Geographical articles from March 2004

Geographical archives from March 2004

Keeping an eye on the past.(Editorial)
March 1, 2004... Every month, Geographical magazine pays a visit to the amazing photographic archives of the Royal Geographic Society to gather together some long-forgotten treasures. It isn't always pretty viewing--as some of you have written in to point...

Mount Washington windier?(Prize Letter)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... I read with some interest the Quizzical piece that stated that Commonwealth Bay in Antarctica is the windiest place on Earth (December 2003). On a trip to New England in the USA, I visited Mount Washington. Upon reaching the summit, I was...

Tigers targeted.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... I notice that a travel company has unveiled a scheme to persuade operators taking people on tiger tours in India and Nepal to make a donation towards tiger protection and research for each person on their tours (Travel News, December 2003)....

Not so dark.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... In his rather odd letter complaining about the use of the term Dark Continent (Letters, January 2003), Mr Campbell complains about a label he admits he knows nothing about, on behalf of people who are perfectly capable of complaining...

History of hypocrisy.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2004... The December issue of Geographical raises some interesting contradictions in the way we view the self-determination of minority and indigenous populations. The article Focussed on faith highlights the Tibetan struggle for a free homeland, but...

Lost in the post.
March 1, 2004... Invented in the 10th century AD, this five-, seven- or 13-stringed musical instrument is named after the country from which it originated. Its body is constructed from local mahogany, which is then covered in leather that is derived solely from...

Geographical Young Geographer of the Year: this year's question: seventy per cent of the world's surface is covered with water. How should we best use the seas and the oceans?
March 1, 2004... The Geographical Young Geographer of the Year competition was launched in 1999 to promote the study of geography and to encourage students to carry out independent research alongside their usual studies. The aim is to provide students with an...

The Environment Agency has announced plans for a national amphibian and reptile recording scheme using information gathered during a trial survey of the great crested newt in Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and Glamorgan.(UK)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... UK The Environment Agency has announced plans for a national amphibian and reptile recording scheme using information gathered during a trial survey of the great crested newt in Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and Glamorgan. The great crested newt,...

Aviators Bertrand Piccard of Switzerland and Brian Jones of the UK, who flew the Breitling Orbiter 3 balloon around the world in 1999.(Global)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... GLOBAL Aviators Bertrand Piccard of Switzerland and Brian Jones of the UK, who flew the Breitling Orbiter 3 balloon around the world in 1999, are planning to repeat the feat using a solar-powered aircraft.

Toxic fuel dropped during Russian space launches may be poisoning unborn children, according to reports on Russian television.(Russia)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... RUSSIA Toxic fuel dropped during Russian space launches may be poisoning unborn children, according to reports on Russian television. Tanks with unspent fuel known as heptyl have been di5carded over three areas in the Altai region, where many...

Seafarers log climate change.(world watch)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... UK An international team of researchers has produced one of the most accurate pictures of weather conditions over the world's oceans between the mid-18th and mid-19th centuries by examining ships' logbooks from the period. "For the first...

Fighting deforestation in Bangladesh.(world watch)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... BANGLADESH British organisation Climate Care has provided around 40,000 [pounds sterling] to train Bangladeshi villagers in ways to reduce unsustainable forestry practices. Implemented by a local NGO, the Intermediate Technology Development...

Barn owls on road to oblivion.(world watch)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... UK Roads and vehicles are playing a major role in the decline of the barn owl, according to the Barn Owl Trust. A ten-year survey by the trust found that 72 percent of the barn owls that encounter a major road are killed, that half of all known...

Violins benefitted from the mini freeze.(world watch)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... ITALY The Little Ice Age may have been responsible for the unparalleled quality of string instruments made by Antonio Stradivari, say scientists from the US universities of Tennessee and Columbia. Very narrow tree rings in the spruce wood of...

Five British school pupils will visit the UN headquarters in Geneva as winners of an art competition set up by the Swiss embassy in London to mark the completion of the 2003 UN International Year of Freshwater.(UK)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... UK Five British school pupils will visit the UN headquarters in Geneva as winners of an art competition set up by the Swiss embassy in London to mark the completion of the 2003 UN International Year of Freshwater. The winners of the Exploring...

Unstable border regions: (geopolitical rating).(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... UNSTABLE BORDER REGIONS TOP 10 (GEOPOLITICAL RATING) 1 Israel West West Bank and Gaza (22.5) 2 Croatia Serbia (20.5) 3 Moldova ...

A piece of flint bearing a likeness to a human face may be an example of Neanderthal art, say experts.(France)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... FRANCE A piece of flint bearing a likeness to a human face may be an example of Neanderthal art, say experts. The 'mask' was found during the excavation of a Palaeolithic cave encampment in northwestern France and is thought to be about 35,000...

The long-legged warbler, last sighted in 1894 and thought to be extinct, has been seen in the mountains of Fiji.(Fiji)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... FIJI The long-legged warbler, last sighted in 1894 and thought to be extinct, has been seen in the mountains of Fiji. Researchers from Birdlife International spotted the small, reddish--brown bird during a project founded by the Darwin...

A sea cow named Daphne from Bauval Zoo, central France, has given birth to twins, one female and one male, which have been named Luna and Quito.(France)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... FRANCE A sea cow named Daphne from Bauval Zoo, central France, has given birth to twins, one female and one male, which have been named Luna and Quito. It is the first birth of twin sea cows in captivity.

Dr John Auden (1903-91): an outstanding geologist and surveyor who worked primarily in India, John Auden also inspired the writings of his famous brother, the poet WH Auden.(Late Great Geographers #41)
March 1, 2004... What was his background? John Bicknell Auden was born in York on 14 December 1903, the son of Dr George Auden, professor of public health at the University of Birmingham. He spent his childhood in Birmingham and later studied geology at...

It was 20 years ago today ... Geographical magazine, March 1984.(Pitcairn)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The cover story of the March 1984 issue of Geographical provides a clear illustration of how much the world has changed in 20 years. Keeping Pitcairn in touch with the world describes the desperate need to improve contact between one of the...

New scope for world's largest eye on the sky.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... CANARY ISLANDS The world's largest robotic astronomical telescope has taken its first pictures of the heavens from a 2,400-metre volcanic peak on La Palma in the Canary Islands. When it becomes fully operational this autumn, the Liverpool...

March: with the signs of spring arriving early this year, BBC meteorologist Helen Willetts examines the ways in which we can expect climate change to affect our gardens in the decades to come.(Weatherwatch with Helen Willetts)
March 1, 2004... March is usually when we would expect to start seeing the flora and fauna begin to awaken. However, this year, bulbs such as daffodils began flowering as early as January. The New Year's Day count at the National Trust's Tressick Gardens in...

Rock art up north.(UK)(Ice Age rock art at Cresswell Crags in Nottinghamshire)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... UK The world's most northerly example of Ice Age rock art was recently discovered near Worksop, Nottinghamshire, at Cresswell Crags caves, a site of national and international importance where more than 770,000 fossilised mammal bones have been...

Global population watch.(Quizzical)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The world population at the time of going to press was according to: the United States 6,408,786,018 the CIA 6,355,851,480 the US Bureau of the Census 6,351,416,943

At the South Pole, does a compass still point north?(Quizzical)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... You can go just about anywhere in the world and your compass will still point to the North Magnetic Pole. But that may not be true for much longer if, as some scientists suspect, the magnetic poles swap places. The poles have flip-flopped many...

Why are so many seaweed farms springing up around the Indian Ocean?(Quizzical)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... You can thank the relentless advance of processed foods for driving many people on the Indian Ocean coast to swap fishing for seaweed farming. The practice has helped keep some battered economies afloat: workers in Bali turned to seaweed...

There are plenty of landlocked countries. Are there any that are themselves surrounded by landlocked countries?(Quizzical)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Just two countries are doubly landlocked: the tiny tax haven of Liechtenstein and the former Soviet republic of Uzbekistan. Liechtenstein is sandwiched between Austria and that other centre for banking barons, Switzerland, both of which are...

Once they've been tagged for remote-tracking studies, do animals have to keep the collars on for life?(Quizzical)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... The big problem with the radio-tracking devices used in long-term studies of animals that range over wide distances is that they are heavy. Advances in electronics mean they are getting lighter, but the batteries that power them are still both...

How high is Mount Everest and how often has its height changed?(Quizzical)
March 1, 2004... The most recent measurement, taken in 1999, put Everest's height at 8,850 metres. However, scientists are still trying to work out how to make the measurement more accurate, and a 2001 recalculation lowered the summit by 2.5 metres. What is...

New model Armenia: with a history of persecution, natural disasters and political upheaval, Armenia has lurched from one crisis to another. But now it's poised to recover and, with the aid of a population in diaspora, is starting to reinvent itself as a heritage tourist destination.
March 1, 2004... Not many people visit Armenia. In fact, as many people go to Lord's on the first day of a test match as go to Armenia in a year. Most of the 30,000 visitors are 'heritage tourists', which is to say that they are part of the estimated four...

Taking the world's pulse: global health.(Geographical dossier)
March 1, 2004... Medical research has taken huge strides in the past few decades. Thanks to the development of increasingly sophisticated drugs and a variety of technological breakthroughs, many people are enjoying a standard of health and wellbeing that would...

Easter Island: enigma of the stone statues: according to modern science, the mysteries of Easter Island and its brooding statues have been solved. Alexander Henriksen and Matjaz Krivic visit this tiny speck in the Pacific and find that its riddles live on.(Cover Story)
March 1, 2004... The stench of horse dung greets photographer Matjaz Krivic and I as we leave Easter Island's tiny Mataveri air terminal. Dozens of neatly groomed and saddled steeds stand in the sizzling-hot airport car park, waiting to carry home locals...

A pharaoh's king: with responsibility for what is probably the world's richest collection of antiquities, Dr Zahi Hawass is the Egyptologist's Egyptologist. Miranda Haines caught up with him during his recent visit to the UK.
March 1, 2004... A quick look at the official website of the explorer and author of numerous popular books on Egyptian archaeology, Dr Zahi Hawass, reveals a series of tantalising headlines: The Curse of the Pharaoh Undone; Grave Robbers Raid Tombs at Night;...

Extreme emergency service: in the 30-odd years since its formation, D Flight, one of the UK's busiest helicopter search-and-rescue units, has saved more than 2,000 lives. Award-winning photojournalist David Higgs takes to the air with them on operations.
March 1, 2004... "One... Two... Three... Four... Five... Six." In the headphones of my bulbous flying helmet I can hear Rescue 137's co-pilot counting. We've been flying continuously for almost two-and-a-half hours, searching the valleys and snow-covered...

The burden of history: in this month's archive, Octavia Lamb illustrates the range of duties carried out by the guides and porters who accompanied the exploratory expeditions of the 19th and early 20th centuries and highlights the difficult conditions they often had to endure.(Geographical Archive)
March 1, 2004... Porters have been accompanying Western-led expeditions in foreign lands for as long as there have been such endeavours. Mostly men, although more recently they have also included women, porters were generally recruited from local populations,...

The infantry of altitude: following a series of high-profile disasters involving mountain porters, Ben Ayres of Community Action Nepal makes an impassioned appeal for a change in attitudes towards them.
March 1, 2004... Climbers have spent a laudable amount of time, sweat and money protecting the invaluable mountain environments and wild places upon which our pastime depends. However, precious little concern has been given to the human and social resources...

Equipped for endeavour: no-one got anywhere near the poles until the invention of the Primus stove. And Hillary and Tenzing might not have reached the summit of Mount Everest without their special boots. Clive Tully reveals how developments in clothing and equipment technology have determined the extent of our achievements.(Expedition Equipment)
March 1, 2004... Ever since we learnt how to use a piece of flint as a tool, ever since we learnt to light a fire, humanity has used its ingenuity to survive in hostile environments. The discovery of the remarkably well-preserved body of Oetzi high in the...

AZ the essential selection: an expedition's success relies upon its equipment, whether it's to Antarctica, Zambia or anywhere in between. Clive Tully presents an A-Z of outdoor kit essentials.(Expedition Equipment)
March 1, 2004... A is for altimeter These days, the well-equipped expeditioner has his altimeter built into his watch. Suunto has made altimeter watches very much their niche, with models measuring up to 9,000 metres, which would take you to the summit of...

Die If You Must: Brazilian Indians in the Twentieth Century.(Book Review)
March 1, 2004... by John Hemming Macmillan, hb, pp864, 30 [pounds sterling] "Die if you must, but never kill" are the words Colonel Candido de Silva Rondon used in Brazil to instruct his new Indian Protection Service in 1910. This phrase, which became the...

Over the Edge of the World: Magellan's Terrifying Circumnavigation of the Globe.(Book Review)
March 1, 2004... by Laurence Bergreen HarperCollins, hb, pp400, 25 [pounds sterling] Ferdinand Magellan's desire to discover a route to the Spice Islands meant so much to him that he forsook his country. At a time when relations between Spain and Portugal,...

Full Tilt: From Dublin to Delhi with a Bicycle.(Book Review)
March 1, 2004... by Dervla Murphy, John Murray, pb, pp244, 8.99 [pounds sterling] Dervla Murphy is one determined woman. On her tenth birthday, she received a bicycle and an atlas as presents and decided there and then that one day she would cycle to India....

The Caliban Shore: the Fate of the Grosvenor Castaways.(Book Review)
March 1, 2004... by Stephen Taylor Faber and Faber, hb, pp285, 20 [pounds sterling] In August 1782, the East Indiaman Grosvenor was wrecked off southeastern Africa. Though most of those on board managed to struggle ashore, few would survive: they were...

The Walker's Companion.(Book Review)
March 1, 2004... edited by Malcolm Tait Think Publishing, hb, pp158, 10 [pounds sterling] It's three years since Duncan Minshull assembled his erudite anthology, The Vintage Book of Walking, and two since the publication of Wanderlust, Rebecca Solnit's...

The Silk Road.(Book Review)
March 1, 2004... by Alessandra Meniconzi, Feierabend, hb, pp256, 19.99 [pounds sterling] This promises to be a big year for Silk Road enthusiasts, what with the British Library's six-month exhibition starting in April, featuring as its main attraction...

High Tide.(Book Review)
March 1, 2004... by Mark Lynas Flamingo, hb, pp320, 16.99 [pounds sterling] In High Tide, Mark Lynas tries to do for global warming what Naomi Klein's No Logo did for Nike trainers. He's put the emphasis less on collating statistics from the raft of...

Going with the Grain.(Book Review)
March 1, 2004... by Susan Seligson Summersdale, pb, pp320, 8.99 [pounds sterling] For most of us, buying a loaf of bread usually involves an expedition to the nearest supermarket. For Susan Seligson, the yearning for yeast and flour has seen her meander...

Duel in the Snows: the True Story of the Younghusband Mission to Lhasa.(Book Review)
March 1, 2004... by Charles Allen, John Murray, hb, pp 368, 20 [pounds sterling] At the beginning of the 20th century, Tibet remained a mystical land. Lhasa, its forbidden city, was every explorer's holy grail and strictly off-limits--its walls had been...

Travels in West Africa.(Book Review)
March 1, 2004... by Mary Kingsley First published in 1897. Most recent edition published by National Geographic Adventure Classics, pb, pp365, 8.99 [pounds sterling] Mary Kingsley wasn't your typical adventurer. She spent her first 30 years caring for her...

In Search of Nomads.(Book Review)
March 1, 2004... by John Ure Constable & Robinson, hb, pp288, 19.99 [pounds sterling] They ride across the pages of Herodotus and pitch their tents on the maps of Mercator. They abhor the settled world and leave little sign of their passing. They bequeath...

Conquerors of Time: Exploration and Invention in the Age of Daring.(Book Review)
March 1, 2004... by Trevor Fishlock, John Murray, hb, pp464, 20 [pounds sterling] This book is like an industrial crucible spouting several centuries' worth of bubbling global history, right up to Britain's imperial zenith in the early 20th century. To its...

Unlocking the Polar Archive.(Editorial)(Editorial)
March 1, 2004... The Society's Polar Archive received a great deal of attention and support over winter thanks to both Pen Hadow and Simon Murray's fundraising trek to the South Pole and The Times newspaper's charity appeal. We're very grateful for the funds...

RGS-IBG photography award.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Kate Eshelby, the inaugural winner of the John Radford Award for Geographical Photography, has completed her project capturing the cultural changes experienced by the Congo's Ba'Aka people. The 700 [pounds sterling] award supports individuals...

Society events in March.(Calendar)
March 1, 2004... For further details, please contact the Events Office on 020 7591 3100 (unless otherwise stated) or see full listings at www.rgs.org/events At the Society 1 March, 6.30pm THE EARTH: AN INTIMATE HISTORY Scientist and author...

Emme valley, Emmental, Switzerland.(Geographical travel)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... To the east of the Swiss capital, Bern, right in the heart of the Berner Mittelland region, lies what many would consider the quintessential Swiss landscape. The origin of the famous cheese with which it shares its name, Emmental is a land of...

Qatar: a desert kingdom on an oil-rich peninsula, Qatar is a progressive Arab state made prosperous by the export of fossil fuels. With unparalleled natural wonders, a dazzling modern capital and unique heritage, this multicultural country at the heart of the Gulf is set to make a big impact in the 21st century.(21st-Century Countries)
March 1, 2004... Qatar at a glance A snapshot of modern Qatar, its people and its geography In less than a century, the State of Qatar, a tiny peninsula in the heart of the Arabian Gulf, has metamorphosed from an impoverished British protectorate into...

Sand, stone and sea snakes: Qatar's elemental landscape has a subtle beauty unique to the peninsula, as well as a thriving ecological programme that owes much of its success to industry.(21st-Century Countries--Qatar)
March 1, 2004... The desert peninsula of Qatar extends almost 180 kilometres north from the coast of Saudi Arabia into the temperate waters of the Arabian Gulf. At 11,437 square kilometres, this promontory is only slightly smaller than the Falkland Islands. On...

Doha: city of the future: Qatar's capital is a triumph of civic will and creative vision, a dazzling waterside city that's set to become a major tourist destination in the 21st century.(21st-Century Countries--Qatar)
March 1, 2004... Fifty years ago, crossing Qatar by car was an adventure. Like many in the Gulf States, the road from the airport in the east to western Durkhan was a dirt track flattened by Mil workers with a blade grader and smothered in crude oil. Over time,...

Treasures from the sea: for millennia, Qatar traded in luxury, exporting pearls and exotic dyes from small coastal settlements to destinations throughout India, the eastern Mediterranean and the Arab world.(21st-Century Countries--Qatar)
March 1, 2004... While nomadic herders were eking out an existence in Qatars inhospitable desert interior, the warm waters of the Arabian Gulf provided sustenance and wealth of the people who chose to settle along the coastal fringe. Archaeological evidence...

Visiting Qatar: everything you need to know about getting to, and around, Qatar.(21st-Century Countries--Qatar)
March 1, 2004... How to get there Doha Airport welcomes flights from 50 destinations and is a convenient 15-minute drive from Doha city center. Its comfortable facilities will be expanded considerably in 2008 with the completion of a US$1billion...

A not-so slippery slope for winter.(travel news)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... Low-altitude ski resorts face economic hardship and even ruin as a result of global warming, according to a UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report. Dr Rolf Burki of the International School of Tourism Management in Zurich, Switzerland, said...

Building bridges.(travel news)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... A British tour operator has completed a second reconnaissance trip to a remote area of northeastern India at the behest of the Nagaland Tourism Department as part of an effort to promote tourism in the region. In the Khasi and Jaintia...

Tourism concern brushes with the media.(travel news)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... We have a lot of contact with the press at Tourism Concern. If we're running a campaign, we work proactively with the media. But because many people view us as controversial--and therefore good for a quote--we're often asked to provide a...

Cool art.(Travel Update)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2004... A festival of snow art and architecture is taking place from mid February until the end of March in Lapland, Finland. The Snow Show pairs up 30 top architects with 30 renowned artists and sets them the task of building a unique installation of...

Linda Moss is the mastermind behind listings website organicholidays.com, which combines her twin passions of travel and organic food. James Herron finds out how it all started and what's in store for the future.(Travel For A Living)(Interview)
March 1, 2004... Why did you establish Organic Holidays? It started about four years ago. I had been an organic box co-ordinator for some time and I decided I wanted a weekend away from husband, children and housework. I rang the Soil Association to ask if...

Alexander McCall Smith is a professor of medical law, a member of the Really Terrible Orchestra and author of the No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency novels, which sold more than two million copies last year. Nick Smith met him at the RGS-IBG to discuss the ways in which Africa has inspired his writing.(In Conversation)(Interview)
March 1, 2004... Why did you choose to set the No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency series in Botswana? I spent my childhood in Zimbabwe, and in the early 1980s, I went to work in the University of Swaziland and I set a number of short stories there. I was then...