Suriname Searches for Official Language
Monday March 31, 2008
The former Dutch colony of Suriname is seeking a lingua franca to serve as the primary language among its nearly half a million inhabitants. There are more than ten ... Read More
Toasty Projection
Sunday March 30, 2008
Amanda reports: Here’s an article featuring an interesting way to make a map and other art. Perhaps it could be a way to learn a bit of geography over that ... Read More
Paris Hilton is Not a Geographer
Friday March 28, 2008
Paris Hilton was in Johannesburg and is quoted as saying, "I love Africa in general - South Africa and West Africa, they are both great countries." How about that?
John McCain Born in Canal Zone: Can He Be President?
Wednesday March 26, 2008
Presumptive U.S. Republican nominee for President, John McCain, was born in the the U.S. Canal Zone in 1936. The geographic location of his birth causes some question as to ... Read More
Fastest Population Growth is in New Orleans
Wednesday March 26, 2008
Following a dramatic population decline following Hurricane Katrina, two New Orleans-area parishes were the fastest growing counties in the U.S. from 2006 to 2007. St. Bernard Parish, America's fastest-losing ... Read More
Population Control Programs
Monday March 24, 2008
The New York Times has an interesting review and summary of a new book called Fatal Misconception by Matthew Connelly, that traces the history of population control efforts around the ... Read More
Why Is Spring So Early?
Monday March 24, 2008
Space.com provides a great article that talks about the timing of the equinoxes and solstices and why spring began on March 20 and not March 21 for most of the ... Read More
The Iditarod
Sunday March 23, 2008
Check out this latest feature about the Iditarod, the dog sled race in Alaska, from Geography Intern Amanda Briney.
Easter on the Calendar
Friday March 21, 2008
This year, Easter is nearly as early as it can possibly be. Easter falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the March Equinox. This ... Read More
March Equinox
Thursday March 20, 2008
Today, March 20, is the first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere and the first day of autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. The March Equinox, as today is ... Read More
Five New Countries Recognize Kosovo
Thursday March 20, 2008
While I reported on Tuesday that 28 countries had recognized Kosovo, an additional five jumped onto the bandwagon in the last two days. Kosovo's regional neighbors of Croatia, Hungary, ... Read More
Colleges Prepare for Decrease in Students
Wednesday March 19, 2008
The Washington Post has an article that discusses the anticipated drop in the number of college students over the next few years. Much of this drop can be attributed ... Read More
Japan Recognizes Kosovo
Tuesday March 18, 2008
Japan today became the 28th country to recognize Kosovo as the world's newest independent country. Japan adds its name to a international roster that includes the United States, United ... Read More
Geography and Public Safety
Tuesday March 18, 2008
Thanks to Famin for letting me know about a new journal that should prove interesting to the world of applied geography, Geography and Public Safety is published by the U.S. ... Read More
U.S. Obesity Map
Tuesday March 18, 2008
CNN provides an interesting U.S. map showing the state-by-state distribution of obesity from 1985 through 2006. It's an interesting map that shows how much weight we've gained as a ... Read More
Census Bureau History
Monday March 17, 2008
The U.S. Census Bureau has a new website devoted to the agency's history. At the site, you can discover historical information about the Bureau's process of counting the population ... Read More
Half of World in Cities by Year-End
Friday March 14, 2008
A United Nations report indicates that half of all of the people on the planet will live in cities by the end of 2008. Urbanization worldwide has been increasing ... Read More
China's Internet Users Surpass U.S.
Friday March 14, 2008
Recent research has placed the number of Internet users in China at 220 million, a few million more than the number of surfers in the U.S. (estimated at 217 million). ... Read More
Russia May Recognize Abkhazia
Friday March 14, 2008
Abkhazia, a independence-minded province of Georgia, might gain external recognition from Russia, which would complicate Georgia's relationship and its borders. This recognition might be payback to the West for ... Read More
U.S. State Department Releases List of Human Rights Offenders
Friday March 14, 2008
The U.S. State Department has released its annual report on human rights around the world. The ten worst offender countries are listed as: North Korea, Myanmar, Iran, Syria, Zimbabwe, ... Read More
New Geography Quiz
Tuesday March 11, 2008
Test your geographic skill with my latest 15-question multiple-choice Geography Quiz. Good luck to you!
Daylight Saving Time May Not Save Energy
Sunday March 9, 2008
Contrary to popular belief and to the political reasons to make Daylight Saving Time longer in the U.S. under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Daylight Saving Time may not ... Read More
Macedonia's Name May Stall NATO and EU Negotiations
Friday March 7, 2008
Macedonia, the country also known officially in the United Nations as "The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia," (and alphabetized under "The" on the U.N.'s list of member states) will have ... Read More
Norwegian Town Looks Forward to Sunrise on March 8
Thursday March 6, 2008
The New York Times has a great article about the Norwegian town of Longyearbyen, which will experience sunrise on March 8 for the first time since sunset in October. ... Read More
Americans Favor Canada and UK Most
Thursday March 6, 2008
A recent Gallup Poll found that Americans favor the countries of Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, and Israel the most. On the other hand, Iran, North Korea, the Palestinian ... Read More
Chad Building Moat Around Capital
Wednesday March 5, 2008
The New York Times reports that Chad is building a moat around its capital city of Ndjamena to help prevent against rebels. It is unknown how wide the 10 ... Read More
China Wants More Babies
Tuesday March 4, 2008
China, concerned about a graying of its population, might decide to relax the requirements of its One Child Policy in favor of allowing families to sire additional children to improve ... Read More
Muslim Fertility Rate in Europe
Tuesday March 4, 2008
The Population Reference Bureau reports on a fascinating study by demographers who found that Muslim women who immigrated to Western Europe showed significant decreases in their total fertility rate over ... Read More
Permafrost
Tuesday March 4, 2008
Geography at About.com intern extraordinaire Amanda Briney provides us with a special treat, an overview of permafrost, the permanently frozen ground that covers a fifth of the earth's land surface. ... Read More
Weakest States
Saturday March 1, 2008
The Brookings Institution has published The Index of State Weakness in the Developing World, which measures the world's most vulnerable countries. "The Index ranks and assesses 141 developing nations ... Read More
New Cyprus Leader Looks Toward Unification
Saturday March 1, 2008
Last Sunday, communist leader Demetris Christofias won Cyprus's presidential election. Christofias vows to end the division of the island of Cyprus to create a unified country. He pledges ... Read More