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Australia
Australia to Recognize Palestine
Australia will formally recognize a Palestinian state during the United Nations General Assembly in September, joining the UK, France, and Canada in a coordinated push for a two-state solution. Australia’s Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, said the decision follows commitments from Palestinian Authority leader, Mahmoud Abbas, to hold general elections, demilitarize, and exclude Hamas from any involvement in the future. He described the move as part of global momentum to end the war in Gaza, which he called a “humanitarian catastrophe.” Israel’s ambassador to Australia condemned the recognition as “rewarding terrorism” and insisted it would not bring peace. Nearly 150 of the UN’s 193 member states already recognize Palestine, which holds UN observer status without voting rights.
This map depicts countries that have recognized or announced plans to recognize the Palestinian state, with timelines from 1995 to those planned for 2025. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: The Guardian
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France
Jellyfish Shut Down Nuclear Site
Beginning Sunday night, four out of six atomic reactors at France’s northern Gravelines nuclear power plant were closed after a swarm of jellyfish clogged their filter drums. Coastal nuclear power plants draw in sea water for cooling, which can also accidentally draw in marine life. This closure is the latest action in connection to the marine heat wave intensifying off the country’s west coast, bringing unusually warm waters into the English Channel. Warmer waters can cause jellyfish populations to bloom, increasing the likelihood that they will get drawn into the cooling systems. In fact, several beaches have been closed in recent weeks because of increased jellyfish populations. Authorities have stated that the shutdown of western Europe’s biggest nuclear power plant had no impact on the safety of facilities, personnel, or the environment. The plant is expected to return to normal operations later this week.
This map depicts the location of France’s Gravelines nuclear site. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Bloomberg
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Argentina
Perito Moreno Glacier Retreating
New research has found that the Perito Moreno Glacier in Argentina is now undergoing substantial and likely irreversible retreat. Perito Moreno is situated in the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, located at the Southern Patagonic Andes between Chile and Argentina. The glacier is uniquely accessible and receives over 700,000 visitors each year who come to view iceberg chunks breaking off of the main glacier (a process known as iceberg calving). The iconic glacier was thought of as one of Earth’s few relatively stable glaciers, existing securely in a valley for decades. However, significant ice thinning has occured since 2019 due to reduced snowfall and warmer summers caused by human-induced climate change. Perito Moreno has started to lose contact with its underlying bedrock, causing ice loss to accelerate as the glacier retreats backwards into the valley.
This map depicts the Southern Patagonian Icefield in Argentina and the location of Glaciar Perito Moreno, its bedrock topography and frontal change. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: What is the name of the most remote point in the ocean, that is closer to space than land?
A: Point Nemo
Point Nemo is the name given to the geographic coordinates 48°52.6′S, 123°23.6′W. It is the furthest place from any landmass anywhere in the world: at Point Nemo, you are closer to Space than you are to land. Located in the South Pacific, Point Nemo is 1,670 miles (2,688 km) from the nearest landmass and as such termed the “Oceanic Pole of Inaccessibility”. In geography, a pole of inaccessibility is defined as the farthest location in a given area relative to a given criterion: well-known examples include the North and South Poles. Point Nemo was named after Jules Verne’s fictional character Captain Nemo, who travels the oceans in his submarine. Due to its remoteness, Point Nemo has some unconventional uses, including acting as a spacecraft graveyard for space agencies to safely crash their decommissioned spacecraft.
Source
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Q: What country is home to the Euphrates Poplar Forest, planted to create a natural barrier against desertification?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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