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Russia
Xi Jinping Visits Moscow
China's president, Xi Jinping, arrived in Moscow yesterday for three days of talks with Russian president, Vladimir Putin. This will be the first visit by Xi to Russia since the Russian army invaded Ukraine 13 months ago. On the one-year aniversary of the invasion, China released a position for settlement of the conflict, reiterating broad principles but with little in the way of concrete steps to be undertaken. Russia and China have worked at building coalitions to coordinate economic and military cooperation, in part to counterbalance Western-oriented coalitions like NATO. Both countries are part of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), headed by China, while many of the countries in the SCO, not including China, are also part of the Russia-headed Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). Xi will remain in Moscow through tomorrow, and is expected to hold a videoconference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy soon after.
This map depicts the member states and affiliated countries of the Russia-headed Eurasian Economic Union. Xi Jinping, the president of China, which has a non-preferential Free Trade Agreement with the bloc, is visiting Moscow for three days of talks with Russian president, Vladimir Putin. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: China Briefing
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Ethiopia
GERD Conflict Continues
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi is seeking US help in pressing Ethiopia into an agreement on a massive $4.2 billion dam on the Nile that Egypt sees as an existential threat. Set to be the largest in Africa, the dam has been a source of intense friction between Ethiopia and the downstream countries of Egypt and Sudan that rely on the river for up to 97% of their irrigation and drinking water. Mediation attempts are ongoing, but talks remain deadlocked since construction began in 2011. Ethiopia sees the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) as the centerpiece of its bid to become Africa's biggest power exporter, with a projected capacity of more than 6,000 megawatts. The country is looking to complete the construction of the dam by the end of 2023 to help in becoming self-sufficient in wheat production and exportation.
This map depicts the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam in Ethiopia along the Nile in relation to Egypt and Sudan. Click on the map to learn more.
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Graphic Source: Barron's
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World
2023 Happiness Report Released
Finland is the happiest country in the world, according to the World Happiness Report, which was released yesterday by the UN's Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Finland retained the top spot for the sixth year, while its Nordic neighbors continue to hold positions throughout the top ten. While most of the measures of happiness remain relatively consistent year-to-year, reports released since the COVID pandemic have shown an increase in benevolent giving across the world from years prior. Common factors of countries considered the happiest include feelings of communal support and mutual trust, freedom to make independent choices, and low suspicion of government corruption.
This map depicts global rankings on the World Happiness Report, which was released yesterday by the UN's Sustainable Development Solutions Network. Click on the map to learn more.
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Q: The Spring Equinox is marked by what 3,000-year-old festival, celebrated by some 300 million people in 12 countries?
A: Nowruz (Persian New Year)
Persian New Year or Nowruz (meaning "New Day"), is celebrated every year on the Spring Equinox, which is based on the ancient Zoastrian calendar in Iran and predates Islam. Persians were among the first cultures to use a solar calendar, and have long favored a solar approach over a lunar one. In Iran today, the year is 1402, and Nowruz embodies the coming of Spring and the renewal of life. The historic holiday is celebrated in many countries in West and Central Asia and some parts of the Arab world, including Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Iran, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Over the centuries, Nowruz has expanded and spread around the vast region along the Silk Roads thanks to merchants and sailors via the Oman Sea and the Persian Gulf. Traditions and customs vary from country to country, however the most unifying symbolic preparations to celebrate the New Year include jumping over fires, gathering with family and friends, exchanging gifts, and creating the widespread traditional "haftsin" table, which is arranged with seven symbolic items that start with the letter "S." In 2010, the United Nations proclaimed March 21st International Nowruz Day.
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Q: Known for its famous "Y" shape and at over 1,300 ft (400 m) deep, what is the deepest lake in Europe outside of Norway?
Stay tuned for the answer to today's question in tomorrow's DailyGeo.
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