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United States
USAID in Flux
President Donald Trump has largely frozen the activity of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), threatening the jobs of thousands of employees and putting programs providing aid around the world on hold. Overseas employees not deemed essential will have 30 days from Friday to return to the United States. Contractors not deemed essential will also be released. The United States government is the world’s largest humanitarian donor, though its foreign assistance expenditures amount to less than 1% of the federal government’s overall budget.
This interactive map depicts disbursements of foreign aid from the United States across the world by recipient country in the government’s fiscal year 2023. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Axios
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Sweden
Mass Shooting Kills 11
Yesterday’s attack at an adult education center in Orebro, Sweden, is the worst mass shooting in the country’s history. The attack left 11 people dead and five seriously injured, with three women and two men being treated for gunshot wounds at Orebro University Hospital. The supposed gunman was found dead of causes yet unknown, and his motives remain under investigation. The education center is for adults who did not complete primary or secondary education. All of the victims were/are over the age of 18. Sweden has strict gun control laws and gun violence is rare; however, violence at schools has occurred in recent years with alternative weapons such as knives and axes.
This map depicts the location of Risbergska community college, in Orebro, west of Stolkholm, Sweden, where a mass shooting yesterday resulted in 11 victims being killed. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: BBC
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United States
Home Values Under Threat
A new study by First Street found that by 2055, nearly $1.5 trillion in US home values could be wiped out due to climate change, which is predicted to destroy properties, drive communities out of high-risk areas, and lead to rising insurance premiums. These losses will be concentrated in areas that are most at risk of extreme weather events, like coastal Florida, California’s Central Valley, and Texas, with some counties expected to experience net declines of up to 40% of their property values over the next 30 years. This shift is already underway, with insurance costs in many areas outpacing inflation and home appreciation rates.
This map depicts the projected decline in home values across the United States due to rising insurance costs between 2025 and 2055. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: What country is home to the highest mountain range in the Caribbean?
A: Dominican Republic
The Caribbean landscape is full of peaks and plateaus sculpted by volcanic activity and erosion. Mountain ranges, with tall volcanic peaks on some islands, form the backbone of the archipelago. The Cordillera Central is the highest mountain range in the Dominican Republic and in all of the Caribbean, running through the center of the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles. It is known as the Massif du Nord mountain range in Haiti. In Dominican territory, its crest line averages some 6,000 feet (1,800 m) in elevation and rises to 10,417 feet (3,175 m) at Duarte Peak, the highest mountain in the Caribbean. Because of its altitude, cool temperature, and scenic vistas, the Cordillera Central is also known as the “Dominican Alps”.
Source
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Q: What Pacific archipelago was called the “Enchanted Isles” due to sailors’ difficulty with the winds and currents around them?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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