Geographical articles from February 2003

Geographical archives from February 2003

Himalayan highs and lows. (From The Editor).(Editorial)
February 1, 2003... Fifty years ago, as post-war Britain eagerly anticipated the coronation of the young princess Elizabeth, the news broke that Edmund Hillary and Sherpa Tenzing Norgay had climbed Mount Everest. The event's timing perfectly suited the hope for a...

No-spoil holidays. (Prize Letter).
February 1, 2003... It was gratifying to read 25 holidays that won't harm the planet (December 2002). It is always nice to take a trip that not only benefits the local population and culture, but also won't spoil the environment. I would add Antarctica as another...

Clearing the air. (letters).
February 1, 2003... One of the News in Brief articles from November's Geographical highlighted the cost of protecting the ozone layer and fossil-fuel use in the same paragraph. This may have misled individuals who are not aware of the causes of ozone depletion....

Extra jab advice. (letters).
February 1, 2003... I always read Geographical's medical section with interest. In the December issue, advice was given to a man who had survived a dog bite in India. Readers should also have been reminded of the very real risk of contracting rabies in India,...

The great 101 travel questions competition.
February 1, 2003... The final heat of the wherewillwego.com 101 travel questions competition is in full swing, so enter now if you want to be in the running to be one of our FIVE main prize-winners. First prize is a gorilla safari in Africa with Bukima...

Proud to be a tourist. (letters).
February 1, 2003... I have been a subscriber to Geographical for some time and have noticed a sort of subculture developing in the magazine that has begun to strike me as unfair and often untrue. In its advertising section, the magazine offers a variety of...

Competition: win 300 [pounds sterling] worth of icebreaker kit.
February 1, 2003... Icebreaker clothing is made of highly breatheable merino fabric and is an excellent alternative layering system to traditional synthetics. Merino is a natural, renewable resource, with none of the itchiness of traditional wool. To win 300...

Seahorse safety net. (Global).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... GLOBAL The future is looking brighter for seahorses with their inclusion in the new CITES Appendix II. From mid-2004, the 160 member nations will place controls on trade in these fragile creatures in order to ensure their continued survival in...

Cites loosens grip on ivory. (Southern Africa).(UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species )(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... SOUTHERN AFRICA The 13-year ban on ivory trading has been partially lifted following the decision by the UN Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to allow South Africa, Botswana and Namibia to sell 60 tonnes of...

New evidence suggests that Oetzi, the 5,000-year-old corpse found in the Italian Alps in 1991. (Italy).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... New evidence suggests that Oetzi, the 5,000-year-old corpse found in the Italian Alps in 1991, was killed by his own people. Italian scientist Annaluisa Pedrotti says the arrowhead found in Oetzi's body has the same shape as those from the...

A population of 2,000 orang-utans, the third-largest known, has been discovered in Borneo. (Borneo).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... A population of 2,000 orang-utans, the third-largest known, has been discovered in Borneo by US conservation group the Nature Conservancy.

After a two-day trip on the Endeavour space shuttle, the relief crew for the International Space Station have delivered another massive building. (Space).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... After a two-day trip on the Endeavour space shuttle, the relief crew for the International Space Station have delivered another massive building block to the station.

Island reborn. (Italy).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... ITALY Sicily's Mount Etna, the most active volcano in Europe, has experienced its biggest eruption of the past decade, spreading panic in nearby villages. This activity may also be behind the imminent re-emergence of a tiny island 42 kilometres...

Return of the otter. (UK).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... UK After an absence of 30 years, the otter is making a comeback in urban Britain. Increasing numbers are taking up residence within city limits, according to a survey by the Wildlife Trusts. The four-year monitoring project identified otters as...

Ten years after Bolivia and Brazil's failed attempts to enhance the protection status of bigleaf mahogany. (South America).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Ten years after Bolivia and Brazil's failed attempts to enhance the protection status of bigleaf mahogany, Nicaragua and Guatemala's proposal to have it listed in CITES Appendix II has been accepted. Without better protection, the valuable tree...

Plans to lay a pipeline to the Corrib gas field, 73 kilometres off the coast of County Mayo, Ireland, have come under attack from residents and environmentalists, who fear that it will damage an area of outstanding natural beauty. (Ireland).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Plans to lay a pipeline to the Corrib gas field, 73 kilometres off the coast of County Mayo, Ireland, have come under attack from residents and environmentalists, who fear that it will damage an area of outstanding natural beauty, and could...

Rhino gloves. (India).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... INDIA Cricket gloves are helping workers to clear mimosa, a virulent weed threatening India's rhinos. More than 1,500 of the 2,000 remaining greater one-homed rhinos depend on the grasslands of Kaziranga National Park, Assam, which are now...

Animal farm. (worldwatch).(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... If animals could talk, what would they say about today's farming practices? Oxford University hopes to find out with a five-year study that lets livestock design a farm by monitoring their reactions to different habitats and designs. Efforts...

The tip of the iceberg. (Cleaning Up Antarctica).
February 1, 2003... In 1986, while polar traveller and environmentalist Robert Swan was attempting his extraordinary feat of walking to the South Pole, he made a bargain with himself that if he ever got out alive, he would return one day to give something back....

Trekking into trouble: as Nepal prepares to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Hillary and Tenzing's ascent of Everest, Stephen Goodwin reports on the crises that are tearing the country apart. (Nepal In Crisis).
February 1, 2003... WITNESSING THE DISINTEGRATION OF normal life in Nepal in recent months as been like watching the marriage of close friends fall apart. While you yearn to ease the pain or bring about some reconciliation, you realise quickly how little an...

Revelling in the past. (Venice Carnival).
February 1, 2003... Venice has a rich cultural tradition that stretches back to the Middle Ages, when its commercial links with the east established it as one of the wealthiest cities in Europe. As Venice grew, artists, musicians and playwrights flocked to the...

Rich land, poor land: experts are predicting that Angola may soon overtake Saudi Arabia as the world's principal oil producer. So why, asks Andrew Brackenbury, are its people dying of hunger? (Angola).
February 1, 2003... THE FOLLOWING PICTURES MAY BE distressing," warns the newsreader. In squalid camps, skeletal figures lie dying beside those perversely swollen from the effects of malnutrition. Pencil-limbed children stare from the TV screen, their eyes...

War & peace: hordes of heavy-booted soldiers hardly seem like the natural allies of butterflies and juniper bushes, but with 3,500 sites under its control, the ministry of defence oversees some of the UK's most important wildlife refuges Martin Varley discovers that birds and bombs are happily co-exiting across Britain. (Defence Land).
February 1, 2003... COLONEL JAMES BAKER IS THE type of man you'd want with you in the trenches. He's ruthlessly efficient in both word and deed, but unfailingly polite, and his conversation crackles with dry wit. Working from a tightly packed office in Aldershot,...

Eyes in the skies: in the past ten years, the number of people making use of satellite technology has soared. Christian Amodeo examines how it is revolutionising our lives. (Satellites).
February 1, 2003... WHEN THE SCIENCE FICTION AUTHOR Arthur C Clarke published a seminal article laying down the principles of satellite communication in Wireless World in 1945, the moon and perhaps a few small asteroids were Earth's only' satellites--and no-one...

The world at your fingertips: Garmin's latest GPS unit is its most sturdy and user-friendly yet. Its extra features ensure that whether you're navigating through a city, trekking on a mountain, or even gliding above one, it will always be your best friend. (Geographical Promotion).(GARMIN International's GPSMAP 76S)
February 1, 2003... Building upon a solid reputation for consumer-friendly, sophisticated GPS equipment, Garmin recently launched the GPSMAP 76S. A big brother to the successful e-Trex range of robust hand-held units, this receiver has a wider range of uses and is...

Shifting units. (Go Your Own Way).(advertisement)
February 1, 2003... Able to calculate everything from air pressure to height and direction, this is more than just a GPS tool. Its 24MB of mapping memory places the Garmin 76S at the top end of the market. 520 [pounds sterling] www.garmin.com Silva's...

Driving vision. (Go Your Own Way).(advertisement)
February 1, 2003... Clarion's Road Explorer system covers the UK as weft as much of western Europe, taking the hassle--and rows--out of your car journeys. You'll never miss a motorway exit again. From around 950 [pounds sterling] www.clarion.co.uk The AA's...

On the case. (Go Your Own Way).(advertisement)
February 1, 2003... Ensure your maps survive in all conditions with this smart, weather-proof, velcro-fastened map case from Silva. 9.99 [pounds sterling] www.silva.se An alternative to a map case is to have your maps laminated. Aqua 3 all-weather maps have a...

Strapping stuff. (Go Your Own Way).(advertisement)
February 1, 2003... If you like to watch where you're going, or aspire to being James Bond, then the Casio Pro-Trek Satellite Navi is the perfect gadget for you. Not only will it give your exact location and relay information about your route to your PC, it will...

Mobile mapping. (Go Your Own Way).(advertisement)
February 1, 2003... A stainless-steel and splash-proof casing protects the attractive Benefon ESC! NT, a 12-channel, high-performance GPS receiver-cum-mobile phone. Available in an array of colours with an attractive design, it offers everything you'd expect from...

It's a big world after all. (Go Your Own Way).(Philip's Atlas of the World, www.philips-maps.co.uk)(Book Review)
February 1, 2003... Published in association with the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), Philip's Atlas of the World is the flagship of its range for 2003. Apart from being the most comprehensive and up-to-date atlas of its kind, it now features all national...

Needle work. (Go Your Own Way).(Silva Eclipse Pro, www.silva.se)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... If the batteries on your GPS unit run out, there's always the Ferrari of compasses to see you right. With a patented alignment system that allows accuracy to 0.5 of a degree, the Silva Eclipse Pro also comes with an easy-to-grip rubber shoe,...

Mouse maps. (Go Your Own Way).(OS Select, Memory Map and aerial photography)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... OS Select is a new service from Ordnance Survey that allows you to order a site-centred Landranger map (1:50,000 scale). It's designed to overcome the problem of having the place you want to look at falling over the edge or corner of a map. Now...

Picking up the pieces.(Uzbekistan: Ten Years After Independence)(Book Review)
February 1, 2003... Uzbekistan: Ten Years After Independence by Matilde Gattoni and Ahmed Rashid, Giovanni Tranchida Editore, hb, pp171, 30 [euro] (19.35 [pounds sterling]) Situated on the ancient Silk Road, Uzbekistan was, until the 17th century, the centre...

Kingdom in the east.(White Rajah: a Biography of Sir James Brooke)(Book Review)
February 1, 2003... White Rajah: a Biography of Sir James Brooke by Nigel Barley, Little, Brown, hb, pp262, 16.99 [pounds sterling] Author and anthropologist Nigel Barley could hardly have chosen a more enigmatic and fascinating character for his biography...

Green history.(Living Landscapes: Parkland)(Book Review)
February 1, 2003... Living Landscapes: Parkland by Graham Harvey, The National Trust, hb, pp160, 18.99 [pounds sterling] The second book in the National Trust's Living Landscapes series, Parkland looks at the social and natural history of our parks. This...

The Rough Guide to the Music of Mexico.(Sound Recording Review)
February 1, 2003... The Rough Guide to the Music of Mexico Various artists. Playing time: 67:31 (Rough Guide, 9.99 [pounds sterling]) With salsa clubs a popular phenomenon in the UK, you could be forgiven for thinking that this is the only sound of Latin...

Portrait of the sea.(Book Review)
February 1, 2003... The Sea by Philip Plisson, Yann Queffelec and Eliane Georges Thames & Hudson, hb, pp412, 39.95 [pounds sterling] According to Yann Queffelec's introductory text, the sea has long dominated the history and mythology of the Western world. For...

Back to the future: Paul Blackman embarks on a journey of discovery at the National Maritime Museum's new exhibition.(The Beagle Voyages: from Earth to Mars at London, England)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... The Beagle Voyages: from Earth to Mars Until September 2003 National Maritime Museum Romney Road, Greenwich, London Tel: 020 8858 4422; www.nmm.ac.uk Open Mon-Sun, 10am-5pm Admission free A new, thought-provoking exhibition at the National...

Bridge over troubled water. (Editorial).(World Water Forum, www.rgs.org/conferencereports)(Editorial)
February 1, 2003... With 2003 designated UNESCO International Year of Freshwater, issues surrounding the supply and demand of water are high on governments' agendas. During the 20th century, the world's population tripled, while water-use increased six-fold. With...

Explore 2002. (In society: a round-up of news, views and events happening this month at the society).(Royal Geographic Society - Institute of British Geographers, www.rgs.org/eac)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... In November, the Society was once again filled with the energy and enthusiasm of those participating in EXPLORE, the annual event for expedition and field-research planning run by the RGS-IBG's Expedition Advisory Centre (EAC). More than 300...

Events at the society. (In society: a round-up of news, views and events happening this month at the society).(Calendar)
February 1, 2003... 3 February, 6.30 pm THE ART OF TRAVEL Blending his own experiences with the thoughts of great historical figures, philosopher and public speaker Alain de Botton explores the tragic-comic nature of travel and why the reality seldom...

Regional events. (In society: a round-up of news, views and events happening this month at the society).(Calendar)
February 1, 2003... 4 February, 8.00 pm THE ASCENT OF EVEREST 1953-2003 As part of the 50th-anniversary celebrations of Hillary and Tenzing's ascent of Everest, Rebecca Stephens, the first British woman to climb the peak, reflects on the triumphs and...

International annual conference 2003. (In society: a round-up of news, views and events happening this month at the society).(Royal Geographical Society)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... `Geography, Serving Society and the Environment' is the theme of the RGS-IBG's next international annual conference, which takes place between 3 and 5 September 2003. For the first time, the conference, at which academic geographers from around...

Benefits of joining the society and subscribing to the magazine. (In society: a round-up of news, views and events happening this month at the society).(Royal Geographical Society)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) is renowned throughout the world as a centre for geographers and geographical learning dedicated to the development and promotion of knowledge, together with its application to the challenges facing...

Contact the society. (In society: a round-up of news, views and events happening this month at the society).(The Royal Geographical Society, www.rgs.org)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... The Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) 1 Kensington Gore London SW7 2AR Tel: 020 7591 3000 Fax: 020 7591 3001 Website: www.rgs.org Email: info@rgs.org

Victorinox.
February 1, 2003... In 1891, a cutlery company founded by Karl Elsener in the small village of Ibach, Switzerland obtained the first contract to supply the Swiss Army with a multi/ functional pocket tool. This was registered six years later as the Officer's knife....

Better safe than sorry.(expedition travel insurance Royal Geographical Society - Institute of British Geographers)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... We live in a litigious world where the health and safety agenda is driven by the fear of being sued. We all decry the bureaucracy that mires the organisation of school and university field excursions, but next time you fill in a risk-assessment...

Looking for insurance? (exploration & discovery).(Royal Geographical Society - Institute of British Geographers Expedition Travel Insurance program)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... A on Limited organises the official RGS-IBG Expedition Travel Insurance scheme, which is designed to meet the specialised needs of scientific and educational expeditions. Further information can be obtained from the Expedition Advisory Centre...

Balloon breakthrough. (exploration & discovery).(round the world trips improvement by Julian Nott)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... A British balloonist believes he has come up with a new technique that will keep round-the-world balloons in the air for longer. Julian Nott, who currently lives in California and has 79 world records to his name, says his new concept is to use...

Cannibals win at festivals. (exploration & discovery).(Cannibals and Crampons)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Cannibals and Crampons, an expedition film co-directed by Mark Anstice and Bruce Parry, has taken the grand prize at the Kendal Mountain Film Festival. The feature also won best mountain film at the Banff Film Festival. "We're quite...

Lost world mapped. (News).(Adrian Warren and Mount Roraima Venezuela)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Adrian Warren, one of the world's most experienced natural-history filmmakers, has produced a map to a `lost world' for use by the 3,000-odd adventurers who venture there each year. Until it was first climbed in 1884, after almost 50 years of...

EAC course in February. (News0.(Calendar)
February 1, 2003... POLAR EXPEDITION TRAINING Module one: 2-8 February 2003 Module two: 9-15 February 2003 Leading polar guides Paul Landry and Matty Mcnair are offering an opportunity for aspiring polar explorers to develop their skills through...

Ellen tastes victory. (News).(Ellen MacArthur win Route du Rhum yacht race)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Ellen MacArthur has become the first Briton to win the prestigious and gruelling Route du Rhum race from St-Malo to Guadeloupe in her 1B-metre yacht Kingfisher." It has taken every ounce of mental and physical energy that I possess," said the...

Norwegian rower breaks record. (News).(Stein Hoff expedition)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... A 57-year-old Norwegian grandfather has become the first person to row solo from Europe to South America. Dr Stein Hoff took just 96 days, 12 hours and 45 minutes to row from Lisbon, Portugal, to Parika, Guyana. Hoff thought the 7,000-kilometre...

Everest a defining achievement 1953-2003: mark the 50th anniversary of the first ascent of Everest with a royal gala celebration and a limited-edition print by Keith Shackleton.("Endeavour on Everest" Royal Geographical Society and the Alpine Club, www.geographical.co.uk)
February 1, 2003... Between 1921 and 1953, nine Mount Everest expeditions were dispatched by a joint committee formed by the Royal Geographical Society and the Alpine Club, called the Mount Everest Committee. Its primary objective was achieved on 29 May 1953 when...

Geographical travel: take a trip back in time with one of our fascinating historical holidays, dive into the warm turquoise waters of the great barrier reef and chat with Doug Scott, the first Briton to climb mount Everest, about his efforts to help porters in Nepal. (Responsible Travel).(Semeru National Park, Indonesia)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... BROMO-TENGGER-SEMERU NATIONAL PARK, INDONESIA One of the world's most distinctive landscapes, Semeru National Park was first set aside as a nature reserve in 1919. Since 1992, when it was designated a national park and opened to the public,...

A tribe apart. (travel news).(Tribes Travel U.K.)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Tribes Travel, a small, Suffolk-based tour operator that gives 75 per cent of its profits to its destination countries, has been declared the world's top sustainable-tourism organisation at the 2002 British Airways Tourism for Tomorrow Awards...

Turning tourist dollars into school books. (Tourism Concern).(Kawaza Tourism Project, South Luangwa, Zambia, www.tourismconcern.org.uk)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Joseph Joel's face is alight as he explains his vision to a handful of tourists in his village in South Luangwa, Zambia. On the wall, diagrams and lists show how the village school is getting closer to being one of which to be proud, with...

Thai in the sky. (travel news).(Oriental Balloon Flights, www.orientalballoonflights.com)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... After a decade-long wait for permission, a new Thai-Dutch venture, Oriental Balloon Flights, has just launched Thailand's first commercial hot-air balloon trips from the northern city of Chiang Mai. Its British-made balloons--which...

Blazing trails. (Travel Update).(new travel guide to Southeast Asia)(Book Review)
February 1, 2003... A new `barebones' guide to mainland Southeast Asia has just been published by Trailblazer. This 256u page guide (9.99 [pounds sterling]), written by Mark Elliot, offers "more maps and less talk". With 150 detailed black and white maps, it's...

Head for the hills. (Travel Update).(Gecko Travel; visit the hill tribes and mountains of northern Vietnam)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... New for 2003, UK-based tour operator Gecko Travel is offering tours to visit the hill tribes and mountains of northern Vietnam. Take in Hanoi's fading French-colonial splendour before heading for the hills of the remote northwest, and exploring...

Going quietly. (Travel Update).(travel to the Vietnam of Graham Greene's The Quiet American)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Again in Vietnam, Audley Travel has announced a private 14 night tour of locations from the recent screen adaptation of Graham Greene's 1954 novel The Quiet American. Although the book is set mostly in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), much of the...

Eco-rating in Africa. (News).(Ecotourism Society of Kenya voluntary certification scheme)(Brief Article)
February 1, 2003... Kenya's tourism industry has introduced Africa's first voluntary certification scheme aimed at promoting and rewarding efforts towards sustainable development and tourism. Put together by the Ecotourism Society of Kenya (ESOK), the eco-rating...

Guide to the Gudigwa. (News).(Gudigwa Camp Project, Botswana)
February 1, 2003... A new kind of safari camp is due to open this April, allowing visitors to visit the Bukakhwe San bushman community in the fat northern reaches of the Okavango Delta. The Gudigwa Camp Project hopes to take advantage of increased interest in the...

Time travel: if you're after more than a tan from your next holiday, let rough guides authors Robin Eagles, Mark Ellingham, Michael Haag, Ian Littlewood, Gordon W McLachlan, Neil Roland and Justin Wintle lead you around some of the world's great historical sites. (Historical Holidays).(www.roughguides.com)(Directory)(Cover Story)
February 1, 2003... Walking with Buddhas SUKHOTHAI (THAILAND): 13TH-15TH CENTURIES Although Bangkok has been Thailand's principal city since the 18th century, it is Sukhothai, 450 kilometres north of Bangkok, that Thais regard as their first capital....

The race to stem the reef's grief: as one of the seven natural wonders of the world, it's hardly surprising that Australia's Great Barrier Reef receives about two million visitors each year. But how much longer will it be able to withstand such pressure? Matthew Brace reports on a new scheme designed to reduce the impact of tourism on the world's most extensive reef system.(Ecotourism Association of Australia)
February 1, 2003... TO THE TOURISTS SPLASHING PAST THE intricately branched coral and schools of iridescent fish in the warm waters off northern Queensland, the Great Barrier Reef must seem like it's in great shape. The water looks clean and the sea life is...

High ideals: since becoming the first Briton to climb mount Everest, Doug Scott has turned his attention to helping Nepali porters and their villages. Christian Amodeo talks to him about his charity community action Nepal and its sister outfit community action treks. (Travel For A Living).(mountaineers)(Interview)
February 1, 2003... When did you first visit Nepal? In 1972, to attempt to climb the southwest face of Everest. After that first visit, I was always so pleased to be with the Nepalis. They are without all the amenities that we take for granted--Nepal is the...

John Blashford-Snell: Colonel John Blashford-Snell is in a remote part of Guyana, where he's helping a local tribe set up a sustainable business, and tuning its grand piano. The explorer, who is best known for his reed-boat adventures, spoke to Christian Amodeo until the solar-charged batteries of his satellite phone ran out.(Interview)
February 1, 2003... What are you doing in Guyana? Our aim is to set up a scientific research centre and a small ecotourism business for the Wai-Wai people. In addition, I have brought with me three piano tuners to service the baby grand piano I donated to the...