Norway is the best place in the world to live while Niger is the least desirable, according to an annual report by the United Nations.
BEST
Norway
Australia
Iceland
WORST
Niger
Afghanistan
Sierra Leone
Tuesday, 6 October 2009
Saturday, 3 October 2009
Population maps
At first glance they could be mistaken for distorted creepy-crawlies - bloated body parts with randomly placed antennae and spindly legs, their gridlines looking much like the compound eyes and variegated wings of an insect. In fact, each image is a country map - reinterpreted by a pair of Sheffield University geographers. The result is a remarkable series of cartographic designs that cast the world in an entirely new light.
Sumatra quake 'levelled villages'
Thousands of people may have died in remote village areas when a powerful earthquake struck Sumatra last week, emergency workers and officials fear.
http://www.geography.org.uk/resources/earthquakes/
BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | Sumatra quake 'levelled villages'
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2009/10/2009_sumatra_earthquakes.htmlAbout 5:00 pm on September 30th, a magnitude 7.6 earthquake struck just offshore of the town of Padang in Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake toppled buildings and started many landslides, smashing homes and swallowing up entire villages. The following day, As rescue workers arrived and residents tried their best to dig out and help the survivors, another unrelated quake with a magnitude of 6.6 struck less than 1,000 km south of the original epicenter. Each of the two quakes had at least one aftershock greater than 5.0 as well. Over 1,000 people are known to have died, an additional 3,000 still missing. Today, October 5th, officials called off the search for survivors in Padang, and are focusing now on caring for the living and coordinating with international relief agencies
Wednesday, 30 September 2009
Dozens dead in Indonesian quake
At least 75 people are dead and thousands are trapped under rubble after a strong earthquake shook western Indonesia, officials say.Buildings, including at least two hospitals, were brought down by the 7.6 magnitude quake, centred about 50km (30 miles) off the coast of Sumatra. Officials say the death toll is expected to rise. It comes hours after a tsunami from a separate quake killed more than 100 people in the South Pacific. A tsunami watch issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in the wake of the Indonesian quake has been lifted.
BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | Dozens dead in Indonesian quake
Tuesday, 29 September 2009
BBC - Wildlife Finder
Journey with Sir David Attenborough as he shares his favourite moments from the last 30 years of wildlife film making. Dive into the BBC's archive, explore the wealth of video, sound, stories and breaking news, and let the greatest show on Earth unfold.
geographyalltheway.com - GCSE / IGCSE Geography - Energy and Water Resources
Candidates should be able to
- Describe the significance of fuelwood in LEDCs and of non-renewable fossil fuels in terms of their availability in certain areas and in terms of the contribution made by coal, oil, natural gas and wood in supplying vast amounts of energy.
- Describe the growing significance of renewable energy supplies [geothermal, wind, running water, solar, biogas] to reduce dependence upon fossil fuels, to alleviate the world's energy crisis, and to offer opportunities for the development of alternative energy sources.
- Describe the factors influencing the siting of different types of electrical power stations with reference to those listed in the Syllabus [thermal, hydro-electric power, nuclear].
- Describe the uses made of water for agriculture, domestic and industrial demand. Candidates should also recognise that in certain areas there are water shortages which impact upon the local people and the potential for development. This leads to competition for the use of the available water resources and requires careful management.
All these aspects would benefit from the selection of appropriate case studies.
geographyalltheway.com - GCSE / IGCSE Geography - Energy and Water Resources
BBC - GCSE Bitesize - Energy
All life on earth is sustained by energy from the sun. Plants and animals can store energy. Some of this energy remains with them when they die. It is the remains of the stored-up energy of ancient animals and plants that make up the fossil fuels that power our cars and factories today.But fossil fuels are non-renewable energy sources and will one day run-out and because burning them generates greenhouse gases, relying on fossil fuels for energy generation is unsustainable. Hence the need to find more renewable, sustainable ways of generating energy.
Energy Resources: Fossil Fuels
What do I need to know?
"Energy Resources" is NOT the same thing as "Types of energy".
"Types of energy" means "kinetic energy", "chemical energy" and so forth.
"Energy Resources" is about ways of getting energy so we can generate electrical power.
BBC NEWS | World | Africa | Life dries up in Kenya's Mau forest
High in the hills of Kenya's Mau forest, some 20,000 families are facing eviction from their farms - accused of contributing to an ecological disaster which has crippled the country.
THE HEART OF KENYA
Mau forest is the largest in Kenya - the size of the Aberdares and Mount Kenya combined
10 million people depend on its rivers
They feed six lakes - Victoria, Turkana, Natron, Nakuru, Baringo and Magadi
Plus eight wildlife reserves - including the Masai Mara, the Serengeti and Lake Nakuru
The rivers have potential for 518MW hydro electricity - 41% of Kenya's total
In all, the forest provides an economic benefit of 20 billion shillings (£166m) per year (UNEP)
But already, a quarter of its 400,000 hectares have been destroyed by farmers and loggers
BBC NEWS | World | Africa | Life dries up in Kenya's Mau forest
Sunday, 27 September 2009
Can China help to defuse the nuclear threat from Iran?
As a veto-holding permanent member of the UN Security Council, China's position will be crucial to international efforts to deal with Iran's secret nuclear facility.
"Iran is an important country for China: we have diplomatic interests, but also energy and trade links," he said. "[And] if China is too harsh, it will not be favourable to its image and influence in the Middle East."
China is the world's second-largest consumer of crude oil while Iran has the world's second largest reserves; Iranian oil made up more than a tenth of China's crude imports last year. Earlier this year, the two countries announced a $3.2bn three-year natural gas deal, and in the spring Iran's Press TV reported that trade volume between the countries leapt from $400m in 1994 to $29bn in 2008.
Can China help to defuse the nuclear threat from Iran? | World news | The Observer
Iran and United States on collision course over nuclear plant | World news | The Observer
The US and Iran raised the stakes yesterday ahead of this week's nuclear showdown in Geneva, with threats of global strife if no resolution is found.
The sharpened rhetoric followed Friday's revelation that Iran had been building a secret uranium enrichment plant under a mountain near Qom, and it points towards a new wave of sanctions that go far beyond the targeted financial measures imposed on Iran so far.
Speaking at the G20 summit in Pittsburgh, Barack Obama declared: "Iran is on notice that when we meet with them on 1 October they are going to have to come clean, and they will have to make a choice." The alternative to sticking to international rules on Iran's nuclear development, he said, would be "a path that is going to lead to confrontation".
Iran and United States on collision course over nuclear plant | World news | The Observer
Iran defiant over secret nuclear facility
BBC Iran conceal nuclear facility
10:10 | What is 10:10?
10:10 is an ambitious project to unite every sector of British society behind one simple idea: that by working together we can achieve a 10% cut in the UK’s carbon emissions in 2010.
Why bother jumping out of the way of a speeding car? Why bother removing a burst appendix?
Cutting 10% in one year is a bold target, but for most of us it’s an achievable one, and is in line with what scientists say we need over the next 18 months. We now know for certain that unless we act quickly to reduce our use of dirty fossil fuels, humanity will face terrible problems in the years to come. Politicians have so far failed to do what needs to be done, so it’s time for ordinary people to step in and show that we’re ready to defend our children’s futures. It’s now or never for the climate.
Saturday, 26 September 2009
Kenya's slums attract poverty tourism
Tourists snapping up £20 guided walks around Nairobi's open-sewer streets
The streets of Kibera, Nairobi, are attracting the interest of tour operators - but critics say the residents are on parade like animals. Photograph: Stephen Morrison/EPA
The Dutch tourists came well prepared for the walking safari: strong shoes and sunscreen, backpacks and bottled water. Ahead lay an afternoon visiting one of Kenya's most recognisable sights – but one that rarely features in tourist brochures.
"It might seem a bit strange to come here," said Eric Schlangen, as the guide led him towards the sea of tin-roofed shacks that constitute Kibera, often described as one of the world's largest slums. "But I wanted to see how people live in this country, not just the animals."
Slum tourism is taking off in Kenya. Several local organisations have started selling guided trips through Kibera, a short drive from the luxury hotels that serve most foreign visitors in Nairobi.
For about £20, tourists are promised a glimpse into the lives of the hundreds of thousands of people crammed into tiny rooms along dirt paths littered with excrement-filled plastic bags known as "flying toilets", as one tour agency explains on its website.
Kenya's slums attract poverty tourism | World news | The Guardian
Very young children among migrants heading for UK, warns UN refugee agency
The UN's refugee agency warned today that children as young as three are among the migrants attempting to reach Britain and that the number of unaccompanied refugee children is on the increase.There is evidence that ever younger children are attempting dangerous journeys around the world, said William Spindler, spokesman for the UN high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR).
New surfers' reef fails to make waves
In the parlance of the surfing community it was supposed to attract, Bournemouth's new £3m underwater reef was meant to be Gnarlatious, creating giant Honkers from Atlantic swells and so bringing in legions of Dudes and Dudettes who flock to resorts in Cornwall and Devon each year to ride Bamboras.Instead it has turned out to be Bogus, and is making waves for all the wrong reasons.As work on the reef at Boscombe comes to a close, surfers say there is still no sign of the promised "world-class" waves it was meant to create. Residents are furious that the project, which is more than a year behind schedule and has cost three times the original budget, is failing to deliver.
New surfers' reef fails to make waves - This Britain, UK - The Independent
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