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Cape Verde
Senegalese Migrant Boat Tragedy
Sixty-three people are feared dead after the boat in which they were travelling from Senegal capsized near Cape Verde. Thirty-eight people survived the accident, and the remains of seven people have been recovered, according to the International Organization on Migration (IOM). Senegal’s foreign ministry confirmed that the long wooden fishing vessel, known as a pirogue, left the village of Fasse Boye on July 10 with 101 people on board. After over a month at sea, the boat was spotted Monday in the Atlantic Ocean about 150 nautical miles (277 kilometers) from the Cape Verdean Island of Sal, police said. The Cape Verde archipelago lies about 350 miles (600 miles) off the coast of western Africa, on one of the dangerous Atlantic migration routes used by thousands fleeing poverty and war to reach the Spanish Canary Islands, a gateway to Europe. Cape Verde authorities and IOM appealed for international cooperation on migration to prevent future loss of life.
This map depicts the location where the migrant boat was rescued, off of the West African Cape Verde Islands, on one of the maritime routes to the Spanish Canary Islands. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: BBC
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Niger
ECOWAS Watches Niger Junta
The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has decided to create a “standby force to restore constitutional order” in Niger following rising tensions. Last Thursday and Friday, at least 17 Niger soldiers were killed in an attack by armed groups near the Niger border with Mali. For over a decade, the border between central Mali, northern Burkina Faso, and western Niger has become a hotspot for violence by armed groups linked to al-Qaeda, ISIL (ISIS), and Boko Haram. Following a coup on July 26th against President Mohamed Bazoum, Niger’s self-declared military leadership has threatened to charge him with high treason, defying last week’s deadline to hand over power and their earlier willingness to negotiate. ECOWAS has declared this a “provocation,” and it is ready to intervene militarily in Niger should diplomatic efforts to reverse the coup fail. The United Nations has raised alarms that an increase in violence could significantly worsen food insecurity across Niger and is urging humanitarian exemptions to sanctions and border closures to avert catastrophe.
This map depicts the Tillaberi region of western Niger where most of the violence and clashes have occurred. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: France24
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Italy
Iceman’s Origins Become Clearer
Advances in DNA analysis have allowed scientists to glean new details about the appearance and origins of the famous “Iceman” mummy, as described in a new article in the journal Cell Genomics. Nicknamed Ötzi (rhymes with “tootsie”), the Iceman’s corpse was discovered in the Tyrolean Alps of northern Italy in 1991, and was found to be roughly 5,300 years old, making his the oldest human body ever found intact. The new DNA analysis has revealed that Ötzi had darker skin than has been previously portrayed, and likely suffered from male-pattern baldness. While previous attempts to pin down his ancestry pointed to some relation to present-day Sardinians, the latest results reveal that Ötzi had a high degree of genetic markers of ancient farmers from Anatolia, in modern-day Turkey. Anthropologists had previously been aware of a group of farmers from Anatolia who migrated to the Alps but remained relatively isolated, and Ötzi’s genes serve as confirmation of this population.
This map depicts the location where the famous ice mummy nicknamed Ötzi was discovered, as well as the locations associated with the human populations whose markers were discovered in a new analysis of his DNA. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: Where is the largest mangrove forest in the world?
A: Bangladesh and India
The Sundarbans, a vast tract of forest and saltwater swamp and a UNESCO biosphere reserve, is the largest contiguous mangrove forest in the world at 140,000 ha (1400 sq km). It lies on the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Meghna rivers on the Bay of Bengal. Three-fifths of it is in Bangladesh, the rest in India. The site is a complex of tidal waterways, mudflats, and small islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forest, with a wide range of fauna, including 260 bird species. It is one of the last preserves of Bengal tigers and other threatened species, such as the estuarine crocodile and the Indian python. The landscape is constantly transformed by sea and wind erosion, and by silt and sediments deposited along its estuaries. Human activity, notably through forest removal and river water diversion for irrigation, has accelerated erosion and extended salinity in the swamps farther inland.
Source UNESCO
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Q: What is the world’s geologically youngest and physically most complex ocean?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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