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United States
Increased Walking and Biking Activity
The impacts of COVID-19 on the transportation network in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are continually being monitored by MassDOT (Massachusetts Department of Transportation). The department has published a new ‘data dashboard’ to illustrate traffic and travel trends since March which reveal a significant increase in walking and bicycling activity across the state. These maps, posted on StreetsblogMASS, use data from Streetlight, a data broker that collects and interprets anonymized location data from cellphones, and show the changes in bicycling traffic (1) and pedestrian activity (2) between September 2019 and September 2020. The large metropolitan area of Boston saw a considerable decline in bicycling traffic, likely due to the plunge in commuting trips with the enforcement of work-from-home measures and the closure of major college campuses. A similar pattern was seen with pedestrians in college towns such as Cambridge, which had a decrease in walking activity, again likely due to the schools operating on an online basis. However, the overall data across the state shows that residents of the Massachusetts are walking and biking considerably more this year, compared to 2019.
These maps depict the changes in bicycling traffic and pedestrian activity in Massachusetts between 2019 and 2020. Click on the map to learn more.
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Brazil
Armed Bank Robberies
A group of armed men attacked a bank in a northern city of Brazil on Wednesday, taking hostages, and leaving one person dead. The attack happened overnight in Cametá at a branch of Banco do Brasil, and appears to be identical to the bank attack the day before in the southern city, Criciúma. The victim of yesterday’s attack is said to be a hostage who was shot and killed. Multiple videos uploaded to social media show that shots and explosions could be heard. The governor of Cametá’s Pará state, Helder Barbalho, ensured residents that peace would be restored and the criminals would be arrested. Local media, however, have reported that the gunmen from the attack have made their getaway, first with a convoy of cars and then by boat in the Tocantins River. These raids seem to be part of a phenomenon called the “New Cangaço,” which references the term used to describe the banditry that was prevalent in parts of Brazil in the 1920s and ’30s. This map depicts the location of the Banco do Brasil branch in Cametá, in northern Brazil. Click on the map to expand.
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Graphic Source: G1.Globo
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World
Natural Heritage Sites Threatened
Climate change is the leading threat to all United Nations Natural World Heritage sites, according to a new report from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Of the 252 UN designated sites, 83 are in danger of deterioration from climate change, invasive species, and over-tourism. IUCN categorizes 63% of all Natural World Heritage sites in “good,” or “good with some concerns,” while 30% of sites are of “significant concern,” and 7% are “critical.” Sixteen sites have degraded since the last report three years ago, while only eight have improved. 2020 was the first year where threats from climate change eclipsed invasive species as the most prominent risk for natural sites. Some of the most prominent sites under threat include Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, South Africa’s Cape Floral Region Protected Areas, Brazil’s Pantanal Conservation Area, and Kluane Lake, located on the border between the United States and Canada. This map depicts the locations of Natural World Heritage sites and their risk status. Click on the map to expand.
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Q: The largest iceberg ever recorded, measuring almost 4,250 square miles (11,000 square kilometers) in area, broke off from what ice shelf in 2000?
A: Ross Ice Shelf, Antarctica
Named B-15 by scientists, the largest iceberg ever recorded by area was approximately the size of Connecticut when it calved from the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica in early March 2000. The iceberg drifted through the Ross Sea and followed a northward trajectory eventually breaking into several smaller pieces by 2005. As of 2018, four pieces were large enough to be tracked by the National Ice Center; the largest, named B-15Z, measured 10 by 5 nautical miles and was reported to be 150 miles off the coast of South Georgia Island in the southern Atlantic Ocean.
Source
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Q: The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which covered 95,576 square miles (247,542 square km) and lasted until 1991, is now made up of how many countries?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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