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Australia
Deadliest Day Down Under
Australia has recorded its deadliest day since the COVID-19 pandemic began, with at least 13 deaths and more than 700 confirmed new infections, mainly surrounding the country’s second-largest city, Melbourne, in the state of Victoria. The state was forced back into lockdown last month amidst new outbreaks of the virus. This map by The Guardian uses data from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and shows the state of Victoria and the trend in reported cases by local government area for areas with more than five cases in the past two weeks. Victoria’s premier, Daniel Andrews, has announced that the wearing of face masks will now be compulsory in the state to combat the increasing infection rate.
This interactive map depicts the city of Melbourne and surrounding areas in the Australian state of Victoria, and shows where cases of the virus are increasing and decreasing . All COVID-19 updates will be displayed in a red box.
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World
Record Number of Activists Killed
In 2019, more than four land and environment defenders were killed every week, reaching a record of 212 activists murdered, according to a recent report from Global Witness. Colombia and the Philippines counted for half of the activists killed globally last year, with Brazil and Mexico also recording high numbers of murders. Most of the deaths recorded were linked to the mining industry, followed by agriculture, logging, criminal gangs, and oil extraction. Forty percent of activists killed last year were from indigenous communities, but local farmers defending their land and environmental activists were also all victims to these hate crimes. The number of environmental activists killed annually has been rising since 2015.
This map depicts the widespread killings of land and environment defenders in 2019. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: The Guardian
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United Kingdom
Stonehenge Stone Mystery Solved
A new study published in the Science Advances journal yesterday reveals the origin of fifty of Stonehenge’s fifty-two sarsen stones. Using a sample taken from a 1958 restoration project, the scientists were able to use destructive sampling methods not currently possible on the over 4,500 year old standing monument. The samples were a direct match for those found at West Woods, fifteen miles away from the site. Each sarsen stone stands at around seven meters tall, and weighs 20 tons; researchers remain unsure how the stones were transported. Also unusual are the two sarsens that do not match the others, prompting the research team to believe they were brought by a separate builder community. Stonehenge’s smaller bluestones had already been linked to a site in Preseli Hills, 200 miles away.
This map depicts the origins of the stones that form Stonehenge. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: At a maximum depth of 19,714 feet, which canyon holds the title of being the world’s deepest?
A: Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon
Also known as the Tsangpo Gorge or the Brahmaputra Canyon, the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon is located in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. The canyon has an average overall depth of about 7,440 feet and a maximum depth of 19,714 feet. It is also listed as the world’s longest canyon with a length of about 314 miles, beating the Grand Canyon located in Arizona by 37 miles.
Source
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Q: About 154 miles (248 km) long and only 10–20 miles (16–32 km) wide, which lake is the world’s largest alkaline lake?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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