Geographical articles from January 2007

Geographical archives from January 2007

Taking responsibility.(tourism)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... If you've been paying any attention to the media over the past year or so, you'll have seen the tourism industry in general, and the aviation industry in particular, come in for a major kicking. As the world finally wakes up to the fact that...

Kiel Canal to get more traffic.(water transportation)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The world's busiest man-made waterway, Germany's Kiel Canal, is set to become even busier. Cutting across the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein, the 100-kilometre canal links the Baltic and North seas, enabling ships to cut 520...

Supermarkets undergoing seafood revolution.(supermarkets demands sustainable seafood, drops destructively fished species)(seafood retail trends and forecast)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Supermarkets are making a significant effort to address the issue of unsustainable and destructive fishing, according to a new Greenpeace report. The report contains the organisation's second annual supermarket league table, which suggests that...

Marine predator graveyard discovered in the Arctic.(sauropterygians)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Norwegian scientists have discovered the first complete skeleton of a giant pliosaur among the remains of 28 plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs in a 150-million-year-old Jurassic graveyard on the Arctic island of Spitsbergen. The University of...

Modern humans and Neanderthals may have interbred.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... A collection of human bones discovered in a cave in Romania during the 1950s has led a group of Romanian and US scientists to suggest that modern humans and Neanderthals interbred as Homo sapiens spread across Europe 35,000 years ago. ...

Top 10: largest recipients of bilateral and multilateral aid.(Statistical table)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... TOP 10 Largest recipients of bilateral and multilateral aid (US$million) 1. IRAQ 4,658 2. AFGHANISTAN 2,190 3. VIETNAM 1,830 4. ETHIOPIA 1,823 5. CONGO-KINSHASA 1,815 6. TANZANIA ...

According to China's Ministry of Railways, an extra 7,000 kilometres of new line for passenger services will be laid between 2006 and 2010.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... According to China's Ministry of Railways, an extra 7,000 kilometres of new line for passenger services will be laid between 2006 and 2010 to help the country's railway system cope with the 11.5 billion passengers anticipated to be using the...

Ten people died and tens of thousands sought emergency medical attention after toxic waste was dumped at several landfill sites in the economic capital of Cote d'Ivoire, Abidjan.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Ten people died and tens of thousands sought emergency medical attention after toxic waste was dumped at several landfill sites in the economic capital of Cote d'Ivoire, Abidjan. The waste, which originated from a Panamanian-chartered ship, has...

A reduction in Japan's rural and hunting populations are thought to be behind a rise in the number of bear sightings last year.(Gifu Prefecture)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... A reduction in Japan's rural and hunting populations are thought to be behind a rise in the number of bear sightings last year. Between April and November, rangers in Gifu prefecture shot 121 bears, six times as many as in the previous 12...

The Welsh capital, Cardiff, recently hosted a record-breaking gathering, when 1,244 people--all with the surname Jones--convened at the Millennium Arts Centre.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The Welsh capital, Cardiff, recently hosted a record-breaking gathering, when 1,244 people--all with the surname Jones--convened at the Millennium Arts Centre. The previous record for a gathering of people with the same surname was held by a...

The northernmost large island in the Philippines, Luzon, was battered by 200km/h winds and torrential rain as Typhoon Cimaron struck at the end of October.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The northernmost large island in the Philippines, Luzon, was battered by 200km/h winds and torrential rain as Typhoon Cimaron struck at the end of October. At least 13 people died and thousands were forced to flee to high ground.

Nine southern bluefin tuna have been collected and placed in an on-shore hatchery in Arno Bay, South Australia, as part of the world's first tuna breeding programme.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Nine southern bluefin tuna have been collected and placed in an on-shore hatchery in Arno Bay, South Australia, as part of the world's first tuna breeding programme. If the initiative is successful, officials hope that it could satisfy the...

The majority of Scots support independence from the rest of the UK.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The majority of Scots support independence from the rest of the UK, according to a poll commissioned by the Scotsman newspaper in the lead up to the 300th anniversary of the Act of Union, which created Great Britain.

Cavers plumb the UK's deepest depths.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... An account by an obscure 18th-century student has led a team of cavers to discover what appears to be the deepest known cave in the UK. Dubbed Titan, the cave, which is located near Castleton in the Peak District, is thought to be almost 140...

Dossier update: China, Africa agree deals.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The China--Africa summit referred to in December's Dossier has ended with 11 African countries concluding US$1.9billion worth of deals with 11 Chinese companies. The 16 commercial contracts and agreements covered cooperation in natural...

More people going hungry.(starvation)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... More than 850 million people around the world are chronically hungry, according to a new report from international development organisation ActionAid. The report, entitled Hungry for Solutions, was released to mark the tenth anniversary of...

Cold snap turns Europe black.(power failures)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... A cold snap in November led to blackouts affecting millions of homes across Western Europe. The blackouts were initially triggered by a surge in demand in northern Germany as home owners turned on their heating when temperatures dropped towards...

Warmer world: insect heaven.(global warming effects insect population)
January 1, 2007... The good news is that scientists have uncovered an animal group that should thrive as global temperatures rise. The bad news is it's insects. According to new research conducted by biologists at the University of Washington, insects that...

Reefs at risk.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... A group of scientists at James Cook University, Australia, has constructed the world's first engineering model that predicts how much damage a coral reef is likely to sustain during a storm. The model will be useful in predicting the effect of...

Carbon market booming.(emissions trading)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... According to a new report by the World Bank, the global carbon market has doubled in value since 2005 and was expected to hit US$22billion by the end of last year. The EU's Emissions Trading Scheme is dominating the market with an estimated...

Poll identifies least green Britons.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Car salesmen from the West Midlands are the least eco-friendly people in Britain, according to a recent poll. Conceived by power company npower and a psychologist from the University of Leicester, the Green Net Aptitude (GNA) scale found that...

Too hot to bear.(hibernation)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... If you go down to the woods in southwestern Siberia today, you're in for a big surprise--unseasonably warm temperatures have prevented the region's bears from entering hibernation. "At the moment there is enough fodder, so they are not wreaking...

US naval station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.(geopolitical hotspot)
January 1, 2007... Now notorious as the site of a jail for 'illegal combatants' captured in the 'war on terror; the US Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is the oldest US military base outside the continental USA. Established in the wake of the...

Cities at risk: coastal erosion, saltwater intrusion into freshwater supplies and coastal storms all combine to threaten coastal areas--often regions of high population growth and intensive economic development.(state of the world)
January 1, 2007... Around 40 per cent of the world's population lives less than 100 kilometres from the coast--within reach of severe coastal storms. About 100 million people live less than one metre above mean sea level. More people are gravitating to these...

Quantock Hills: areas of outstanding natural beauty: England's first AONB and Great Britain's second is famed for offering sweeping views across the surrounding countryside but, as Natalie Hoare discovers, it offers visitors a whole lot more besides.(area of outstanding natural beauty)
January 1, 2007... Standing atop the windswept heather-covered dome of Will's Neck, a superb patchwork of West Country farmland stretches out below. In the distance, the Bristol Channel and Wales come into view, the horizon punctuated by the just-visible Severn...

Making connections.(Royal Geographical Society organizes 'From Kabul to Kandahar' history exhibition)
January 1, 2007... A fascinating new exhibition that focuses on the history of Afghanistan will be on display in the Society's popular exhibition pavilion during the first half of this year. Entitled From Kabul to Kandahar 1833-1933, the exhibition has been...

Summary statements available online.(Malcolm Wicks on environmental agendas)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The Society regularly produces summary statements on topical subjects such as water, transport, flooding, planning and many other geographical issues. The statements are put together as part of the Society's Environment and Society Forums,...

Join the society--GET the magazine.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... 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...

Madagascar: people and wildlife.(Hilary Bradt on island ecology)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... 8 January, 6.30pm (LECTURE, LONDON) Opening the 2007 Monday-night lecture series, Hilary Bradt, founder of the Bradt Travel Guides and renowned expert on Madagascar, talks about the most exciting and intriguing aspects of the island's...

Forthcoming events in January.
January 1, 2007... For details, please contact the Events Office on 020 7591 3100 15 January, 6.30pm Magic Bus: On the hippy trail from Istanbul to India (LECTURE, LONDON) In a provocative illustrated talk, travel writer Rory MacLean follows the...

Shackleton's hood: headgear worn by the renowned polar explorer during his first attempt to reach the South Pole.(Ernest Shackleton)
January 1, 2007... Famed for a lifetime of polar exploits, Ernest Shackleton demonstrated an adventurous spirit from an early age. When he was 14, he enlisted in the Navy and by 16, he had joined the crew of the Hoghton Tower, a rigger owned by the North Western...

Down the big river.(River Nile travel)(Cover story)
January 1, 2007... Winding some 6,695 kilometres from the heart of Africa to the Mediterranean Sea, the Nile is the longest river in the world; the ancient Egyptians called it iteru, or 'big river'. Flowing through no fewer than eight countries, it has a drainage...

The secrets in the soil: the past 20 years or so have seen a remarkable revolution in the science of forensics. But while genetic analysis is now routine in criminal investigations, the use of soils--known as geoforensics--has lagged behind. Now, a new initiative is combining hi-tech analytical techniques with GIS databases to create a powerful tool that could eventually rival DNA.(geographic information system)
January 1, 2007... Ace fictional sleuth Sherlock Holmes was 30 years ahead of his time when he linked the soil on a pair of shoes to the scene of a crime. And even now, another century later, the science of geoforensics--the use of particles of soil or rock in...

Tipping the scales: at least four million water snakes are caught from Tonle Sap Lake every year--the heaviest exploitation of any snake community in the world. Virginia Fitzherbert, winner of the RGS-IBG's 2005 John Radford Award for Geographical Photography, travels to Cambodia to investigate the trade in the lakes water snakes and conservationists' efforts to make the harvest sustainable.(snake harvest)
January 1, 2007... A tranquil dawn has settled across the lake; very welcome after the cacophony I endured last night. How foolish of me to assume (or was it hope) that the Khmer passion for karaoke hadn't spread to this idyllic world of submerged forests and...

Plundering the past: the looting of antiquities has a history as old as the antiquities themselves, but political instability and rising prices have seen a surge in thefts in recent years. Until now, efforts have focused on stopping the trade, but now archaeogist are borrowing ideas from the wildlife conservation movement in an attempt to get to the root of the problem.(Geographical dossier: SPECIAL REPORT)
January 1, 2007... With an estimated 30,000 religious and historic monuments stretching back thousands of years. S ri Lanka has one of the world's richest records of cultural heritage. Most glorious among these is the ancient Sinhalese city of Anuradhapura, the...

Fertile hope: slash-and-burn farmers in Honduras are caught in a vicious cycle of rainforest destruction and failing crops. But an innovative way of farming could offer them a sustainable solution.(rainforest conservation)
January 1, 2007... Reuben Mendoza stands in his maize crop and smiles. In every direction, tall, healthy plants block the view of the surrounding hills of Montana del Carbon, Olancho, in northern Honduras. This promises to be the fourth good harvest in a row,...

From the cradle to the grave: once home to two of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World--the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus and the mausoleum at Halicarnassos--southwestern Turkey can also lay claim to being the cradle of Western civilisation. Jeremy Seal takes a tour of one of the world's greatest open-air museums.(Travel narrative)
January 1, 2007... All along the road to Knydos, the olive groves went untended. Skyline windmills squatted beneath the skeletal remains of rotted sails. Abandoned chapels, weather-stripped of their frescoed plaster, had been customised as cow byres and country...

How green is your holiday?(First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards, 2006)
January 1, 2007... The First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards recognise individuals, companies and organisations in the travel industry that are making a significant commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and are providing a positive...

The art of exploration.(travel photographs)
January 1, 2007... From George Forster, the 17-year-old who accompanied James Cook on his historic voyage into the South Seas, to John Jacques Wild, the Swiss artist who illustrated the hundreds of scientific discoveries made by The Challenger as it trawled the...

Wiping racism off the map.(From Squal Tit to Whorehouse Mewdow: How Maps Name, Claim and Inflame)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... From Squal Tit to Whorehouse Mewdow: How Maps Name, Claim and Inflame by MarkMonmier University of Chicago Press, hb, pp216, 13.45 [pounds sterling] During the mid-1990s, Microsoft encountered a little local difficulty in India: it...

The Lost Art of Travel: A Handbook for the Modern Adventurer.(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... The Lost Art of Travel: A Handbook for the Modern Adventurer by Victor Darkwood John Murray, hb, pp192, 9.99 [pounds sterling] Modern life is, of course, appalling, and there's no shortage of books on the subject. This one leans on...

Coast: The Journey Continues.(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Coast: The Journey Continues by Christopher Somerville BBC Books, hb, pp240, 20 [pounds sterling] Coast, which traces Britain's outline in words and pictures, arrives to accompany "the major television series", so if nothing else,...

The King's Stranger.(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... The King's Stranger by Derek O'Connor Classic Travel Books, hb, pp400, 20 [pounds sterling] Almost unbelievably, The King's Stranger is the first ever biography of John Duncan, one of the most important explorers of West Africa after...

Out of Egypt: A Memoir.(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Out of Egypt: A Memoir by Andre Aciman Tauris Parke, pb, pp340, 9.99 [pounds sterling] Memoir it may be, but Andre Aciman's Out of Egypt is written with the verve of a novel, due in no small part to the fast-pitched dialogue he...

Top 10 writer's reads.(The Monkey Puzzle Tree)(Sweetness and Power)(The Bridge of San Luis Rey)(The Women's Room)(Sript Generator)(A Death in Brazil)(The Shadow of the Wind)(The Heart of Darkness)(The Old Petagonian Express)(Daisy Bates in the Desert)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Jordan Goodman is an honorary research fellow at the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine at University College London. He has written or edited nine books, the latest of which, The Rattlesnake. A Voyage of Discovery to the Coral...

To the Ends of the Earth: Adventures of an Expedition Photographer.(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... To the Ends of the Earth: Adventures of an Expedition Photographer by Gordon Wiltsie WW Norton, hb, pp224, 22.99 [pounds sterling] To the Ends of the Earth is, in essence, a collection of expedition photographer Gordon Wiltsie's...

A sad tale of the end of empire.(The Last Mughal)(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... The Last Mughal by William Dalrymple Bloomsbury, hb, pp580, 25 [pounds sterling] There is something deeply sad about the end dan empire, and perhaps none has an ending sadder than that of the great Mughal Empire that once controlled...

A cartography of conflict.(Charts of War)(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Charts of War by John Blake Conway Maritime, hb, pp144, 30 [pounds sterling] This lavishly illustrated book explores the history of charts and their use in warfare, with examples ranging from 480 BC to the first Gulf war in the early...

Geographical classic #38.(The Noose of Laurels: The Discovery of the North Pole)(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... The Noose of Laurels: The Discovery of the North Pole by Wally Herbert First published in 1989. Currently out of print "In spite of all his effort, all his courage and persistence, he failed to reach the pole." The 'he' in question here...

Sons of Sindbad.(Sons of Sindbad: The Photographs )(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Sons of Sindbad by Alan Villiers Arabian Publishing, hb, pp404, 25 [pounds sterling] Sons of Sindbad: The Photographs National Maritime Museum Publishing, hb, pp224, 30 [pounds sterling] Alan Villiers, claims the introduction...

Where did all the people go?("Homo Britannicus: The Incredible Story of Human Life in Britain")(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... Homo Britannicus: The Incredible Story of Human Life in Britain by Chris Stringer Penguin, hb, pp320, 25 [pounds sterling] At the centre of this book lies a mystery: where did all the people go? Despite prior settlement, it seems...

Northward bound.(arctic kit, equipments for traveling to the North Pole)
January 1, 2007... Early April 2004, nearly 2,000 kilometres north of the Arctic Circle, en route to the geographic North Pole. I'd already spent two hours that morning trying to cross a 100-metre-wide lead (a crack in the ice covering the Arctic Ocean). It was...

Ten of the best: the Arctic is no place for substandard kit, so this month, we've enlisted Ben Saunders' help in tracking down the best of what's available, both in the UK and overseas.(essential gear, camping equipment)
January 1, 2007... [1] Tent Hilleberg Nammatj 2 440 [pounds sterling]/2.5-2.8 kilograms A bombproof two man tent (perfect for one, once you add a huge sleeping bag) that is amazingly simple to pitch Mine survived more than three months of use on the...

Pocket disease zapper.(water purifiers)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The arrival of a new handheld ultraviolet water-purifying device means you'll never have to pack packets of chemicals again. Hailed as the "best and most innovative product" of last year by the Outdoor Writers Guild, the 205-gram Classic...

Hot tea in three (minutes, that is).(OUT AND ABOUT)
January 1, 2007... This month, Mountain Safety Research (MSR), a brand that frequently appears on expeditioners' lists of 'must haves', is launching a new addition to its award-winning range of stoves. The Reactor (110 [pounds sterling]) features a new burning...

Soft, supportive and snug.(OUT AND ABOUT)
January 1, 2007... As we pointed out in last month's kit feature (Equality goes outdoors), outdoor clothing manufacturers have been a tad slow off the mark, when it comes to taking into account the physical differences between men and women. But Smartwool has...

Sleeping-bag-snug gloves.(Salomon, and O'Neill Clothing launches women's snowsports gloves)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Two outdoor-clothing companies have had a brainwave: why not use the same soft, lightweight, breathable synthetic insulation used in sleeping bags to make gloves? Salomon has filled its new Kokoon snowsports gloves for women with Primaloft...

Craghoppers goes carbon neutral.(energy saving)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... Outdoor clothing brand Craghoppers is claiming that it has become the first company in the sector to make its operations carbon neutral and is taking steps to save energy to further reduce its carbon footprint. Non-reducible emissions are being...

Pickle-proof maps.(geological maps)(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... The British Mountaineering Council, in conjunction with Harvey maps and the British Geological Survey is producing a new series of maps that it claims are tear-, water-, cheese-and pickle-proof. Currently covering two areas--the Lake District...

Before you travel: medical advice from Jason Gibbs, head pharmacist at Nomad Travel stores and health clinics.
January 1, 2007... Health checks Well in advance of departure, it's a good idea to visit your GP for a medical and your dentist to ensure that you don't have any loose fillings or require any new ones. Although good dental services will be available in most...

Explorer's essentials: Sir Ranulph Fiennes, explorer, mountaineer and marathon runner.(Brief article)
January 1, 2007... My essential items would entirely depend on the expedition, but assuming a polar journey of some three months where everything has to be hauled on a sledge by me, such as an Antarctic continental crossing, then these are some of the items I...

The Times Holiday Handbook.(Brief article)(Book review)
January 1, 2007... The Times Holiday Handbook What is it like? A reference book for planning all kinds of holidays, from skiing trips and gap years to city breaks and villa stays. Compiled by the travel editor of The Times, Cath Urquhart, it covers every...

A lens for all reasons.(camera lenses)
January 1, 2007... When photographers get together, talk soon turns to cameras; they compare models and express strident opinions about brand preferences. But they rarely talk about their lenses. It's as if they think the lens has no bearing on the quality of...

Clunking coincidence.(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... I greatly enjoyed your article on the ice breaker Endurance (Enduring qualities, October 2006), and just today, as I was loading up the 1.5 tonnes of petrol that my mid-size saloon needs for the 100-kilometre trip up to see the dear old rels, I...

Short-sighted greed.(MAILBAG)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... Once more, this month, I opened my copy of Geographical and felt my heart sink. Reading Mark Rowe's excellent article describing yet another example of humankind's inability to look past its greed (Where there's smoke, there's gold, December...

The geography of opinions.(LETTER OF THE MONTH)(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... In response to Jeremy Sompton's letter about opinion polls (Mailbag, November 2006). I was employed in market research by several companies when I was a student during the 1990s. In an average week, I made door-to-door enquiries, stopped people...

Giving the gift of no gift ideas.(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... I just wanted to write and thank you for resisting the temptation to fill your December issue with pages and pages of Christmas gift ideas. It's bad enough that consumerism has completely hijacked Christmas without virtually every magazine in...

Disheartening and infuriating.(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... The disheartening article and gruesome photographs of mutilated elephants killed for their ivory was infuriating (On the tusks of a dilemma, November 2006). The UN and the African Union must completely outlaw and defeat these inhumane...

The return of where.(Letter to the editor)
January 1, 2007... Thanks so much for bringing back Where in the world? It always used to be the first thing I turned to when my copy of Geographical arrived in the post and my heart leapt when I saw that it had returned. I also enjoyed the other new...

Natalie Hoare in conversation with ...(Rory Wilson of University of Wales)(Interview)
January 1, 2007... Professor Rory Wilson, of the University of Wales, Swansea, was one of five recipients of the biennial Rolex Awards for Enterprise. He was recognised for inventing a device that can track animals and record their behaviour without the need for...