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Saudi Arabia
U.S. & Russian Diplomats Meet
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio met his Russian counterpart, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov, in the Saudi Arabian capital of Riyadh over the weekend to discuss normalizing relations between the two countries and the ongoing war in Ukraine. While no substantive resolutions were finalized during the meeting, the representatives agreed on a few measures to maintain and advance future discussions. The meeting caused consternation with leadership in the Ukraine and the European Union, with concern that the U.S. may try to pursue an agreement with Russia without Ukraine’s consent. French President Emmanuel Macron called an emergency summit of European leaders in Paris to discuss common interests in light of being sidelined during the U.S.-Russia talks. Despite no proposal being formally advanced, officials from the Trump administration have spoken broadly about ending the war with Russia’s hold on current lines being recognized, Ukraine being permanently banned from joining NATO, and British and European troops being deployed to keep the peace in Ukraine.
This map depicts the territorial changes that would be put in place under suggestions made by Trump administration officials for ending Russia’s war in Ukraine. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Daily Mail
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Lebanon
Israel Maintains Positions
Despite the deadline for withdrawal having elapsed, Israel continues to occupy strategic positions on the southern border of Lebanon, as it charges that Hezbollah and Lebanese forces have not fulfilled their part of a peace agreement reached in November. Israel and Hezbollah reached a ceasefire agreement that required Israeli Defense Forces to cede control of southern Lebanon to the Lebanese military by the end of January. Israel said it was only temporarily occupying five strategic high points, and that it would not need to hold the positions once Lebanon fully implemented its side of the agreement. Under that agreement, Hezbollah is obligated to pull its weapons and fighters from southern Lebanon and the Lebanese military should be deployed in the country’s south. International monitors have highlighted the deployment of Lebanese forces but have offered less detail about Hezbollah’s withdrawal.
This map depicts where Israel has said it would continue to occupy Southern Lebanon. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: New York Times
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United States
Turtles ‘Dance’ in Magnetic Fields
A group of researchers designed an experiment around loggerhead sea turtle dances, where they lift their heads out of the water, flap their flippers, and even twirl in place when they sense food on the horizon. The research team tested the turtles’ ability to learn and remember magnetic fields, looking to the turtle dance as a sign that the turtles could remember which magnetic fields promised food, and which did not. In a process called magnetoreception, animals like sea turtles can use Earth’s magnetic field as a map over long-distance migrations, guiding them to a particular destination or helping them figure out where they are in the vast open ocean. Through controlled experiments, the research team demonstrated that loggerhead turtles can indeed learn and remember the magnetic fields of areas where they receive food. Understanding how turtles detect and interpret magnetic fields could help conservationists mitigate disruptions caused by human-made structures.
This map depicts results from conditioning experiments in which turtles learned to discriminate between magnetic fields replicating those that exist near New Hampshire, USA, and in the Gulf of Mexico. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: What country has the greatest altitude difference on Earth?
A: China
The highest and lowest points in China constitute the greatest elevation range within any single country at 29,534 ft (9,002 m). The highest point on Earth measured from sea level is the summit of Mount Everest, Tibet Autonomous Region on the Sino-Nepal border. While measurements of its height vary slightly, the elevation of its peak is usually given as 29,029 ft (8,848 m) above sea level. The Tibetan Plateau is the largest and highest plateau in the world. By contrast, the lowest part of the Turfan Depression in the Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang—Lake Ayding—is 508 feet (155 meters) below sea level, the sixth lowest exposed elevation on the Earth’s land surface.
Source
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Q: What island is home to the highest point in Oceania?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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