Geographical articles from July 2003

Geographical archives from July 2003

Past imperfect.(British Museum assists Iraq's National Museum in dealing with war losses)
July 1, 2003... This year, file British Museum celebrates its 250th anniversary, and on page 26, former director Sir David Wilson recounts the history and development of this world-famous institution. Museums--as great repositories of our past--are often...

Geographical resources. (Prize Letter).(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2003... The microchip controlling the computer on which I am writing this letter started life as silicate mineral--just one example illustrating that almost everything we have is either grown in or extracted from the Earth. Given the importance of...

Water-road works. (letters).(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2003... I was surprised that your article on Britain's waterways (The water road, April 2003) didn't mention that most of the current canal restoration is undertaken by the Waterways Restoration Group. A great many volunteers join the dozens of work...

The forgotten Maoris? (letters).(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2003... Congratulations on your cultures issue (June 2003). Why, however, did you miss out the Maoris of New Zealand on the hunter-gatherers map? Was it a matter of space or was there a technical reason? I feel strongly that my homeland gets left off...

A mountain of praise. (letters).(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2003... I must just write and congratulate you on the absolutely superb May issue of Geographical. I would not have believed that you could fill a whole magazine with stories about Everest, but it is absolutely fascinating reading and an issue with...

Not all maps are equal. (letters).(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2003... David Wright's plea for equal-area world maps to become the norm (Letters, June 2003) ignores the fact that navigators require orthomorphic projections--projections in which small areas are rendered in their true shapes--for their work. It...

Hurricane where? (letters).(Letter to the Editor)
July 1, 2003... I believe you erred in the story on satellite technology (Eyes in the skies, February 2003). On page $1, there is a photo of a hurricane, which you state is located over Vermillion Bay in Canada. I believe that it is actually over the Gulf of...

Mummy returns. (world watch).(CT and laser scans used to recreate 200-year-old Egyptian mummy)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... CANADA Researchers in Ontario, Canada, are using CT and laser scans together for the first time to recreate an image of Cleo, a 2, 200-year-old Egyptian mummy. This unique reconstruction will show both internal and external features. "It...

Iraq.(German archaeological expedition may have found ancient city of Uruk)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... A German-led archaeological expedition in Iraq says it may have uncovered the city of Uruk, from which Iraq gets its name, along with the tomb of its ruler, King Gilgamesh, supposedly buried beneath the Euphrates river.

UK.(Britain's oldest known bird found in North Wales)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... A Manx shearwater found on Bardsey Island off the North Wales coast is Britain's oldest-known bird at the age of 52.

Sierra Leone.(childsoldiers.org receives award from Cable and Wireless Childnet Award)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The website childsoldiers.org has been honoured with a Cable and Wireless Childnet Award for helping former child soldiers in Sierra Leone to recover from their traumatic experiences by sharing them with others.

Impending water troubles. (Global).(Third World Water Forum forecasts lack of water for drinking and sanitation)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... GLOBAL Seven billion people on Earth could be without water by 2050 unless the world acts now, the UN has warned. Such gloomy forecasts have propelled water issues to the forefront of the global agenda, but moving beyond words into action...

Expedition award. (Poles).(special award in memory of Charlie Burton by Transglobe Expedition Trust)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... POLES The Transglobe Expedition Trust is making a special award of 1,000[pounds sterling] in memory of Charlie Burton, who died last year. A member of the 1979 circumnavigation of the globe along a Polar axis, along with Sir Ranulph Fiennes,...

Reef encounters. (Malaysia).(Malaysian Conservation Scholarship Awards)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... MALAYSIA Malaysians now have the chance to protect their country's endangered coral reefs, thanks to the Malaysian Conservation Scholarship Awards, an initiative devised by British charity Coral Cay Conservation (CCC) to help train them in...

Wildlife jewel. (South America).(Darwin Initiative for the Survival of the Species funding conservation projectin Guyana)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... SOUTH AMERICA An international project funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is underway to protect the wildlife and indigenous people of the Rupununi region of Guyana, South America. The Darwin Initiative for the...

Measuring the Earth's metabolism. (Global).(satellites monitor carbon cycle and plant metabolism)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... GLOBAL NASA scientists have revealed a novel way of measuring our planet's carbon 'metabolism'. Using data from the Terra and Aqua satellites, scientists can now calculate the world's net primary production--a value that indicates how much...

Geothermal future. (Africa).(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... AFRICA Scientists believe that a geothermal energy scheme that uses heat from hot volcanic rocks to power steam-driven electricity turbines could be the answer to energy shortages in sub-Saharan Africa. Normally associated with Iceland,...

The stone menagerie: the limestone beds at Riversleigh, in Australia's northeast, contain one of the most spectacular assemblages of vertebrate fossils found anywhere on Earth. Spanning a 25-million-year period, these ancient bones paint a uniquely detailed picture of everyday life in prehistoric Australia.
July 1, 2003... Beneath the baking hot plains of northeastern Australia there is a natural museum housing such a wealth of fossils that it almost defies imagination. So abundant are the preserved remains in the ancient rocks at Riversleigh in northwestern...

Art from space.(satellite image art)
July 1, 2003... Since July 1972, when the first Landsat satellite was launched into space, remote sensing has been transforming the way in which we view our planet and the way we conduct our lives. Scientists have put this technology to an increasing number of...

Holding history: the British Museum celebrates its 250th birthday this year. Former director Sir David M Wilson gives a guided tour through its long and distinguished past.
July 1, 2003... the origins of the British Museum can be traced to a single man. In 1753, Sir Hans Sloane, a 92-year-old physician and the greatest collector of his time, bequeathed his accumulation of some 71,000 objects, a library and herbarium to the...

The cable runners: in the mountains of central Colombia is a dangerous game ...(students use cable systems to get to school)
July 1, 2003... High above Colombia's Rio Negro valley, 60 kilometres southeast of Bogota, seven-year-old Daisy Mora is preparing for school. Her younger brother Jamid is nervous--he's going too--and Daisy tries to calm him by singing traditional Colombian...

Researching the world: reflecting the diversity and scope of geography and the world itself, the exciting research projects that are funded by the Grants Programme of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) are as wide ranging as they are fascinating.
July 1, 2003... Over the past year, with the help of the RGS-IBG, teams have travelled far and wide in the name of exploration and discovery. Every discipline of geography has been represented and every continent visited. While the projects were primarily...

Africa.(Sahara camel trek)(archaeological survey of Kharga Oasis, Egypt)(Ugandan elephants conservation project)(impact of tourism in Zanzibar)
July 1, 2003... 1 Shadows across the Sahara John Hare, explorer and founder of the Wild Camel Protection Foundation, recently accomplished what is probably his greatest feat yet: crossing the Sahara by camel Until the end of the 19th century, the...

New Zealand.(Project Fiordland 2002, survey of marine environment of Fiordland in South Island, New Zealand)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... 1 Underwater world Project Fiordland 2002: a survey of the marine environment of Fiordland in South Island, New Zealand, by students from Edinburgh University Fiordland in New Zealand's South Island, a region of towering peaks and...

The Antarctic.(British Army Antarctic Expedition)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... 1 Sailing south British Army Antarctic Expedition, which sailed to the Falkland Islands and then explored Antarctica's Danko Coast It took five years to plan this expedition--to select and train the team, raise funds, attract...

The Americas.(Geographical expeditions and research)
July 1, 2003... 1 Bats in Belize Aberdeen University expedition to Belize The team undertook surveys in pine and broadleaf forests in Belize to ascertain the changes in bat and floral ecology between the two kinds of forestry. Working with two...

Europe.(Current research projects)
July 1, 2003... 1 Social geography in Scotland Dundee University study into the geography of people with learning disabilities The project began by assessing Scottish policy and discussing how research could contribute to policy development with a...

Asia.(Current research projects)
July 1, 2003... 1 In search of the unknown Collaboration between the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and Kebun Raya Bogor, Indonesia's national botanic garden, that aimed to collect important plants from the rainforests of northern Sulawesi Because of...

Bringing the Empty Quarter back to life: in 1972, the last remaining wild Arabian oryx disappeared--shot by poachers or captured for a private collection. However, thanks to captive-breeding and reintroduction programmes, this magnificent antelope has returned to the sands of the Empty Quarter.(southern Saudi Arabia)
July 1, 2003... "Over there, about two miles away," Maartin shouted. Some fuzzy white shapes were all that was visible as I swept my binoculars across the shimmering plain. Were my eyes playing animal-shaped tricks in the spotlight brightness of the morning...

The Universe: 365 Days.(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... by Robert J Nemiroff and Jerry T Bonnell Thames & Hudson, hb, pp744, 24.95 [pounds sterling] There are an infinite number of photo opportunities in the universe. So selecting a year's worth of the best images must have taken an eon, but in...

Touching the Wild: Journeys in the Natural World.(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... by Brian Jackman Bruce Coleman, pb, pp224, 9.99 [pounds sterling] Touching the Wild is a collection of the best writing of Brian Jackman, a staff writer for the Sunday Times travel pages for 20 years. Jackman writes about a different kind...

The Rough Guide to Highlife.(Sound Recording Review)
July 1, 2003... Various artists. Playing time: 65:03 (Rough Guide, 9.99 0 [pounds sterling]) Highlife has been setting alight West African dancefloors since the beginning of the 20th century and is now one of the continent's most potent and influential...

Elizabeth.
July 1, 2003... Until September 2003 National Maritime Museum Park Row, Greenwich, London Tel: 020 8858 4422; www.nmm.ac.uk Open Mon-Sun, 10am-5pm Adults 9 [pounds sterling], families 22 [pounds sterling], concessions 6 [pounds sterling] This major...

The Science Book.(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... edited by Peter Tallack Weidenfeld & Nicholson, hb, pp528, 14.99 [pounds sterling] The Science Book is a near-complete history of human scientific discovery. Set out as a series of short chronologically ordered entries, it provides a pithy...

President's final word. (In society: a round-up of news, views and events happening at the RGS-IBG this month).(Royal Geographical Society )
July 1, 2003... One of the things that really excites me about the Society is the fact that it represents an extraordinary coming together of knowledge about the world. One of our greatest strengths is that we bring together such a diverse range of...

Moving here: the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) has recently contributed a collection of 2,500 images to be used on a new website to provide online material on a variety of communities who have migrated to England over the past two centuries.(hosted by Public Record Office and New Developments Fund)(covers migration of Irish, South Asian, West Indian and Jewish)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Hosted by the Public Record Office (now part of the National Archives) and supported by the New Developments Fund, a new project, entitled Moving Here, will document and illustrate the migration of Irish, South Asian, West Indian and Jewish...

Society events for July: society events in July are limited owing to the completion of the summer events programme and the start of building work to improve the facilities and entrance to the Ondaatje Theatre foyer.(Royal Geographical Society)(Chronology)
July 1, 2003... 3 July, 7.00pm PLANNING YOUR GAP YEAR (Society's House, 1 Kensington Gore, London) Chaired by John Vessey of Gap Enterprise Consultants with Charlie McGrath of Objective Gap Year and Dr Jane Wilson-Howarth. An evening for students...

Geographical travel.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... This month Geographical heads to Africa. News editor Christian Amodeo reports from the climate and tourism conference in Tunisia, while veteran travel writer Brian Jackman muses on his long-term love affair with this diverse and spectacular...

Eden maintains its status. (travel news).(Cornwall's Eden Project wins Large Visitor Attraction of the Year)(The Deep, high-tech aquarium wins gold award for marketing )(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... For the second year in a row, Cornwall's Eden Project, which attracts 1.8 million people a year, has won the gold award for Large Visitor Attraction of the Year in the Excellence in England awards. The awards cover all aspects of the...

Divers test Poseidon's resolve. (travel news).(Greece's marine-tourism laws open up islands to divers)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... This summer will see an increase in the number of divers visiting Greece, as its government liberalises the country's marine-tourism laws to meet with European standards. Although its islands hide more than 1,000 shipwrecks, Greece has until...

New original. (travel news).(Orginal Travel's web site www.originaltravel.com)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... A new website is offering customers what it calls "the big short break," hoping to broaden people's ideas of where they can go and what they can do on a long-weekend away. Original Travel's trips to Africa, Europe and the Middle East are aimed...

Guiding the Masai into ecotourism. (travel news).(learning to become wildlife guides in Kenya)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... Young Masai are being given a chance to learn to become wildife guides, thanks to a ground-breaking ecotourism school being set up in Kenya. The Koyiaki Guide School and Wilderness Camp will produce qualified guides for the Masai Mara Game...

Sustaining interest. (Tourism Concern).(sustainable tourism partnership)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2003... The travel industry is very good at talking about sustainable tourism, but until recently it was mainly the smaller operators that were actually doing anything. But in a pioneering move, First Choice has become the first major tour operator to...

Tourism in a warmer world: the travel industry is taking climate change very seriously indeed. Christian Amodeo reports from the First International Conference on Climate Change and Tourism, held in Djerba, Tunisia.
July 1, 2003... Climate change, it is said, is set to cause widespread misery. Predictions suggest that worldwide an additional 170 million people will be severely water stressed by 2050. For some time now, scientists and NGOs have been warning of the dangers...

The call of the wild: a love affair that began in the pages of his school atlas has seen Brian Jackman visit Africa time and again over the past 30 years. Here he explores the reasons why he's continually drawn back to this vast and varied continent and presents his five unmissable African destinations.
July 1, 2003... It's good to be back on the road to Serengeti. It's familiar to me now, but no matter how often I return, its magic is as strong as ever. First comes the wonderful moment when, having climbed through the fertile maize fields and coffee...

5 unmissable African destinations.
July 1, 2003... With more than 40 countries and a land area of more than 30 million square kilometres, the African continent offers an incredible diversity of travel destinations. We asked Brian Jackman to nominate his top five 1 Namib desert Of all...

The Histories.(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... by Herodotus Penguin, pb, pp784, 7.99 [pounds sterling] The Histories is one of the most important early sources of information on Africa. Written in 400 BC by Greek author Herodotus, who travelled throughout the ancient world, The...

The Meadows of Gold: the Abbasids.(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... by Masudi of Baghdad, Kegan Paul International, hb, pp470, 85.00 [pounds sterling] Masudi was an outstanding geographer and travel writer born in Baghdad around 896 AD. He travelled widely--to India, Syria and Byzantium--before settling in...

Africa: a Biography of the Continent.(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... by John Reader Penguin, pb, pp816, 15.99 [pounds sterling] In Africa: A Biography of the Continent, John Reader traces Africa's history, from its geological creation and the birth of man to the impact of the slave trade, European invaders...

The Scramble for Africa.(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... by Thomas Pakenham Abacus, pb, pp760, 14.99 [pounds sterling] Africa was colonised in the short period between 1876 and 1912. During this time, 30 new states were created, incorporating 4.5 million square kilometres of territory and making...

Things Fall Apart.(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... by Chinua Achebe, Penguin, pb, pp152, 7.99 [pounds sterling] Things Fall Apart tells the story of an lbo community whose culture is rapidly disintegrating in the face of encroaching colonialism. Combining the African oral tradition with the...

Ake: The Years of Childhood.(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... by Wole Soyinka Methuen, pb, pp230, 7.99 [pounds sterling] Ake is the enchanting story of Nobel Prize-winner Wole Soyinka's happy, middle-class childhood in what is now Nigeria. Growing up in the 1930s and '40s, the young Soyinka...

A Broken Landscape.(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... by Gideon Mendel M&G, hb, pp208, 19.95 [pounds sterling] Three quarters of the world's 36 million people who are currently living with HIV/AIDS are in Africa. In A Broken Landscape, photojournalist Gideon Mendel visits countries across the...

A Short History of Africa.(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... by Roland Oliver and JD Fage Penguin, pb, pp336, 8.99 [pounds sterling] Written by two leading authorities on Africa, this book is an essential introduction for anyone interested in the continent. Drawing on numerous academic sources,...

We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families: Stories from Rwanda.(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... by Philip Gourevitch Picador, pb, pp356, 6.99 [pounds sterling] In just 100 blood-soaked days between April and July 1994, more than 800,000 people were killed in Rwanda--11 lives ended every two minutes, according to New Yorker staff...

My Kenya Days.(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... by Wilfred Thesiger Flamingo, pb, pp224, 8.99 [pounds sterling] As a young boy, Wilfred Thesiger witnessed the defeat of Emperor Menelik's successor by Ras Tafari, who later became Emperor Haille Selassie of Ethiopia. My Kenya Days is a...

A Passage to Africa.(Book Review)
July 1, 2003... by George Alagiah Time Warner, pb, pp292, 7.99 [pounds sterling] George Alagiah was born in Sri Lanka and educated in newly independent Ghana, where his parents moved in 1960. "Being a Ghanaian in 1961," he wrote, "was like subscribing to...

Discover Africa: the vast continent of Africa is incredibly diverse, offering all kinds of landscapes, wildlife, cultures and travel opportunities. (Geographical Promotion).
July 1, 2003... Somak Holidays Breathtaking sunsets, stunning vistas and an unmistakable symphony of evening sounds--the African bush is a magical destination for adventurous travellers. Somak, a family-run company with 35 years experience, offers a...

Dr Patricia Wright was social worker in New York when a chance encounter with an owl monkey sparked a passion for primatology.(Interview)
July 1, 2003... Dr Patricia Wright was social worker in New York when a chance encounter with an owl monkey sparked a passion for primatology. Her interest eventually led her to Madagascar, where she discovered a species of lemur previously unknown to science....

Visions of Africa.
July 1, 2003... Since its foundation under Royal Charter in 1830, the Royal Geographical Society has been intimately involved in the exploration of the world. During the Society's early decades, Africa exerted a particularly powerful allure, and the RGS...