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Nigeria
Dam Collapse Floods Thousands
The collapse of the Alau dam in Nigeria’s northeast Borno state has added disruption to flooding troubles that have already affected much of the northern part of the country. Around half of Borno’s capital, Maiduguri, has been inundated, leaving thousands of people trapped in buildings and killing at least 30 people so far. Flooding across the country has displaced around 400,000 people, and the overall number of people affected is believed to be around 1 million. In addition to the human cost, Maiduguri’s zoo was also flooded, resulting in the escape of several animals, including crocodiles and snakes. Nigeria’s regular rainy season runs from June to September, and local media is reporting that the flooding is the worst in 30 years.
This map depicts the location of the Alau dam in Nigeria’s Borno state, which failed, sending floodwaters into the regional capital of Maiduguri. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Al Jazeera
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Norway
China Advances Arctic Shipping
Chinese companies have signaled they want to help make Kirkenes, Norway, the biggest port in Northern Europe. Wedged between Finland and Russia some 250 miles (402 km) north of the Arctic Circle, Kirkenes rests near the opening of the most viable polar shipping route linking China to Europe. Melting sea ice has caused China to target the tiny town for a deep-water port at the western end of the Northern Sea Route, or NSR: a key leg on its proposed Polar Silk Road. As the closest town with unfettered access to European markets, Kirkenes is the first logical stop for Chinese ships after they leave Russian waters. Once united in efforts to keep China at arm’s length, the Arctic club of eight nations was fractured by the war in Ukraine, leaving Russia on one side and seven NATO members on the other. At the same time, climate change is opening the region to increased traffic.
This map depicts Norway’s Kirkenes Port on the Northern Sea Route, which promises shorter trips to Europe for Chinese ships. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Bloomberg
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Chile
Rapa Nui “Ecocide” Debunked
The remote Pacific island of Rapa Nui, widely known as Easter Island, never experienced a “self-inflicted population collapse,” a new analysis of ancient DNA reveals. Researchers have long debated whether the Polynesian island’s population plummeted due to deforestation, the overexploitation of local resources and warfare during the 1600s, before the arrival of Europeans a century later. But now, after studying the genomes of 15 inhabitants of the Polynesian island, researchers think there was never a rapid drop in population after all. Instead, the DNA evidence revealed that the island’s small population “steadily increased” until the 1860s, when Peruvian slave raids overtook the island and decreased the population by one-third. The analysis also showed that just like Rapa Nui individuals today, past inhabitants had Native American DNA. Researchers think this “mixing” would have taken place sometime between A.D. 1250 and 1430. This discovery offers evidence that the Rapa Nui may have been crossing the Pacific Ocean and visiting the Americas.
This map depicts the proportion and source of Native American admixture in Rapanui (Easter Island). Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: What desert is home to Death Valley, the lowest elevation in North America?
A: Mojave Desert
The Mojave Desert is a desert in the rain shadow of the southern Sierra Nevada mountains and Transverse Ranges in the Southwestern United States. It is located primarily in southeastern California and southwestern Nevada, with small portions extending into Arizona and Utah. The Mojave Desert, together with the Sonoran, Chihuahuan, and Great Basin deserts, form a larger North American Desert. Of these, the Mojave is the smallest and driest. It displays typical basin and range topography, generally having a pattern of a series of parallel mountain ranges and valleys. It is also the site of Death Valley, which is the lowest elevation in North America.
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Q: What country located between France and Spain is the largest of Europe’s microstates?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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