|
China
Southern Provinces Hit by Floods
Heavy rainfall has caused flooding impacting thousands of people in southern China, notably around the Pearl River Delta. China’s most populous province of Guangdong, home to more than 127 million people, has been heavily affected, forcing 100,000 people to be evacuated. Four people have been reported killed, with 10 more people still missing. Authorities continue to observe high water levels as the rainfall has caused rivers to swell beyond their banks. Cities such as Guangzhou, Shaoguan, and Heyuan were also battered by the flooding. Rice fields in the area have been destroyed, incurring losses for farmers. Since the flooding began several days ago, Guangdong province has accumulated 24 inches (609 mm) of rainfall.
This map depicts areas heavily affected by the floods. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
|
Graphic Source: Al Jazeera
__________________________________________
|
|
Ecuador
Voters Back Security Measures
Ecuadorian voters have overwhelmingly backed tougher security measures amidst spiraling violence in a referendum on Sunday. President Noboa called the referendum following several high-profile murders, including those of two mayors in the last week. A burst of violence in January sparked by the jailbreak of a major drug lord led Noboa to declare a state of internal armed conflict, deploying soldiers to restore order in the country’s troubled prisons. The new measures will allow for the long-term expansion of military and police power, gun control boosts, and the implementation of harsher penalties for drug trafficking and gang activity. The country’s spiraling violence has been linked to the rise of gangs associated with transnational cartels and the drug trade with the US and Europe.
This map depicts Ecuadorian port cities with significant narcotics trafficking and major sites of violence. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
|
|
Graphic Source:
__________________________________________
|
|
|
|
Space
Voyager 1 Communicating Again
After five months of malfunctioning, Voyager 1’s communication functions have been remotely restored by technicians from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). In December, NASA reported the probe, which is the furthest human-made spacecraft from Earth, had started transmitting back meaningless code. It took the technicians weeks to devise a signal to Voyager 1 that induced the probe to send back usable data about its computer systems. After identifying the faulty code, the JPL team then devised a fix and sent the repair instructions back to Voyager on April 18. At more than 15 billion miles (24 billion km) away, it took around 22.5 hours for NASA’s instruction signal to reach the spacecraft, and then, after Voyager implemented the instructions, it took another 22.5 hours for its signal to arrive with confirmation that the fix worked. For the time being, Voyager is only communicating about its own operations. The next step for the JPL team is to send instructions for the probe to bring its scientific instruments online and transmit its findings on deep space back to Earth.
This interactive map from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at NASA depicts our solar system and the location of some of NASA’s probes in relation to it. Earth’s most-distant probe, Voyager 1, displayed in the lower left corner, has just resumed communication with its operations team after five months of sending meaningless data. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Q: What is the largest and highest plateau on Earth above sea level?
A: Tibetan Plateau
The Tibetan Plateau, also known as Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and Qing–Zang Plateau, is a vast elevated plateau located at the intersection of Central, South, and East Asia. It stretches approximately 620 miles (1,000 km) north to south and 1,600 miles (2,500 km) east to west. It is the world’s highest and largest plateau above sea level, with an area of 970,000 sq mi (2,500,000 sq km). With an average elevation exceeding 14,800 ft (4,500 m) and being surrounded by imposing mountain ranges containing the world’s two highest summits, Mount Everest and K2, the Tibetan Plateau is often referred to as “the Roof of the World”.
Source
|
|
|
|
|
Q: What is the only cold desert in the United States?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
|
|
|
|
|
AGS is accepting DailyGeo GeoQuestion suggestions.
Write to ags@americangeo.org with any ideas!
Please include GeoQuestions in the subject line, along with your answer and source.
|
|
|
|
DailyGeo is a daily digital communication created by the American Geographical Society (AGS) for the geography community. If you are receiving this email, it is because you are an affiliate of AGS or a participant in one of our programs. Feel free to share and encourage others to become part of the community too!
Copyright © 2024 American Geographical Society, All rights reserved.
We understand this might not be for everyone. Although we would hate to see you go, you can unsubscribe here.
How are we doing? We want to hear your feedback on the DailyGeo – what are we doing right and what should we be doing differently. Talk to us by emailing ags@americangeo.org.
|
|
|
|
|
