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Ukraine
Missile Strike on Russian Fleet
Ukraine’s military launched 10 cruise missiles and three unmanned boats in an attack on Russia’s Black Sea fleet in Crimea early this morning, resulting in a large fire at a Sevastopol shipyard which Russia reports injured 24 people. This incident is the latest in a growing wave of strikes against the Kremlin navy, in the wake of a Moscow drone attack against a key Ukrainian port city in the Odesa region. Russian occupation authorities claimed most of Ukraine’s weapons were intercepted but that two ships had been damaged. Sevastopol is the largest city on the Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula and is the main base for the Russian fleet. In recent days, Ukraine also seized back control of four gas drilling platforms in the northern Black Sea, close to the Crimean Peninsula. The so-called Boyko Towers were captured by Russia in 2015, shortly after its annexation of Crimea.
This map depicts the extent of Russian military control in Ukraine, and highlights the Russian Black Sea fleet headquarters in Sevastopol, the target of a Ukrainian military strike this morning. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: BBC
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United States
Escaped Inmate Recaptured
Inmate Daniel Cavalcante is back in police custody after he escaped from Chester County Prison on August 31st. Cavalcante was convicted on August 16th for first-degree murder of his former girlfriend, and is serving a life-sentence without parole. Cavalcante broke out of prison by wedging himself between two walls and “crab-walking” up to the roof of the facility. Cavalcante was spotted numerous times during the two-week-long search to return him to prison. He was found hiding in a wood pile covered with leaves by a K-9 unit after suriviving being shot at by a homeowner during a break-in Monday.
This map depicts the locations at which Cavalcante was spotted over the past two weeks. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: CNN
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Greenland
Cruise Ship Runs Aground
A cruise ship carrying 206 passengers and crew has run aground in Alpefjord, a remote stretch of the Northeast Greenland National Park. Around 90 Australians are on board the 343-foot (104.4 m) long Norwegian cruise ship operated by Sydney-based cruise operator Aurora Expeditions. The nearest navy ship is more than 1,200 nautical miles away and is headed toward the site but is unlikely to reach the grounded ship until Friday. It has been reported that all are safe and free from injury, and there is no immediate danger. The cruise ship has now been grounded for over 36 hours, as Aurora Expeditions actively works to ensure the vessel’s recovery while securing the support of others in the area. The first attempt at re-floating the vessel at high tide was unsuccessful, so the ship is relying on the closest inspection vessel, the Knud Rasmussen, as well as other nearby ships, for eventual help.
This map depicts Alpefjord, on the coast of Greenland, where the luxury cruise ship Ocean Explorer remains stranded. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: Who incorporated the geographical knowledge of Islamic merchants and Norman voyagers to draw the most accurate map of the world in pre-modern times (1000-1500 CE)?
A: Muhammad al-Idrisi
Muslim geographer and cartographer Muhammad al-Idrisi (born 1100 in Morocco) was adviser to Roger II, the Norman king of Sicily (1130-54). Al-Idrisi’s service from 1138-1154 resulted in the completion of three major geographic works: (1) a silver planisphere on which was depicted a map of the world (shown as a globe above), (2) a world atlas consisting of 70 maps formed by dividing Earth north of the Equator into 7 climatic zones of equal width, each of which was subdivided into 10 equal parts by lines of longitude, and (3) a geographic text intended as a key to the planisphere. This medieval atlas was his great work of descriptive geography, known as Tabula Rogeriana or “The Book of Roger,” combining material from Arabic and Greek geographic works with information obtained through firsthand observation and eyewitness reports from interviews. It is particularly valuable for its data on such regions as the Mediterranean basin and the Balkans. He also made an estimate of the circumference of the world, accurate to within 10%. Many hail this as the greatest work of geography of the period.
Source Britannica
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Q: What present-day country is home to the island of Tortuga, a major center and haven of Caribbean piracy?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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