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India
European Union Free Trade Deal
India and the European Union have signed a long-awaited free-trade agreement, nearly two decades after talks first began. The deal will gradually cut tariffs on most traded goods over the next ten years. As tariffs rise in the United States, Europe can reduce its dependency on the United States and China as trading partners, while India is looking to position itself as a more open and reliable market. Negotiations had long stalled over Europe’s desire to protect its farmers and India’s insistence on high import tariffs to shield domestic jobs. However, growing global pressures have pushed both sides toward compromise. Under the agreement, India will lower duties on a broad range of European imports, including cars, machinery, pharmaceuticals, and metals, while protecting some politically-sensitive sectors. In return, Europe will open its market further to Indian exports, particularly labor-intensive goods that are most vulnerable when tariffs rise elsewhere.
This map depicts India’s top E.U. export destinations. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: India Today
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India
Nipah Virus Outbreak Contained
Countries in Southeast Asia are on alert following the report by Indian health authorities of two confirmed human infections by the Nipah virus in West Bengal state in the last month. India reported that despite the two cases, over 200 close contacts of the patients were tested and found negative for the virus. Multiples countries in South and Southeast Asia have responded to the news by instituting health screenings at airports of passengers arriving from India. The Nipah virus is a zoonotic virus causing dangerous brain swelling that can spread from animals to humans, by contaminated food, or directly from human to human. It was first identified in a 1999 outbreak among pig farmers in Malaysia and Singapore, and human outbreaks have only been identified in South and Southeast Asia. It is highly contagious for human-to-human infections, and has a fatality rate of 40% to 75%.
This map depicts known locations of transmission of the Nipah virus. Click on the map to learn more.
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China
Advanced Stone Tools Found
The discovery of hafted stone tools at the Xigou archaeological site in the Danjiangkou Reservoir Region of central China provides evidence for the oldest composite technology in East Asia. The tools, which were created by striking thin flakes off of stone, usually quartzite, which were then attached to wooden “hafts” or handles, pushes the timeline of sophisticated stone tool use in China back to 160,000-72,000 years ago. An international group of researchers led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences published these findings to Nature. While evidence exists of East Asian hominins using wooden tools as far back as 300,000 years ago, the presence of these more advanced tools subverts long-held assumptions that this regional group only produced simple tools compared to their African and European counterparts. This discovery also aligns with emerging research surrounding large brain sizes in Chinese hominins such as Homo juluensis and Homo longi, in addition to our own species, Homo sapiens.
This map depicts the location, stratigraphy, and chronology of the Xigou archaeological site where hafted stone tools were discovered that revise assumptions about the development of East Asian hominins. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: What country is home to the only place on the Equator with snow cover?
A: Ecuador
Ecuador is home to the only place on the Equator with permanent snow cover: the Cayambe volcano. Located in the Andes Mountains, its southern slope reaches an elevation of 15,387 feet (4,690 m), where the Equator crosses, making it the only place on the line with year-round snow and glaciers. Cayambe is located in the Pichincha Province, about 43 miles (70 km) northeast of Quito. It is the highest point on the Equator, with a summit reaching 18,996 feet (5,790 m). The high altitude allows for a permanent ice cap, which is considered the highest tropical glacier in the world. Cayambe is an active compound volcano which last erupted in March 1786. It still exhibits seismic activity, often averaging 10 events per day, including sporadic seismic swarms.
Source
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Q: What country is home to Europe’s largest sand dune?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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