Geographical articles from April 2008

Geographical archives from April 2008

Our urban future.(urban population)(Editorial)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Homo sapiens is, increasingly, an urban animal. Last year, we reached the point where more people live in cities than in rural areas. More than a billion people live in slums and, according to UN predictions, by 2030, the urban population will...

Where in the world?(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] * Identify this country using the following clues: * Almost 90 per cent of the country's boundary is water * Two of its most populous cities are on islands, as is its highest point * It adopted a...

Noise pollution a killer in Cairo.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Excessive noise levels in Cairo are increasing stress-related illnesses and hearing impairments among the Egyptian capital's 15 million residents, according to a study conducted by the Egyptian National Research Centre. Noise levels in...

Earth: softer on the inside.(mantle)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... A new analysis of the way in which sound waves are propagated by the Earth's molten interior suggests that it may be softer than previously thought. According to a paper published in Science, iron-rich material in part of the lower mantle,...

British Antarctic Survey finds 'subglacial' volcanoes and lakes.(WORLDWATCH)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Glaciologists and geologists from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) have identified two important geographical features that exist beneath the West Antarctic Ice Sheet and are invisible to the naked eye. A team led by Hugh Corr of the BAS...

Wilderness areas shunned in favour of the great indoors.(WORLDWATCH)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... US conservationists have identified an 'ongoing and fundamental shift away from nature-based recreation' such as walking, camping and fishing that they say may eventually threaten the future of the conservation movement. Oliver Pergams, a...

New island-creating faultline identified off Croatia's Dalmatian Coast.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... A new active faultline has been identified off the coast of Croatia, where it's creating new islands in the Adriatic Sea and lifting the Dinaric Alps, which stretch from Slovenia to Albania. The faultline runs northwest from an offshore...

The Japan Bank for International Cooperation has agreed to loan authorities in the Philippines [yen] 19.4bn (92million [pounds sterling]) to support and protect communities living in the shadow of Mount Pinatubo, an active volcano.(PHILIPPINES)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The Japan Bank for International Cooperation has agreed to loan authorities in the Philippines [yen] 19.4bn (92million [pounds sterling]) to support and protect communities living in the shadow of Mount Pinatubo, an active volcano. The loans...

A goods train has completed an inaugural 10,000-kilometre journey through six countries, beginning in Beijing, China, and arriving in Hamburg, Germany, 15 days later.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... A goods train has completed an inaugural 10,000-kilometre journey through six countries, beginning in Beijing, China, and arriving in Hamburg, Germany, 15 days later. The journey, seen as heralding a new era in rail transport, halved the time...

New research by the Society for Environmental Exploration has demonstrated that the disturbances caused by elephants to woodland areas in Tanzania helps to increase butterfly diversity.(TANZANIA)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... New research by the Society for Environmental Exploration has demonstrated that the disturbances caused by elephants to woodland areas in Tanzania helps to increase butterfly diversity. The research, published in the African Journal of Ecology,...

The Indian government has appealed to UNESCO to inscribe one of the world's largest river islands on the list of World Heritage sites to bolster efforts to protect it.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The Indian government has appealed to UNESCO to inscribe one of the world's largest river islands on the list of World Heritage sites to bolster efforts to protect it. Majuli Island, located in the Brahmaputra River in the northeastern state of...

Satellite data from 29 countries will be used to develop a clearer picture of the air quality over Europe, in a collaboration between the European Environment Agency and the European Space Agency.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Satellite data from 29 countries will be used to develop a clearer picture of the air quality over Europe, in a collaboration between the European Environment Agency and the European Space Agency. The Integrated Air Quality Platform for Europe...

Tsunami: 'worst is yet to come'.(Tsunami Research Center's report)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Asian tsunami of 2004 wasn't the worst possible, and warning systems in the area are still insufficient, warns a new report. Scientists at the Tsunami Research Center (TRC) at the University of Southern...

Millions of years required for recovery from mass extinction.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... It took life on Earth around 30 million years to recover from the largest extinction event of all time, according to new research. About 250 million years ago, at the end of the Permian period, more than 90 per cent of life on Earth was...

Top 10 largest cities.(WORLDWATCH)(Table)
April 1, 2008... TOP 10 LARGEST CITIES (POPULATION IN MILLIONS, 2005) 1 TOKYO, JAPAN 35.2 2 MEXICO CITY, MEXICO 19.4 3 NEW YORK, USA 18.7 4 SAO PAULO, BRAZIL 18.3 5 MUMBAI, INDIA ...

Arctic ice in rapid retreat.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] An area twice the size of France has melted from the Arctic ice cap during the past two years, according to research by the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in Paris, France, and this year could...

Crop losses set to affect world's poorest regions.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Many of the world's poorest regions could face severe crop losses in the next two decades unless steps are taken to adapt agriculture to a changing climate, according to new research published in the journal Science. Focusing on 12 of the...

China connects to cattle grid.(methane power plant and waste-derived electric power)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The world's largest methane power plant has opened in Chinas Inner Mongolia region, transforming the waste from 10,000 cows into electricity, according to the People's Daily newspaper. The 3.2million [pounds sterling] plant, funded by China's...

EU emissions plan.(European Union's plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions )(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The executive arm of the EU has released ambitious plans to cut industrial greenhouse gas emissions by a fifth of their 1990 levels by 2020. To achieve this, mandatory targets for the installation of wind, solar, biomass or geothermal energy...

10 million [pounds sterling] for UK digesters.(anaerobic digestion plants )(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... The UK government has committed 10million [pounds sterling] for the construction of commercial-scale anaerobic digestion plants in order to reduce emissions from agriculture. Anaerobic digesters divert waste--grass clippings, slurry and other...

First biofuel flight.(Virgin Atlantic Airways Ltd.'s use of biofuel)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... In February, the first commercial aircraft to be powered partly by biofuel flew between London and Amsterdam. Three of the Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747's fuel tanks contained normal jet fuel, but the fourth carried a mixture of 80 per cent jet...

Banks join climate fight.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Three of Wall Street's largest banks will ask anyone seeking money for new fossil-fuel power plants in the USA to consider the plants' effect on the global climate. Borrowers will be asked to consider renewable alternatives and carbon-trading...

GPS: an atmosphere thermometer.(Global Positioning System)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Two UK meteorologists have developed a new method of monitoring the effects of climate change in the Earth's atmosphere using GPS satellites. The technique uses an existing method, known as GPS radio occultation, that involves measuring the...

Guyana.(Country overview)
April 1, 2008... Located on the northernmost part of the South American continent, the former British colony of Guyana continues to have a turbulent geopolitical existence. It was first settled by the Dutch during the 16th century, but the British took control...

Tourism: seeking pleasure, tourists and holiday-makers bring foreign currency to the places they visit, spend freely, and are an important economic asset to the holiday destination.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Most tourists come from rich countries and they are extremely demanding. Mass tourism therefore requires a well-developed infrastructure of services, based on long-term investment. The most beautiful location can't...

Tamar Valley: area of outstanding natural beauty: straddling the Devon-Cornwall border, the Tamar Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty has a long mining history, the remains of which now complement its gorges, rivers, woodland and heathland to form part of a World Heritage site that is rich in wildlife.
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 'One hundred and fifty years ago, this whole area would have U been full of noise and people. It was like a gold rush town, with lots of men moving here from all over the country. There would have been drinking and...

Mapping the unmappable.(Simeon Nelson's exhibition)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] For centuries, 'filling in the blanks on the map' was one of the most pressing geographical challenges facing cartographers. These areas of uncharted territory thrilled both professional geographers and the public...

Event of the month.(Tim Smit's lecture)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 22 April, 7pm Discovering people: Tim Smit (LECTURE, LONDON) Join Libby Purves in conversation with Tim Smit, visionary founder of the Eden Project. After a meteoric career as a composer and producer in...

A selection of April's events.(Calendar)
April 1, 2008... For further information, please visit www.rgs.org/whatson, email events@rgs.org or call 020 7591 3100 14 April, 6.30pm Border crossings (LECTURE, LONDON) Join award-winning author Dr Robert Macfarlane in a journey from the...

David Livingstone's prismatic compass: used by the famous explorer and missionary during his last journey to find the source of the Nile.
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Dr David Livingstone only made one convert in his entire career: an African chief named Sechele who, according to Livingstone, had 'slid back to the devil' within a year. Fortunately, the Victorian hero was...

Royal Geographical Society with IBG: advancing geography and geographical learning.(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Patron Her Majesty The Queen Honorary President HRH The Duke of Kent The Council President Professor Sir Gordon Conway Vice Presidents Andrew Linnell, Professor Sarah Metcalfe, Professor David Livingston Honorary...

City of the future.(Mexico City: Photostory)(Photograph)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Last year, the UN announced that more than half of the world's population now lives in cities. This followed on from the news that more than a billion people live in slums. As the exodus from rural to urban areas...

Boom town.(Mexico City)(City overview)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Twenty years ago, Mexico City was considered the ultimate urban disaster, an overpopulated megalopolis with nothing to show for itself except pollution, corruption, crime, congestion and horrendous poverty. For many...

Future perfect? With its skyscrapers, luxury apartment blocks, golf course and the largest shopping mall in Latin America, Santa Fe stands as a shining example of Mexico City's elevation to the global stage. However, architects and sociologists argue that it's destroying traditional public life.(City overview)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Sunlight glints off the steely grey towers lining Avenue Arquitectos. And as palm trees sway in the cool morning breeze, smiling couples eat muffins and croissants under parasols advertising Italian coffee. A young...

Chilango stories.(Mexicans on city life)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Once a derogatory term used by those living outside Mexico City to describe its residents, chilango is today used with pride among those living in the Distrito Federal and the wider metropolis. Unlike English...

Keeping it informal: Charlie Furniss visits Chimalhuacan, one of Mexico's more deprived districts, with architect Jose Castillo and hears how informality can help planners create more dynamic urban environments.
April 1, 2008... Urbanity is like ecology,' says Jose Castillo. 'The more diversity there is, the more richness there is in the relationships. And achieving a high level of urbanity relies on varied demographics, services and economics.' So, he continues, you...

Before the boom.(Mexico City)(City overview)
April 1, 2008... People have been living in the area around modern-day Mexico City for about 12,000 years, but the origins of the city itself date back to around 1325, when the Aztecs settled on an island in Lake Texcoco. Two hundred years later, Spanish...

Righting wrongs on the reef: stretching across the Indian Ocean, the low-lying islands of the Maldives are locked in a never-ending battle to preserve their coral reefs and the marine wildlife that depends on them. Nick Smith reports on an initiative that's helping to secure the future of this fragile ecosystem.
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It may not be how Ibn Battuta arrived, but as your plane descends through the banks of equatorial cloud, you can see why the legendary 14th-century geographer was moved to call the Maldives 'one of the wonders of the...

Hard Road West: History and Geology along the Gold Rush Trail.(Book review)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Hard Road West: History and Geology along the Gold Rush Trail by Keith Heyer Meldahl University of Chicago Press, hb, pp330, 16 [pounds sterling] When we refer to 'the story of the land', what we usually...

Maps: Finding Our Place in the World.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Maps: Finding Our Place in the World edited by James R Akerman and Robert W Karrow Jr University of Chicago Press, hb, pp400, 30 [pounds sterling] As Robert Karrow explains in his introduction, the study...

Geopolitics: A Very Short Introduction.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Geopolitics: A Very Short Introduction by Klaus Dodds Oxford University Press, pb, pp182, 6.99 [pounds sterling] When John Cleveland--'the last of the metaphysicals'--wrote 'Correct your maps, Newcastle...

How to Read a Village.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] How to Read a Village by Richard Muir Ebury Press, hb, pp272, 25 [pounds sterling] Having taught us how to read churches, country houses and gardens, the historical geography department at Ebury Press now turns...

Toujours Tingo: More Extraordinary Words to Change the Way We See the World.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Toujours Tingo: More Extraordinary Words to Change the Way We See the World by Adam Jacot de Boinod Allen Lane, hb, pp320, 10.99 [pounds sterling] The English language is growing used to attacks of...

Zanzibar in Contemporary Times.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Zanzibar in Contemporary Times by RN Lyne First published in 1905. Most recent edition published by Darf Publishers, hb, pp328, 25 [pounds sterling] 'Zanzibar is looked upon as an obscure corner of the...

Top 10 writer's reads.(Stephen Venables's favorite books)(Brief article)
April 1, 2008... Stephen Venables was the first Briton to climb Mount Everest without oxygen and his written eight books about his mountain travels. His autobiography, Higher Thon The Eagle Soon, is out now 1. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (Penguin Classics,...

Flower Hunters.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Flower Hunters by Mary and John Gribbin Oxford University Press, hb, pp320, 16.99 [pounds sterling] If derring-do and botany don't strike you as the most obvious of bedfellows, you would be well advised...

Kipling Sahib.(Brief article)(Book review)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Kipling Sahib by Charles Allen, Little, Brown, hb, pp448, 20 [pounds sterling] 'Enjoyable' is a word often lavished on Charles Allen's historical works. Never has this accolade been so deserved as in...

On your bike ... this month, we're bringing you a gear report straight from the field: Andrew Welch and Tom Allen write exclusively for Geographical about the kit they're currently using on their around-the-world mountain bike expedition.(ESSENTIAL GEAR)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I feel the sharp, cold air hit the back of my nostrils as I inhale and watch my breath escape into the night sky. Chestnut vendors roam the streets. The smell of smoke from their stoves reminds me of home. Last...

Ten of the best.(cycling gears)(Buyers guide)
April 1, 2008... When you're going to be cycling for thousands of kilometres, your mode of transport needs to be made from top-of-the-range components: strong, light, long-lasting, reliable--not to mention easy on the backside [1] Frame Kona Explosit...

Choc horror: with the annual chocolate-mania of Easter looming, the spectre of child labour still hovers over the international cocoa industry. Victoria Lambert explains how you can enjoy a guilty pleasure without a guilty conscience.(cocoa industry's labor issues)
April 1, 2008... On his cocoa farm just outside Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic, Christobel is a happy man. Ten years ago, he lost his entire crop to Hurricane George, which devastated much of the island in September 1998, leaving more than...

Geophoto: trees of life: photographing forests and trees requires a special set of techniques, but the spectacular seasonal shows they put on make persevering well worth the effort.(nature photography)
April 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The seasonal patterns of spring growth, autumn colour and leaf fall make deciduous trees a subject of enormous potential for the camera all year round. Furthermore, each mature tree supports dozens of other life...

Nothing new.(MAILBAG)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2008... Although James Lovelock is usually credited with having originated the Gala theory, I recently came across the following comment by the Victorian geographer Sir Richard Strachey, made in 1875: 'The picture presents to us our Earth carrying with...

Watch out.(MAILBAG)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2008... I assume that the elder of the village of Wutai (A marriage of convenience, March 2008), standing in ceremonial dress with an antiquated musket that is fired to start the procession of palanquins to the wedding, checks when to fire on his...

Otherworldly images.(MAILBAG)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2008... Spotting the striking cover, I picked up the March issue of Geographical with more than the usual level of intrigue. I simply couldn't work out what it was, and spent a few minutes guessing. At first glance, it looked like sand dunes on a...

Fuels for the future.(LETTER OF THE MONTH)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2008... I really appreciated your article on the biofuels industry (Fuelling the debate, February 2008). There have been so many conflicting stories in the media, it was nice to finally read something that tied all of the arguments together. There does...

No holding back.(MAILBAG)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2008... Thanks for your fantastic article on the marine dredging industry (Shifting sands, March 2008). When are people going to realise that anything done to one part of the coast has an effect on another part of the coast? This problem isn't just...

Land of the giants.(MAILBAG)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2008... Great to see the Causeway Coast Area of Outstanding Beauty featured in Geographical (March 2008). We visited Northern Island last year and were thrilled to find how tourist-free the area was compared to the Republic of Ireland. I would...

No party.(MAILBAG)(Letter to the editor)
April 1, 2008... The monthly Hotspot section continues to shine a light on some fascinating geopolitical problems around the world. I was intrigued and not a little depressed to learn about Guinea-Bissau's problems with drug trafficking (February 2008). I...

In conversation: Peter Head.(Interview)
April 1, 2008... Peter Head, 60, civil engineer, director of global design and business consulting firm Arup, and independent adviser to the London Sustainable Development Commission, is the master planner behind the world's first true eco-city. Over the next...