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Israel
Controversial Settlement Project
The leaders of seven countries, including four EU member states, condemned a major Israeli settlement project in the West Bank, labeled E1, and called on Israel to end expansion in the occupied Palestinian territory. A joint statement signed by Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom, urged Israel “to retract these plans immediately and end its expansion of settlements in the West Bank,” while highlighting the increase in violence and restrictions on the Palestinian economy. The E1 plan would further complicate access for Palestinians traversing from east Jerusalem, occupied and annexed by Israel and predominantly inhabited by Palestinians, from the West Bank. There are 3,400 homes planned for the tract, which lies between Jerusalem and the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim. The UN secretary general also said the E1 plan posed an “existential threat” to a contiguous Palestinian state.
This map depicts the growth of Israeli settlements and outposts in the occupied West Bank between December 2022 and July 2026. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: BBC News
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Panama
New Restrictions on Canal Transit
The Panama Canal will make new reductions to the daily passage of ships through the waterway due to lack of rainfall during this El Niño year, the operator announced on Thursday. The changes will begin to go into effect on September 3, lowering the number of allowed vessels from 36 to 34, with a further reduction to 32 per day beginning September 15. El Niño is a cyclical global climate phenomenon that causes changes to worldwide weather patterns. While Panama is typically one of the world’s wettest countries, this El Niño, which has been one of the largest ever measured, has caused rainfall to drop about 34% below average. The canal, which sees about 5% of global maritime trade pass through, is vital to both Panama’s and the world’s economies. With international shipping already constrained by the Iran War, the new restrictions may compound the crisis.
This map depicts the path of the Panama canal, located in the isthmus connecting North and South America. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: La Libre
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United States
Tick Population Boom
The increase in numbers and expanding range of the Lone Star tick in the United States is drawing attention to similar trends for other tick species and the diseases they spread. Once mostly confined to the southeast U.S., Lone Star tick populations are spreading both westward and northward along with increasing cases of tick-related diseases. The Lone Star tick is a driver of alpha-gal syndrome, an allergy to mammalian meats that sets in after a tick bite, and it is also a carrier of Heartland virus and Bourbon virus, which are both seeing increased diagnoses in a broader range. Lyme disease and anaplasmosis, carried by deer ticks, and Rocky Mountain Spotted fever, carried by a variety of North American tick species, are also seeing rising numbers compared with prior years. So far for this year, there has been a noticeable increase in ER visits related to tick bites compared to last year, increasing by 38 percent. The increasing spread of ticks has been attributed to warmer winters and the expansion in deer habitat, a common host for ticks.
This map depicts the range of the Lone Star tick across the US. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: Which major mountain range runs along the southeastern border of Kazakhstan?
A: Tien Shan Mountains
Tien Shan is the great mountain system of Central Asia. Its name is Chinese for “Celestial Mountains.” Stretching about 1,500 miles (2,500 km) from west-southwest to east-northeast, it mainly straddles the border between China and Kyrgyzstan. It is about 300 miles (500 km) wide in places at its eastern and western extremities but narrows to about 220 miles (350 km) in width at the center. The tallest peaks in the Tien Shan are a central cluster of mountains forming a knot, from which ridges extend along the boundaries between China, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan; these peaks are Victory Peak (Kyrgyz: Jengish Chokusu; Russian: Pik Pobedy), which at 24,406 feet (7,439 m) is the highest mountain in the range, and Khan Tängiri Peak (Kyrgyz: Kan-Too Chokusu), which reaches 22,949 feet (6,995 m) and is the highest point in Kazakhstan.
Source
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Q: Which territory lies to the south of Morocco, an area whose sovereignty status is the subject of a long-running dispute?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in Monday’s DailyGeo.
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