Geographical articles from August 2007

Geographical archives from August 2007

A very dry read.(FROM THE EDITOR)(dossier on the water crisis)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Growing up in Australia, drought was just a part of the landscape--part of a slow, recurring natural cycle of wet and dry. If it got particularly bad, we would face water restrictions, but even then, there was always a feeling that it was a...

Where in the world?(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... IDENTIFY THIS COUNTRY USING THE FOLLOWING CLUES: * Its coastline is almost twice as long as its land borders * It has the world's lowest rate of church attendance * Less than eight per cent of its land is arable * The male life...

An abandoned ship containing rare and endangered wildlife was found floating off the coast of China at the end of May.(CHINA)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... An abandoned ship containing rare and endangered wildlife was found floating off the coast of China at the end of May. Five thousand animals from Southeast Asia, including 31 pangolins, 44 leatherback turtles, 2,720 monitor lizards and 1,130...

An outbreak of a deadly fish virus that began in the Great Lakes in 2005 is now approaching epidemic proportions, according to a fish disease specialist from the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, New York.(NORTH AMERICA)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... An outbreak of a deadly fish virus that began in the Great Lakes in 2005 is now approaching epidemic proportions, according to a fish disease specialist from the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine, New York. Viral haemorrhagic...

A ruling by international football body FIFA to ban international matches above an altitude of 2,500 metres because of the threat to players' health has sparked protests across South America.(SOUTH AMERICA)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... A ruling by international football body FIFA to ban international matches above an altitude of 2,500 metres because of the threat to players' health has sparked protests across South America. The ban would rule out stadiums in Boivia, Ecuador,...

Unprecedented treasure find off Cornwall.(WORLDWATCH)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... A US deep-sea exploration company has made what many believe is the richest ever shipwreck treasure discovery. A total 500,000 gold and silver coins, with a combined weight of 17,000 tonnes and an estimated value of US$500million...

Cranes return to England.(WORLDWATCH)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Cranes are making a return to the southeast of England after being blown off course during their annual migration from southern Europe to Scandinavia. The birds, which have a wingspan of more than two metres and a loud, bugling call, have been...

Wanted: property developer for Mumbai slum.(WORLDWATCH)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... The Indian government has invited developers from around the world to submit plans for the regeneration of a slum in Mumbai, home to Asia's largest population of slum dwellers. Maharashtra state government, which is responsible for the...

Great Wall breached by coal miners.(WORLDWATCH)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... A 400-year-old section of the Great Wall of China has been torn down by a mining company in order to enable its lorries to transport coal more efficiently and avoid paying motorway tolls. Bricks and mud from the affected section, located on...

Landslide buries Russian geysers.(WORLDWATCH)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... A landslide, possibly triggered by an earthquake, has buried a four-square-kilometre area of the Valley of Geysers on the Kamchatka Peninsula in eastern Russia. The valley, one of only five places in the world where geysers and springs...

Wildlife experts have located hundreds of wild elephants on a treeless island in the swamps of southern Sudan.(SUDAN)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Wildlife experts have located hundreds of wild elephants on a treeless island in the swamps of southern Sudan. Although the island doesn't provide an ideal habitat for elephants, its isolation has protected them from more than 20 years of...

The small fishing community of Andavadoaka, located on the southwest coast of Madagascar, has been awarded the biennial Equator Prize by the UN Development Programme for its efforts to reduce poverty through conservation and sustainable use of local marine resources.(MADAGASCAR)
August 1, 2007... The small fishing community of Andavadoaka, located on the southwest coast of Madagascar, has been awarded the biennial Equator Prize by the UN Development Programme for its efforts to reduce poverty through conservation and sustainable use of...

The Chinese government has said that it won't allow any new internet bars to open during the remainder of this year because it has evidence to suggest that violent online games and pornography are provoking some juvenile users to commit crime, the Xinhua news agency has reported.(CHINA)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... The Chinese government has said that it won't allow any new internet bars to open during the remainder of this year because it has evidence to suggest that violent online games and pornography are provoking some juvenile users to commit crime,...

Peruvian Indians sue oil company.(WORLDWATCH)
August 1, 2007... Twenty-five Achuar Indians from the Peruvian Amazon are suing oil and gas giant Occidental Petroleum (OP) in a US court, alleging that it knowingly put their health at risk during three decades of oil exploration and extraction. The...

Dossier update: whaling ban stays--for now.(WORLDWATCH)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... The 75-nation International Whaling Commission (IWC) has voted to continue the 21-year moratorium on commercial whaling at its 59th annual meeting in Anchorage, Alaska. It reverses the so-called St Kitts Declaration, when 33 countries, led...

Obituary: Sir Wally Herbert.(WORLDWATCH)(Obituary)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Sir Walter William Herbert, polar explorer, author, painter and filmmaker, has died at the age of 72. Sir Wally was considered one of the last explorers to have made a significant contribution to geographical knowledge, especially of the polar...

Top 10 defence spending.(WORLDWATCH)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... TOP 10 DEFENCE SPENDING (PERCENTAGE OF GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCTS) 1 NORTH KOREA 25 2 OMAN 10 3 ERITREA 9.2 4 MYANMAR 9 5 SAUDI ARABIA 8.8 6 ISRAEL 8.2 7 ...

Melting icebergs offsetting emissions.(CLIMATEWATCH)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Melting ice masses that have broken away from Antarctica are acting as nutrient-rich islands that support a wealth of marine life, including carbondioxide-absorbing phytoplankton, according to a new study. Focusing on two individual...

'Cyber carbon footprint' as bad as airlines.(CLIMATEWATCH)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... The UK government is considering new proposals to reduce the 'cyber carbon footprint' caused by the building, running and disposal of computers in a bid to meet its carbon-reduction targets. An estimated eight million new computers are sold...

77,000 annual global warming deaths in Asia-Pacific.(CLIMATEWATCH)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... A recent report issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that around 77,000 deaths a year in Asia and the Pacific region can be directly or indirectly attributed to global warming. Extreme events--such as heat waves,...

Greatest of great lakes shrinking.(CLIMATEWATCH)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Lake Superior, the largest of North America's Great Lakes, has dropped to its lowest level since 1926, according to scientists from the University of Minnesota. The lake is currently 42 centimetres below its long-term average level, which is...

Russian state solves climate change threat.(CLIMATEWATCH)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Russia's Global Climate and Ecology Institute, has announced that global warming can be prevented by spraying large quantities of sulphur into the air. According to the institute's calculations, spraying one million tonnes of aerosol containing...

US$100million for climate fund.(CLIMATEWATCH)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... HSBC has invested US$100million (50million [pounds sterling]) towards tackling climate change. The HSBC Climate Partnership will work with four environmental groups that are already battling the causes and effects of climate change over the...

Vatican looks to heavenly body for power.(CLIMATEWATCH)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... The world's smallest sovereign state, the Vatican City, headquarters of the Catholic Church, is doing its bit for the environment. Pope Benedict XVI has just approved a 2.5million [pounds sterling] (1.7million [pounds sterling]) plan to replace...

Diego Garcia.(HOTSPOT)(part of British Indian Ocean Territory)
August 1, 2007... In May, the former inhabitants of the British overseas territory of the Chagos Islands won an important legal victory over the UK government. The Court of Appeal determined that the Chagos islanders, known as the Ilois or Chagossians, had been...

Migrant workers: poor economic conditions encourage migrants to leave their homes, attracted by good conditions (or the hope of them) abroad. Many take terrible risks on the journey and find a cold welcome when they arrive.(STATE OF THE WORLD)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Although wealthier countries need migrant labour--especially the ones where the population's average age is increasing--they do not usually treat migrants well. In many countries, there is a bedrock of suspicion and resentment towards people...

Kent downs: areas of outstanding natural beauty: home to the iconic Heritage Coast White Cliffs, the Kent Downs encompass a mixture of rolling chalk grassland and ancient woods. Jo Sargent investigates the only AONB to fall within the boundaries of Greater London.(NATURAL BEAUTY)
August 1, 2007... The air is thick with moisture as clouds of mist roll in from the sea and up to the foot of the cliffs. At first, it's difficult to make out where the mist ends and the cliff begins, until a breeze lifts the blanket slightly and the dazzling...

Geographical: Young Geographer of the Year 2007: this year, the Geographical Young Geographer of the Year competition attracted around 2,000 entries from students all over the country, who pondered the question, can recycling save the world?(COMPETITION)
August 1, 2007... 'It's one thing to see global warming stories on TV or in the press--quite another to ski across Greenland and see huge puddles of water, to fly over the Antarctic Peninsula and see ice shelves floating,' said Paul Rose, explorer and television...

And the winner is ...(IN SOCIETY)(awardees in geographical researches)
August 1, 2007... What do climate change, the economics of Eastern Europe and satellite observation systems all have in common? Aside from demonstrating the current breadth of geography, all three are areas of research in which academics from across the...

India now ... and then.(IN SOCIETY)(Brief article)(Calendar)
August 1, 2007... Over the summer, as part of the India Now festival that has been organised by the Greater London Authority, the Society will be putting on a programme of free events designed to offer a deeper insight into life in India. The first of...

Annual conference update.(IN SOCIETY)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... The Society's annual conference will be taking place at its London headquarters from 29 to 31 August. Reflecting current interests, the theme of the meeting is 'Sustainability and Quality of Life', and hundreds of researchers from across the UK...

Harry Philby's ceremonial brushes: the renowned Arabist used these brushes when he took part in the ceremonial cleaning of the Kaaba, Islam's holiest shrine.(FROM THE COLLECTION)(Biography)
August 1, 2007... Explorer and author Harry St John Bridger Philby was born in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in 1885. Educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, he joined the Indian civil service shortly after his graduation and was posted to Iraq as part of the Indian...

Fishing frenzy.(SACRED FISHING)(Mali)(Cover story)
August 1, 2007... Predominantly desert, Mali is almost wholly dependent on the Niger River for its water supply. Situated in the heart of the country, Antogo is one of hundreds of unconnected lakes fed by the tributaries of the river during the monsoon. The...

The Garamantes masters of the Sahara: the Garamantes of Libya have been dismissed by everyone from the Romans to 20th-century scholars as irrelevant desert pastoralists and nomads. But now, new research has revealed that they had a sophisticated civilisation and represented one of the most powerful kingdoms in North Africa.(LIBYAN ARCHAEOLOGY)
August 1, 2007... After five years of meticulous digging, uncovering ten layers of buildings in the Saharan town of Garama--which was inhabited between 400 BC and 1937--Professor David Mattingly and his team made a dramatic and unexpected discover)'. 'In the...

More than just maps and mountains: last year, nearly 300,000 GCSE, A-level and university students studied geography in the UK alone. But what place does a subject so firmly associated with exploration and mapping the unknown have in the modern world? On the eve of the annual conference at the home of UK geography--the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)--we canvassed the opinions of a select group of academic geographers.(GEOGRAPHY TODAY)
August 1, 2007... When the Royal Geographical Society was formed in 1830, one of its primary aims was 'to advance geography so that it might attain the rank of science'. At that time, despite the vast collection of British explorers heading off into the unknown...

Going, going,... gone.(SPECIAL REPORT: Geographical dossier)
August 1, 2007... For decades, warnings have been sounded over humanity's use of the planet's finite resources. Technology, globalisation and a blind trust in the Earth's capacity to provide have kept development momentum rolling on regardless. Until now. In the...

On a wing and a prayer: the forests of the Eastern Arc mountains of Kenya and Tanzania have been compared to the Galapagos Islands because of their extraordinarily; high concentrations of endemic species. But, like so many such biodiversity hotspots, they are under threat from human activities such as agriculture and logging. In one area in northern Tanzania, however, an unlikely saviour has emerged: the humble butterfly.(BUTTERFLY FARMING)
August 1, 2007... Hamadi Thabit Magoha readies himself. In his aunt's garden in Mlola village, northern Tanzania, he stands perfectly still, legs apart, poised for action. Clasped between his hands is a metre-long wooden pole; on its end is a round metal hoop,...

Soap opera: in India's most populous city, hundreds of migrant workers are employed to wash its 'residents' laundry by hand. Peter Caton meets the army that toils for long hours in stiflinq heat to keep Mumbai in clean clothe.(LAUNDRY WORKERS)
August 1, 2007... Mumbai needs clean clothes. The city with one of the world's largest populations works, plays and lives frenetically amid smoke, dirt and oppressive heat. But how do 15 million people get their clothes cleaned, pressed and delivered? The...

Heart and soul: Quito's World Heritage-listed colonial centre is the largest in the Americas. And thanks to municipal intervention and the efforts of a school for disadvantaged children, the Ecuadorian capital's historic heart is being revitalised.(QUITO)
August 1, 2007... From the outside, the Escuela Taller Quito (Quito Workshop School) is deceiving. A two-storey mansion set on one of the narrow streets in the Ecuadorian capital's historic centre, it looks like a family home. Pass through its ornately carved...

Steeped in history.(GEOGRAPHICAL ARCHIVE)
August 1, 2007... Although the earliest record of tea cultivation only dates back to the fourth century, the Chinese Emperor Shen Hung is often credited with discovering the drink as long ago as the 28th century BC, when, according to legend, a gust of wind blew...

Putting your best boot forward.(A Billion Bootstraps: Microcredit, Barefoot Banking, and the Business Solution for Ending Poverty)(Book review)
August 1, 2007... A Billion Bootstraps: Microcredit, Barefoot Banking, and the Business Solution for Ending Poverty by Phil Smith and Eric Thurman McGraw-Hill, hb, pp 224, 15.99 [pounds sterling] If you're searching for a balanced account of the pros and...

To 10 writer's reads.(REVIEWS)(Brief article)(Book review)
August 1, 2007... Mark Ellingham wrote the first Rough Guide--to Greece--in 1982, and is co-author of The Rough Guide to Morocco. To celebrate 25 Rough Years' the imprint has just published a new series of 25 'Ultimate Experience' books 1. As I Walked Out...

Map: Satellite.(Brief article)(Book review)
August 1, 2007... Map: Satellite Dorling Kindersley, hb, pp360, 25 [pounds sterling] Maps are tools: they exist to make life easier for people who find themselves in unfamiliar climes, But utility isn't everything, of course. In these pages, I recently...

The Boys from Dolores: Fidel Castro and His Generation--from Revolution to Exile.(Brief article)(Book review)
August 1, 2007... The Boys from Dolores: Fidel Castro and His Generation--from Revolution to Exile by Patrick Symmes Robinson, pb, pp402, 8.99 [pounds sterling] 'In America, someone is always standing by to sell you your history.' That's a dangerous line...

In Search of Kazakhstan: The Land that Disappeared.(Brief article)(Book review)
August 1, 2007... In Search of Kazakhstan: The Land that Disappeared by Christopher Robbins Profile Books, pb, pp320, 12.99 [pounds sterling] 'Apples are from Kazakhstan,' Christopher Robbins is told on a flight to Moscow by a man heading that way to marry...

Design and Landscape for People: New Approaches to Renewal.(Brief article)(Book review)
August 1, 2007... Design and Landscape for People: New Approaches to Renewal by Clare Cumberlidge and Lucy Musgrave Thames & Hudson, pp224, hb, 29.95 [pounds sterling] More than 700 rural communities in southern Africa are currently benefiting from an...

The Lost Oases.(Book review)
August 1, 2007... The Lost Oases by Ahmed Hassanein Bey. First published in 1925. Most recent edition published by American University of Cairo Press, pb, pp316, 15.99 [pounds sterling] Ahmed Hassanein Bey isn't exactly among the pest-Known names in the...

Outback: The Discovery of Australia's Interior.(Brief article)(Book review)
August 1, 2007... Outback: The Discovery of Australia's Interior by Derek Parker Sutton Publishing, pb, pp239, 18.99 [pounds sterling] There's no doubting Derek Parker's passion for his subject. He patently admires all those Boys' Own heroes who, during the...

Isolarion: A Different Oxford Journey.(Brief article)(Book review)
August 1, 2007... Isolarion: A Different Oxford Journey by James Attlee University of Chicago Press, hb, pp278, 12 [pounds sterling] 'Why make a journey to the other side of the world/asks James Attlee, 'when the world has come to you? 'Thus begins his...

Blood River: A Journey into Africa's Broken Heart.(Brief article)(Book review)
August 1, 2007... Blood River: A Journey into Africa's Broken Heart by Tim Butcher Chatto & Windus, pp350, hb, 14.99 [pounds sterling] He reported from Baghdad under Saddam Hussein's rule and from Sarajevo under Serbian siege. When it comes to living on the...

Come sail away: essential gear: sailing around the world exposes you to extreme weather and lots of salty water. Nick Bubb shares his tips on everything you need to stay safe, warm and dry.(AROUND-THE-WORLD SAILING)(Buyers guide)
August 1, 2007... We were a crew of eight preparing to race non-stop around the world in the Oryx Quest event. There was a US$1 million prize for first place. I was 25 years old, not only the youngest crew member of the Daedalus, but also the youngest sailor in...

Barbecuing on the move.(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Outdoor equipment distributors Rosker have got their hands on a lightweight portable barbecue that's small enough to fit in your pocket. The Grilliput (25 [pounds sterling]) is smaller than a kitchen roll and weighs a mere 560 grams. The...

Shorts + skirt = Skort.(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... At last, a garment designed with mucky pups and ironing phobics in mind. The Royal Robbins Global Traveler Skort (35 [pounds sterling]) for women is a cross between a pair of shorts and a skirt. Not only does it fulfil the roles of both...

'Polar Bear' to take North Pole plunge.(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Having swum the length of the Thames last summer, British endurance swimmer Lewis Pugh has set himself a new challenge: he's heading to the top of the world to take a dip at the geographic North Pole--an activity only possible due to the...

Tiny tent turbine.(OUT AND ABOUT)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... The alternative energy revolution is well and truly under way, and it's getting increasingly personal. First came portable solar chargers; now, mobile phone provider Orange has teamed up with Professor Shashank Priya, a researcher at the...

Osprey's new bags are mostly rubbish.(OUT AND ABOUT)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... Outdoor pack maker Osprey has certainly taken the recycling philosophy to heart--its latest range of shoulder bags are made almost entirely from recycled waste. The company spent two years developing the Resource series, eventually managing to...

Save your breath.(OUT AND ABOUT)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... The days of inflatable-camping bed headspins and blackouts are over thanks to Ajungilak's clever new D-Lux Pump Mat airbed (110[pounds sterling], which comes complete with its own foot pump safely buried inside the bed's foam pillow. You can...

Nursing patients in the field: medical advice from Wilderness Medical Training by registered nurse James Moore.(Expedition health)
August 1, 2007... One reality of wilderness medicine is the likely timescale involved in reaching professional medical help. It's possible that casualty assessment, initial treatment and evacuation to definitive medical care may take several days. Effective...

Explorer's essentials: Karen Darke, author and adventurer with paraplegia.(OUT AND ABOUT)(Buyers guide)(Brief article)
August 1, 2007... 1. Smartwool thermal top and leggings. Super warm, lightweight and they never seem to get smelly. Wouldn't go out in the cold without them. The socks are good too. * www.smartwool.com 2. Chapak Ohama Gore-tex stretch pants. Versatile, wind-...

Lonely planet encounters.(The Geographical Good Guide Guide: Helping you choose that vitally important, but often rather confusing, item of kit: the guidebook)(The Encounter)(Brief article)(Book review)
August 1, 2007... What are they like? The Encounter series currently covers nine of 'the world's hottest cities': Barcelona, Dublin, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Las Vegas, London, New York, Paris and San Francisco. The books are essentially stripped-down versions...

Pictures on a page: Geo photo: a series of revolutions in film and camera technology has seen press photography continually reinvent itself.(PHOTOGRAPHY)
August 1, 2007... IN THE 104 years since the Daily Mirror became the first newspaper to Print photographs on a regular basis, press photograph, has become one of society's most powerful means of communication. Such is the proliferation of press imagery today...

Well choughed.(MAILBAG)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2007... Thank you for the wide-ranging article on the Cornwall Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) in your July issue. May I take this opportunity to add a couple of small corrections and additions? There is only one Cornwall AONB--but 12...

Two fascinating islands.(MAILBAG)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2007... I was very interested to read the article about the Durrell Foundation (Keeping it in the family, July 2007). Madagascar separated from the African mainland millions of years ago, so the flora and fauna have evolved separately, making it...

Voices for the voiceless.(MAILBAG)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2007... Lee Durrell, the honorary director of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, merits infinite plaudits for her compassionate endeavours to conserve and protect myriad endangered species. She and her late husband's reverence for wildlife should...

Website wonder.(MAILBAG)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2007... During a break at college idly browsing the internet, I decided to have a look at Geographical's website. This was the first time I'd seen the online version of the magazine and I have to say I've found it incredibly helpful with my studies....

Aerial gardening.(LETTER OF THE MONTH)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2007... I really enjoyed the article about green roofs (The garden up above, July 2007). I was particularly interested to learn that urban renewal has had a deleterious effect on populations of the black redstart. It seems that these birds actually...

The long way down.(MAILBAG)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2007... I see that Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman are undertaking another 'intrepid' journey by motorcycle--this time called the Long Way Down-travelling from Scotland to South Africa. Does this mean we have to endure another TV series, book and...

Constantly surprising.(MAILBAG)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2007... One of the reasons I enjoy reading Geographical every month is that it always manages to surprise me. I had no idea that Spain hosted such an enormous palm grove (The dating game, July 2007) or that there were hunter-gatherers still living a...

Crystal power.(MAILBAG)(Letter to the editor)
August 1, 2007... I'm still trying to get my head around the photograph of the giant crystals in the cave in Mexico (Worldwatch, July 2007); the man at the centre of the shot just looks like a doll. What I can't understand is why the New Agers haven't descended...

Natalie Hoare in conversation with ... Wayne Hemingway.(Interview)
August 1, 2007... Wayne Hemingway, 46, designer and co-founder of the Red or Dead fashion label, is now turning his hand to housing design, helping to develop an area of community-friendly affordable and sustainable housing in Dartford called The Bridge. The...