|
|
|
Sudan
Famine Spreading in North Darfur
Acute malnutrition has reached famine levels in two more areas of western Sudan’s Darfur region, UN-backed experts warn, due to a civil war between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese army. In Um Baru, nearly 53% of children aged between 6 months and 5 years suffered from acute malnutrition, while 32% of children in Kernoi face the same ordeal. Sudan now has the most areas of active famine on the planet. Nearly half the population of Sudan, more than 21 million people, are facing acute food insecurity and lack adequate supplies. The hunger crisis is occurring amidst mass displacement, food production and supply line disruptions, health system collapse, cholera outbreaks, and lack of humanitarian access. Um Baru and Kernoi are near the border with Chad and have received some of the 127,000 displaced persons who fled the city of el-Fasher after a brutal RSF takeover preceded by 18 months of bombardment and starvation. Fighting has been reported in both locations.
This map depicts the IPC Acute Food Insecurity Phase Classification, showing thresholds for acute malnutrition. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
|
|
Portugal-Spain
Storm Marta Expands Flooding
Only a few days after the impacts of two previous major storms, Storm Marta brought further flooding to the Iberian Peninsula over the weekend. Storm Kristin struck Portugal and Spain on January 28, killing five people, and was followed last Wednesday by Storm Leonardo, which claimed another victim. Leonardo had already forced the evacuation of 1,100 people in Portugal before Marta struck on Saturday. Roads are blocked and multiple train lines have stopped running in both countries. The Spanish village of Grazalema recorded an all-time record of 19.7 inches (500mm) of rain in under 24 hours this past weekend. Portuguese environmental authorities noted that in the space of three days, a series of dams were forced to release an amount of water equivalent to the country’s total consumption for a year. Continuing rain is in the forecast for both Portugal and Spain for the upcoming week.
This map depicts Storm Marta passing over the Iberian Peninsula on Saturday afternoon, bringing heavy rains to both Portugal and Spain. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
|
Graphic Source: Meteologix
__________________________________________
|
|
|
|
Greenland
Earliest Humans in High Arctic
Archaeologists uncovered evidence proving humans inhabited the remote island cluster of Kitsissut located in the High Arctic between northwest Greenland and northeast Canada nearly 4,500 years ago. The largest discovery were 15 Paleo-Inuit dwellings at the tip of Isbjørne Island containing rings of stones which indicated the presence of a tent with a hearth at the center, proving people were repeatedly visiting these islands over generations. The archaeologists used bones discovered in a tent ring to date the island’s occupation to around 4,000 to 4,475 years ago. Kitsissut sits in the heart of Pikialasorsuaq, a region of the Arctic Ocean that never freezes, though reaching the islands requires a 31-mile (50 km) open-water crossing. That’s the longest journey by watercraft for this period in the entire Arctic. There’s also evidence of environmental impacts as these camps were sites where vegetation growth and animal activity responded to repeated human presence.
This map depicts the location of the archeological discovery. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Q: The first fossilized dinosaur egg was found in which desert in Asia, the continent’s largest?
A: Gobi Desert
The Gobi Desert straddles Mongolia’s southern border with China’s autonomous region of Inner Mongolia. It is a cold desert formed in the rain shadow of the Himalayas. The world’s highest mountain chain blocks clouds from the Indian Ocean from making it over the Tibetan Plateau and into the Gobi area. During the late Cretaceous, some 70-80 million years ago, the Gobi region was very different. Parts of it were covered by dense conifer forests, crisscrossed by streams and dotted with lakes. Today, though, thanks to the desert’s barren, rock-strewn landscapes, paleontologists have found a number of fossils. The first-ever positively identified dinosaur eggs became one of many remarkable finds from a rocky outcrop called the Flaming Cliffs.
Source
|
|
|
|
|
Q: What country is the largest sovereign enclave in the world, known as the “Mountain Kingdom”?
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 © 2025 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.
|
|
|
|
|
