Bangladesh
Deadly Factory Fire
A fire broke out Thursday night at the Hashem Foods Ltd. food and beverage factory outside of the capital city of Dhaka, Bangladesh, killing at least 52 people. According to fire officials, many of the victims were trapped inside the factory by an illegally locked door. A news source stated that some workers jumped from upper floors as the factory was ablaze. The top two floors of the five-story building have yet to be searched and information about how many people were in the factory and how many are now missing is still unavailable. Brands employing low-wage workers in factories around the world are under continuous scrutiny and pressure to improve conditions after fires and disasters have claimed thousands of workers’ lives.
This map depicts the location of the factory that caught fire near Dhaka, Bangladesh. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: AFP
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World
Oxfam Reports on Food Crises
Eleven people die of hunger every minute around the world, and those facing famine conditions in the last year has increased six times, according to a report released today by Oxfam. The report states that 155 million people worldwide face food insecurity, 20 million more than last year. According to the report, those facing famine conditions is up from 84,500 last year to 521,814 this year: an increase of over 500%. The pandemic has worsened food crises in countries like Yemen, Afghanistan, Venezuela, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The report states the three main factors of food crises in the past year have been conflict, climate crises, and COVID-19. Although conflict was cited as the leading reason for food crises, food prices around the world increased 40% due to the pandemic and climate change, the highest increase in food prices in over a decade.
This map depicts areas in food crises worldwide, as of May 2021. Oxfam’s July report stated over 10 million more in food crises. Click on the map to learn more.
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China
Giant Panda Population Growing
Giant pandas are no longer an endangered species in the wild, China’s Department of Natural Ecological Protection of the Ministry of Ecology and Environment announced at a press conference this week. After over 50 years of conservation efforts, the giant panda’s population in the wild has increased to 1,800, reclassifying the species as “vulnerable.” China’s announcement comes five years after the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) removed the species from its endangered species list, a move many experts in China disputed at the time. The giant panda is not the only species recovering in the region; China has seen recent growth in the populations of Siberian tigers, Amur leopards, Asian elephants, and Crested ibis, among others.
This map depicts the regions in China where Giant Pandas are present in the wild. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: Covering nearly 250,000 square miles (647,500 km2), which desert is considered the largest in North America?
A: Chihuahuan Desert
The Chihuahuan Desert stretches from south of Albuquerque, New Mexico, to just north of Mexico City, with approximately 90% of its area located within Mexico’s borders. The Chihuahuan receives between 6 – 20 inches (150 to 500 mm) of average annual rainfall, higher than nearby Sonoran and Mojave deserts. The region supports 3,500 plant species, including nearly a quarter of the world’s cactus species, and is considered the most diverse desert in the Western Hemisphere and one of the most diverse arid regions in the world.
Source
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Q: Sunday, July 11th is World Population Day! According to the United Nations, what country had the highest average annual population growth rate between 2015-2020?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in Monday’s DailyGeo.
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