|
Russia-Ukraine
Russian Plane Crash Kills 29
A Russian An-26 military transport plane crashed early Wednesday morning in Russian-occupied Crimea, killing 29 people on board. The Russian defense ministry said contact was lost around 6 p.m. on Tuesday with the An-26 aircraft while on a scheduled flight over the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia illegally annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Twenty-three passengers and six crew members on board. Sources at the crash site informed state news agencies that the aircraft crashed into a cliff. Search operations are ongoing in the mountainous, forested region within the Bakhchisarai district near Kuybyshevo. The An-26 has been in service since the late 1960s and has also been used by airlines to carry freight, but the model has been involved in a number of deadly crashes since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
This map depicts the crash site near Kuybyshevo in the mountainous region of the Bakhchisarai district of Crimea. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
|
Graphic Source: AP News
__________________________________________
|
|
|
|
Bangladesh
Food Aid Cut for Refugees
The United Nations’ World Food Programme (WFP) has slashed food assistance for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh amidst cuts in funding for international aid agencies. While the WFP has provided $12 worth of food per month for each person, it is preparing to cut the allocations down to $7 depending on the needs of each family, a decision made due to funding shortages across agencies. The government of Bangladesh warned that this change may lead to unrest within the camps. There are fears of starvation for the current Rohingya refugee population of 1.3 million, as 90% of camp residents cannot afford adequate nutrition. Since 2017, Bangladesh has experienced an influx of over one million predominantly Muslim Rohingya people fleeing religious and ethnic persecution in the neighboring country of Myanmar. Declared stateless by Myanmar’s ruling military junta, the Rohingya refugees have mostly been resettled in crowded refugee camps in Bangladesh managed by the UN Refugee Agency.
This map depicts the location and population of Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
|
|
United Kingdom
Wide Biodiversity Loss By 2070
Over 200 species in the United Kingdom (UK) could go extinct if climate change and land use are not addressed. In the worst-case scenario, by 2070 researchers estimate that 196 plant species, 31 bird species, and 7 butterfly species could be lost from Britain. Even in the best-case scenario, some biodiversity loss will still occur. However, lowering emissions and improving sustainability can reduce extinction risk by 32% for plants, 14% for butterflies, and 20% for birds. In the short term (up to 2050), butterflies and birds do not show large declines across scenarios. However, this is because they are already starting from a highly degraded baseline, with many species already at risk. After 2050, trends begin to more clearly show that high-impact scenarios lead to faster and greater biodiversity loss, while more sustainable scenarios slow the rate of decline. Plants are the most affected group, showing the largest changes and highest extinction risk, while butterflies and birds are more influenced by land-use and societal factors. Overall, the biggest differences between future outcomes appear after 2050, showing that actions in the next 20 years will determine how much biodiversity is ultimately lost.
This map depicts the projected trends and spatial patterns of species heading for extinction, in response to climate change and land-use change, to the year 2070 for Great Britain. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Q: What country’s extensive marshlands gave rise to the world’s first known cities?
A: Iraq
The Mesopotamian Marshes, also known as the Iraqi Marshes, are a wetland area located in Southern Iraq and southwestern Iran as well as partially in northern Kuwait. The archaeological cities of Uruk and Ur and the Tell Eridu archaeological site form part of the remains of the Sumerian cities and settlements that developed in southern Mesopotamia between the 4th and the 3rd millennium BCE in the marshy delta of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Historically the marshlands, mainly composed of the separate but adjacent Central, Hawizeh and Hammar Marshes, used to be the largest wetland ecosystem of Western Eurasia. Draining of portions of the marshes began in the 1950s and continued through the 1970s to reclaim land for agriculture and oil exploration. By the early 2000s, the marshes were drained to 10% of their original size.
Source
|
|
|
|
|
Q: What is the only country in the Western Hemisphere with net-negative greenhouse emissions?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
|
|
|
|
|
AGS is accepting DailyGeo GeoQuestion suggestions.
Write to ags@americangeo.org with any ideas!
Please include GeoQuestions in the subject line, along with your answer and source.
|
|
|
|
DailyGeo is an outreach effort of the American Geographical Society (AGS) to highlight the importance of geography and geospatial understanding in our day-to-day lives and the pressing issues of the day. AGS intiatives advance geographical education for everyone from high school students to seasoned professionals in the geospatial world, and that work is made possible from the financial support of people like you. If you enjoy DailyGeo and want to help AGS advance geographical learning for future generations, please consider making a donation.
|
|
|
|
DailyGeo is a daily digital communication created by the American Geographical Society (AGS) for the geography community. If you are receiving this email, it is because you are an affiliate of AGS or a participant in one of our programs. Feel free to share and encourage others to become part of the community too!
Copyright © 2026 American Geographical Society, All rights reserved.
We understand this might not be for everyone. Although we would hate to see you go, you can unsubscribe here.
How are we doing? We want to hear your feedback on the DailyGeo – what are we doing right and what should we be doing differently. Talk to us by emailing ags@americangeo.org.
|
|
|
|
|
