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South Africa
G20 Meets Without the U.S.
Representatives of the world’s top economies are gathering in the South African city of Johannesburg for a meeting of the Group of 20, or G20. The bloc includes the world’s 19 largest economies, the European Union, and the African Union. It is headed by a rotating presidency, which this year is held by South Africa. The administration of United States President Donald Trump has elected not to send its top diplomats for this gathering, meaning Secretary of State Marco Rubio is not attending the First Foreign Ministers’ meeting being held today and tomorrow, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will not attend the First Finance and Central Bank Deputies and Ministerial Meeting next week.
This map depicts the member states of the G20 and guest countries invited to participate in the G20 meetings taking place this week and next week by the host country, South Africa. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Daily Maverick
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Myanmar
7,000+ Freed from Scam Centers
About 7,000 people have been rescued from illegal call center operations in Myanmar and were waiting to be transferred to Thailand, prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said on Wednesday, as Thailand launched a large-scale crackdown on scam centers operating on the border. Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos, which share borders with Thailand, have in recent years become havens for transnational crime syndicates operating online scam operations, including romance scams, bogus investments, and illegal gambling. Myanmar’s border area of Myawaddy has the largest single cluster of scam compounds in the region, with victims from across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East tricked into enslaved work. At least 120,000 people across Myanmar and another 100,000 in Cambodia may be held in situations where they are forced to execute lucrative online scams, the UN has reported.
This map depicts the location of Myanmar scam centers near the Thai border. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: BBC
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Japan
Sea Creatures Found in Trench
Scientists studying sediment cores from the Japan Trench found that an abundance of deep-sea creatures can thrive in the hadal zone, approximately 4.5 miles (7.5 km) below sea level, through bioturbation. Bioturbation is an engineering process where animals move sediment to oxygenate and irrigate it, allowing sea creatures to access nutrients in the deepest part of the ocean. X-ray scans of the sediment cores revealed extensive animal-burrow structures, providing evidence of bioturbation activity. The study challenges previous beliefs that the hadal zone must be scarcely inhabited due to the harsh pressure, temperature, and limited nutrient availability, as the sediment cores revealed the presence of a range of species, including sea cucumbers, bivalves, and fish.
This map depicts the locations along the Japan Trench where the scientists took sediment cores that establish greater biodiversity and activity than previously believed. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: What country borders all the Central Asian countries?
A: Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country located in Central Asia that borders the countries of Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan. Central Asia extends from the Caspian Sea in the west to the border of western China in the east, and consists of the former Soviet republics of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkmenistan. Central Asia is a region of varied geography, including high passes and mountains (Tian Shan), vast deserts (Kyzyl Kum, Taklamakan), and especially treeless, grassy steppes. The vast steppe areas of Central Asia are considered together with the steppes of Eastern Europe as a homogeneous geographical zone known as the Eurasian Steppe.
Source
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Q: What is the only landlocked country in Southeast Asia?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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