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Venezuela
Maduro Clings to Power
According to verified tallies, Venezuela’s opposition candidate soundly defeated President Nicolás Maduro in last week’s election, but the incumbent is clinging to power with the military’s backing. Analyses carried out by the opposition party, academics, and media organizations of 83.5% of the verified vote tallies show Maduro received 30 percent of the vote, compared to 67 percent for González. Since Maduro claimed victory last week, over 2,000 protestors have been arrested and 20 have been killed in demonstrations. To quash dissent, Maduro has blocked media outlets, limited internet access, expanded surveillance through a government-owned messaging app, and has announced the establishment of “re-education” camps for political prisoners. Venezuela’s top prosecutor launched a criminal probe against opposition leaders for “falsely” announcing a winner and calling on armed forces to abandon their support for Maduro.
This map depicts the winning vote share by municipality in Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: The Economist
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United States
California Hit By 5.2 Earthquake
A 5.2-magnitude earthquake struck the rural California town of Lamont late Tuesday and has been followed by a series of aftershocks. The initial earthquake was felt in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Sacramento, and the United States Geological Service (USGS) has recorded as many as 57 aftershocks ranging in strength from 2.5 to 4.5, though only three aftershocks were reported larger than magnitude 4.0. Through this morning, tremors continue in the Grapevine area, north of Los Angeles. Seismologists believe there’s only a small chance the initial 5.2 earthquake could be a foreshock of a larger seismological event.
This map depicts the location in California where the earthquake hit. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: ABC News
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Indonesia
New Fossils of Tiny Humans
New fossils of potential forerunners of the early human species Homo floresiensis have been discovered by a research team on the Indonesian island of Flores, as revealed in a study published in the journal Nature Communications. Homo floresiensis are informally referred to as “hobbits” due to their small stature at about 3.4 feet (1.1 m) when fully grown, and the new fossils are from hominids even smaller than prior finds. The diminuitive humans are believed to have lived in Indonesia as far back as 700,000 years ago. Evidence shows Homo floresiensis lived as recently as 50,000 years ago, at a time when our species, Homo sapiens, had already been established further south in Australia. The new findings contribute to a body of evidence scientists are still working to interpret to explain how the “hobbits” evolved to such a small size, and from which branch of early hominids they descended. Indonesia is known for animals of unusual size, including a now-extinct petite relative of elephants, 15-pound (6.8 kg) rats, and massive crocodiles.
This map depicts the discovery sites of the early human species Homo erectus and Homo floresiensis in Indonesia. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: The largest lake in the Balkans can be found at the border of what two countries?
A: Albania and Montenegro
Lake Scutari (aka Skadar or Shkodar), the largest lake in the Balkans, is on the frontier between Montenegro and Albania. Its area is 150 square miles (390 square km), but it reaches 205 square miles (530 square km) at its seasonal high water. The freshwater lake was formerly an arm of the Adriatic Sea. Six rivers flow into the lake, of which the principal is the Morača. The Bojana River flows out at the lake’s southern end to the Adriatic. The lake region is one of Europe’s most important sanctuaries for birds, with more than 260 different species including the rare Dalmatian Pelican and Pygmy Cormorant.
Source
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Q: What Southeast Asian capital city is found in the Red River Delta?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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