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Philippines
Ferry Fire Kills 31
A fire lasting around eight hours on a ferry in the Philippines killed at least 31 people overnight. The ferry was traveling from the southern port city of Zamboanga to the town of Jolo, carrying 205 passengers and 35 crew, when the fire broke out near the island of Basilan. Of the over 200 people who survived the fire, most jumped off the ship and were rescued in the water by the coast guard, navy, another nearby ferry, and local fishermen. There are no indications yet what might have caused the fire. With a maximum passenger capacity of 430, the ferry was not overcrowded. Ferry service is common in the Philippines, as the country is an archipelago consisting of over 7,100 islands, however safety controls and ferry seaworthiness are known to be poorly monitored.
This map depicts the location where a ferry in the Philippines caught fire last night, resulting in at least 31 deaths. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Barron's
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Colombia
Rebel Attack Kills Nine
Nine Colombian soldiers were killed and eight more injured in an attack by the National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group near Colombia's border with Venezuela. The rebels reportedly launched homemade mortar shells on to a military base located in territory known to be an ELN stronghold. The attack has thrown into question the future of peace negotiations between the ELN and the government, which started in November. President Gustavo Petro, himself a former rebel, has pursued peace talks with a goal of avoiding further militarization of the conflict, which has run for nearly six decades and killed at least 450,000 people.
This map depicts the National Liberation Army (ELN) insurgency has a presence across a large swathe of Colombia. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: AFP Twitter
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United States
Happiest Cities Revealed
A new study ranking the happiest cities in the United States in 2023 has been released. Each city was ranked based on 30 different indicators, including income growth, depression rates, and leisure time. Results show California is home to three of the top five happiest cities in America, while Detroit, Michigan, took the spot for lowest on the happiness scale. Madison, Wisconsin, and Overland Park, Kansas, were also among the top five happiest cities in the country. Despite rising costs of living in California, the state claimed 29 out of 182 of the happiest cities ranked. This could be due to several California cities such as Fremont and San Jose ranking low in depression and high in income growth. These cities also ranked highest in the categories for physical and mental well-being, as well as community and environment.
This map depicts the location of the happiest and saddest cities in the United States. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: Yesterday was International Manatee Appreciation Day! Where do the three distinct species of Manatees worldwide come from?
A: West African, Amazonian, and West Indian Manatees
These gentle marine mammals, also known as sea cows, are found in warm waters around the world, most notably in West Africa, the Caribbean, South America, and Florida. Florida manatees are a subspecies of the West Indian manatee. Manatees face several threats, including habitat loss, boat strikes, pollution, and climate change. Because manatees thrive in coastal, inland waters, collisions with moving boats are a major source of mortality for the large marine animal. Because of their large size and extra large appetite, manatees are hugely important to maintaining a healthy underwater ecosystem. They are known for constantly grazing on seagrass, and their waste acts as a natural fertilizer. Manatee Appreciation Day was created to raise awareness of manatees and promote their conservation, which was birthed out of the Save the Manatee Club, founded in 1981 by American singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffet and former US Senator Bob Graham.
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Q: Fed by 33 rivers, what is the world's largest gulf?
Stay tuned for the answer to today's question in tomorrow's DailyGeo.
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