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Democratic Republic of Congo
Military Vows to Protect Goma
The commander of the East African Community’s military force in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has vowed to protect Goma, a key eastern city threatened by advancing M23 rebels. Around 100 Kenyan troops arrived in the city over the weekend as part of a new East African Community (EAC) military operation aimed towards stabilizing eastern DRC. A Kenyan General reported the EAC force is an “intervention force” rather than a peacekeeping one, though he notes finding a political solution to the crisis and disarming rebels takes priority over fighting. The deployment of troops from the EAC bloc comes as M23 rebels surge across the DRC’s North Kivu province, capturing large amounts of territory in recent weeks. The capital of DRC, Kinshasa, has accused the country’s smaller Central African neighbor, Rwanda, of backing the M23, however Rwanda has officially denied any involvement with the rebels.
This map depicts the Democratic Republic of Congo and its key city of Goma, which the EAC vowed to protect on Wednesday. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Barron's
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World
G7 Launches 'Shield' Fund
A G7-led plan called “Global Shield,” aimed at providing funding to countries suffering from climate disasters, was just launched at the UN COP27 Summit. The plan aims to give prearranged insurance and disaster protection funding after events such as hurricanes, floods, and droughts. It was coordinated by the Group of Seven president, Germany, and the Vulnerable Twenty (V20), a group of 20 climate-vulnerable countries. It is backed by $170 million in funding by Germany, and an additional $41 million from other donors such as Ireland and Denmark. When disaster events occur, Global Shield will have support to be deployed in countries including Pakistan, Senegal, Fiji, and Ghana in the next few months. Some countries are hesitant this could affect efforts to secure a financial deal for “loss and damage,” the irreversible damage caused by climate change.
This map depicts carbon dioxide emissions per year around the world. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Reuters
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Spain
200,000 Year Old Human Footprint
New research published in the journal Nature has found hominin footprints discovered in June 2020, which were estimated to be more than 106,000 years old, are actually much older than previously thought. This discovery would mean pre-Neanderthals would have lived in the Doñana area during the Middle Pleistocene, around 295,800 years ago. In order to obtain these results, the research team utilized optically-stimulated luminescence, a method used to find the absolute age of sediments fully exposed to sunlight. The site’s new dating method has also affected the vertebrates found in the area, since the hominin traces there also included footprints belonging to large mammals such as straight-tusked elephants, gigantic bulls, and boars. It’s believed the fauna inhabited Doñana some 300,000 years ago, and not 100,000 years ago as previous research had found.
This map depicts four different maps pertaining to the study, including a map of the Matalascañas site, hominin footprints and animal track sitings, an aerial view, and relevant footprints. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: Which country has the most contiguous time zones?
A: Russia
Russia has the most contiguous time zones, meaning it has the most successive time zones that touch each other, without including offshore territories. There are currently 11 standard time zones in Russia, spanning Eastern Europe to Northeast Asia. Before 2014, there were only 9, however the country voted to add two. Russia was divided into such time zones in 1919 after the Bolshevik Revolution, creating their boundaries alongside railroads and rivers. These zones however, have since been modified multiple times, with the last change being made in 2018. France has the most time zones in total, covering 12 different zones, but they are scattered throughout their territories around the world.
Source
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Q: Known as the "River That Caught Fire," which U.S. river helped start a nationwide environmental movement in the 1960s?
Stay tuned for the answer to today's question in tomorrow's DailyGeo.
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