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United States
United Nations Gather in New York
Around 140 heads of state and government, as well as hundreds of ministers, diplomats, NGO representatives, and journalists, are gathering in New York for the 78th session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA), which began on Monday. Addressing the Assembly during his first trip there since the beginning of Russia’s invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on world leaders to show unity in the face of Russia’s continued “aggression” in Ukraine, telling the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) that the Russian government is “weaponizing” food and energy, and portraying the Russian invasion of Ukraine as an existential threat to the global order akin to nuclear weapons.
This map depicts security measures being implemented in New York to protect the United Nations General Assembly. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Anadolu Ajansi
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Spain
EU Snubs Spain’s Language Bid
EU ministers have declined Spain’s request to add Catalan, Basque and Galician to the bloc’s list of official languages, hindering Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s efforts to form a new government with the support of parties representing the respective regions where the languages are spoken. EU affairs ministers raised concerns about the legality and practicality of translating the full body of EU laws into all three languages, asking for more time and information to consider the proposal. Spain, however, committed to covering the costs related to the expansion. Speakers of all three languages in Spain have expressed strong support of the proposal because they see it as overdue recognition of their cultural heritage.
This map depicts the Basque, Catalonian, and Galician regions in Spain where these languages are spoken. Click on the map to learn more.
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Australia
Pink Diamond Origins Discovered
A recent study published in the journal Nature Communications has uncovered the geological processes that brought the world pink diamonds. The Argyle mine in Australia, which closed in 2020, supplied more than 90 percent of the world’s pink diamonds, but the process leading to the formation of these stones has been largely unclear. The research suggests that Australia’s pink diamonds were surfaced during the breakup of the supercontinent Nuna. Clear diamonds’ atoms are arranged in a perfect lattice structure, while colored diamonds have imperfections in the lattice due to intense pressure. Nuna, which was the first supercontinent, formed about 1,800 million years ago, and the collision that formed it is believed to have altered the diamonds’ lattice structure to allow them to reflect pink hues. When Nuna split 500 million years after its formation, the pink diamonds surfaced.
This map depicts the changes in the supercontinent which formed Australia’s pink diamonds. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: What country is known as the land of volcanoes and the birthplace of chocolate?
A: Guatemala
Southern Guatemala is dominated by a string of 37 volcanoes extending for about 180 miles (300 km) between Mexico and El Salvador. Between the volcanoes and the Pacific Ocean lies a fertile plain ranging 25–30 miles (40–50 km) in width. Although consumed by the Olmecs in southern Mexico since 1500 BC, Guatemala is the country with the title “the birthplace of chocolate.” This is because it housed the capital of the Mayan civilization: Tikal. The Guatemalan Maya were the first to document their use of cacao and are credited with inventing the process of making chocolate, both as a beverage and as a chocolate bar. The word cacao comes from the Mayan “Ka’kau,” and chocolate stems from the Mayan “Chocol’haa.” Mayan mythology states that cacao was given to humans as a gift from the hero Hunahpu, and it was first consumed here as a drink. It was enjoyed by only the most noble and elite Maya, and intricate vases filled with cacao have been discovered in Mayan royal tombs. Cacao played an important part in many Mayan ceremonies, but it also had one other function in Guatemala: that of a currency. Cacao beans were frequently used in transactions.
Source Britannica
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Q: What highly sustainable agriculture system, particular to the geography of Mexico City, is featured in the Aztec codices?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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