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Israel
Israel Launches Strikes into Gaza
Israel struck two Hamas targets in Gaza overnight, following two weeks of relative peace between the two sides after fighting a brief 11-day war last month. The Israeli Defense Forces tweeted a video which claimed to show fighter jets striking Hamas military compounds in Gaza. The attack was in retaliation to Hamas launching incendiary balloons earlier in the day, which caused fires in Israel. The balloons were assumed to be a response to a ‘Flag Day’ demonstration in which Israeli nationalists marched through Palestinian neighborhoods in Jerusalem. The attacks were the first carried out by Israel’s new government led by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who was sworn in on Sunday.
This map depicts where the airstrikes took place in Gaza, Khan Younis and Gaza City, as well as where the demonstrations took place, in Jerusalem. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: BBC
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Taiwan
China Flies Into Taiwan Airspace
China sent a record-breaking 28 military planes on a sortie into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) this past Monday, causing Taiwan’s defense ministry to scramble planes, deploy missile defense systems, and send radio warnings in response. This is the largest foray by air forces of the People’s Liberation Army since the Taiwanese government started publishing almost daily reports about repeated military flights over Taiwanese-controlled airspace last year. This latest event is widely viewed as Beijing’s effort to increase pressure on Taiwan as the Chinese government considers the self-controlled democracy as part of China. This past week, NATO leaders described China as an escalating security threat and urged for a peaceful resolution between the two countries.This map depicts the flight paths of 28 Chinese aircrafts that flew into Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ). Click on the map to learn more.
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World
Nuclear Stockpile on Decline
The world’s overall stockpile of nuclear weapons is on the decline, while the number of operationally deployable weapons is rising, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) in its Yearbook report published this week. The U.S., Russia, the U.K., France, China, India, Pakistan, Israel, and North Korea saw a decrease of 320 nuclear warheads this year, for a new combined total of 13,080 nuclear warheads. Deployable weapons are either located on active bases or mounted on missiles, and the number of those increased from 3,720 to 3,825 since last year. Researchers expressed concern that the increase in deployable weapons is an indication that the period of stockpile decline after the Cold War has stalled.This map depicts the world’s nuclear weapons stockpiles by country. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: Covering 12,194 sq mi (31,582 km sq) until 2016 and best known today for its agricultural and culinary output, which region of France threatened to become a European power in its own right in the late 15th century?
A: Burgundy (Bourgogne, now part of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté)
Founded in the 4th century by the Burgundians, a Germanic tribe from the Baltic, the Kingdom of Burgundy existed in various forms until it was split between the Duchy of Burgundy and the Free County of Burgundy in the 9th century. In the 15th Century after the Hundred Years’ War, Duke Charles the Bold was almost crowned king of a redeclared Kingdom of Burgundy, in defiance of the king of France. He ultimately died in battle in 1477, but had he succeeded, the history and political boundaries of Europe might have turned out very differently, with the gradual consolidation and centralization of France not resulting in nearly as large or influential a state. Following the re-organization of France’s regions in 2016, the regions of Burgundy and the Free County (Franche-Comté) saw a historical reunification into the new Region Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, and its wines and cuisine (including mustard named for its capital, Dijon) continue to remain integral to French identity.
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Q: With 191,570 square miles (496,164 km sq), or 54.14% of its total territory, which country in South America has the highest proportion of government protected land?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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