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Philippines
South China Sea Confrontation
Relations between China and the Philippines are becoming increasingly hostile after a Chinese warship blasted a Philippine supply boat with a water cannon this past weekend, preventing it from reaching a military outpost in the South China Sea. The Philippines has posted a handful of troops in the World War II-era warship, Sierra Madre, which is grounded in the Second Thomas Shoal, an atoll in the Spratly Islands. The Spratly Islands are claimed, in whole or in part, by Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. The Philippine military grounded the ship there to reinforce the country’s claim on the territory. China continues to claim almost the entirety of the South China Sea as its sovereign territory, despite its claims being rejected in international arbitration, and has demanded the Philippines remove the ship from the South Thomas Shoal.
This map depicts competing territorial claims in the South China Sea. China recently used force to prevent the Philippines from supplying troops in part of the Philippines internationally recognized territory in the Spratly Islands. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: BBC
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Brazil
Historic Amazon Summit
Leaders of eight South American countries are meeting this week in Belem, capital of Para, the state with the highest deforestation rate in Brazil, to discuss Amazonian regional issues. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva says he is committed to zero deforestation by 2030. In July this year, deforestation fell 66% compared with the same month in 2022. Para is the epicenter of Brazil’s deforestation, as well as for the burgeoning forest industry of carbon credits. Organizations that pollute can purchase credits worth an equivalent amount of carbon dioxide, with the money paid meant to go to carbon-lowering schemes. The World Bank estimates the carbon credit market in the Amazon to be worth $210 billion a year, however the market remains unregulated. Problems arise because the government’s oversight is spotty in the Amazon, and private companies come in to fill that gap. The diplomatic summit aims to give greater input from local and indigenous leaders in the international conversation over climate change.
This map depicts the eight South American countries whose leaders have convened in Belem, Brazil, for a summit about a regional response to combat crime, deforestation, and climate change in the Amazon. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: BBC
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China
Ancient Human Skull Discovery
A 300,000-year-old human fossil discovered in China has captured scientists’ attention, as it is unlike any other hominid found before. An international team of scientists has reported it doesn’t resemble the lineages that split to form Neanderthals (130,000 to 40,000 years ago), Denisovans (200,000 to 50,000 years ago), or modern humans, challenging our current understanding of human evolution. Scientists describe the skull (thought to belong to a 12 or 13-year-old) as possessing a “low and wide neurocranial vault” with a “pronounced brow ridge” and “less projecting face and modest chin”. These skeletal traits reflect those from both “more primitive” and modern humans, and suggest that hominids with modern-day features were present in China much earlier than previously thought, although scientists are yet to supply concrete time estimates.
This map depicts the location of the Hualongdong (HLD) site in Dongzhi county, Anhui province, China, where the fossilized remains of a previously-unknown lineage of hominid were discovered. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: Which island nation is the most linguistically diverse country in the world?
A: Papua New Guinea
The official languages of the country reflect its colonial history, with English the main language of government and commerce. In everyday contexts, the most widely spoken language is Tok Pisin (Melanesian Pidgin), a creole combining grammatical elements of Indigenous languages, some German, and increasingly, English. Hiri Motu is a simplified trading language used by the people who live around Port Moresby. In addition to these official languages, there are more than 800 distinct Indigenous languages belonging to two radically different language groups – Austronesian, to which the local languages classified as Melanesian belong (around 200), and non-Austronesian, or Papuan languages (around 550).
Source Britannica
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Q: Where is the highest volcano on Earth?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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