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World
Refugees and COVID-19
As COVID-19 continues its global spread, some of the world’s vulnerable populations are experiencing the most acute risks. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) maintains an operations portal to track the impact of the pandemic on refugee populations. This interactive map highlights pandemic-related restrictions on refugee movements in countries across the world. Sixty-four countries, displayed in dark gray, have denied asylum-seekers access to their territory during the pandemic, 80 countries, in light-blue, have some COVID-related restrictions, and only 27, in dark blue, have no additional restrictions imposed. By the end of 2020, UNHCR had reported over 38,500 cases of COVID-19 among forcibly displaced people across 103 countries. As the vaccination campaign continues to be implemented around the world, only 54 of 133 countries monitored by UNHCR have included explicit provisions to inoculate refugees, asylum seekers, and internally displaced people.
This interactive map depicts the border restrictions for asylum-seekers in countries around the world. Click on the map to learn more.
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Mali
Several Malian Soldiers Killed
Yesterday, the Malian army said that at least nine soldiers were killed and six others wounded in an ambush attack. The attack took place in the Mopti region, a recent hotspot for violence in the nation. Mali has seen an abundance of brutal conflict ever since a separatist movement in the north began in 2012. The instability has also spilled over the country’s political boundaries into neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, with groups exploiting the poverty of marginalized communities and inciting violence between ethnic groups. Between 2016 and 2020, the number of attacks in the region increased by five times. Violence resulted in the deaths of 4,000 individuals across the three countries in 2020, up from less than 800 in 2016. Moreover, the decline in security has created an enormous crisis across the arid scrublands of Sahel, destroying the region’s agricultural economies. It is not yet known which group carried out the recent attack against the Malian soldiers, but an army spokesman reported at least 20 of the attackers were killed in response.
This map depicts the country of Mali, including the Mopti region, a hotspot for recent conflicts. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: AFP
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World
COVID-19 Warming Effect
The impact of COVID-19 caused a global warming effect in 2020, due to improvements in air quality. According to a new study published by the National Center for Atmospheric Research, decreased aerosol emissions, which usually block sunlight from reaching the Earth, are responsible for the warming effect. Thus, when emissions decrease, a higher percentage of the sun’s rays reach the Earth’s surface and cause temporary warming. Last year’s warming caused a 0.2-0.5 degrees Fahrenheit (0.1-0.3 degrees Celsius) increase globally. Over the United States and Russia, the warming reached a height of 0.7 degrees Fahrenheit (0.37 degrees Celsius). The increase in temperatures from decreased aerosol usage made 2020 the hottest year on record according to NASA’s measuring system.
This map depicts the change in temperature across the globe. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: Which mountain, with an elevation of over 15,000 feet (4,700 meters), supplied an estimated 80% of the world’s silver between the 16th to the 18th century?
A: Cerro Rico
Spanish for “rich mountain,” this peak located in Potosí, Bolivia was the Spanish empire’s most important source of silver. An estimated 81,000 tons silver, primarily from Potosí, was sent to Europe between the 17th and 18th centuries, approximately half of which was traded in the Middle East and China. The silver industry made Potosí one of the richest cities in the world during the Spanish colonial period. Reserves of silver in Cerro Rico largely ran out by the mid-19th century, and in 2011, after nearly 500 years of extraction, a 7,500 sq feet (700 sq m) sinkhole appeared at the mountain’s summit.
Source
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Q: With an estimated 840 unique languages spoken, which country claims the title of having the most living languages?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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