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United States
Contact Tracing the President
Since U.S. President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he had contracted COVID-19, contact tracers across the nation are working to determine who may have come into contact with the President and othe rmembers of his staff who have tested positive for the virus. This map by the New York Times details where the Presedent has traveled since Saturday, in the days before his positive test result. In addition to the President, at least ten other White House staff members, politicans, and contacts of President Trump have tested positive for the virus, after attending events in Washington, D.C., Florida, Georgia, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Minnesota, and New Jersey. It is not known where the President became infected or at which point he may have become contagious.
This map depicts the events attended by President Trump in advance of his positive COVID-19 result. Click on the map to learn more.
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France and Italy
Massive Floods
On Sunday, authorities stepped-up search and rescue efforts in the wake of massive flooding in southeastern France and northwestern Italy. According to reports, at least nine people were killed after torrential rains from Storm Alex swept houses, roads, and bridges away in both countries. Seven of the nine bodies were found in the region straddling the French-Italian border near Nice. French firefighters said an additional 21 people were missing, eight of them a direct result of the storm. Storm Alex brought record rainfall for both countries during a 24-hour span. Officials in the Piedmont region of Italy reported 630 mm (24.8 inches) at Sambughetto, and in France, the national meteorological service Météo-France registered 500 mm (19.69 inches) at Saint-Martin-Vésubie.
This map depicts the locations affected by Storm Alex. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: CBC News
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New Caledonia
Rejects Independence Twice
On Sunday, for the second time, the French territory of New Caledonia, an archipelago in the South Pacific chose to remain part of France instead of declaring independence. According to unofficial results declared by the French president, Emmanuel Macron, the vote rejecting a breakaway from France after almost 170 years, came in at 53.26 percent, down from 56.7 percent in a referendum two years ago. Sunday’s vote was part of a carefully negotiated decolonization plan agreed two decades ago, following bouts of violence in the 1980s over the issue of independence between the islands’ indigenous Kanak people and descendants of European settlers. That violence culminated in a bloody, drawn-out hostage crisis in 1988 that saw 19 separatists killed on one side, and six police and special forces soldiers on the other. The push for independence – overwhelmingly supported by the Kanak population, who make up about 40% of the population – is still a possibility for 2022.
This map depicts New Caledonia along with key dates in its history. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: Nicknamed by scientists the “White Shark Café,” which ocean basin is home to an oceanic desert, roughly the size of Colorado, that serves as an annual congregation place for Great White Sharks during winter and spring?
A: Northeast Pacific Basin
Located in the Northern Pacific Ocean, approximately halfway between Hawaii and the coast of California, White Shark Café plays host to a large number of white sharks after the summer feeding season. Researchers identified the area, which is considered to be largely devoid of food sources for the sharks, after tagging and tracking several individuals. While the area is thought to be an “empty blue” area, scientists have observed deep-diving behavior in the sharks, leading to hypotheses that there may be plentiful food sources at unexplored depths of the Northeast Pacific Basin.
Source
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Q: Aside from Iceland’s Thingvellir National Park, at what other location does a mid-ocean ridge extend onto dry land?
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