|
Pakistan
Road Bomb Kills Eight
Eight people, including an important anti-Taliban tribal leader, were killed yesterday when a vehicle drove over an improvised explosive device (IED) in the Swat valley of northeastern Pakistan. Idrees Khan, a leader of a village peace committee, and two of his bodyguards were in the vehicle when the IED detonated, killing all three of them as well as two policemen, a passer-by, and another unidentified man. Khan was a leader of a local tribal force that worked with Pakistani security forces to drive the Taliban out of the region in 2009. Following a gunfight last week that killed five Pakistani soldiers, fears are growing in the country that the Pakistani branch of the Taliban, or TTP, is making a comeback.
This map depicts the location of Pakistan's Swat Valley, where a tribal leader and five people were killed by an explosive device apparently intended for a tribal leader. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
Graphic Source: Al Jazeera
__________________________________________
|
|
|
Ethiopia
Airstrikes Leave At Least 10 Dead
Just two days after Tigrayan forces said they were ready for a cease-fire with the Ethiopian federal government, twin airstrikes were launched in the capital of Ethiopia's northern Tigray region, Mekelle, killing at least 10 people. One of the strikes hit the Dimitsi Woyane TV station, which is run by the regional government, as well as the campus of Mekelle University. According to local health officials, five victims died on the way to the hospital, while others were pronounced dead at the scene. This airstrike is just one of many to hit Mekelle since the nearly two-year-old conflict resumed late last month after a five-month cease-fire. Each side of the conflict blames the other for the renewed fighting. Ethiopian government officials have not yet commented on the attacks.
This map depicts the location of Tigray in Ethiopia, including the city of Mekelle, where airstrikes have killed at least 10 people. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
Graphic Source: VOA News
__________________________________________
|
|
China
Dinosaur Eggs Discovered
According to a new research paper published in the Journal of Paleogeography, two dinosaur eggs were discovered in the East Chinese province of Anhui. The eggs, dating back to the Cretaceous period (145-66 million years ago), are almost perfectly round in shape. Named QS-01 and QS-02, the eggs are approximately the size of a cannonball. The team of researchers believe the eggs are part of a new “oospecies,” a taxonomic classification for species based on fossilized eggs, called Shinxingoolithus. Previous research suggests Shinxingoolithus were likely eggs of ornithopods - small, herbivorous, bipedal (two-legged) dinosaurs.
This map depicts where two dinosaur eggs were discovered in East China. Click on the map to learn more.
|
|
|
|
|
Q: Averaging only about 4 inches (100 mm) of rainfall per year, which Middle Eastern country has no permanent bodies of fresh water within its borders?
A: Oman
Oman is bordered by three countries, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, and by three bodies of water, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Oman, and a small portion of the Strait of Hormuz. The country's physiographic zones include its long narrow coastal plain, the Al-Bātinah, its Hajar Mountains which run parallel to the gulf coast, and the great Rub’ al-Khali, the desert, which is shared with Yemen and Saudi Arabia. While there are no permanent bodies of fresh water in the country, intermittent streams are produced from seasonal storms. In recent years, efforts have been made to construct dams to preserve some of the runoff. Because of low precipitation levels, vegetation throughout the country is sparse, except where the ancient irrigation system known as aflāj is available. Oman’s aflāj is an ancient system of water channels, dating back to 2500 AD, that run underground and originate in wells near the base of the country’s mountains. In 2006, the aflāj was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Source
|
|
|
|
Q: In which state can you find an underground entertainment venue as part of an extensive cave system?
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 © 2022 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.
|
|
|
|
|
