Ukraine crisis in maps 23 April 2014Last updated at 08:39 ET A masked pro-Russian gunman in Sloviansk, eastern Ukraine on 23 April Deadly pro-Russian unrest in eastern Ukraine has created a crisis for the new authorities in Kiev, months after President Viktor Yanukovych was driven out of office. After imposing economic sanctions on Russia over its annexation of the Ukrainian region of Crimea in March, the US and EU are at loggerheads again with Moscow despite diplomatic efforts in Geneva. The crisis has exposed deep divisions in Ukrainian society - between the European-facing west and the Russian-facing east. Explore the maps and graphics below to find out more. Why is the eastern Ukraine crisis dangerous? Pro-Russian sentiment is strong in regions like Donetsk and Luhansk, Ukraine's industrial heartland and vital to the country's economy, but the population is much more divided in its loyalties to Moscow or Kiev than people were in Crimea. High stakes in the east Crisis timeline Why is Crimea so important?
40 more maps that explain the world Maps seemed to be everywhere in 2013, a trend I like to think we encouraged along with August's 40 maps that explain the world. Maps can be a remarkably powerful tool for understanding the world and how it works, but they show only what you ask them to. You might consider this, then, a collection of maps meant to inspire your inner map nerd. 1. Data source: Oak Ridge National Laboratory, World Bank. Those dots represent people: the brighter the dot, the more people. 2. Click to enlarge. Human beings first left Africa about 60,000 years ago in a series of waves that peopled the globe. 3. (Wikimedia commons) The Mongol conquests are difficult to fathom. 4. Click to enlarge. This map shows the Spanish and Portuguese empires at their height. 5. This map shows British, Dutch and Spanish shipping routes from 1750 to 1800. 6. Click to enlarge. 7. Bluer countries have better income equality. Yes, the United States has worse income inequality than Nigeria. 8. Click to enlarge. 9. 10. 11. 12.
How do you stop flooding? 29 January 2014Last updated at 05:15 ET With parts of the UK continuing to suffer the aftermath of the most severe winter floods in years, attention has focused on how flooding can be prevented or alleviated. Here are some of the main methods and principles in use. The Somerset Levels have been flooded for several weeks Dredging Farmers in Somerset claim a lack of river dredging has worsened the impact of the flooding in the area in recent weeks. But the issue of whether rivers should be dredged is not clear cut. The Environment Agency says that while dredging can improve general land drainage, it cannot prevent rivers from flooding, due to the huge volumes of water involved during major floods. The basic aim of dredging is to remove silt - a sedimentary material made of fine sand, clay and small-sized particles of rock - from the river's bed, therefore increasing its capacity to carry water downstream. Flood barriers Metal frame barriers in use at Bewdley in Worcestershire Sustainable drainage
UK storms: Before and after 7 January 2014Last updated at 08:59 ET Stormy weather has wreaked havoc across the UK. A combination of high winds, rain and strong waves have battered the coastline and also caused flooding further inland. Here, a landmark rock arch in Porthcothan Bay in Cornwall, has been reduced to rubble. In Portland, Dorset, a rock stack off the coast, known locally as Pom Pom rock, has been washed away. In Portreath, in Cornwall, a section of the finger pier and harbour wall has been damaged by the waves. Flooding in the Somerset Levels has left villages cut off and roads and buildings damaged. Aberystwyth promenade was evacuated again on Monday night as the coast was hit by an 'exceptional' wave swell.
The 1931 Histomap: The entire history of the world distilled into a single map/chart. The Vault is Slate's history blog. Like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter @slatevault, and find us on Tumblr. Find out more about what this space is all about here. This “Histomap,” created by John B. This giant, ambitious chart fit neatly with a trend in nonfiction book publishing of the 1920s and 1930s: the “outline,” in which large subjects (the history of the world! The 5-foot-long Histomap was sold for $1 and folded into a green cover, which featured endorsements from historians and reviewers. the actual picture of the march of civilization, from the mud huts of the ancients thru the monarchistic glamour of the middle ages to the living panorama of life in present day America. The chart emphasizes domination, using color to show how the power of various “peoples” (a quasi-racial understanding of the nature of human groups, quite popular at the time) evolved throughout history. It’s unclear what the width of the colored streams is meant to indicate.
40 maps that explain the world By Max Fisher By Max Fisher August 12, 2013 Maps can be a remarkably powerful tool for understanding the world and how it works, but they show only what you ask them to. So when we saw a post sweeping the Web titled "40 maps they didn't teach you in school," one of which happens to be a WorldViews original, I thought we might be able to contribute our own collection. Some of these are pretty nerdy, but I think they're no less fascinating and easily understandable. A majority are original to this blog, with others from a variety of sources. [Additional read: How Ukraine became Ukraine and 40 more maps that explain the world] Click to enlarge. Describing a photo 20 different connected ways I love examining a good image. As a trained geographer I always examine an image in 20 different yet connected ways. Sounds intense but it really is quick and can be an extended starter task or a collaborative task on the same image. I'll do it in numbered points so you can see the level of depth to the thinking that can be applied to a single photo. 1. You can extend these even more by applying the question matrix to each of the 6 senses and vary the thinking required as a personalisation strategy. As you can see this links to our senses. This all applied to the NOW. 7. Thinking of a photo in these four ways is fascinating and gets students being creative and also reflective. 11. Add further strength to this and allows imaginations to run riot:) The next few are geography categorising skills but can really focus students into specifics of an image or get them thinking of likely or possible issues: 13. I am putting this second last but if I am honest it should be 1st! 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.
British have invaded nine out of ten countries - so look out Luxembourg The analysis is contained in a new book, All the Countries We've Ever Invaded: And the Few We Never Got Round To. Stuart Laycock, the author, has worked his way around the globe, through each country alphabetically, researching its history to establish whether, at any point, they have experienced an incursion by Britain. Only a comparatively small proportion of the total in Mr Laycock's list of invaded states actually formed an official part of the empire. The remainder have been included because the British were found to have achieved some sort of military presence in the territory – however transitory – either through force, the threat of force, negotiation or payment. Incursions by British pirates, privateers or armed explorers have also been included, provided they were operating with the approval of their government. Among some of the perhaps surprising entries on the list are: * Cuba, where in 1741, a force under Admiral Edward Vernon stormed ashore at Guantánamo Bay. Andorra Belarus
Train Rumbles Through Busy Thailand Market Food traders in Thailand have been filmed dodging trains that pass straight through their busy market. When the warning siren blares, traders have just three minutes to clear away their stalls and produce. Then, once the train has rumbled past, it is back to business for the fish and vegetable sellers in Mae Khrong, about 35 miles west of the Thai capital Bangkok. Eight trains pass through every day. "We have so little time (to move away from the tracks) but all the vendors can make it in time. The market was originally behind the railway line but as it expanded, the vendors started spilling out over the tracks and their stalls now straddle a 500m stretch. It has become a popular sight with tourists who marvel at the traders' stall-clearing routine. ''I never thought that this train track is the one people are travelling on, I thought this was an old track, and nowadays people would never pass here with the train," said Portuguese holidaymaker Hilario Ferreira.
Ed Resources Online - Home of the free Ed Resource Toolbar If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!  By using multi-media geography resources you can make geography lessons come alive as you virtually transport your students/children to places they’ve never been before.  Take your students on a virtual field trip through the fifty U.S. states with Awesome America, featuring: Amazing photographs and links to additional state resources (state symbols, facts, trivia, state parks etc). My favorite resource is World Heritage Tour that allows you to explore three-dimensional views of 277 famous destinations around the world. Just use your mouse to “step inside the picture” and enjoy 365 degree views of the destinations you select. Our family especially enjoyed viewing the pictures from Israel.  The 10 Days Series is organized by iHomeschool Network, a collaboration of outstanding homeschool bloggers who connect with each other and with family-friendly companies in mutually beneficial projects.