|
Somalia
How to Prevent a Repeat
Somalia is experiencing its worst drought in 20 years, following two consecutive seasons of poor rainfall. If the April to June rain season performs poorly and humanitarian assistance is unable to reach people in need, many predict that famine may once again occur. Political leaders will meet on Thursday, May 11th to address the issue. County Director of the Norwegian Refugee Council, Victor Moses, says the top priority must be to provide the necessary support to avert a repetition of the 2011 famine.
“Over 2.9 million people in Somalia face crisis or emergency level acute food insecurity and need emergency food aid…” Click on the map to read more and expand into a displaced persons analysis map.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Yemen
Water Woes
A second wave of cholera-associated deaths has plagued Yemen this year. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 34 Yemenis have died from the water-borne illness over the past two weeks and an estimated 2,000 have contracted the bacterial infection. The infection which causes severe dysentery and vomiting, develops in areas with poor sanitation, and is contracted by ingesting contaminated water sources. Due to the ongoing civil war which began in 2015 between Saudi-led coalition (government backed) and Shiite Houthi rebels, more than 8 million people lack access to drinking water and sanitation. The war has resulted in fewer than 45% of health facilities remaining functional, with almost 300 facilities damaged or destroyed. Because of the lack of proper health care and sanitary conditions, the WHO fear the number of cholera-associated deaths will only increase.
The map depicts the areas controlled by Saudi-led coalition (government backed) or Shiite Houthi rebels. Click on the map to expand.
|
|
|
Graphic Source: BBC
__________________________________________
|
|
|
South Africa
Homo naledi
Back in 2015, scientists discovered over 1,500 human bones belonging to a new species, Homo naledi. As of late, researchers have announced that Homo naledi are relatively young–between 236,000 and 335,000 years old–and may have coexisted with modern humans. Having found the remains in 30m (90ft) deep caves, researchers are speculating that this primitive species practiced burial rituals. These findings also lead researchers to believe southern Africa may have played a more prominent role in human evolution lineage, not just East Africa.
This map depicts the Rising Star cave in South Africa where bones of the Homo naledi species were found in 2015. Click the map to expand.
|
|
|
A Cartographer’s Quandary
Braille Tactile Maps
Maps are used every day to help people better orient themselves and find paths of transport. The visual aspect of reading maps has inspired cartographers to constantly concoct newer methods of creating maps that are as user-friendly as possible. But the visual aspect of map reading is exclusive to those with the ability to see. The visually impaired and blind community do not gain the same usefulness from visually focused maps. Rather, the use of tactile maps serves as a great medium for the visually impaired to read maps. Tactile maps are a means of conveying non-textual information in the form of raised lines and bumps. Some hurdles to overcome include understanding that tactile maps are not automatically meaningful to the visually impaired or blind unless they first understand what is being represented symbolically. Also, with visual maps, the user has the ability to zoom into or squint at maps to discern symbology. Tactile maps, in contrast, remain at their set resolution and therefore become messy to the braille reader if cluttered with too much information. In fact, some tactile maps are made with an audio element to better serve the visually impaired and blind community.
The map depicts Western Europe in Braille Tactile Map format. Click on the map to expand.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Q: Which desert, pictured above, is the driest, non-polar place in the world?
A: The Atacama Desert
The Atacama Desert (Desierto de Atacama) is a plateau in South America, covering a 1,000 km (600 mi) strip of land on the Pacific coast, west of the Andes mountains. Studies conducted by NASA have concluded that this desert is in fact the driest desert in the world. There are periods of up to four years where no rainfall has been registered at some weather stations.Source
|
|
|
|
|
Q: What country is geographically part of North America, but politically is part of Europe and much of the tourism revolves around flora and fauna?
Stay tuned for Tomorrow’s DailyGeo where we reveal the correct answer!
|
|
|
|
|
DailyGeo is daily digital communication created by AGS staff in our Headquarters for our community of Affiliates to digest on business days. Feel free to share and encourage others to become part of the community too!
Copyright © 2017 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. |
|
|
|
|
