive pollution.
Source
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Q: What mountain range roughly follows Iran’s western border?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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