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Syria
Assad Escapes to Russia
Ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has fled to Russia, just hours after the capital of Damascus was taken over by opposition forces. The fall of Assad holds the potential for an outsized impact on stability in the Middle East. Russia, whose government was a long-time supporter of the Assad government and used Syria as a base for its main presence in the Middle East and Mediterranean, has requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council to discuss the developments in Syria. Multple factions are now in control of various swaths of Syrian territory, but the strongest faction, which led the takeover of the capital after a lightning offensive that started with the capture of Aleppo two weeks ago, is the opposition coalition led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). The leader of HTS, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, was formerly an Islamist militant aligned with al-Qaida but now says he supports religious tolerance and pluralism.
This map depicts the areas of control of Syrian territory by various factions and armed groups following the end of the government of Bashar al-Assad. Click on the map to learn more.
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Canada
Canada Increases Arctic Presence
On Friday, the Canadian government released a new foreign policy document, detailing how the country aims to increase its military presence in the Arctic. The Canadian military will expand its fleet of patrol ships, navy destroyers, ice breakers, submarines, aircraft, drones, maritime sensors, and satellites in the Arctic region in response to threats from geopolitical rivals such as Russia and China. As climate change warms the Arctic, opportunities for shipping and exploration for oil, gas, minerals, and other natural resources are increasing. Both Russia and China have tested and deployed weapons in the Arctic which Canada claims have the ability to strike North America and Europe. Ottawa is calling for increased collaboration with Nordic NATO allies, Japan, and South Korea. Canada’s plan further includes the appointment of an Arctic ambassador as well as opening new consulates in Alaska and Greenland to resolve border disputes with the U.S. and Denmark.
This map depicts the location of NATO and Russian military bases in the Arctic region. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: CEPA
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World
Drylands Expanding
A new report from the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) highlights that over three-quarters of the world became measurably, and permanently, drier over the last three decades. 77.6% of the Earth’s surface became drier from 1991 through 2020 in comparison to the prior three decades. Areas of the Earth classified as drylands expanded by nearly 1.7 million square miles (4.3 million km sq). Excluding Antarctica, 40.6% of the Earth’s surface is now considered drylands. While droughts are temporary periods of low rainfall, increasing aridity – a permanent change in an environment’s available moisture or dryness – is changing more and more parts of the globe. For the areas losing water resources, this shift to increasing aridity means a decreasing capacity to sustain life.
This map depicts areas of the world that became more arid from 1991-2020 in comparison to the prior 30 years. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: What country is home to a biodiverse marginal sea nicknamed the Vermillion Sea?
A: Mexico
The Gulf of California, also known as the Sea of Cortés, or less commonly as the Vermilion Sea, is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean that separates the Baja California peninsula from the Mexican mainland. In 1539 Spanish explorer Francisco de Ulloa proved that Baja California was a peninsula rather than an island, and he named the gulf Mar Bermejo (“Vermilion Sea”) because of the impressive red plankton that is found in its waters. It is bordered by the states of Baja California, Baja California Sur, Sonora, and Sinaloa with a coastline of approximately 2,500 mi (4,000 km). The gulf is thought to be one of the most diverse seas on Earth and is home to more than 5,000 species of micro-invertebrates. The gulf has some of Mexico’s richest commercial fishing grounds, with shrimp, tuna, and sardines among the leading species caught.
Source
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Q: Canada’s newest and most eastern province of Labrador and Newfoundland is separated by what strait?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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