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Vanuatu
Earthquake Hits Capital
Today, an earthquake hit the capital of Vanuatu, Port Vila, triggering landslides, crushing cars and flattening multiple buildings, including a number of Embassies. There are unconfirmed reports of deaths, but the full extent of the damage remains unclear, as power and mobile networks across the country remain cut off. The earthquake happened just before 1 p.m. at a depth of 35 miles (57 km) and was centered 19 miles (30 km) west of Port Vila, the largest city in Vanuatu — a group of 80 islands that is home to about 330,000 people. It was followed by a magnitude 5.5 aftershock near the same location, with tremors continuing throughout the afternoon and evening. The nation sits in a seismically active area and is susceptible to frequent large earthquakes and other natural disasters.
This map depicts the location of the earthquake-. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Barron’s
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Angola
DRC Peace Talks Called Off
A meeting between the presidents of Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo was called off on Sunday, dashing hopes of a deal to curb Congo’s M23 rebel conflict that has displaced more than 1.9 million people. The event was meant to see a rare face-to-face meeting between the central African leaders in Angola, where long-running negotiations have sought to ease tensions linked to the almost three-year M23 insurgency. There had been hopes the talks would reach an agreement to end the conflict in the eastern DRC, where the M23 fighter group – which the DRC and the UN say is backed by Rwanda – has seized swaths of territory, displacing thousands and triggering a major humanitarian crisis. M23 is one of about 100 armed groups vying for a foothold in the mineral-rich eastern part of DRC near the border with Rwanda. In July, DRC signed a ceasefire with M23 that came into effect in August, but fighting has resumed since.
This map depicts the political violence in the DRC, Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda classified by event type. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: ACLED
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Germany
Ancient Human Genes Revealed
Analysis of fossilized ancient human remains has helped scientists to narrow the timeframe when modern humans (Homo sapiens) first encountered and interbred with Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) before entering Europe. As described in a research article published in the journal Science, researchers successfully extracted sufficient DNA from the remains of humans from small groups living in what is now Germany and Czechia. These members, of what is called the Lincombian-Ranisian-Jerzmanowician (LRJ), culture lived around 45,000 years ago. Despite living around 140 miles (225 km) apart, the German and Czech groups were found to be closely related, and to have far larger portions of Neanderthal genes in their DNA than modern humans, allowing the research team to narrow down the timeframe when the LRJ groups ancestors mixed with Neanderthals to about 47,000 years ago.
This map depicts the routes and timeframes that modern humans are estimated to have migrated out of Africa, including members of the LRJ culture that lived in Europe around 45,000 years ago. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: The Himalayan Mountain Range reaches across how many countries?
A: Six
The Himalayas, or Himalaya is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has several peaks exceeding an elevation of 26,000 ft (8,000 m) including Mount Everest, the highest mountain on Earth. The mountain range runs for 1,500 mi (2,400 km) as an arc from west-northwest to east-southeast at the northern end of the Indian subcontinent. The Himalayas occupy an area of 230,000 square miles (595,000 km2) across six countries–Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan. The sovereignty of the range in the Kashmir region is disputed among India, Pakistan, and China.
Source
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Q: What country’s name means the “End of Tibet,” because it lies at the southern extremity of the Tibetan plateau and culture?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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