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Yemen
Migrant Boat Sinks Off Yemen
At least 68 African migrants died and many remain missing after a boat carrying 157 people- mostly Ethiopian migrants – capsized late Sunday off Yemen’s southern Abyan province in the Arabian Sea. As of Monday, only 12 survivors have been rescued, with search efforts still ongoing. The boat was traveling along the Eastern Route, one of the world’s busiest and most dangerous migration paths, used by migrants from Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia seeking work in Gulf countries via Yemen. Despite a prolonged civil war, Yemen remains a key transit hub for those attempting to reach Saudi Arabia. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reports that over 60,000 migrants arrived in Yemen last year alone, and since 2014, more than 3,400 have died or gone missing along this route, including 1,400 by drowning. In March, over 180 migrants also perished in two separate sinkings in the Red Sea.
This map depicts migration routes from Ethiopia, Somalia, and Djibouti through Yemen toward Saudi Arabia. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: BBC News
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South Korea
DMZ Speaker Removal
On Monday, South Korea began removing loudspeakers from its demilitarized zone (DMZ) with North Korea. Both Koreas have used loudspeakers as a propoganda measure, with South Korean loudspeakers blasting anti-North Korean propoganda and k-pop across the border. South Korea’s newly elected President Lee Jae Myung seeks to normalize relations with Pyongyang and restore trust. After the June South Korean election, Seoul stopped loudspeaker broadcasts and Pyongyang followed suit a day later. Despite these de-escalations, Kim Yo Jong, politician and sister of North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, said that South Korea’s new government is no different from its conservative predecessor. Her comments signal that North Korea does not intend to resume diplomacy with Seoul and Washington, as President Myung is hoping for.
This map depicts the demilitarized zone between North Korea and South Korea, where the speakers are located. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: The Press Pad
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Germany
Lightning Kills 320M Trees Yearly
A first-of-its-kind study estimates that lightning strikes kill 320 million trees every year. These dead trees account for up to 2.9 percent of annual loss in plant biomass and emit up to 1.09 billion tons of carbon dioxide, roughly as much as is emitted by Japan. The new study uses on-the-ground observations and global lightning data to model the number of trees lost globally to strikes. As researchers found, lightning has a particularly large impact on forests in the tropics, particularly in Africa. That’s because lightning density is high in tropical regions, but also because tall trees are more vulnerable to lightning strikes. This figure could rise in the decades ahead as increasingly hot and humid weather intensifies the density and impact of lightning strikes, particularly in forested parts of the Far North.
This map depicts cloud-to-ground lightning densities based on two different lightning detection datasets/networks implemented in the study’s mathematical models. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: Which island off the coast of Africa is nicknamed the “Island of Death”?
A: Mayotte
Mayotte is an overseas French territory, located between Madagascar and the coast of Mozambique. Formerly part of Comoros, Mayotte voted to stay with France in 1975, but the fourth stripe of the Comoros flag still represents Mayotte. It consists of two principal islands, the main island (known as Grande Terre) and a smaller island to the east, known as Pamandzi or Petite Terre. Mayotte was nicknamed the “Island of Death” by Arab sailors because it is completely surrounded by coral reefs, which historically led to the loss of many ships. The main island is in the center of an outer ring of barrier reefs and small islets, which form a lagoon rich in marine biodiversity, including corals, clownfish, and green sea turtles. With forests both dry and humid, Mayotte is home to nearly 50 species of wild orchids, ylang-ylang, baobabs, and the vanilla plant.
Source
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Q: Which volcanic massif is the tallest mountain in Australian Territory?
Stay tuned for the answer to today’s question in tomorrow’s DailyGeo.
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