Afghanistan
Deadly Blasts at Kabul Airport
Two bomb blasts struck the area near Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport yesterday, where thousands are awaiting evacuation. At least 90 people are reported dead and 150 are wounded. The Pentagon has confirmed that alongside the Afghan civilians, 13 U.S. service personnel were killed. The first blast occurred near Baron Hotel, followed by gunfire and a second explosion near the Abbey Gate, one of the airport’s main entrances. U.K. defense officials said a suicide bomber walked up to families waiting outside the gate before detonating himself. This attack comes just days before the U.S. plans to complete its withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of occupation.
This map depicts the locations of the blasts in relation to Kabul Airport and Western officials were situated. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: BBC
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Pakistan
Fatal Fire at Chemical Factory
At least 15 workers have been killed in a massive fire that broke out in a chemical factory in Karachi, Pakistan. The fire erupted in the factory due to a reported short circuit. Rescue operations are working to find any other people that might have been hurt or trapped while present at the factory during the fire. Many victims died from suffocation because the roof of the factory was locked and there is only one entrance into the factory, making escape difficult. An investigation into the incident including what precautionary measures were taken and how the fire erupted is underway.
This map depicts the location of Karachi in southern Pakistan where the fire at a chemical factory killed multiple people. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Times of India
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Egypt
Scientists Find New Whale Fossil
Paleontologists have announced the discovery of a previously-unknown extinct species of a four-legged amphibious whale in Egypt. Named Phiomicetus anubis after the jackal-headed Egyptian god who accompanied dead pharoahs to the afterlife, the new-found species was roughly 10 feet (3 meters) long, weighed about 1,300 pounds (590 kg), and had a dog-like head. The Fayum Depression, in Egypt’s Western Desert, was covered by a sea during the whale species’ time 43 million years ago and has proven a rich source of aquatic fossils.
This map depicts the location where paleontologists discovered the fossils of a previously-unknown species of amphibious whale in Egypt’s Western Desert. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: Covering 143,244 square miles (371,000 km sq), which landlocked body of water is bordered by the most countries?
A: Caspian Sea
Sometimes classified as a lake and sometimes as a full-fledged sea due to its size and salinity, the Caspian Sea is bordered by Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan. The basin for the lake is entirely endorheic, meaning there’s no outflow to the world ocean and all water loss is due to evaporation. The Caspian has been drying up over the past few decades, meaning access to fish and other resources are coming under increasing competition from the countries that border it.
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Q: What region in the Southern Hemisphere, covering about 260,000 square miles (670,000 km sq), is bounded by famous a mountain range to the west, the Colorado River to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Straight of Magellan to the south.
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in Monday’s DailyGeo.
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