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India-Pakistan
India Strikes Terror Camps
The Indian military has launched strikes against targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir. The attacks come after several days of rising tensions and increasing military buildup on both sides following a terror attack against tourists in Indian-controlled Jammu & Kashmir that resulted in 26 dead. This morning’s assaults on nine sites allegedly housing terrorist infrastructure supported by the Pakistani government is called “Operation Sindoor” and included the headquarters for the terror groups Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen. Pakistan’s government says the Indian attacks killed 26 people and injured another 46, and has promised to retaliate.
This map shared by the Indian government depicts the locations in Pakistan and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir targeted in Operation Sindoor. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Al Jazeera
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United States
Trump Orders Alcatraz Reopening
U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered multiple federal agencies to rebuild and reopen the prison on Alcatraz Island, located off San Francisco, California. The penitentiary, which operated from 1934 to 1963, has since become a tourist attraction managed by the National Park Service visited by over 1.2 million people annually. President Trump directed the Federal Bureau of Prisons, Homeland Security, the Justice Department, and other agencies to expand and rebuild the prison as a high-security facility for difficult inmates. During its operation, Alcatraz held several infamous criminals, including Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly. The prison was closed primarily because it was nearly three times more expensive to operate than other federal prisons, largely due to its isolated island location. Trump’s plan to reopen the prison faces similar financial and operational challenges, especially given the island’s status as a protected historic site.
This map depicts the location of Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, home to a historic prison turned into a tourist destination which President Donald Trump has ordered to be reactivated as a working prison again.. Click on the map to learn more.
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United Kingdom
T. rex Direct Ancestors from Asia
Tyrannosaurus rex evolved in North America, but its direct ancestor came from Asia, crossing a land bridge connecting the continents more than 70 million years ago, according to a new study led by researchers at University College London. Modelling suggests the ‘grandparents’ of T. rex likely came to North America from Asia, crossing the Bering Strait between what is now Siberia and Alaska. The study also found that the rapid growth in size of tyrannosaurids (the group that included the T. rex), as well as a closely related group called megaraptors, coincided with a cooling of the global climate following a peak in temperatures 92 million years ago. This suggests T. rex and its cousins might have been better suited to cooler climates than other dinosaur groups at the time.
This map depicts potential dispersal routes for megaraptorans during the Middle Jurassic–Early Cretaceous (approx. 143 million years ago). Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: What island has the largest number and density of high mountains in the world?
A: Taiwan
Taiwan is an island in the western Pacific Ocean that lies roughly 100 miles (160 km) off the coast of southeastern China. It is approximately 245 miles (395 km) long (north-south) and 90 miles (145 km) across at its widest point. Mountains cover around two-thirds of the surface of the island. Taiwan has the highest density of tall mountains in the world, with 286 known peaks exceeding 3,000 meters (9,842 feet). This includes the 13,113 feet (3,997 m) Yushan (Jade Mountain), which is the tallest mountain in East Asia. The island’s mountainous terrain is characterized by five main ranges: the Central Mountain Range, Xueshan Range, Yushan Range, Alishan Range, and Coastal Mountain Range, contributing to its unique geography and biodiversity. The highest are in the Chung-yang (Zhongyang, or Central) Range in the east, which extends along the island’s north-south axis and in many places descends to the shoreline.
Source
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Q: What is the smallest country in continental Africa?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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