Topographic Maps
Friday July 30, 2004
Since the 1600s, topographic mapping has been an integral part of a country's cartography. These maps (called topo maps for short) remain among the most valuable maps for government and ... Read More
The Atacama Desert
Thursday July 29, 2004
The Atacama Desert of northern Chile is the world's second driest region (icy Antarctica is first). Although the Tropic of Capricorn passes through the region, the Atacama lies in the ... Read More
The Bermuda Triangle
Wednesday July 28, 2004
For over thirty years, the Bermuda Triangle has been popularly known for supposedly paranormal disappearances of boats and aircraft. This imaginary triangle, also known as "Devil's Triangle," has its three ... Read More
World's Longest Flight
Monday July 26, 2004
Reporter Chris Daniels from the New Zealand Herald describes his experience on the world's longest flight, 18 hours from Singapore to Newark.
Albania in Azerbaijan
Saturday July 24, 2004
In the third century B.C.E., the State of Caucasian Albania, with its southern borders extending along the river Araks, was formed in the north of Azerbaijan (which is not near ... Read More
State Department Travel Site Updated
Friday July 23, 2004
The U.S. Department of State has improved the information and services available on the travel.state.gov website. In addition to a major redesign,
the site provides an Internet-Based Registration System that ... Read More
Huge Raindrops Delight Scientists
Friday July 23, 2004
Atmospheric scientists have discovered raindrops that may be as large as 1 cm, the largest reported in the world. They were observed in the air over Brazil and the ... Read More
Dog Days of Summer Named for Dog Star Sirius
Thursday July 22, 2004
The dog days of summer refer to the heat of the summer but they're named for Sirius, the dog star, which is the brightest in the night sky. Ancient ... Read More
Norway Ranks #1 in U.N. Human Development Index
Thursday July 22, 2004
The United Nations just released their Human Development Report 2004 which ranks Norway at the world's top country in terms of life expectancy, educational attainment and adjusted real income. ... Read More
Florida Seeks Ponce de Leon Quincentennial Commission
Wednesday July 21, 2004
Florida's Senators have authored a bill to establish a federal "Ponce de Leon Discovery of Florida Quincentennial Commission" of 12 individuals to plan celebrations surrounding the 500th anniversary celebration of ... Read More
Biometric Passports
Wednesday July 21, 2004
The U.S. State Department plans to issue only biometric passports by the end of 2005. The passports will include a digital image of the bearer's face and biographic information ... Read More
Wales Town Changes Name to Longest in UK in Protest
Tuesday July 20, 2004
Residents of Llanfynydd in Carmarthenshire, Wales are changing the name of their town to the 66-character-long Llanhyfryddawelllehyn-afolybarcudprindanfygythiadtrienusyrhafnauole to protest the development of a wind power plant nearby. The new ... Read More
Earth's Magnetic Field Collapsing
Tuesday July 20, 2004
This article reports that the earth's magnetic reversal is getting closer! Is it time to buy a new compass?
Croatian Islands for Sale
Monday July 19, 2004
The BBC reports that tiny islands off the coast of Croatia are for sale but the beaches remain government property.
New Geography Quiz
Monday July 19, 2004
Take my latest geography quiz to test your geographic knowledge. Good luck!
Miami Has Most Foreign Born
Sunday July 18, 2004
According to the United Nations and as reported by the BBC, Miami has a higher percentage (59%) of foreign born residents than any other major city in the world. ... Read More
Oceans Trap Carbon Dioxide
Sunday July 18, 2004
Scientists have discovered that the world oceans have trapped about half of all the carbon dioxide produced by humans since the industrial revolution. Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas ... Read More
NGS Internships
Wednesday July 14, 2004
Internships with the National Geographic Society are difficult to obtain and are quite coveted. The Provo, Utah Daily Herald tells the story of Kellee Koenig, a recent NGS intern.
NGS Article Has Impact on Sites
Tuesday July 13, 2004
In the March 2004 issue of National Geographic Traveler, 115 destinations were rated to indicate "which of the world's great destinations remain great and which may be in trouble." ... Read More
New Geography Quiz
Sunday July 11, 2004
Take my latest geography quiz to test your geographic knowledge!
Town of F*cking, Austria Votes to Keep Name
Saturday July 10, 2004
Sometimes, truth is stranger than fiction. The 150 residents of the town of F*cking, Austria, have voted not to change their town's name, despite the frequency that the town's ... Read More
World Heritage List Grows by 34
Saturday July 10, 2004
UNESCO’s World Heritage List of outstanding cultural and natural sites grew by 34 during the 28th session of UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee, which met at the Urban Planning Convention Center ... Read More
ESRI User Conference
Saturday July 10, 2004
The 24th ESRI User Conference is fast approaching; this year's conference is August 9–13, 2004 in San Diego. Register by Friday, July 16!
Lake Vostok Has Two Distinct Parts
Thursday July 8, 2004
Deep in the Antarctic interior, buried under thousands of meters of ice, lies Lake Vostok. Recent studies indicate that it is divided into two distinct basins that may have ... Read More
Tolls on Interstates?
Thursday July 8, 2004
The U.S. Congress is proposing legislation that would open up Interstate highways to tolls. Although most Interstate highways are free, a few do currently have tolls in various locations. ... Read More
Historical Hurricane Tracks Online
Tuesday July 6, 2004
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has a new website called Historical Hurricane Tracks which allows users to find out how many tropical storms and hurricanes have hit ... Read More
Plenipotentiary, Gobbledegook, and Serendipity Difficult to Translate
Tuesday July 6, 2004
In a worldwide poll of translators and interpreters the English words plenipotentiary, gobbledegook, and serendipity are the three most difficult to translate. Worldwide, the Bantu language Tshiluba word ilunga, ... Read More
Scotland Is Not a Country
Monday July 5, 2004
I regularly receive email complaining that Scotland is not on my list of the 193 countries of the world. I write back, telling the mis-informed individual why Scotland is ... Read More
New Geography Quiz
Monday July 5, 2004
Take this week's quiz to test your geographic knowledge. Good luck!!!
Fantastic Fourth of July Facts
Sunday July 4, 2004
The Census Bureau has released a collection of fun facts related to the Fourth of July. Did you know that 150 million hot dogs will be eaten on Independence ... Read More
German is America's Favorite Ancestry
Saturday July 3, 2004
Approximately one in every six Americans (nearly 43 million people) identified their ancestry as German in Census 2000, making German the most popular ancestry. Other large ancestry groups were Irish ... Read More
Editorial Refers to Heartland Theory
Saturday July 3, 2004
An editorial in USA Today about U.S. foreign policy refers to geographer Sir Halford John Mackinder's Heartland Theory. Shocking!
Oil Exploration in Great Barrier Reef
Friday July 2, 2004
Australia is encouraging oil exploration in the Great Barrier Reef, which is a World Heritage Site for its unique environment and global scientific value.
New Zealand Needs New Flag?
Friday July 2, 2004
Some Kiwis would like to see New Zealand create their own flag and stop borrowing the Union Jack from the United Kingdom. Read more.
Fastest Growing Cities in Arizona, Nevada, California
Thursday July 1, 2004
Eight of the nation's top 10 fastest growing large cities (100,000 or more population) since Census 2000 lie in the Western states of Arizona, Nevada and California, according to new ... Read More
Car Sales Booming in China
Thursday July 1, 2004
Car sales in China in 2003 jumped 80% above 2002 sales. Over two million cars were sold in China in 2003, yet only three of every 1000 Chinese own ... Read More