Geographical articles from August 2006

Geographical archives from August 2006

Local knowledge.
August 1, 2006... When it comes to selecting the stories that appear in Geographical, I must admit to an unconscious tendency to gravitate towards articles about the world's more exotic cultures, creatures and countries. This issue features a classic cross...

Four explorers known as the Arctic Foxes have become the first all-female, all-British team to complete a double crossing of the Greenland icecap.(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Four explorers known as the Arctic Foxes have become the first all-female, all-British team to complete a double crossing of the Greenland icecap. Their time of 31 days was also the fastest ever recorded. A separate six-strong team has also...

Twenty per cent of cacao beans destined for use in the production of chocolate are being lost to disease every year, according to scientists at the University of Florida.(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Twenty per cent of cacao beans destined for use in the production of chocolate are being lost to disease every year, according to scientists at the University of Florida. Three diseases are responsible--black pod, frosty pod and witches broom.

The inhabitants of a tiny island off Tanzania's coast have appealed for help after rampaging colobus monkeys destroyed crops, stole food from houses and threatened children.(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... The inhabitants of a tiny island off Tanzania's coast have appealed for help after rampaging colobus monkeys destroyed crops, stole food from houses and threatened children. The island of Tumbatu, north of Zanzibar's main island, Unguja, has...

The Brazilian government has created a 95,000-square-kilometre buffer zone around the Abrolhos National Marine Park.(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... The Brazilian government has created a 95,000-square-kilometre buffer zone around the Abrolhos National Marine Park. Special permits will now be required for any form of economic activity within the zone.

Nine EU countries have agreed to provide aircraft and patrol boats to help Spanish authorities stop the flow of illegal immigrants into the Canary Islands.(European Union)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Nine EU countries have agreed to provide aircraft and patrol boats to help Spanish authorities stop the flow of illegal immigrants into the Canary Islands. Last year, 7,500 migrants made the journey safely, while 1,000 others are thought to...

US and Kazakh scientists have attached satellite tracking devices to three beluga and one ship sturgeon in the Caspian Sea.(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... US and Kazakh scientists have attached satellite tracking devices to three beluga and one ship sturgeon in the Caspian Sea in an attempt to learn more about their behaviour and stop the species' decline.

Green-energy initiatives recognised.(Ashden Awards )(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... The five winners of the annual Ashden Awards for Sustainability were announced at an awards ceremony on 15 June at the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG). The awards recognise and promote sustainable-technology initiatives that benefit local...

Exxon spill lingers.(Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, 1989)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Remnants of the worst oil spill in US history can still be found in some parts of Prince William Sound, southern Alaska, according to a report by the National Marine Fisheries Service. The report suggests that oil from the Exxon Valdez disaster...

Vortex discovered off Australia's west coast.(Rottnest Island)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... An ocean vortex 200 kilometres in width and 1,000 metres deep has been discovered off the coast of Rottnest Island, west of Perth, Australia. The vortex, which is visible from space, is rotating at speeds of around 5km/h. It was created by...

Severe water stress.(countries listed)(Statistical table)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... (Percentage of country where water consumption needs 40 per cent of available water) Kuwait 100 Trinidad and Tobago 99.9 Syria 99.6 Israel 97.6 Nepal 97.5 Azerbaijan...

Rare rhino shot for the first time.(Bornean subspecies of the Sumatran rhinoceros spooted at Sabah, Malaysia)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... One of the world's most endangered mammals, the Bornean subspecies of the Sumatran rhinoceros, has been captured on film in the wild for the first time. The rhino, believed to be one of a population of as few as 13 individuals, was photographed...

NASA satellites have detected what could be a 480-kilometre-wide crater under the East Antarctic ice sheet.(National Aeronautics and Space Administration)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... NASA satellites have detected what could be a 480-kilometre-wide crater under the East Antarctic ice sheet. Scientists say that the crater could have been made by a meteorite impact 250 million years ago. If they are correct, the meteorite may...

A new lava dome has grown inside the crater of Mount St Helens in Washington state and there has been an increase in seismic activity and gas, steam and ash emissions.(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... A new lava dome has grown inside the crater of Mount St Helens in Washington state and there has been an increase in seismic activity and gas, steam and ash emissions. The US Geological Survey reports that the eruption could intensify suddenly...

A cool half million for Antarctic huts trust.(Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton and Robert Falcon Scott's hut to be protected )(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... The campaign to preserve three historic huts on Ross Island in Antarctica used by Sir Ernest Shackleton and Captain Robert Falcon Scott has been given a financial boost thanks to a 500,000 [pounds sterling] donation to the UK Antarctic Heritage...

LA due for quake as fault suffers stress.(Los Angeles)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... A new study suggests that huge stresses have built up in the southern end of the San Andreas fault. The release of this stress could trigger a catastrophic earthquake, according to the study's author, Yuri Fialko of the Scripps Institution of...

Break-up of the former Yugoslavia now complete.(Serbia and Montenegro divided)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Montenegro officially declared an end to its union with Serbia during a special parliamentary session that took place on 3 June in the capital, Podgorica, signalling the complete break-up of the former Yugoslavia. The declaration followed a...

Geographical flags of the world: Yemen.(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... DESCRIPTION A rectangular tricolour banner made up of equal, horizontal stripes of red, white and black. HISTORY Yemen's first flag, adopted by the north in 1927, was red with a white sword running horizontally across the centre. The sword was...

Ancient city discovered under shifting sands.(Taklimakan Desert )(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... A team of Chinese and French archaeologists has discovered the ruins of an ancient city believed to have been buried under China's Taklimakan Desert for 2,200 years. The ancient city, which has been named Youmulakekum, meaning 'round...

Sustainable management not being sustained.(rainforests falling short)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Efforts to sustainably manage the world's rainforests are falling short, according to a new report by the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO). The total area of tropical timber under sustainable management has grown from less...

Baltic shipping concerns Finland.(traffic increases)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... The Baltic Sea, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, is under serious environmental threat from the increasing traffic in the area, according to a Finnish Environment Ministry study. Economic growth in Poland and other Baltic countries,...

50 Years ago today Geographical August 1956.
August 1, 2006... Kay Mander's Offering to the Sea was the cover story of the August 1956 issue. A photofeature about Javanese fishermen, it followed the blessing ceremony and feast held each year to mark the start of the new fishing season. The penghulu...

Asian nations join forces against sandstorms.(China, Japan, South Korea and Mongolia join hands)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... China, Japan, South Korea and Mongolia are to work together to combat the effects of sandstorms, which are being exacerbated by increasing desertification. Sandstorms are a major problem in the region--China alone has experienced 17 since...

The Natural History Museum has launched a new Antarctic heritage and conservation website.(UK)
August 1, 2006... The Natural History Museum has launched a new Antarctic heritage and conservation website in conjunction with the Antarctic Heritage Trust. * www.nhm.oc.uk/antarctica-blog

Ivory from ice-age animals such as the woolly mammoth is being sold as jewellery and trinkets in Anchorage, Alaska.(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Ivory from ice-age animals such as the woolly mammoth is being sold as jewellery and trinkets in Anchorage, Alaska. The removal of fossils from state land is illegal, but mammoth remains are abundant in the region, making the law difficult to...

Baby bottles made from recycled CDs were seized by Chinese authorities at the end of May after they were found to contain high levels of the toxic chemical hydroxybenzene.(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Baby bottles made from recycled CDs were seized by Chinese authorities at the end of May after they were found to contain high levels of the toxic chemical hydroxybenzene. Tests showed that the chemical was released into heated milk at twice...

Belgium is planning to build Antarctica's first environmentally friendly scientific base as part of the International Polar Year 2007-08.
August 1, 2006... Belgium is planning to build Antarctica's first environmentally friendly scientific base as part of the International Polar Year 2007-08. The Princess Elisabeth Station will recycle all of its waste and use energy from renewable sources.

The construction of the world's largest solar power plant has begun in Serpa, 200 kilometres southeast of Lisbon.(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... The construction of the world's largest solar power plant has begun in Serpa, 200 kilometres southeast of Lisbon. Due to be completed next January, the US$79million plant will produce enough electricity to supply 8,000 homes.

Nineteen thousand people in Faisalabad, eastern Pakistan, fell ill and nine died after the city's water supply was contaminated by sewage in May.
August 1, 2006... Nineteen thousand people in Faisalabad, eastern Pakistan, fell ill and nine died after the city's water supply was contaminated by sewage in May. Water contamination is common in Pakistan as supply pipes are poorly maintained and can run close...

Chinese authorities have had to raise the height below which children are entitled to free bus rides.(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Chinese authorities have had to raise the height below which children are entitled to free bus rides. This system has been in place for 50 years, but during that time, the average height of children has grown. To ensure children continue to...

Return to the Casiquiare River.(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Following on from last month's feature about Venezuela's Casiquiare River (A monstrous error of geography?), Cambridge University geomorphologist Professor Keith Richards provides further insight into how this unusual river manages to transcend...

Heritage site survives Java quake.(Borobudur buddist temple )(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... An eighth-century UNESCO World Heritage site was undamaged in the earthquake that rocked the Indonesian island of Java on 27 May. The disaster measured 6.3 on the Richter scale and is estimated to have killed up to 6,000 people and left 340,000...

Young Geographer of the year competition 2006: with almost 3,000 personally designed maps submitted, this year's Geographical Young Geographer of the Year was the most successful to date. Competition judge Rex Walford muses on some of the highlights and comes to the conclusion that cartography is alive and well among tomorrow's geographers.
August 1, 2006... "I'd never have been able to climb Everest without this," said Rebecca Stephens, the first British woman to climb the world's highest mountain, as she brandished a clearly well-used and much-loved survey map at the annual Geographical Young...

New RGS-IBG president appointed.(Gordon Conway appointed at Royal Geographical Society )(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Sir Gordon Conway, the former vice chancellor of the University of Sussex and former president of the Rockefeller Foundation, was appointed as the new president of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) after he stood unopposed at the annual...

Calling all young geographers.
August 1, 2006... Dreaming of going to university or taking a gap-year to travel? If so, you could benefit from the Society's Young Geographer membership category. Whether you have a burning interest in the environment or international development, earthquakes...

Society announces challenge grant winner.(Royal Geographical Society grants donation for University of Cambridge)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... The winner of this year's Neville Shulman Challenge Award--a grant of 10,000 [pounds sterling] for a physically and intellectually challenging geographical project--was recently chosen by the Society. The award has been given to a team planning...

Join the Society--GET the magazine.(on joining Royal Geographical Society you can get Geographical free)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Often called the 'Home of Geography' the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) promotes an enjoyment and understanding of our world. Membership is open to anyone. You may use geography in your profession, have a thirst for geographical...

Mapping out geography's language: illustration of geographical terms (c. 1735).
August 1, 2006... The word geography is derived from the Greek for 'earth', with a suffix denoting the process of writing or of graphic representation, and its teaching has traditionally relied on visual aids. Central to this has been the use of cartography--in...

Wild at heart.("Wild Borneo" by Nick Garbutt and Cede Prudente)(Book review)
August 1, 2006... BORNEO The island of Borneo is home to a staggering diversity of plants and animals; on average, ten hectares of rainforest contain more tree species than the whole of North America and more bird species than the whole of Europe. But every...

Far Eastern folly: a series of recent developments at Bagan in Myanmar, one of the ancient wonders of Southeast Asia, are damaging the former royal capital, according to historians and archaeologists. Inappropriate new buildings and poor restoration work, encouraged by the military government, could be doing irreparable harm to one of Buddhism's greatest cultural achievements.
August 1, 2006... The view west from the top of the 13th-century Tayok Pye Temple in Bagan, central Myanmar (Burma), is as breathtaking today as it must have been for medieval worshippers. Spread out over a plain are more than 2,000 monuments--glorious gilded...

On thin ice: right now, for most of us, global warming means slightly milder winters, earlier springs and a glorious, hot summer. But in the Arctic, it's already threatening the traditional lifestyles of subsistence hunters. Louise Murray travelled to northern Greenland to meet and hunt with local Inuit, and to see for herself the impact that climate change is having on their lives.
August 1, 2006... In the spring of 1987, Inuit hunter Theo Ikummaq made a three-month journey by dogsled from the west coast of Baffin Island to Qaanaaq in Greenland--the same journey that his ancestors made during a 19th century migration. "I could not make...

A global addiction.(heroin)
August 1, 2006... Heroin is a globally traded product, supporting local and, in some cases national, economies. The continuing instability in Afghanistan has seen production rise to record levels, and the country now supplies 90 per cent of the world's heroin....

The witches of Gambaga: belief in witchcraft is still widespread in Africa, and being accused of its practice can be a death sentence. And with traditional gender roles being challenged, such accusations are becoming increasingly common. Simon de Trey-White visits a camp in Ghana that has housed 'convicted' witches for more than 200 years.
August 1, 2006... They say I chopped a child," the old lady said, her tiny figure lit by the soft light of a Ghanaian dawn. Her fine, deeply lined face was tight-lipped and impassive as she lent against the door of her small thatched hut but her eyes burnt with...

Diplomacy and discovery: today, we tend to think of ambassadors as urbane bureaucrats and wily politicians but, as Jonathan Wright reveals, there was a time when they were among the world's most prodigious discoverers and explorers.
August 1, 2006... In 1588, the remorseless Russian winter cast its spell over Giles Fletcher, Elizabeth I's ambassador to the court of Tsar Feodor I. Far from home, he was awe-stricken--and palpably terrified--by Moscow's cruellest months. From November to...

Win an 8,000 [pounds sterling] luxury holiday to Australia: luxury-travel specialists Abercrombie & Kent Travel are offering you the chance to win a fabulous seven-night escape for two to Australia.(Abercrombie & Kent International Inc.)
August 1, 2006... The winner and their guest will fly to Sydney with Qantas, where they will be met by an expert Abercrombie & Kent guide and transferred to the elegant Park Hyatt hotel. Beautifully positioned on the shores of Sydney Harbour, the hotel has...

The land that time forgot.(Romania)
August 1, 2006... First recruited from Germany almost 1,000 years ago to defend Romania's border against foreign invaders, the Saxon people of Transylvania thrived in fortified communities high in the Carpathian MountainS. But persecution by the Communists...

2006 First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards: nominate a responsible tourism winner and a trip to Antarctica could be yours.
August 1, 2006... WIN a ten-night voyage the Antarctic UK resident who nominate a winning organisation will automatically have their name entered into a draw for two fabulous holidays * 1st prize A ten-night voyage a main-deck cabin for two aboard...

Souvenirs from the silk road.(Sir Marc Aurel Stein)
August 1, 2006... The early-20th-century archaeological expeditions made by Sir Marc Aurel Stein into the desert wastelands of China captured the public's imagination. In the West, he was hailed as the greatest Silk Road explorer, but to the Chinese, he was an...

Archaeology and adventure in the Andes.("Cochineal Red: Travels Through Ancient Peru" by Hugh Thomson)(Book review)
August 1, 2006... Cochineal Red: Travels through Ancient Peru by Hugh Thomson Weidenfeld & Nicolson, hb, pp320, 20 [pounds sterling] Since Pizarro's Spanish conquistadors first stepped ashore in 1532, the romantic setting and mysteries of Peru have enticed...

A guide to shooting wildlife.("Exposing Nature" by Frank Greenaway)(Book review)
August 1, 2006... Exposing Nature by Frank Greenaway Natural History Museum, pb, pp160, 16.99 [pounds sterling] Through its exhibitions and publications, the Natural History Museum in London has built a reputation for showcasing the best in wildlife...

Apartheid from the inside.("Shirley, Goodness and Mercy: A Childhood Memoir" by Chris van Wyk )(Brief article)(Book review)
August 1, 2006... Shirley, Goodness and Mercy: A Childhood Memoir by Chris van Wyk Picador Africa, pb, pp312, 7.99 [pounds sterling] Three Johannesburg townships at the height of apartheid in the 1960s provide the backdrop for this valuable and fascinating...

Paperback round-up.("Buttertea at Sunrise: A Year in the Bhutan Himalaya" by Veronica Doubleday, Tauris Parke)("The Lady and the Monk: Four Seasons in Kyoto" by Britta Das)("Three Women of Herat: A Memoir of Life, Love and Friendship in Afghanistan" by Pico Iyer)(Book review)
August 1, 2006... Three Women of Herat: A Memoir of Life, Love and Friendship in Afghanistan by Veronica Doubleday, Tauris Parke, pp360, 1.99 [pounds sterling] Buttertea at Sunrise: A Year in the Bhutan Himalaya by Britta Das, Summersdale, pp320, 7.99...

Photos That Changed the World.(Brief article)(Book review)
August 1, 2006... Photos that Changed the World edited by Peter Stepan Prestel, pb, pp200, 12.99 [pounds sterling] According to Peter Stepan's introduction, Photos that Changed the World is an attempt to select the definitive pictures from the last century,...

Top 10 writer's reads.(Bibliography)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Hugh Thomson is an explorer, film-maker and the author of The White Rock: An Exploration of the Inca Heartland and Nanda Devi: A Journey to the Lost Sanctuary. His latest book, Cochineal Red: Travels through Ancient Peru, is this month's Book...

How green is your holiday?("Code Green: Experiences of a Lifetime" by Kerry Lorimer )(Brief article)(Book review)
August 1, 2006... Code Green: Experiences of a Lifetime by Kerry Lorimer Lonely Planet, pb, pp224, 14.99 [pounds sterling] Described as a "glimpse into the world of responsible travel", Code Green contains profiles of just under 100 holiday options, ranging...

Victoria's Wars: The Rise of Empire.(Brief article)(Book review)
August 1, 2006... Victoria's Wars: The Rise of Empire by Saul David Penguin Viking, hb, pp500, 25 [pounds sterling] During the first half of Queen Victoria's reign, the British Empire quintupled in size. Vast swathes of land in Africa and Asia came under...

Finding the silver linings.("Body Count: How They Turned AIDS Into a Catastophe" by Peter Gill)(Book review)
August 1, 2006... Body Count: How They Turned AIDS into a Catastophe by Peter Gill Profile, pb, pp192, 7.99 [pounds sterling] At the outset of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, when it might have been contained, the disease had a two fold problem that prevented an...

Geographical classic #33.("The Voyage of the Beagle" by Charles Darwin )(Book review)
August 1, 2006... The Voyage of the Beagle by Charles Darwin First published in 1839. Most recent edition published by Dover Books, pb, pp528, 5.99 [pounds sterling] Charles Darwin's The Voyage of the Beagle is a volume that reveals the genesis of a...

Illustrated Atlas of the Himalaya.(Brief article)(Book review)
August 1, 2006... Illustrated Atlas of the Himalaya by David Zurick and Julsun Pacheco University Press of Kentucky, hb, pp228, 34.95 [pounds sterling] If your concept of an atlas doesn't extend much beyond a book of maps and charts, then this fascinating...

Long Ride for a Pie: From London to New Zealand on Two Wheels and an Appetite.(Brief article)(Book review)
August 1, 2006... Long Ride for a Pie: From London to New Zealand on Two Wheels and an Appetite by Tim Mulliner New Holland, pb, pp250, 9.99 [pounds sterling] It's been some time since a gift for observation and a hankering for foreign parts was enough...

In Search of the Knights Templar.(Brief article)(Book review)
August 1, 2006... In Search of the Knights Templar by Simon Brighton Weidenfeld & Nicolson, hb, pp256, 20 [pounds sterling] In these post-Da Vinci Code times, the Holy Grail is publishing's, well, Holy Grail: anything involving ancient religious orders is...

Alpine ambles: hit the heights with our equipment editor, Paul Deegan, as he offers up his tips on getting the most out of a trek in the Alps.(Viewpoint essay)
August 1, 2006... During the summer of 1990, I set out to walk the famous Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB), a 190-kilometre circumambulation of the Mont Blanc massif. The TMB is the quintessential Alpine trek: it passes through France, Switzerland and Italy, provides...

Ten of the best: kitting yourself out for an Alpine amble couldn't be easier as, once again, we've pored over the catalogues, visited the shops and quizzed the staff to bring you our pick of the gear on offer.
August 1, 2006... 1 Tent 340 [pounds sterling]/2.05-2.5 kilograms A cracking two person tent that weighs in at around a kilo per person. Solid walls keep heat in on chilly nights, while a gargantuan door helps to ensure that the occupants remain...

In the dog house.
August 1, 2006... Now you can take your best friend camping and treat it to its very own tent. At 80 [pounds sterling], the Mutt Hurt from Ruff Wear isn't cheap, but at least you won't have muddy paw prints all over your stuff. * For stockists, call 023...

More free OS maps for 11-year-olds.(Ordnance Survey)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Ordnance Survey (OS) has committed a further 700,000 free Explorer maps to secondary school children throughout Great Britain to mark the fifth anniversary of its free maps for schools initiative. Since 2002, OS has provided more than three...

Easy-clean sleeping bags for summer.
August 1, 2006... Norway's Ajungilak has been making and selling sleeping bags and mats for more than 150 years. Its latest collection features a range of machine-washable sleeping bags. Priced from 80 [pounds sterling] for the Kompakt Summer bag, the range is...

In with the old, out with the new.(clothing and boots of George Mallory and Andrew Irvine examined)(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... According to the results of a unique experiment, the clothing and boots worn by George Mallory and Andrew Irvine during their fatal attempt to become the first to reach the summit of Mount Everest in 1924 wouldn't have prevented them from...

The anti-sprain boot.
August 1, 2006... Swiss bootmaker Raichle has come up with an innovative way to avoid a common walkers' affliction--the sprained ankle. Its new 'motion control' system consists of a small plastic device built into the heel area of the boot that works with the...

Svelte sleeping mat lightens your load.
August 1, 2006... UK-based outdoor-products manufacturer Alpkit has expanded its range of Airic sleeping mats with a new slim version. Made using new foam technology (which apparently means it's extra quick to inflate), the Slim Airic is the lightest and...

Japanese encephalitis: medical advice from Jason Gibbs, head pharmacist at Nomad Travel stores and health clinics.
August 1, 2006... Japanese encephalitis (JE) is a viral disease endemic to many parts of Asia and the western Pacific. It's spread by the Culex tritaeniorhynchus mosquito, which typically breeds in rice paddies just after the rainy season when there is plenty of...

Explorer's essentials: Dee Caffari, solo around-the-world yachtswoman.(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... 1. Musto HPX Boots. Keep my feet warm and, more importantly, dry. * www.musto.co.uk 2. Spinlock safety harnesses. The chest harness keeps me tethered to the yacht during bad weather and the climbing harness is essential for climbing the...

The geographical good guide guide: helping you choose that vitally important, but often rather confusing, item of kit: the guidebook.(Wildlife Traveller from Pocket Books Inc. )(Brief article)
August 1, 2006... Wildlife Traveller What are they like? Scottish publishers Pocket Mountains have produced two Wildlife Traveller guides--containing 40 of the best wildlife destinations on the Scottish Islands and the mainland. The books follow the...

Light, camera, action.(photography)
August 1, 2006... A moving subject presents the photographer with a situation that requires quick thinking and plenty of preparation. Photographers don't capture images of rapidly moving subjects such as lions chasing prey by merely reacting to what passes in...

Hunting for justification.(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2006... I was very sorry to learn that my article about my trek across Siberia (Into the heart of darkness, May 2006)--specifically the opening section, where I described killing a bear--had so enraged a Geographical reader (Mailbag, June 2006). ...

Happy, not cross, words. .(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2006... Last week, I received notification that a parcel awaited me at the post office in our nearby town. You can imagine my surprised when I opened it to find a Techtrail digital compass, the prize offered by Geographical to the first five correct...

Boulder dash.(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2006... The spherical Moeraki boulders that appeared on the cover of July's Geographical look strikingly similar to the spherical stones of varying sizes, but also measuring up to two metres in diameter, found at Palmar in southern Costa Rica, on Isla...

The fallout from nuclear power.(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2006... Two recent letters in Geographical about nuclear power--from Sarah Joseph in June and Brian Robinson in July--give cause for concern as they are both based on a lack of knowledge. This knowledge is readily available, especially via the...