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Belgium
EU Designates 7 Countries “Safe”
The European Union (EU) has designated Kosovo, Colombia, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Bangladesh and India as “safe countries of origin,” a move aimed at accelerating the processing and return of migrants back to these countries. Asylum applications from citizens of these nations will be fast-tracked and given the “safe” designation, making them unlikely to be approved. This designation is intended to help EU member states address the large backlog of asylum applications and streamline the return of migrants whose claims are deemed unfounded. The measure follows mounting political pressure from several EU leaders who called on the European Commission to establish clearer guidelines to facilitate deportations. In total, more than 200,000 people from these countries applied for asylum last year. The list of “safe countries of origin” can be updated over time.
This map depicts the countries that are included in the European Union’s “safe countries of origin” designation. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: MSN
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Democratic Republic of the Congo
Boat Burns, Capsizes, and Kills 50
A passenger boat capsized after catching fire in the northwestern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), leaving over 50 people dead and hundreds missing. The search for the missing was under way on Wednesday with rescue teams backed by the Red Cross and provincial authorities. The motorized wooden boat with about 400 passengers caught fire near the town of Mbandaka, after having left the port of Matankumu for the Bolomba territory. The incident began while someone was cooking on board. Several passengers died after jumping from the boat without being able to swim. About 100 survivors, many with bad burns, were brought to the Mbandaka Town Hall. Hundreds have been killed in boat accidents in recent years as more people abandon the few available roads for wooden vessels packed with passengers and goods.
This map depicts the town of Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of the Congo, where a boat sank after catching fire on the Congo River. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Al Jazeera
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South Georgia Island
Colossal Squid Recorded
Biologists are hailing the first-ever video recording of a colossal squid (Mesonychoteuthis hamiltoni) in the South Atlantic. A ‘teenager” measuring only around 11 inches (30 cm) long, the squid was caught on video by a remotely operated submersible from California’s Schmidt Ocean Institute on March 9 in the area of South Georgia Island and the Sandwich Islands. The largest known invertebrate in the world that can grow as long as 23 feet (7 meters), colossal squid were first discovered as remains in the stomach of a sperm whale, and only dying individuals outside their normal habitat have been seen on rare occasion by fishermen. A secretive species that can spot and elude the lights of submersibles long before they can be seen, this is the first time a healthy member of the species has been observed in its regular habitat, almost 2000 feet (600 meters) below the surface of the ocean.
This map depicts the location of South Georgia Island and the Sandwich Islands in the South Atlantic, near where scientists captured the first-ever video of a colossal squid in its native deep-sea habitat. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: What country is home to Earth’s wettest place, with the highest average annual rainfall?
A: India
Mawsynram, a village located in the Khasi Hills of the Meghalaya state of northeastern India, is the world’s wettest place. At an altitude of 4,600 feet (1,400 m) and a name meaning “home of clouds,” Mawsynram’s continuous rain, which can last for months, totals over 37 feet (11,872 mm) in an average year. The heavy rainfall is due to summer air currents sweeping over the steaming floodplains of Bangladesh, gathering moisture as they move north. When the resulting clouds hit the steep hills of Meghalaya they are “squeezed” through the narrowed gap in the atmosphere and compressed to the stage they can no longer hold their moisture, causing the near constant rain the village is famous for. Locals have adapted to this unique environment, using innovative tools like the Kunoop umbrella made from bamboo and banana leaves, as well as living root bridges, to navigate their daily lives.
Source
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Q: What is the deepest depression on the land surface of the earth?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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