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Sri Lanka
President’s Party Wins Landslide
The National People’s Power Party (NPP) has won a landslide victory in Sri Lanka’s parliamentary elections. Showing the strength of the relatively new President Anura Kumara Dissayanake’s appeal to voters across the country, the NPP even won in the northern Jaffna district, where traditional ethnic Tamil parties have traditionally resisted national parties composed of the country’s majority of ethnic Sinhalese. The strongly left-leaning party took 159 of 225 seats, giving them a majority of over two-thirds and a mandate to advance Dissayanake’s economic plans. Dissayanake, who was elected in September, has promised to root out corruption and reapportion tax funds intended for debt payment towards welfare expenditures within the country. Sri Lanka is in the worst economic crisis in the country’s history after declaring bankruptcy on its external debt in 2022.
This map depicts the results of Sri Lanka’s parliamentary election, where President Anura Kumara Dissayanake’s National People’s Power Party has won a strong majority. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: The Hindu
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World
Global Measles Cases Soar
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), there were approximately 10.3 million measles cases worldwide in 2023, a 22% increase from 2022. Fifty-seven countries, a 36% increase from 2022, saw large-scale and unprecedented outbreaks that could have been preventable with the recommended two doses of the measles vaccine. Around the world, 22 million children did not receive the vaccine last year. Nearly 83% of the world’s children received the first dose between ages 1 and 2, yet only 74% received the second dose between 4 and 6 years old, decreasing its effectiveness and increasing outbreaks. Although the number of deaths decreased by 8%, 107,500 people, consisting primarily of children younger than 5 years, died from the disease in 2023. Those who survive an infection have a higher chance of facing complications such as blindness, pneumonia, or encephalitis.
This map depicts which U.S. states met the 95% MMR vaccination coverage rate needed to prevent measles outbreaks in their community. Click on the map to learn more.
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Chile
Microbes in Atacama
Scientists have discovered a biosphere of living microbes 13 feet (4 m) beneath the surface of the Atacama Desert, known as the world’s most uninhabitable place. This study in the journal PNAS Nexus implies there might be other active microbial populations in other extreme environments, such as areas affected by natural disasters or other planets. By using a technique separating living organisms from dead cells, researchers were able to identify a diverse array of living and potentially active microbes, including Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria, in even the most arid regions of the Atacama. Scientists had previously known there are living microbes in the top layers of the Atacama’s soil, but a salt-heavy layer from 2.6 to 6.6 feet (.8 to 2m) deep was found to be devoid of life. The microbes found deeper are living in a biosphere completely unconnected to life closer to the surface.
This map depicts the areas of the Atacama Desert where living microbes living deep beneath the surface were discovered. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: What is the smallest Spanish-speaking country in South America?
A: Uruguay
Uruguay is a country in the southeastern region of South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean, between Argentina and Brazil. It is the smallest Spanish-speaking nation in South America with a land area of 67,574 square miles (175,015 km2) and a water area of 463 square miles (1,200 km2). Uruguay is the second smallest sovereign nation in South America (after Suriname) and the third smallest territory (French Guiana is the smallest). Most of Uruguay is a rolling plain that represents a transition from the almost featureless Argentine pampas to the hilly uplands of southern Brazil.
Source
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Q: What is the name of the rift valley that stretches from the Horn of Africa down to Mozambique?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in Monday’s DailyGeo.
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