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DRC-Rwanda
DRC and Rwanda Sign Peace Deal
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda signed a peace deal brokered by the U.S. and Qatar on Friday in Washington, D.C. The agreement contains a pledge to implement a deal established in 2024 that would see Rwandan troops withdraw from eastern Congo within 90 days. The deal also says they will establish a regional economic integration framework within 90 days and form a joint security coordination mechanism within 30 days. A peace deal will help the U.S. government and American companies to gain access to DRC’s critical minerals, including cobalt, copper, and lithium which are used to make technology such as mobile phones and car batteries. Analysts have said the deal is a major turning point in the conflict, which has killed millions since the 1990s, but that key issues remain unaddressed, such as weak governance and corrupt justice systems.
This map depicts where M23 rebels have been active in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo near the border with Rwanda, as of June 25, 2025. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: The Economist
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United States
Wildfires Spread Across California
Multiple wildfires broke out across California’s Inland Empire over the weekend, prompting evacuation orders and smoke advisories amid hot, dry, and windy conditions. The largest, the Wolf Fire in Banning, has burned 1,165 acres (471.5 ha) and is 0% contained. Several other fires, including the 15-acre (6 ha) Cable Fire in San Bernardino (30% contained), the 100-acre (40 ha) Mindy Fire in Sage (50% contained), the 83-acre (34 ha) Mandalay Fire in Riverside, the two-acre Wilson Fire in Phelan, and the 485-acre (196 ha) Lake Fire near Crestline (15% contained) have all had forward progress stopped. A smoke advisory remains in effect through Monday at 6:00pm due to air quality concerns from the Wolf and Mindy Fires. While some evacuation orders remain, others have been lifted or downgraded to warnings.
This map depicts six wildfires across California’s Inland Empire: Wilson, Lake, Cable, Mandalay, Wolf, and Mindy Fires. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: ABC7 News
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Canada
World’s Oldest Known Rocks
A team of geologists writing in the journal Science believe they have identified the world’s oldest rocks in the northeast of Canada’s Quebec province. While volcanic rock, which makes up much of the Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt, can be difficult to date, elements that were forced into the volcanic rock some time after its formation were dated using radiometric methods to Earth’s first geologic eon, the Hadean, at around 4.16 billion years ago. This means the volcanic rock itself had to be older. The Earth’s crust is in a slow but constant state of renewal, where parts are being forced underground or subsumed at various locations around the globe. It is then typically melted and either remains deep underground or is recrystallized into new crust. This means much of Earth’s geologic history has been destroyed through this process.
This map depicts the Nuvvuagittuq Greenstone Belt, in northeastern Quebec, Canada, where geologists believe they’ve discovered the oldest rocks on Earth. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: What U.S. state is home to uniquely isolated mountain ranges rising from the desert called “Sky Islands”?
A: Arizona
The Madrean Sky Islands is a world biodiversity hotspot in northwestern Mexico and the southwestern United States, mostly in Arizona, with some reaching New Mexico. This ecoregion is named for the 55 pine- and oak-studded mountain “islands” encompassed within and separated by desert and grassland “seas.” These isolated Sky Islands range between 3,000 and over 10,000 feet (915 – 3300m) in elevation and connect the Colorado Plateau and temperate north with the Sierra Madre Occidental and neotropical south. Plants, animals, and habitats of the Great Plains grasslands, Sonoran desert, and Chihuahuan desert also connect and blend together here with the temperate and tropical. There are approximately 27 Madrean Sky Islands in the United States, and 15 in northern Mexico.
Source
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Q: What country is home to the largest protected area in Southeast Asia?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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