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United States
Vaccine Campaign Continues
More than 63 million shots of a COVID-19 vaccine have been administered across the United States since distribution began on December 14. The inoculation rate has increased significantly since December, with an estimated 1.8 million shots given per day. The percent of the total U.S. population that has received more than one dose of the vaccine has reached over 13%, the seventh highest in the world, trailing Israel, the Seychelles, and the U.K. among others. Strategies for distribution of the vaccines vary amongst states, according to this cartogram from NPR. Alaska, New Mexico, and South Dakota lead the nation in terms of percent of population having received more than one dose of the vaccine with more than 20%, 18%, and 17% respectively. New Mexico, North Dakota, and West Virginia are cited as being the most efficient with their vaccine supplies and reached levels of more than 96% of the doses they have received.
This cartogram depicts the percentage of each state’s population having received at least one dose as of February 21. Click on the map to learn more.
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Myanmar
Bloodiest Day of Protest
Protesters continue to take to the streets in cities and towns across Myanmar demanding an end to military rule and the release of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi following the military coup that took place on February 1. In Mandalay, tensions escalated over the weekend, where police and soldiers confronted striking shipyard workers and other protesters. Some demonstrators fired catapults at police who retaliated with tear gas and gunfire. Emergency officials reported two people had died and twenty people were injured. The Myanmar army seized back power earlier this month after alleging fraud in the November 8 elections that Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy swept. The army says its action is permitted by the constitution and is supported by a majority of the people, and has blamed protesters for inciting violence.
This map depicts the timeline and summarizes the events of the Myanmar military coup as of February 17, 2021. Click on map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: AFP
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New Zealand
Whale Beachings
A pod of 49 long-finned pilot whales were found beached early this morning at Farewell Spit in New Zealand. According to the New Zealand Department of Conservation, dozens of volunteers and marine mammal medics were on the scene working to keep the whales alive and attempting to refloat them at high tide. Forty whales were successfully saved and nine whales died on the beach. Farewell Spit has been the location of more than 10 whale strandings in the past 15 years. The most recent event occurred in February 2017, when approximately 700 marine mammals were found stranded. It is unclear why Farewell Spit is the location of so many whale beachings. One hypothesis is that the hook-shaped nature of the land interferes with the whales’ sonar navigation systems. Other hypotheses include the whales being sick, extreme weather at sea, or anthropogenic noise pollution in the oceans.
This map depicts the location of the whale strandings on Farewell Spit, New Zealand. Click on the map to expand.
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Q: At a length of over 2,850 km (1,770 mi), which river flows through the most number of countries?
A: The Danube
The Danube River passes through 10 countries. Starting in the Black Forest mountains of western Germany, this river flows through or touches the border of Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Ukraine before emptying into the Black Sea. The Danube is credited with playing a pivotal role in the settlement and political evolution of many cities within central and southeastern Europe, and remains an important trade artery.
Source
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Q: Covering 5.5 million square miles (14 million sq km), what is the largest desert in the world?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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