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United States
Storm System Sweeps the Nation
At least three people have died in southern Louisiana after a giant storm system currently crossing the United States drove multiple tornadoes in the South. The massive storm system began by dumping heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains in California before heading eastward. At the southern end of the storm, thunderstorms and tornadoes caused damages and injuries in Texas and Oklahoma before driving more deadly tornadoes into Louisiana. At the northern end, blizzard-like conditions swept through the Great Plains, dropping nearly two feet (60 cm) of snow in some areas. The storm is forecast to continue its drive across the country, with days of ice, rain, and snow from the upper Midwest, through the Appalachian mountains, and into the Northeast, with a continued threat of tornadoes as far south as central Florida.
This map depicts the locations and tracks of tornadoes that have hit southern Louisiana. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: NOLA.com
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United Kingdom
Four Migrants Die in the Channel
On Wednesday morning, four migrants died when their small boat overturned in the English Channel. Forty-three people were rescued, including 30 pulled directly from the freezing waters. The UK has received more asylum seekers this year than the last two years combined; 44,000 migrants have arrived in the UK in 2022, after 23,000 came in 2021 and about 8,500 in 2020. A high number of those migrants arrived by boat, with many perilous crossings having been organized by people-smuggling criminal gangs. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has pledged to reform the UK’s immigration system to deal with the backlog of asylum applicants and quickly remove those making unfounded claims.
This map depicts the location in the English Channel where the migrant boat capsized. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: BBC
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Japan
First Commercial Moon Launch
The Japanese space startup company, ispace Inc, has successfully launched a spacecraft on a mission to the Moon. Propelled into space by a SpaceX rocket on December 11 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, the HAKUTO-R Mission 1 (M1) is the first-ever lunar exploration mission by a private company. The ispace craft’s aim is to put a small satellite into lunar orbit to search for water deposits before dropping a lander in the Moon's Atlas Crater. The lander will then deploy two rovers, one from Japan’s JAXA space agency and one made by the United Arab Emirates. The lunar landing will be a first for Japan, joining the United States, Russia, and China in the accomplishment. The craft is expected to reach the Moon in late April.
This map depicts the goals of the ispace Mission I for the private company's first launch to the Moon. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: Covering about 20 square miles (52 km sq) of land, where can you find the naturally-formed "Chocolate Hills?"
A: Bohol Island, Philippines
There are around 1,270 mysterious cone-shaped hills that make up the "Chocolate Hills" of Bohol, which can be seen from the surrounding towns of Batuan, Sagbayan, Bilar, and Carmen. Varying in size, the hills range from 100 to 150 feet (30 to 45 m) high, although the highest was measured just under 400 feet (120 m). While these natural geological formations aren't actually made of chocolate, their shape and brown color form what looks like giant chocolate truffles. The rounded hills made of limestone deposits get their brown color during the dry seasons. Local legend suggests these hills were formed in the aftermath of two giants fighting and hurling stones at one another.
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Q: The rare geomorphological phenomenon known as "sand pyramids" can be found in Colorado, Serbia, and Italy, but where is the only known place on Earth where one can find sand pyramids that are still growing?
Stay tuned for the answer to today's question in tomorrow's DailyGeo.
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