|
World
Indian COVID Variant Expands
The World Health Organization (WHO) designated a COVID variant named B.1.617 as a “variant of concern” on Monday after the strain was identified in almost 50 countries, as reported in the Washington Post. The strain was initially identified in India during its current wave of infections, and appears to transmit faster than the original strain of the virus. While showing resistance to some treatments and antibodies, it does appear that vaccines have some effectiveness against the variant. India continues to face a widespread and deadly surge in COVID infections, thanks in part to the new strain, even as the rest of the world sees a continuing decline in case numbers.
This map depicts the prevalence of the B.1.617 strain of COVID across the world. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
|
__________________________________________
|
|
Colombia
Protests Continue as Activist Dies
Nationwide protests that began on April 28 against tax reforms advanced by the government of President Ivan Duque have continued unabated over the past few weeks. While protests began over the tax proposals, the severity of the police response to the protests has highlighted the issue of ongoing police violence. On Monday night, activist Lucas Villa died from his injuries after being shot eight times by unknown gunmen at a peaceful protest on May 5. President Duque’s government has opened negotiations with the leaders of the National Strike Committee, a collection of labor unions and other opposition groups, but no agreement has been reached. Strikes are set to continue, even as the threat of a new wave of COVID-19 threatens Colombia’s major cities.
This map depicts the number of incidents of police violence in the major cities of Colombia. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
World
Ocean Deepest Points Mapped
Over the course of 10 months during 2018 and 2019, the Five Deeps Expedition mapped approximately 210,000 square miles (550,000 sq km) of the seafloor, including the deepest points in each of the five oceans. Findings from the expedition, recently published in the Geoscience Data Journal, confirmed the deepest point overall as the nearly seven mile (10,924 m) deep Challenger Deep, located in the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific. Although the depth of the Challenger Deep had been recorded previously, 61% of the area mapped by the Expedition had never before been surveyed. In the Indian and Southern Oceans, the Expedition settled competing claims for the deepest point, confirming a maximum depth in the Java Trench (point unnamed), and the Factorian Deep, respectively.
This map depicts the deepest point in each ocean. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
|
 |
Q: According to the National Geodetic Survey, which town is home to the geographical center of the United States?
A: Belle Fourche, South Dakota
In 1959, the U.S. National Geodetic Survey established the geographical center of the United States at approximately 45.0 degrees North, and 103.8 degrees West. The point is on private land about 20 miles north of Belle Fourche, but since the town is the closest public land, they lay claim to the center-point and established a monument to encourage tourism. In 1918, the survey had established the center of the country about 550 miles (885 km) southwest of its current location, near Lebanon, Kansas, before the addition of Alaska and Hawaii to the union.
Source
|
|
|
|
|
Q: With an area of of approximately 500 square miles (1,300 sq km), what is the largest mesa in the world?
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 a daily digital communication created by AGS for the geography community. Feel free to share and encourage others to become part of the community too!
Copyright © 2021 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. |
|
|
|
|
