Tokyo & Osaka Still Most Expensive Cities
Thursday July 31, 2003
According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, Tokyo and Osaka are the two most expensive world cities - they have held the #1 and #2 spots for 12 years in a ... Read More
Satellite Images Show Aral Decline
Wednesday July 30, 2003
Dramatic satellite images from 1985 and 2003 show how little of the Aral Sea remains.
ND Counties Move Time Zone
Wednesday July 30, 2003
On October 26, Morton County and Sioux County east of North Dakota Highway 31 will switch from Mountain time to Central time. More on time zones.
Brand New Geography Quiz
Sunday July 27, 2003
Take today's brand-new geography quiz and test your geographic talent!
22 Largest Countries
Sunday July 27, 2003
World population update! Here's an updated list of the 22 countries with a population greater than 50 million. India edges closer to number one.
"A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson
Sunday July 27, 2003
I just finished reading A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. I absolutely loved it! It's a must-read for anyone interested in science at all. ... Read More
Geographical Fun
Sunday July 27, 2003
I added two links to funny geographical sites from my Fun and Humor collection of links - check out "Cart-Toons by Dean" and "Geography Jokeland." But while you're there, ... Read More
Airport Geographical Names
Sunday July 27, 2003
A German court has ruled that the airline Ryanair cannot use the word "Duesseldorf" for an airport 42 miles (70 km) from that city. According to the comments posted on ... Read More
Zuds Changing Mongolia
Sunday July 27, 2003
In this fascinating report from the BBC, correspondent Rupert Wingfield Hayes describes how the Zud, a long dry summer followed by an extremely cold winter, is negatively impacting Mongolia. ... Read More
British Beaches Could Vanish in a Century
Sunday July 27, 2003
Due to rising sea levels British beaches could vanish within 100 years so scientists are meeting to discuss ways to protect the UK's coastal assets.
Definition of Pan-Africanism?
Saturday July 26, 2003
I received a great question asking for the definition of Pan-Africanism. Since it's not a regular geographic term, I searched online and found this discussion reply:"There is not a ... Read More
New Gravity Maps of Earth
Saturday July 26, 2003
The strength of gravity is not uniform around the earth as can be seen on the new gravity maps from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE). The research ... Read More
120,000 Years of Climate Data
Saturday July 26, 2003
Each summer for the past seven years, scientists have been drilling a core through the Greenland ice sheet to learn about the earth's climate. On July 17, the scientists ... Read More
Kansas is Flatter Than a Pancake
Saturday July 26, 2003
According to geographer Mark Fonstad of Southwest Texas State University and his colleagues, Kansas is in fact flatter than a pancake. This research doesn't seem to inspire a positive ... Read More
Brothels for the 2004 Olympics
Friday July 25, 2003
There are lots of things to build, create, and transform in order to be prepared to host the Olympic Games in a particular city. Athens, who is hosting the ... Read More
101 Amazing Earth Facts
Thursday July 24, 2003
Do you know how far regular dust blows in the wind? Or which two great American cities are destined to merge? Or the answer to the question: Are rivers ... Read More
Santa Claus Is Definitely From Greenland
Wednesday July 23, 2003
At the 40th Annual Father Christmas World Congress, held in Denmark this year, the debate continued: Santa Claus' home is in which Nordic country? Though Finland is often considered ... Read More
Venice Fighting Battle Against Global Warming
Tuesday July 22, 2003
Venice has been battling water since the fifth century and the water is starting to win. Learn more about the battle and how Venice hopes to win.
Fewer Asteroids to Strike Earth
Tuesday July 22, 2003
Good news for earthlings! A new computer simulation developed by scientists in Britain and Russia shows that asteroids 200 yards wide will hit the earth only every 160,000 years. ... Read More
A New Yosemite?
Monday July 21, 2003
The Hetch Hetchy Valley is practically a duplicate of the beautiful Yosemite Valley. Unfortunately it is under 300 feet of water. In 1913, the city of San Francisco ... Read More
Highest Home Values in Hawaii
Monday July 21, 2003
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Hawaii recorded the highest median
value for single-family homes among states ($272,700), more than
twice the national median. The lowest median was in Oklahoma ($70,700),
one-third below ... Read More
New Geography Quiz
Sunday July 20, 2003
Take this week's geography quiz to test your geographic knowledge!
France Bans Word "e-mail"
Sunday July 20, 2003
France's Culture Ministry announced a ban on the use of the term e-mail in all government ministries, documents, publications or Web sites. The preferred term is Courriel, a combination ... Read More
Earth Can't Support a "Western" China?
Saturday July 19, 2003
According to Reuters, Klaus Toepfer, head of the U.N. Environment Program, said China's aim of quadrupling its economy by 2020 is environmentally unachievable because the world does not have enough ... Read More
Relocating the People of Tuvalu
Saturday July 19, 2003
"Tuvalu wants to move its entire population of about 12,000 to Australia to escape an increasingly precarious existence on the coral atolls it inhabits." Read the transcript from a ... Read More
Must Swiss Cheese Be Produced in Switzerland?
Saturday July 19, 2003
An interesting international conference was held earlier this month to discuss whether food with a geographical name is the intellectual property of that region. For instance, must Colombian coffee ... Read More
New Deepest Point
Thursday July 17, 2003
"Scientists have identified a region of the sea floor with a depth that rivals the Challenger Deep which, at about 11,000 metres (36,000 feet), is the lowest spot on Earth."
U.S. Wins National Geographic World Championship
Thursday July 17, 2003
The team of students from the United States won the sixth National Geographic World Championship in Tampa, Florida yesterday. Eighteen countries competed - in second place was France and ... Read More
Colombia Relocates Capital
Thursday July 17, 2003
Colombian President Alvaro Uribe transferred the seat of government from Bogota to an army base in violence-ridden Arauca on the border with Venezuela. This three-day experiment aims to show ... Read More
Ontario, Yukon, PEI Missing From Map!
Wednesday July 16, 2003
Prince Edward Island, Ontario, and the Yukon Territory, vanished off the map in a new magazine designed to promote Canada's hard-hit tourism industry. The first edition of "PureCanada," designed ... Read More
Odds of Winning the 2012 Summer Games
Tuesday July 15, 2003
Nine cities are in the running for the 2012 Summer Games. The BBC published the strengths and weaknesses along with the odds of each city winning the games: ... Read More
UK Expands Wind Power
Tuesday July 15, 2003
The UK has issued licenses to build thousands of wind turbines off the British coast; these turbines will produce as much power as two nuclear power plants and provide the ... Read More
For Their Convenience, U.S. Troops Rename Baghdad Streets
Tuesday July 15, 2003
In an effort to better understand the streets of the Iraqi capital, U.S. troops are producing maps overlaid with American-style street names such as Main, Pennsylvania, and even Coors Street. ... Read More
Micropolitan & Metropolitan Areas
Sunday July 13, 2003
The White House Office of Management and Budget just released their listing of all-new Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Micropolitan (yes, MICROpolitan) Statistical Areas, and Combined Statistical Areas. Read my latest ... Read More
New Geography Quiz
Sunday July 13, 2003
Take this week's five question, multiple-choice geography quiz to test your geographic knowledge.
Geography of Wealth
Sunday July 13, 2003
According to an article on nationalgeographic.com, there are 7.3 million people worldwide whose assets (excluding their home) are valued at US $1 million or more. 2.6 million of these ... Read More
Communist Czech Housing in Dire Straits
Sunday July 13, 2003
One-third of the Czech population lives in panelaks, communist-era housing structures designed to hold thousands with little amenity. Today, the buildings from the 1950s and 1960s are in much ... Read More
High Speed Walkway in Paris
Sunday July 13, 2003
The Paris metro has introduced the trottoir roulant rapide (fast rolling pavement) or TRR, a high-speed walkway that is 180 meters (594 feet) long and can travel as fast 11 ... Read More
"Branding" Germany
Sunday July 13, 2003
"Germany is starting a series of campaigns to improve the country's image abroad, seeking to replace the dogged stereotypes of Nazis and sunbed stealing tourists with a more relaxed, hip ... Read More
Trees Grow Larger in Cities
Sunday July 13, 2003
According to a study, pollution affects trees in suburbs more than those within the urban core. Thus, trees grow larger within the city than outside it.
Satellites For Disaster Relief
Sunday July 13, 2003
This month, "Three satellites belonging to Nigeria, Turkey and the UK, will be launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in Russia. The first satellite, from Algeria, was launched last November ... Read More
Tornadoes in Europe
Sunday July 13, 2003
A new report finds that there are approximately 700 tornadoes each year in Europe. This number is far more than previously suspected (yet less than the 800-1200 which occur ... Read More
National Geographic Bee Links
Saturday July 12, 2003
I've created a new category of links devoted to helping students prepare for the National Geographic Bee. Don't miss the article that includes the quote, "No parent I'm aware ... Read More
Einstein Quote Debunked
Saturday July 12, 2003
You may be familiar with the "famous" quote from Albert Einstein about geography that begins, "As a young man, my fondest dream was to become a geographer..." Well, as ... Read More
"Sealand is the Man"
Friday July 11, 2003
I just received this fairly comical email:
I am writing you this email in regards to your article titled Sealand Is Not A Country. Well, Matt, I'm here to tell ... Read More
Central Park
Friday July 11, 2003
One hundred and fifty years ago this month, the New York State legislature set aside the land that would become Central Park. Frederick Law Olmsted designed what would become ... Read More
Three Gorges Dam Generates Electricity
Friday July 11, 2003
The first of the Three Gorges Dam's 26 generators to go into operation was connected to the power grid 20 days ahead of schedule.
Madagascar to Switch to Pre-Colonial Currency
Friday July 11, 2003
The government of Madagascar has announced plans to ditch the Malagasy franc and bring back its pre-colonial currency, the Ariary.
UN Human Development Index Released - Norway is #1; Canada is Upset
Thursday July 10, 2003
The United Nations Development Programme released their Human Development Report 2003 . Surprisingly, Canada suffered, falling below the U.S. for the first time to #8 in this year's list. ... Read More
GIS Day Is Coming
Thursday July 10, 2003
GIS Day is November 19, 2003 this year. If you're planning a GIS-related event for that day, be sure to register!.
The Bahamas Turns 30
Thursday July 10, 2003
Thirty years ago today (July 10), The Bahamas gained independence from the United Kingdom.
Nicest Place to Live in the UK
Wednesday July 9, 2003
Bournville, on the outskirts of Birmingham, has been chosen as the best place to live in the U.K. The village is a large garden suburb of 1,000 acres, 7,800 ... Read More
Iraq Gets New Currency
Wednesday July 9, 2003
On October 15, the entire country of Iraq will replace its existing currencies with a new dinar.
New Poll!
Tuesday July 8, 2003
Try my new poll, How many countries have you visited?. Also, be sure not to miss the other recent poll, How many U.S. states have you visited?
Rio de Janeiro Beats Sao Paulo for 2012
Tuesday July 8, 2003
The Brazilian Olympic Committee has chosen Rio de Janeiro over Sao Paulo to lead its bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games. The choice between Rio and Sao Paulo ... Read More
New Geography Quiz
Sunday July 6, 2003
Test your geographic knowledge with this week's challenging five-question geography quiz! Once you finish this week's quiz, take a look at my seven years' worth of archived quizzes.
U.S. State Collectors Unite!
Sunday July 6, 2003
Many American travelers count the number of states they have visited. According to a recent poll of 2100 U.S. residents by Fodor's, 41 percent of people stated they have ... Read More
Corsica Rejects Autonomy
Sunday July 6, 2003
The Mediterranean island of Corsica rejected a French government offer of limited autonomy by a wafer-thin majority in a referendum on Sunday, the interior minister said. Read more at ... Read More
Singapore Launches Automated Subway
Sunday July 6, 2003
Singapore has launched a new fully automated underground commuter train system, filling key gaps in the city's subway network. It connects several of the city-state's main tourist destinations -- including ... Read More
World Heritage List Grows by 24
Sunday July 6, 2003
Twenty-four new sites were added to UNESCO's World Heritage List, including, for the first time, sites in Gambia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan and Sudan. Thus, there are now 754 properties which ... Read More
Top Tourist Destinations
Sunday July 6, 2003
The World Tourism Organization recently published (PDF) data about various countries as tourism destinations. According to the WTO, the top five vacation spots in 2002 were:
1) France (76.7 million ... Read More
League of the South
Saturday July 5, 2003
I added an interesting new link, "League of the South" (U.S.) to my Independence Movements & Secession page of links. They "Seek to Advance the Cultural, Social, Economic, and ... Read More
Fourth of July Facts
Friday July 4, 2003
The U.S. Census Bureau has published a plethora of Independence Day-related facts and figures on their website. Enjoy!
Fastest Growing Counties
Friday July 4, 2003
The U.S. Census Bureau has released a listing of the 100 fastest growing counties from July 1, 2001 to July 1, 2002. Number one is Rockwall County, Texas, with ... Read More
Abkhazia Conflict
Thursday July 3, 2003
Following the fall of the Soviet Union, Abkhazia (which lies along the Black Sea in the Caucasus - map) declared independence. There was a war with Georgia in 1993 ... Read More
Vancouver to Host 2010 Games
Thursday July 3, 2003
The International Olympic Committee selected Vancouver, Canada to host the 2010 Winter Games. Currently, nine cities are in the running for the 2012 Summer Games: New York, Havana, and ... Read More
Great Wall Vanishing, One Stone At A Time
Thursday July 3, 2003
The Great Wall of China is disappearing due to weathering as well as creative procurement by locals. According to Wired, "What Dong's survey team found shocked them: They encountered ... Read More
Speak English Good Movement
Wednesday July 2, 2003
Singapore is working to encourage its citizens to speak better English through the Speak Good English Movement. The country's campaign goes back to 1999 but this year's goal is ... Read More
Singing Sensation Charlotte Church: Geographer
Wednesday July 2, 2003
In May 2002, teenage singer Charlotte Church had to take her GCSE exam in geography at 4 a.m. in Washington D.C. because she was there for a performance. The ... Read More
What I Have Read
Tuesday July 1, 2003
Visitors are often curious to learn more about me, your Guide to Geography here at About.com. In addition to my short online bio, you can take a look at ... Read More
Geography Bee Help from a Champion
Tuesday July 1, 2003
James Williams, 2003 National Geographic Bee Champion, created a website to help aspiring National Geographic Bee winners prepare for the Bee. If you're interested in the Bee, take a ... Read More
Hong Kong Anniversary
Tuesday July 1, 2003
Six years ago today (July 1, 1997), Hong Kong reverted to Chinese control and experienced an official name change to Xianggang (which you don't hear used too often, do you?)
On this day in Geographic History...
Tuesday July 1, 2003
Forty years ago today (on July 1, 1963) the U.S. Postal Service implemented the ZIP (Zoning Improvement Plan) Code to improve the sorting and delivery of mail and ease the ... Read More