Geographical articles from November 2003

Geographical archives from November 2003

Exploring new meanings.(Editorial)
November 1, 2003... While editing this issue of Geographical, I noticed an emerging theme relating to the changing face of exploration and to the changes in meaning of the word itself. In his obituary of Sir Wilfred Thesiger (page 16), Robin Hanbury-Tenison...

Missing in West Africa.(letters)(Chris Velten)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The RGS has supported the advancement of geographical learning since the early 1800s, inspiring some of the greatest explorers of our time. Mungo Park is among the most celebrated, being the first Westerner to penetrate the interior of Africa...

Litter letter.(Prize Letter)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2003... I was heartened by the short item on the launch of a new campaign to clean up the litter in the North Sea (Worldwatch, September 2003). Living in Weymouth, I know how much debris washes up on the beaches and that much of it comes from passing...

Beeing helpful.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2003... On reading the September issue of Geographical I was delighted to learn that I am--unwittingly--doing my bit for conservation. In the brief story in Worldwatch, gardeners are called upon to attract bumblebees, which are disappearing from...

Correction.(letters)(Correction Notice)
November 1, 2003... Geographical, October 2003 Hike Japan The dates in the Hike Japan advertisement on page 118 were incorrect. Their Imperial Pilgrimage Tour actually runs from 25 October to 8 November.

Renewables on the rise.(letters)(Letter to the Editor)
November 1, 2003... Adrian Hill makes some valid points about the limited availability of renewable technologies at his local builders' merchants (Letters, September 2003). However, he may not be aware that through the regular uprating of building regulations...

Sir Wilfred Thesiger (1910-2003).(Obituary)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Wilfred Thesiger was the prime source of inspiration to modern explorers. In many ways, he was the last Englishman to wear the description without qualification. As he often said, Wilfred was lucky enough to live in an era when there was still...

Ancient Amazonian civilisation found.(Ecuador)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Archaeologists have uncovered the remains of a previously unknown civilisation in the tropical rainforests of the western Amazon. A team of French and Ecuadorian researchers estimates that the complex society, which they have tentatively named...

Extreme weather on the rise.(Global)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The World Meteorological Organisation, the UN's climate-science agency, says that the world is experiencing a record number of extreme weather events such as droughts and tornadoes. It lays the blame firmly on global climate change. In...

Botswana's Bushmen return to court.(Botswana)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... As Geographical went to press, the Gana and Gwi Bushmen and Bakgalagadi people of Botswana's Central Kalahari Game Reserve (CKGR) were returning to court to appeal against the Botswanan government's eviction policy. The case was originally...

The European Commission has imposed a six-month emergency restriction on deepwater fishing off the northwest coast of Scotland.(UK)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The European Commission has imposed a six-month emergency restriction on deepwater fishing off the northwest coast of Scotland around the Darwin Mounds to prevent further damage to their cold-water reefs.

Archaeologists have described an ancient astronomical observatory discovered last year.(Germany)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Archaeologists have described an ancient astronomical observatory discovered last year in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, as a "milestone in archaeological research" after they calculated that it was probably built between 5000 and 4800 BC, making it...

Deni get their way.(Brazil)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... An Amazonian indigenous group that surveyed and mapped its own land when it realised it couldn't depend upon the authorities to protect it from loggers recently celebrated the final step in the successful demarcation of their territory. The...

Plans to save Fiji's coral.(Fiji)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Fiji's endangered coral reefs have been thrown a lifeline in the form of two schemes run by the Foundation for the Peoples of the South Pacific (FSP). The Ridge to Reef project is aimed at curbing the flow of contaminated run-off into The...

Heat-loving organism found.(USA)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Scientists from the University of Massachusetts have discovered a single-celled organism capable of withstanding record-breaking temperatures. Found near a hydrothermal vent in the Pacific Ocean, Strain 121 is able to reproduce at 121[degrees]C...

The David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation will hold its first Art for Survival wildlife exhibition from 11 to 21 November at the Tyron Gallery, St James's, London.(UK)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation will hold its first Art for Survival wildlife exhibition from 11 to 21 November at the Tyron Gallery, St James's, London. It will display original works by 12 artists including Shepherd himself.

Archaeologists working alongside construction teams at the site of Heathrow airport's Terminal Five have found remains from the Stone, Bronze and Iron ages.(UK)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Archaeologists working alongside construction teams at the site of Heathrow airport's Terminal Five have found remains from the Stone, Bronze and Iron ages, as well as Roman, Saxon and medieval artefacts.

Geographical magazine November 1983.(20 Years Ago Today ...)
November 1, 2003... From some perspectives, the Geographical of 20 years ago is very different to that of today. From glaciers and landslides to coastal erosion and tectonic uplift, the articles concentrate mainly on geography's physical side, with little sign of...

A comparison of human DNA with that of 12 other animals.(USA)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... A comparison of human DNA with that of 12 other animals, carried out by the National Human Genome Research Institute, suggests we have more in common with rats than cats.

The Royal Dutch/Shell group has promised not to explore for, or develop, oil and gas resources within natural World Heritage sites.(Global)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The Royal Dutch/Shell group has promised not to explore for, or develop, oil and gas resources within natural World Heritage sites. "We know we have a responsibility to ensure that impact is minimised and that the long-term legacy of our...

Fears for lynx after fires.(Portugal)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The forest fires that killed 18 people in Portugal this year could also have devastated the Iberian lynx population, says SOS Lynx, a conservation group fighting to save the endangered animal "We could be on the verge of the first big cat...

First survey of UK's basking sharks reveals a creature of habit.(UK)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The first definitive survey of basking sharks in UK waters has been completed by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS). The 15-year study identified the four main areas around the UK where basking sharks are most common: southwestern England,...

Global population watch.(Quizzical)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The world population at the time of going to press was according to: the United Nations 6,362,803,551 the CIA 6,323,677,010 the US Bureau of the Census 6,315,037,080

The UN has predicted several times that there would be wars over water. Have any happened?(Quizzical)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... F Double Boutros-Boutros Ghali and Kofi Annan, the UN's last two secretaries general, have both warned of the possibility of water wars. But despite the fact that demand is increasing rapidly in some parts of the world, tensions don't seem...

What's the difference between a nautical and a statute mile?(Quizzical)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... A Dawson Until the 18th century, the mile used by sailors was the same as a mile on land. Based on the Roman mile Which was designed to represent 1,000 double steps (two strides of a soldier), the statute mile was redefined several times...

Which is the world's most dangerous country in which to drive?(Quizzical)
November 1, 2003... F Halliwell If you thought navigating the Boulevard Periphique in Paris was tricky, try driving in India or Ethiopia, two of the world's road-accident blackspots. Worldwide, according to the most recent detailed study by the World Health...

I have recently read that the bumblebee is in danger of extinction? Is this true? If so, what can be done about it?(Quizzical)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... P Mather Unfortunately, it's true, at least in the UK. Thanks to the use of intensive farming techniques and a decline in the plants on which bumblebees like to feed, the most important pollinator of the average British garden is facing...

What did people do to shield their eyes before sunglasses?(Quizzical)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... K Swan Most people squinted. However, the Inuit of the Arctic prevented snow blindness by carving pieces of bone or wood into eye shields and cutting narrow slits into them. According to the Museum of Anthropology at the University of...

Trekking towards enlightenment: revered by 1.5 billion people across the globe, Mount Kailas in Tibet is a place of pilgrimage for Hindus, Buddhists, Jains and Bonpo believers. But paying your respects to this 'centre of the universe' is certainly no walk in the park.
November 1, 2003... Two o'clock in the morning, and I still couldn't sleep. At 5,200 metres, the air was so thin I could hardly breathe. It was -15[degrees]C, snowing and windy. My brain felt like it was going to burst out of my head any minute and two days of...

Global risk and danger.(Geographical dossier)
November 1, 2003... As Liberian President Charles Taylor was spirited away to exile in neighbouring Nigeria in August this year, many hoped that Liberia's troubles were over. But after years of brutal civil war, the nightmare is only just unfolding as its people...

A giant leap into Africa: in the late 18th century, more was known about the surface of the moon than about the interior of Africa. But then a group of prominent and determined men decided to put that right. In the process, they founded the Royal Geographical Society.
November 1, 2003... The story begins and ends with a dinner. On a bright day in June 1788, Sir Joseph Banks, president of the Royal Society, and Henry Beaufoy, an MP and anti-slavery campaigner, met with seven of their friends. They were members of a group called...

The quiet adventures: the origins of the Royal Geographical Society may lie in the exploration of Africa, but it went on to support countless lower-profile expeditions to all four corners of the globe, as is illustrated by these images from the RGS-IBG archives.(Geographical Archive)
November 1, 2003... "To those bred under an elaborate social order few such moments of exhilaration can come as that which stands at the threshold of wild travel. The gates of the enclosed garden are thrown open, the chain at the entrance of the sanctuary is...

Taking the high road: in the late 1800s, the Hindu Kush was the setting for one of the most heroic events of the Great Game. Amar Grover visited northern Pakistan to retrace the remarkable journey taken by a small British Army contingent to rescue their comrades-in-arms.
November 1, 2003... Gilgit is a major staging post in the heart of Pakistan's Northern Areas. Many travellers stop here to break up their journey along the Karakoram Highway between China and the hot Punjabi plains. Most mountaineers bound for K2 head east from...

Looking down on the land: during the Second World War, Allied and German aircraft flew thousands of hazardous missions to photograph each others' territories. Sixty years later, images that were once used to facilitate tactical bombing raids are being used to promote regeneration across the UK.
November 1, 2003... When the bombs rained down on Europe during the Second World War, the resulting destruction marked the fulfilment of a programme of topographical surveillance developed by the military on both sides of the Channel. Although aerial photography...

A Scotsman in India: William Dalrymple's meticulously researched books have made him one of the most popular travel writers of his generation. As he begins the follow-up to the award-winning White Mughals, he talks to Christian Amodeo about Islam, India and international politics.(Interview)
November 1, 2003... "Unless the context is understood you are never going to win the war on terrorism because the only thing protecting the West is the goodwill of the Islamic world," says William Dalrymple matter-of-factly. After 17 years of writing about what he...

21st-Century exploring: in this month's special report, self-confessed mountain obsessive Paul Deegan offers up some sound advice for planning and executing your next expedition, reports on some expeditions currently out in the field and delves into his address book for a comprehensive contact list.(Expedition Special)
November 1, 2003... Many people feel that in the 21st century we have nothing left to discover. But Nigel Winser, deputy director of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG), believes the reality is rather different. "It's true that we aren't far away from being...

RGS-IBG approved and supported projects 2003.(Expedition Special)(Directory)
November 1, 2003... Legend of RGS-IBG Grants BA British Airways Travel Bursary DAX Dax Copp Travel Fellowship GF Gordon Foundation Land Rover HH Henrietta Hutton Research Grant HK Hong Kong Research Grant IGT Innovative Geography...

Expeditionism: if you dream of taking on a challenge in a far-off land, relying on your abilities and those of your colleagues to succeed, where the only limits are those you set yourself, then you may be suffering symptoms of expeditionism. These companies can put you on the path to recovery.(Geographical Promotion)
November 1, 2003... Zambezi Safari and Travel There's more to Africa's natural history than even experienced travellers think. Visit some of our less traditional venues through a selection of seasonal bush camps and lodges in the Luangwa Valley, the lower...

Northern exposure: record-breaking polar explorer Pen Hadow talks to Christian Amodeo about discovering his vocation in the RGS-IBG reading room, swimming in the Arctic and his new fame.(Long Live Dreams[TM])(Interview)
November 1, 2003... From somewhere behind his thick beard, a bright grin appears on Pen Hadow's tanned face. "I'm a half-baked polar explorer," he says. The friendly 41-year-old, who earlier this year made a record-breaking unsupported solo trek from Canada to the...

Red-Color News Soldier.(Book Review)
November 1, 2003... by Li Zhensheng Phaidon, flexibound, pp316, 24.95 [pounds sterling] During China's Cultural Revolution of the 1960s, photojournalists weren't supposed to take pictures of what Li Zhensheng calls the "denunciations and torment of the time."...

The World's Great Adventure Treks.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2003... edited by Jack Jackson New Holland, hb, pp160, 29.99 [pounds sterling] Fifty years ago, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay achieved the seemingly impossible and reached the summit of Everest. If you feel like following suit or just fancy a...

Sex, Botany and Empire: the Story of Carl Linnaeus and Joseph Banks.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2003... by Patricia Fara Icon Books, hb, pp168, 9.99 [pounds sterling] Despite having had an enormous influence on both science and the British Empire, Sir Joseph Banks remains a virtual unknown in the UK, it's this anomaly that Patricia Fara sets...

The Motoring Age: the Automobile and Britain 1896-1939.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2003... by Peter Thorold Profile Books, hb, pp320, 20 [pounds sterling] When your car has a maximum speed of only 24km/h, it would seem unnecessary to have a man walking in front of it holding a red flag to warn others. But 100 years ago, when...

The Gates of Africa.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2003... by Anthony Sattin HarperCollins, hb, pp355, 25 [pounds sterling] "No species of information is more ardently desired, or more generally useful, than that which improves the science of geography", read the resolution of the African...

Marching Powder.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2003... by Rusty Young Sidgwick & Jackson, pb, pp374, 10.99 [pounds sterling] Marching Powder is a prison story with a difference--mainly due to the prison in which it's set. The book tells the story of Thomas McFadden, a British...

Interpreting the Landscape from the Air.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2003... by Mick Aston Tempus Publishing, hb, pp144, 18.99 [pounds sterling] One hundred years after the Wright brothers' first flight comes a book that shows how man's ability to fly has changed our view of the past. From the air, we're able to see...

South from Granada.(Book Review)
November 1, 2003... by Gerald Brennan First published in 1958. Most recent edition published by Penguin, pb, pp320, 9.99 [pounds sterling] The end of the Great War should have meant that the world was a safer place for aspiring man of letters Gerald Brennan,...

The Cable: the Wire that Changed the World.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
November 1, 2003... by Gillian Cookson, Tempus Publishing, hb, pp158, 12.99 [pounds sterling] In 1855, during one of the first attempts to lay an underwater telegraph wire--from Newfoundland to Cape Breton--engineers laid 39 kilometres of cable before the...

Something for everyone.(Editorial)(benefits of membership in Royal Geographical Society)
November 1, 2003... Something for everyone It's often difficult to capture the full scope of the Society's work and what it has to offer. People approach the Society from different angles--many know it for the part it played in historical geographical...

Greening the garden.(In society: a round-up of news, views and events taking place at the RGS-IBG this month)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The RGS-IBG's capital appeal is drawing to a close and the Society is making a last push to close the funding gap. In particular, the Society hopes to find a sponsor to support the work of re-landscaping its garden following the extension of...

Hong Kong research grant.(In society: a round-up of news, views and events taking place at the RGS-IBG this month)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Jingyi Li from Durham University has been awarded the first RGS-IBG Hong Kong Research Grant of 2,500 [pounds sterling] for her research examining Chinas regional economic development under the domination of central government systems. She will...

Society events in November.(In society: a round-up of news, views and events taking place at the RGS-IBG this month)(Calendar)
November 1, 2003... 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 3 November, 6.30pm A PLAGUE ON YOUR HOUSE Edward Marriott tells the...

Geography, serving society and the environment: RGS-IBG Annual Conference, London 2003.(Annual Conference)
November 1, 2003... The Society's London headquarters ere a veritable hive of activity in September as we welcomed more than 1,100 delegates to our international annual conference. This year, the long tradition of holding the conference at a university was broken...

The Rock Islands, Palau, Micronesia.(Geographical travel)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... A remarkable collection of 200 corraline-limestone mounds, each crowned with deep-green forest, the Rock Islands of southern Palau are among the most beautiful formations in Micronesia. The islands are the remains of coral reefs built at a time...

Sikkimese border opens to tourists.(travel news)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... This month, tourists will cross the border between Tibet and the disputed region of Sikkim in India for the first time in more than 40 years. Clients on a tour led by High and Wild will follow the route taken by Sir Francis Younghusband's 1904...

Tourism Concern: Faliraki fall-out.(travel news)(controlling tourist behavior)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... This summer has been a controversial one for Faliraki, the Greek holiday destination where a young British holidaymaker was fatally stabbed by another. According to the Federation of Tour Operators, local licensing authorities have created an...

Fifty peaks open in Nepal.(travel news)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... The Nepal Mountaineering Association has named and opened to climbers and tourists 50 new peaks. The highest of these is Kabru (7,318 metres) in the Kanchanjunga range in Singalila. "There is a big market for these peaks as some people want to...

Resumption of whaling may "cause great damage" to Iceland's tourism industry.(travel news)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Tour operators to Iceland are concerned about the Icelandic government's resumption of 'scientific' whaling in August and proposal to start commercial whaling in 2006 Arctic experience, market leaders in Icelandic holidays and pioneers of...

Scott in the Antarctic.(Travel update)(Jonathan Scott to lead cruises)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Jonathan Scott, wildlife photographer and presenter of the BBC's Big Cat Diary, will lecture on, and act as a guide for, two Exodus Antarctic cruises in February 2094. * Info: www.exodus.co.uk

Really mad.(Travel update)(Really Make A Difference volunteer placements)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Next year, Really Make a Difference, a not-for-profit organisation, is offering three-month volunteer placements In January, May and September to Central America, helping and teaching disadvantaged children. * Info: www.reallymad.org

Marco Polo is ten.(Travel update)(Orient Lines' cruise ship)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... This month, Orient Lines celebrates the tenth anniversary of its Marco Polo cruise vessel with savings of up to 49 per cent on cruises to the Mediterranean and Canary Islands. * Info: orientlines.com

Svalbard diving photography trip.(Travel update)(Arctic)(Brief Article)
November 1, 2003... Beluga Expeditions & Adventures is offering seven-night trips among icebergs and Arctic wildlife in June 2004. The tours will be of particular interest to keen divers and wildlife photographers. * Info: www.beluga.nu

The keeper of Kinabalu: in a remote corner of Malaysia Borneo, a former mountain porter is showing his local community how they can earn a living by saving the rainforest. Keith Wilson meets the man behind a novel example of grass-roots conservation.
November 1, 2003... "Early October in Sabah in Sabah, northern Borneo. The wet season is just a few weeks away. On a trail winding across the Sleep foothills of Mount Kinabalu, I stop to wipe gay eyes, which are stinging from the perspiration, that runs...

Travel for a living.(Anita Prosser of British Trust for Conservation Volunteers)(Interview)
November 1, 2003... Anita Prosser is the head of international development for the Trust for Conservation Volunteers (BTCV), an organisation that offers conservation holidays in the UK and abroad. Over the past 40 years, BTCV volunteers have been making an impact...

Walk against want: fancy seeing an unusual part of the world, setting yourself a challenge and helping others into the bargain? Then look no further for great ideas of what to do, where to do it and who to do it for.(Geographical Promotion)
November 1, 2003... VSO As well as raising much-needed money, many of VSO's treks will give you an opportunity to meet VSO volunteers and the local people with whom they are working. What better way to explore a country than to do so in the knowledge that...

In conversation.(Sir John Ure)(Interview)
November 1, 2003... Sir John Ure has served as British Ambassador to Cuba, Brazil and Sweden and is the author of several travel and history books. He talks to Christian Amodeo about his latest book, In Search Nomads, in which he visits some of the world's last...