|
|
|
United States
Trump Suspends Jones Act
U.S. President Donald Trump has suspended the Jones Act for 60 days, in the hope that opening up shipping in U.S. waters will ease domestic gasoline prices. The Jones Act, established in 1920, requires that cargo transported between U.S. ports be only carried by ships that are U.S.-built, owned by American citizens or companies, registered as U.S. ships, and crewed primarily by American citizens. The administration said the suspension of the Jones Act, allowing foreign-owned, flagged, and crewed vessels will allow “oil, natural gas, fertilizer, and coal to flow freely to U.S. ports.” The U.S. war on Iran has caused gasoline prices to rise by an average of 92 cents over the last month, and many analysts don’t believe the suspension of the Jones Act will make a significant impact on oil prices that are set mainly by global markets. Free trade advocates say the suspension of the Jones Act is evidence the law forces inefficiencies in American shipping and should be ended altogether.
This map depicts the maritime shipping routes of crude oil and petroleium products around the United States that, under the temporarily-suspended Jones Act, can normally only be shipped using vessels built, owned, registered, and crewed by Americans. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
|
Graphic Source: RBN Energy
__________________________________________
|
|
|
|
Turkmenistan
World’s Worst Methane Leaks
The world’s worst leaks of the potent greenhouse gas methane were found in Esenguly, Turkmenistan, with leaks ranging from an estimated rate of 3.8 to 10.5 tons/hour in 2025. These methane plumes originate from oil and gas facilities and are the second-highest contributor to global warming, with impacts 82.5 times that of carbon dioxide over a 20 year span. These plumes are often a result of poor maintenance. However, the fix is simple, and even potentially profitable, given that captured gas can be sold to fire power stations. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, cutting methane emissions is “the fastest opportunity we have to immediately slow the rate of global warming,” The top 25 methane polluters list was produced by the Stop Methane Project at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Fifteen of the 25 top methane leaks are at facilities in Turkmenistan, releasing a combined 85.8 tons of methane into the Earth’s atmosphere every hour.
This map depicts the 15 of the world’s 25 worst methane leaks from oil and gas facilities in 2025 located in Turkmenistan. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
|
Graphic Source: The Guardian
__________________________________________
|
|
World
World Happiness Report 2026
The Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford has published its annual World Happiness Report, finding Finland to be the happiest country in the world for the ninth consecutive year. Other Nordic countries occupy top spots, while Costa Rica reached a record high of 4th place. Among the unhappiest countries are Sierra Leone and Malawi, with Afghanistan in last place. In partnership with Gallup and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, the global happiness score is determined by a single-question poll. Analysts found that in many English-speaking and Western countries, social media negatively affected well-being, particularly for people under the age of 25. Young people who exceeded one hour of social media use per day reported more unhappiness than those who used social media for less than one hour.
This map depicts the world happiness ranking of global countries. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Q: Which European country is almost entirely landlocked except for a narrow 12 mile (19 km) strip of coastline?
A: Bosnia and Herzegovina
The mostly-landlocked country of Bosnia and Herzegovina is located on the Balkan Peninsula and has a narrow, 12.4 mile (20 km) coastline on the Adriatic Sea. The country consists of two land regions, Bosnia in the north and Herzegovina in the south. Bosnia is mountainous and covered with thick forests, while Herzegovina is made up of mainly flat farmlands and rocky hills. Within its borders, the country is divided by the joint Bosniak/Croat Federation making up 51% of the territory, and the Bosnian Serb-led Republika Srpska, which makes up 49%. Islam, Orthodox Christianity, and Roman Catholicism are all present in the country and mostly fall along the three major ethnic groups – Bosniaks, Serbs, and Croats, respectively. The multiethnic population along with Bosnia and Herzegovina’s geographic position between Serbia and Croatia has made it a vulnerable location for territorial aspirations.
Source
|
|
|
|
|
Q: The Hawai’i island chain is made up of about 132 volcanic islands. Which main Hawaiian island is considered the oldest?
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 © 2026 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.
|
|
|
|
|
