Geographical articles from June 2008

Geographical archives from June 2008

What price progress?(development and culture)
June 1, 2008... There has long been a conflict between the desire for development of people living traditional 'primitive' lifestyles and the rather paternalistic attitudes of those living in developed societies to preserve traditional ways of life. We in the...

Where in the world?(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Identify this country using the following clues: * Almost all of its electricity needs are met by hydropower * It has no formal diplomatic relations with the USA or the UK * Its national football team has...

For the first time in human history, the number of Muslims in the world has overtaken the number of Catholics, according to the latest edition of the Vatican's yearbook.(GLOBAL)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... For the first time in human history, the number of Muslims in the world has overtaken the number of Catholics, according to the latest edition of the Vatican's yearbook. Based on figures from 2006, the book states that Muslims account for 19.2...

CITES, the International Convention on Trade in Endangered Species, has suspended delegates from Nigeria for alleged breaches of its provisions.(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... CITES, the International Convention on Trade in Endangered Species, has suspended delegates from Nigeria for alleged breaches of its provisions. According to Fedelis Omeni, who is responsible for monitoring West African nations' adherence to...

A Finnish man has been fined 8,500 [pounds sterling] and banned from visiting Easter Island for three years.(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... A Finnish man has been fined 8,500 [pounds sterling] and banned from visiting Easter Island for three years after he was found guilty of removing an earlobe from one of the island's iconic Moai statues.

Three large reservoirs are to be built in Dubai in an attempt to quench the growing thirst for water within the booming emirate.(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Three large reservoirs are to be built in Dubai in an attempt to quench the growing thirst for water within the booming emirate. The reservoirs, to be completed by the middle of next year, will have a combined capacity of 820 million litres.

Bad habits such as switching lanes without indicating, failing to stop at traffic lights and reversing against the flow of traffic has led to China's drivers being declared the world's most accident prone, with almost 82,000 fatal road accidents last year.(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Bad habits such as switching lanes without indicating, failing to stop at traffic lights and reversing against the flow of traffic has led to China's drivers being declared the world's most accident prone, with almost 82,000 fatal road...

A labyrinth of tunnels has been discovered by Wessex Water engineers in Bridgwater, Somerset.(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... A labyrinth of tunnels has been discovered by Wessex Water engineers in Bridgwater, Somerset. Dating back 300 years, the tunnels, found beneath the site of a former medieval castle, are believed to have provided smugglers with a hidden link...

Sinking Venice to be given a lift.(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... The increasing threat from sea level rise has motivated officials in Venice, Italy, to consider an initiative to lift the historic foundations of the city out of harm's way, according to reports in the La Stampa newspaper. Under an...

How does your geothermal terrace grow?(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The striking limestone terraces of Yellowstone National Park in northwestern USA have long been a source of wonder and intrigue, and were central to its inscription as the world's first national park in 1872. Now...

Wetland restoration plan will create anti-immigrant 'moat'.(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Law enforcement officials and environmentalists are joining forces on the USA-Mexico border to restore a wetland area in the hope that it will lure back wildlife and cut border crime. The 178-hectare Hunters Hole area on the outskirts of...

Pacific garbage patch still growing.(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A vast collection of rubbish swirling in the middle of the Pacific Ocean is now twice the size of the USA and is still growing, according to recent research by the Algalita Marine Research Foundation (AMRF)in...

Birds and communication masts don't mix.(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... According to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, between four and 50 million birds die every year after colliding with communication masts across the USA. But the author of a new study into the phenomenon has found that it isn't simply the masts'...

Grand Canyon under threat from mining exploration.(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] One of the world's great natural wonders, the Grand Canyon in Arizona, USA, is facing increasing pressure from mining, according to a coalition of environmental groups. As Geographical went to press, the groups,...

Britain's favourite wildflowers on the brink.(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Analysis of Britain's biggest wild plant survey has shown that some of the most common and best-loved species are disappearing from our countryside, according to plant conservation charity Plantlife. The latest figures from the Common Plant...

Top 10 wheat producers.(Table)
June 1, 2008... TOP 10 WHEAT PRODUCERS ('000 TONES) 1 EU 133,800 2 CHINA 97,500 3 INDIA 68,600 4 USA 57,300 5 RUSSIA ...

Carbon targets still too high.(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] A group of the world's leading climate scientists has warned in a new report that international targets for carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere aren't low enough and must be slashed in order to avoid...

Soot plays major role in climate change.(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Soot may be a much greater contributor to global warming than previously thought, according to a new report published in Nature Geoscience. The 'black carbon' in soot produced when wood, coal, diesel and the...

German scientists from the European Space Agency (ESA) in Paris have plotted the distribution and density of C[O.sub.2] emissions across Europe in a new map.(EUROPE)
June 1, 2008... German scientists from the European Space Agency (ESA) in Paris have plotted the distribution and density of C[O.sub.2] emissions across Europe in a new map. The map, generated from satellite images taken by the ESA's Envisat, clearly shows...

Researchers from the University of Southampton's School of Engineering Sciences are to harness the power of fast-flowing rivers using specially developed water-powered generators.(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Researchers from the University of Southampton's School of Engineering Sciences are to harness the power of fast-flowing rivers using specially developed water-powered generators. They are currently working on a prototype generator fitted with...

The National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado, has launched a new online news and analysis service for anyone who wishes to find out more about the condition of the world's ice caps.(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... The National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado, has launched a new online news and analysis service for anyone who wishes to find out more about the condition of the world's ice caps. The site (http//nsidc.org/ arcticseaicenews) has...

A large section of the Wilkins Ice Shelf is in the process of breaking away from the Antarctic Peninsula.(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... A large section of the Wilkins Ice Shelf is in the process of breaking away from the Antarctic Peninsula. Satellite and video images captured by the British Antarctic Survey show that a thin strip of ice is all that is connecting an ice floe,...

Global sea levels set to rise above IPCC forecast.(Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change)(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Warming temperatures and melting ice caps will cause average global sea levels to rise much higher than the forecasts published in the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessments, according to new research. Using computer...

The Lincolnshire Wolds: area of outstanding natural beauty: once 'highly fashionable', the Lincolnshire Wolds still bear the indelible impressions of numerous medieval villages that have long since returned to the soil. But it's the picturesque rolling hills and gin-clear chalk streams that draw visitors to the region today.(NATURAL BEAUTY)
June 1, 2008... I'm standing in the dark, about two metres under the ground, touching a soft, wet object and trying to work out what on Earth it is. Probably some sort of fungus, guess my guides--staff from the Lincolnshire Wolds Area of Outstanding Natural...

Regional delicacies.(Royal Geographical Society )
June 1, 2008... Just like geography and geographical phenomena, the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) operates at a range of scales--from the global to the local. And, while much of the Society's day-to-day business is run from our headquarters in South...

Just who are we?(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... June sees the culmination of the Who Do We Think We Are? project, a joint collaboration between the Society, the Historical Association and citizenship consultant Paula Kitching aimed at helping primary and secondary school teachers explore...

A selection of June's events.(Calendar)
June 1, 2008... For further information, please visit www.rgs.org/whatson, email events@rgs.org or call 020 7591 3100 2 June, 4pm Annual General Meeting and Reception (LONDON) An address from the president will be followed by the presentation of...

Royal Geographical Society with IBG: advancing geography and geographical learning.(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... Patron Her Majesty The Queen Honorary President HRH The Duke of Kent The Council President Professor Sir Gordon Conway Vice Presidents Andrew Linnell, Professor Sarah Metcalfe, Professor David Livingston Honorary Treasurer...

Nautilus gramophone recording: the sounds recorded during the nuclear submarine's pioneering journey beneath the North Pole.
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] On 21 January 1954, 15,000 Americans gathered on the banks of the Thames River in Connecticut to watch a bottle of champagne smash open on the bows of the world's first nuclear-powered submarine, the Nautilus. People...

Catch of the day.
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Lake Geneva, which straddles the border of Switzerland and France, has been a tourist resort since the Victorian era. And for much of that time, visitors have been tucking into the local speciality: perch. However,...

Getting to the root of the problem.
June 1, 2008... One thousand years ago, the huarango forests were a vital resource for the people of southwestern Peru, one of the driest places on Earth. Today, only one per cent of these forests remain, and once they've gone, the land turns to desert. Olivia...

Access all areas.
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The British love the great outdoors. Millions flock to the countryside of England, Scotland and Wales each year to exercise their right to walk, cycle and ride along thousands of kilometres of public pathways,...

Conserving Britain's last wild ponies: ponies have been roaming freely in Britain for as long as four millennia. Just a century ago, an estimated 10,000 untamed animals were an integral part of our remotest landscapes. But today, relatively few survive, with potentially alarming consequences for Britain's rich biodiversity.(Wild ponies)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The exhilaration of watching a stallion gallop across a common; the sombre beauty of a herd grazing peacefully on rolling moorland; the seemingly never-ending line of mares with following foals traversing a ridge...

Minority report: the cultural traditions of the Li people Hainan Island, China, are rapidly disappearing as they are assimilated by the dominant Han Chinese. But now veteran explorer Wong How Man is trying to save one of the island's last traditional Li villages from the bulldozers.
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The winding, paved road into Hongshui village makes a final swing to the left before plunging to the lush valley floor. From this vantage point, a cluster of thatched-roof mud houses appear to float like Shredded...

2008 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards: holidays without harm.
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Vote for the cleanest, greenest and most responsible travel companies, destinations, operators and individuals for a chance to win a 15-day tour of India for two with Real World Travel. With green issues moving...

Greening Gozo: traditional sun-and-sea tourism has been floundering in Gozo, Malta's sister island. But the island is now finding an alternative in rural and adventure tourism.
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATIONS OMITTED] When Victor Galea set up the Ager Foundation to introduce rural tourism in Gozo, he thought it would take many years before growth gained a momentum of its own. But in the first year, he had 400 customers, and by...

Building society.(Photograph)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The desire to alter the world to suit our needs is a seemingly defining characteristic of human beings. And as these images from the Royal Geographical Society archives show, we're not afraid to think big: whether...

An urban future.(The Endless City)(Book review)
June 1, 2008... The Endless City edited by Ricky Burdett and Deyan Sudjic Phaidon, hb, pp510, 35 [pounds sterling] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] If the problems facing the world's cities can be solved by sophisticated, politically astute...

African Gods: Contemporary Rituals and Beliefs.(Brief article)(Book review)
June 1, 2008... African Gods: Contemporary Rituals and Beliefs by Daniel Laine et al Cemex, hb, pp360, 29.99 [pounds sterling] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Voduns are lesser African deities: they preside over natural phenomena--wind and rain, sun...

Once Bitten.(Brief article)(Book review)
June 1, 2008... Once Bitten by Nigel Vardy Ecademy, pb, pp168, 9.99 [pounds sterling] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In May 1999, Nigel Vardy and a pair of companions attempted to scale Alaska's Mount McKinley: they became unstuck and had to be...

The South Pole Ponies.(Brief article)(Book review)
June 1, 2008... The South Pole Ponies by Theodore K Mason First published in 1979. Most recent edition published by Classic Travel Books, pb, pp232, 11.99 [pounds sterling] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] One hundred years ago, Ernest Shackleton...

The Peak District.(Brief article)(Book review)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] The Peak District by Fran Halsall Frances Lincoln, hb, pp128, 14.99 [pounds sterling] Fran Halsall must be a very patient person. She clearly belongs to the school of photographic theory that shuns...

Top 10 writer's reads.(Brief article)
June 1, 2008... 1. The Jungle is Neutral lby F Spencer Chapman (Birlinn, 8.99 [pounds sterling]) A fascinating account of a soldier who lived behind enemy lines in the Malaya n jungle during the Second World War [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 2. As Far...

Earth Matters: An Encyclopedia of Ecology.(Brief article)(Book review)
June 1, 2008... Earth Matters: An Encyclopedia a or Ecology Dorling Kindersley, hb, pp256, 17.99 [pounds sterling] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As one of only 42 people who've travelled to both poles, British environmentalist and explorer David de...

Gang Leader for a Day.(Brief article)(Book review)
June 1, 2008... Gang Leader for a Day by Sudhir Venkatesh Allen Lane, hb, pp320, 18.99 [pounds sterling] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As a sociology student in Chicago, Sudhir Venkatesh decided to visit his local government housing project to...

Andalus: Moorish Songs of Love and Wine.(Brief article)(Book review)
June 1, 2008... Andalus: Moorish Songs of Love and Wine by Ted Gorton Eland Publishing, pb, pp80, 5.99 [pounds sterling] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] One wonders what fate would await the author of the following verses at the hands of the Taliban:...

Mind the gap: it's now a common rite of passage for young adults to take time out from their studies or careers and head off into the wild blue yonder, having packed little more than a spare set of underwear and a camera. But preparing properly for gap-year travel is the key to a memorable trip.
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] There's a time and a place for good equipment. Wearing complimentary lawnmower safety glasses rather than ski goggles when cycling at -40[degrees]C in Siberia works fine. Sporting a bin liner with holes cut for head...

Ten of the best.(Buyers guide)
June 1, 2008... You'll probably have to do quite a bit of shopping before your gap year. You'll be wearing this gear for as long as you're away, so it should be comfortable, versatile and long-lasting without blowing your budget 1 Jacket Berghaus...

Shell shock: as consumers' tastes shift to encompass more exotic cuisines, prawns have gone from being a luxury item to a staple of the British shopping list. But as demand for all types of seafood grows worldwide, vital habitats are being destroyed to make way for large-scale fishing and aquaculture. Victoria Lambert discovers what's being done to develop a sustainable shellfish industry.
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Mangrove swamps are one of the world's most important habitats: they support local subsistence economies; protect the coastline from erosion, floods and hurricanes; and provide breeding grounds for fish and...

The asphalt jungle: modern metropolises offer a wealth of photographic options for seasoned snappers and novices alike, but you'll need to find new ways of seeing if you're to avoid visual cliches.
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Until very recently, the vast majority of the developing world's population lived off the land. Today, rural communities are in decline on every continent, as people give up agriculture and move to the cities looking...

The geography of noise.(LETTER OF THE MONTH)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I was really interested to read the news story about noise pollution in Cairo (Worldwatch, April 2008) as I remembered reading a similar article on noise pollution in Europe in the Daily Telegraph last year. ...

Shaky foundations.(MAILBAG)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I really enjoyed the April Geographical--the first time I have read your publication, but definitely not the last. The articles on Mexico City offered a fascinating insight into the role of large cities, and how...

British reserve.(MAILBAG)(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I was interested to read your article Shifting Sands in the March issue of Geographical, which explored the effects that aggregate dredging has upon our coastline. On 3 April, the draft Marine Bill was published. For...

Where in the world?(Letter to the editor)
June 1, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I really enjoyed the Mexico City-themed edition of Geographical (April 2008) and would love to see more special issues that look at a particular topic in greater depth by focusing on one 'case study' example. ...

In conversation.(Marina Rikhvanova)(Interview)
June 1, 2008... Marina Rikhvanova, 46, a co-founder of NGO Baikal Environmental Wave, is a familiar figure in Russia's environmental movement. She played a key role in organising mass protests that directly resulted in President Vladimir Putin's 2006 decision...