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Syria
Rebels Withdraw from Idlib
Opposition fighters have pulled out of Khan Sheikhun, a key stronghold in Idlib in northwestern Syria, as government forces attempt to retake the region. Russia-backed Syrian military forces have been advancing in Idlib since April, forcing over 500,000 people to flee toward the Turkish border. Khan Sheikhun has been occupied by rebel forces in the Jaish al-Izza rebel faction and the Turkish-backed National Liberation Front (NLF) since 2014. A spokesman from the main group in the area, a former affiliate of al-Qaeda, described the withdrawal of troops as a “redeployment” and said they intend to continue defending their territory.
This map depicts the locations of key rebel-held and government-held territories in northwestern Syria. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Guardian
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Mediterranean Sea
Stranded Migrant Ship
A Spanish rescue ship, Open Arms, has been at sea for 19 days with more than 100 migrants on-board. It is 800 meters away from Lampedusa, an Italian island, but Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has refused to allow the ship to dock. Six other European Union countries have agreed to take the migrants. Spain has offered the ship to dock at a Spanish port, but the Open Arms has refused as it would take 5 days to get there. Resources onboard have been exhausted, so in desperation, more than 10 migrants have jumped overboard and tried to swim ashore to Lampedusa.
This map depicts the paths of migrant rescue ships in the Mediterranean. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: AFP
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Iceland
Melted Glacier Commemorated
Crowds gathered in west-central Iceland on Sunday to commemorate the loss of Okjokull, a glacier declared dead in 2014 when it was no longer thick enough to move. Okjokull, which once stretched six miles, is the first glacier in Iceland to lose its status as a glacier. Scientists and local residents also unveiled a memorial plaque to symbolize Okjokull’s reduction to a small patch of ice. The inscription on the plaque issued a warning saying that all Icelandic glaciers are expected to disappear in the next 200 years.
This interactive map depicts how much Okjokull shrunk in the past 33 years. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: In which mountain range is the 100 kilometers (62 miles) long Caño Cristales River—also known as the “River of Five Colors”—located?
A: Serrania de la Macarena, Colombia
The river’s vibrant colors are attributed to the subaquatic plant called Macarenia clavígera. Serranía de la Macarena, the national park and mountain range in which the Caño Cristales is situated, borders three major ecosystems, namely the Amazon rainforest, the Eastern Llanos, and the Andes mountains.
Source
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Q: Over which body of water in South America does Catatumbo lightning, a natural phenomenon occurring 140 to 160 nights a year, 10 hours per day, and up to 280 times per hour, take place?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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