Geographical articles from December 2008

Geographical archives from December 2008

Travelling towards tomorrow.(FROM THE editor)(Editorial)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THERE'S NO ARGUING AGAINST THE environmental and social costs of travel. From the greenhouse gases produced by the airline industry and the water consumption of luxury hotels to the exploitation of workers by the...

Where in the world?(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Geographical COMPETITION Identify this country using the following clues: It held its first multi-party elections in 1991 It imports 90 per cent of its food It has more expatriates than domestic...

Ecuador rewrites the laws of nature.(WORLD watch)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Ecuador made history in September when its population voted in favour of a new constitution that, among other things, gives nature its own unalienable rights. Sixty five per cent voted in favour of a bill that...

Government solid on rock protection.(WORLD watch)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Government solid on rock protection: The British government is drawing up plans for a national Geodiversity Action Plan (GAP) to help safeguard and manage areas of high geological value. The GAPs will work on...

Cattle teeth reveal Stonehenge history.(WORLD watch)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Cattle teeth found in a prehistoric landfill site at Durrington Walls--a circular earthworks three kilometres from Stonehenge--indicate that the area attracted people in droves from all across the UK as far back as...

Brazilian rainforest destruction on the rise.(WORLD watch)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Brazilian rainforest destruction on the rise: Official data released by the Brazilian government have shown that destruction of the Amazon rainforest has sharply accelerated, reversing the apparent slowdown identified during the past three...

Tropical lagoon threatened by oil slick.(WORLD watch)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Tropical lagoon threatened by oil slick: Scientists conducting the first extensive survey of Chuuk Lagoon in Micronesia in the western Pacific have discovered evidence of an oil slick emanating from a sunken tanker that could devastate the...

Africa.(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Seven African countries have halved deaths from malaria following a UN-backed prevention and treatment drive, according to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO believes that more countries may be achieving reductions in...

Canada.(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... The world's oldest known rock has been identified in Quebec beneath the eastern shores of Hudson Bay. The slab of Nuvvuagittuq greenstone is believed to be 4.28 billion years old. Researchers at the Carnegie Institute in Washington DC, USA,...

Australia.(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... A frog species that was last seen in 1991 has been rediscovered in northern Queensland. The four-centimetre armoured mistfrog was thought to have been wiped out by the deadly chytrid fungus, which has ravaged frog populations worldwide....

UK.(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... A hill in Snowdonia has been officially upgraded to a mountain after three walkers took new measurements using satellite-positioning systems. They found that Mynydd Graig Goch exceeded the required 2,000-foot (609.6-metre) minimum height for a...

Greenhouse effect keeping southern Spain cool.(CLIMATE watch)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Thousands of reflective white greenhouses in southeastern Spain are having a cooling effect on local air temperatures, according to new research published in the Journal of Geophysical Research--Atmospheres. ...

World's peatlands left high and dry.(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... World's peatlands left high and dry: Around two per cent of the world's land mass consists of waterlogged peatland, but new research published in Nature Geoscience has warned that rising temperatures could dry these areas out, causing them to...

North Sea.(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... A new Greenpeace proposal for a North Sea wind farm grid is gathering support within the European Commission, with the head of renewable energy describing it as 'ambitious but realistic'. The scheme would see North Sea nations link their wind...

Chile.(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... A glacial lake known as Cachet Two, located in southern Chile, has disappeared for the second time in six months, possibly as a result of rising temperatures increasing the rate of glacial melting. Chile's General Water Office suggested that...

Europe.(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... Stronger climate policies will not only benefit the planet, but also our health, according to a new study conducted by WWF, the Health and Environment Alliance, and Climate Action Network Europe. It stated that if the EU raised its target of...

Global.(CLIMATE watch)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... New research has found that slag, a byproduct of steel production, may help to sequester C[O.sub.2] emitted by the industry. A study published in Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research found that the best performing slag was capable of...

Human activity suppressed wildfires worldwide, until now.(CLIMATE watch)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Human activity suppressed wildfires worldwide, until now: Historically, the frequency and global distribution of wildfires have been strongly influenced by the climate, but according to new research published in...

Mauritania.(HOT spot)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] IN AUGUST, THE FIRST DEMOCRATICALLY elected president of Mauritania, Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, was overthrown in a coup organised by renegade soldiers led by General Mohammed Ould Abdelaziz. The prime minister,...

Strangford Lough: the largest inlet in the British Isles, Strangford Lough is a magnet for all sorts of wildlife, from brent geese to basking sharks. Now, the fast-flowing narrows of the lough, on the east coast of County Down in Northern Ireland, are providing a testing ground for pioneering renewable energy technology.(Areas of outstanding natural beauty)
December 1, 2008... 'WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, I WAS KILLING AS MANY WILDFOWL as I could: Brent geese, wigeon, mallard, greylag, pigeons, anything I could get my hands on,' says 86-year-old Willie McEvoy in his thick Ulster-Scots accent. We're standing outside the...

Giving the gift of inspiration.(Royal Geographical Society's gift membership)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] With Christmas just around the corner, it can be well-nigh impossible to think of an exciting gift for seasoned travellers, short of an Antarctic cruise, flying lessons or a trip to the Devil's Pool on Victoria...

Event of the month.(IN society)(Brief article)
December 1, 2008... 10 DECEMBER, 7PM Discovering Guyana (Travel event, London) [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Join a panel of experts, including Kirk Smock, author of the Bradt travel guide to Guyana, Chris Parrott, director of Journey Latin America,...

Selection of events.(ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY (WITH IBG))(Calendar)
December 1, 2008... DECEMBER 2008 2 AND 4 DECEMBER, 2.30PM ANTARCTIC EXPLORATION (Showcase event, London) Our showcase series continues with another chance to catch our popular session on Antarctica, back by popular demand following a successful...

Beer jug from HMS Alert: used by the officers on the scurvy-riddled British Arctic Expedition of 1875-76.
December 1, 2008... WHEN HMS ALERT and HMS Discovery left Portsmouth Harbour on 29 May 1875, about 200,000 people turned up to wave them off. 'Packed multitudes occupied each pier and jetty on both sides of the harbour,' wrote the expedition's captain, George...

The essence of Africa: award-winning natural history photographer Steve Bloom has described his new book, Living Africa, images from which are reproduced here, as 'a fleeting glimpse of the Africa I love', yet it still manages to express the essence and diversity of this gigantic continent.(photostory: LIVING AFRICA)(Photograph)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A Karo gathering, Omo Valley, Ethiopia. The Karo are a small tribe numbering less than 1,000 who live on the banks of the Omo River. They differentiate themselves from neighbouring tribes through their extensive use...

The future of travel.(travel OPINION)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In recent years, the travel industry has come under sustained attack for everything from its carbon footprint to its social costs. Industry insiders agree that something has to be done, but what exactly? In this...

Travel adaptors.(tourism)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] This is a critical time for tourism. In the West, as some airlines raise ticket prices and others go to the wall, people are making fewer overseas trips amid concerns about climate change and squeezed finances....

Goodbye fuel world.(travel: AVIATION TECHNOLOGY)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Air travel is responsible for 700 million tonnes--around three per cent--of global carbon emissions, every year. But if the growth of aviation continues, this could rise to three billion tonnes by 2050. Now, despite...

Want to see a better world? Geotourism is a new movement that shows travellers how to improve the places they visit. Jay Walljasper tours Santiago, Chile, with Jonathan Tourtellot, the dedicated globetrotter who founded the movement.(travel: GEOTOURISM)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 'GET READY,' JONATHAN TOURTELLOT warns a crowd of US travel writers, 'for tourism on steroids.' A hush falls over the hotel conference room as he explains that international tourism almost doubled between 1990...

Are we there yet? Mark Eveleigh embarks on a spot of time travel and asks how technology will change the way we travel in the next decade. Just how will we see the world when we're equipped with '2020 vision'?(travel: TOURISM TECHNOLOGY)
December 1, 2008... YOUR FLIGHT INTO ROME ARRIVES late and the friend you were meeting texts to say that she has to cancel lunch. This leaves you with an afternoon to fill, but by the time your baggage has arrived on the carousel, you've already booted up your PDA...

Room for improvement.(travel: HOTEL ARCHITECTURE)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Often attacked for its wastefulness, the hospitality industry is slowly starting to think and act in a more environmentally responsible way. And building and operating in a sustainable way not only gives hotel chains...

Before they were famous.(GEOGRAPHICAL archive)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Angkor Wat, Cambodia, 1866. This 12th-century Khmer temple is the largest in the Angkor complex, which is now the country's main tourist attraction, with 1.7 million visitors annually. So proud is Cambodia of the...

The impossible dream.(Kingmakers: The Invention of the Modern Middle East )(Book review)
December 1, 2008... KINGMAKERS: The Invention of the Modern Middle East by Karl E Meyer and Shareen Blair Brysac NORTON, HB, US$27.95 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] One Sunday in 1921, at the time of the great Cairo conference, Winston Churchill--then...

The Vale of Kashmir.(Brief article)(Book review)
December 1, 2008... The Vale of Kashmir by John Isaac WW NORTON, HB 38 [pounds sterling] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It can take a year to complete one of the finely embroidered shawls for which Kashmir is famous. And it's difficult not to equate that...

The Man Who Invented History: Travels with Herodotus.(Brief article)(Book review)
December 1, 2008... THE MAN WHO INVENTED HISTORY: TRAVELS WITH HERODOTUS by Justin Marozzi JOHN MURRAY, HB, 20 [pounds sterling] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The 'father of history' has enjoyed something of a revival lately; heavily featured in Michael...

To Follow the Water: Exploring the Ocean to Discover Climate.(Brief article)(Book review)
December 1, 2008... TO FOLLOW THE WATER: Exploring the Ocean to Discover Climate by Dallas Murphy BASIC BOOKS, PB, 9.99 [pounds sterling] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 'A concept of climate that ignores the ocean makes no more sense than one that...

Top ten: writer's reads.
December 1, 2008... Mark Thomas is a comedian and human rights activist. His latest book, Belching Out the Devil: Global Adventures with Coco-Cola, explores the dark side of one of the world's biggest brands 1. GRAPES OF WRATH BY JOHN STEINBECK (PENGUIN,...

Don't Sleep, There Are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazon Jungle.(Brief article)(Book review)
December 1, 2008... DON'T SLEEP, THERE ARE SNAKES: Life and Language in the Amazon Jungle by Daniel Everett PROFILE, PB, 15 [pounds sterling] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The language of the Pirahas--an Amazonian tribe--has eight consonants, three...

Voyages of Discovery.(Brief article)(Book review)
December 1, 2008... Voyages of Discovery by Tony Rice NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM, HB, 20 [pounds sterling] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It's difficult to resist attacking this book with a pair of scissors. Not because it's bad--far from it--but because so...

The Island That Dared: Journeys in Cuba.(Brief article)(Book review)
December 1, 2008... THE ISLAND THAT DARED: Journeys in Cuba by Dervla Murphy ELAND, HB, 16.99 [pounds sterling] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Timing is everything. Cuba's tourism industry knows this. Castroism having proved a tourist magnet in recent...

High arctic and dry: it's a given that Arctic adventurers need gear that will keep them warm in the punishing sub-zero conditions, but it's vital that cold-weather garments also allow moisture to escape, keeping the wearer dry and warding off hypothermia. Martin Hartley found this out the hard way during his first polar expedition, and here, he describes the kit he has on subsequent trips.
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] FOR MY FIRST EXPEDITION TO THE Arctic in the late 1990s, I teamed up with an alleged cold-weather expert and a handful of other newbies. It soon became apparent that none of us knew what we were doing. We got...

Ten of the best.(ESSENTIAL gear)(Buyers guide)
December 1, 2008... Moisture management in freezing temperatures is critical for comfort and warmth. Here are some items that will help to keep sweat and condensation at bay as you trek during the day and sleep at night Don't forget...... a quick-drying...

The toys are back in town: a huge percentage of toys sold in the UK are imported from China, and millions of inexpensive products are destined for British stores prior to Christmas--an influx that has a detrimental effect on the environment.(TRADE secrets)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] FOR MANY MODERN CHILDREN, THE idea of their Christmas presents arriving aboard a sleigh pulled by reindeer is even more of a fantasy than the notion that a fat, bearded man squeezes down a chimney to deliver them....

Five eco-friendly gifts for Christmas.(TRADE secrets)(Buyers guide)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] (1) Adopt a wild elephant 29.99 [pounds sterling] Teach your child about the environment. Not entirely a clutter-free choice: the Welcome Pack includes a certificate, a print of your animal and a soft toy....

Heavens above: the night sky offers boundless opportunities for photographers. And you don't need the earthbound equivalent of the Hubble Space Telescope to take photos--just clear skies and a little bit of patience.
December 1, 2008... FOR MANY PHOTOGRAPHERS, SUNSET MARKS both the end of the day and me end of the day's photography. However, on a clear, dark night, many distant objects that can't be seen in broad daylight become visible to the naked eye. As every budding...

Apples and pears.(Letter of the month)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2008... I wanted to congratulate Geographical for the fascinating article on UK orchards published in the November issue (Orchard country). I had no idea they underpinned the cultural identities of so many rural communities, nor that they formed an...

Perverse complaint.(MAIL bag)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] While I agree with Brian Pimm-Smith (Mailbag, November 2008) that population growth is a very real environmental issue, and one that we seem to be unusually coy about, I think it was a bit perverse to complain about...

Back in the saddle.(MAIL bag)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2008... I enjoyed reading Tim Cope's comprehensive article on horseback travel (Reins on tire plains, October 2008). I would like to add three comments relating to equipment. First, don't fall prey to seductive advertising for 'tree-less' saddles:...

Gone to the dogs.(MAIL bag)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It was interesting to see the pictures of the dog market in your Archive piece on Manila (The making of modern-day Manila, November 2008). Sadly, the practice of eating dogs still continues in the Philippines, and...

Metal meat.(MAIL bag)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2008... I was interested to see the archive images from the Faroe Islands (Faraway islands, October 2008). I visited the islands last year, but decided not to eat any whale meat while I was there. This wasn't due to any moral concerns, but because of...

Spiritual growth.(MAIL bag)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Wow. I was so impressed by your amazing photostory on Yachen Gonpa in Tibet (The path to enlightenment, November 2008) and couldn't believe how many monks and nuns were studying there. It's fantastic to see that...

Mad for it.(MAIL bag)(Letter to the editor)
December 1, 2008... Where on Earth do you find these people? Pedalling naked across the Pacific on five hours' sleep a night and a diet of Mars bars (Pedalling the Pacific, November 2008) sounds like grounds for sectioning to me. Peter Lascombe, London

Lord Chris Patten.(I'M A geographer)(Biography)
December 1, 2008... 64, has enjoyed a political career that spans five decades. In addition to serving as the last British governor of Hong Kong, presiding over the territory's handover to China in 1997, he has been chairman of the Conservative Party and European...