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The A to Z categories are based on the English language and inadvertently might not include all native country names.
Throughout the world, there are 11 countries whose names start with the letter G. The continent with the most 'G' countries is Africa. Africa's five G countries are GABON, GAMBIA, GHANA, GUINEA, and GUINEA-BISSAU. Interestingly, all five countries are in West Africa and share a coastline with the Atlantic Ocean. GEORGIA, where the Caucasus Mountains stretch horizontally across the northern part of the country, is the only 'G' country in Asia. For reference, Georgia is east of the Black Sea and south of western Russia. In Europe, the two 'G' countries are GERMANY and GREECE. North America's two 'G' countries are GUATEMALA, located west of Belize, El Salvador, and Honduras and southeast of Mexico, and GRENADA, a Caribbean Sea island in the Lesser Antilles island chain. Lastly, the only South American 'G' country is GUYANA, which is on the northern coast of South America to the east of Venezuela, north of Brazil, and west of Suriname.
The tiny, Himalayan kingdom of BHUTAN in South-Central Asia has twenty districts, which are locally called dzongkhags. These are labeled on the map I made below with their names and the thicker blue borders. The districts are further divided into gewogs. These gewogs are shown on the map by the thin light blue lines. For the map below, the shapefiles source comes from the website Global Admin. Areas.
The map I made below features the population densities of Poland's voivodeships, or provinces. Visit my Poland voivodeships post for a map labeled with the names of the voivodeships. The unit of measurement on this map is people per square kilometer. Ślaskie has the highest population density, with 375 people per square kilometer. The next highest population density is 220, belonging to Malopolskie. Three provinces - Dolnoślaskie, Łódzkie (Lodz), and Mazowieckie (the location of Poland's capital, Warsaw) are in the third highest class (139-149) on my map. With the most provinces, the 108-125 class has the following six: Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Opolskie (Opole), Podkarpackie, Pomorskie, Świetokrzyskie, and Wielkopolskie. Click on the map to enlarge it! The voivodeships of Lubelskie in East Poland and Lubuskie and Zachodnio-Pomorskie (West Pomerania) in West Poland are in the second smallest class (73-86). Finally, the provinces of Podlaskie and Warminsko-Mazurskie in Northeast Poland have 59 and 60 people per square mile, according to the Central Statistical Office of Poland data (year 2012) that was used.
The Eastern European country of POLAND has sixteen provinces, which are called voivodeships in the Polish language. Mazowieckie is the voivodeship where Poland's capital, Warsaw, is located. Mazowieckie, in East-Central Poland, is the largest voivodeship, while Opolskie in Southern Poland is the smallest. I made the map below using data from www.gadm.org (Global Administrative Areas). Click on the map to enlarge it!
With a rather high population density of about 1650 people per square mile (almost 640 people per sq. km) and more than 22 million people, TAIWAN (link to Taiwan post) has a lot of cities as you might expect. Located in northern Taiwan, the capital Taipei (T'aipei) is the largest city, with a population greater than 2 million. The second largest city, situated on the South China Sea coast in southwest Taiwan, is Kaohsiung. Cities with populations larger than 100,000 that are located in western Taiwan on the coast (east of the Taiwan Strait) and inland include Changhua, Chiai, Fengyüan, Hsinchu, T'aichung, and T'ainan. The city of Keelung is east of Taipei, while Hualien is on the eastern coast and south of Taroko National Park.
6:08 P.M. Central Time - There are TORNADO WARNINGS for Central Greenwood, Northern Humphreys, and extreme Southern Sunflower counties in Mississippi ; and also extreme Southeastern Sharkey and Central Yazoo counties in Mississippi.
5:36 P.M. - A tornado warning was for parts of the counties Humphreys, Issaquena, Leflore, Sharkey, Sunflower, and Washington counties in Mississippi and for the extreme southeast part of East Carroll and extreme northeast part of Madison parishes in Louisiana, but that has expired.
Weather alerts are thanks to the National Weather Service offices of Northern Indiana (North Webster) and Indianapolis. This is a map showing the weather at 6:10 P.M. (4/18/13) Eastern Time.
The TORNADO WATCH, which is shown by the yellow counties in the map, is expected to expire at 10 P.M. Eastern Time. The counties with white dots that have green borders have Flood Watches (some are Flash Flood Watches, which means that lots of rain may fall in a short period of time). Darker green counties (including Benton, Fulton, Kosciusko, Jasper, Porter, and Pulaski) also have a Flood Watch (no Flash Flood Watches in these counties as of now). Lime green counties and counties with lime green dots are under a Flood Warning due to excessive rain. Northwest Lake County (including Gary) and counties in Northeast Illinois have a Flash Flood Warning issued.
The United States weather at 7:25 P.M. Central Time / 8:25 P.M. Eastern Time 4/17/13. Check www.weather.gov for the latest weather updates.
Another severe day of weather is here. For the counties of Adams and Brown in Illinois and Southeastern Caddo, Western Grady, and Northern Comanche in Oklahoma, there are TORNADO WARNINGS as of 7:53 P.M. Central Time.
TORNADO WATCHES are issued for counties in Northern and Western Indiana, Central Illinois, Southwestern to Northeastern Missouri, most of Oklahoma, and eight counties in Northern Texas (Archer, Baylor, Clay, Foard, Hardeman, Knox, Wichita, and Wilbarger).
SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNINGS are located in West-Central Indiana (Boone, southern part of Clinton, Northwest Hendricks, Montgomery, extreme eastern part of Parke, Putnam, and Southeast Tippecanoe counties), Adams County (IL) and North-Central Illinois (parts of the counties LaSalle, Livingston, Marshall, and Woodford), Northeast Missouri (parts of the counties Audrain, Boone, Lewis, Marion, and Monroe), and Oklahoma (Caddo, Comanche, Southeast Jackson, extreme Southern Kiowa, and Tillman), and Texas (parts of the counties Baylor, Foard, Hardeman, Knox, Wichita, and Wilbarger).
The island country of PALAU, an archipelago of islands, atolls, and reefs, is comprised of hundreds of islands east of The Philippines. Babelthuap (also known as Babeldoab and other names) is by far the largest island. The Arekalong Peninsula (also known as Ngerchelong Peninsula) extends vertically from the northern side of Babelthuap. Aiyon Mountain marks the northernmost point of the peninsula and island. Melekeok, the current capital of Palau, is located on the eastern shore of the island at Melekeok Point. The former capital, at the community of Koror, is located on the island with the same name (Koror) southwest of Babelthuap. I noticed that most islands in Palau start with the letters 'A' and 'N' and have interesting names! These islands include Anguar, Apurashokoru, Arakabesan, Aulong, Auluptagel, Ngemelis, Ngeregong, Ngergoi, Ngeruktabel (Urukthapel), and Ngesebus. Other islands include Kayangel Islands (north of Babelthuap), Kongauru, Mercherchar (Eil Malu), Orukuizu, and Peleliu (Beliliou). Visit my Palau post to discover more and see a Palau map!
Teams flew from the Southern African country BOTSWANA to the city of Zurich, located in northern SWITZERLAND. Once they arrived at the airport, they traveled south towards a much smaller community in Southern Switzerland. This town is Grindelwald, which boasts a beautiful church named Kirche (Church) Grindelwald. In this episode, teams rode the train rather frequently to get from one destination to the next. The first task was to walk a rescue dog from one rugged location to the next. Traveling by train, teams then went to the Eiger Mountain, which is a little more than three miles south of Grindelwald — as shown in the interactive Bing map below.
The challenge at this mountain called for a member of each team to horizontally climb across a dangerous mountainside thousands of feet above sea level to retrieve a hanging Travelocity gnome. Wynona had the most trouble with this challenge, not to mention being understandably frightened by the height! The next challenge was amusing: teams climbed to the top of a snow-covered hill to get four wheels of cheese, a total of 200 pounds. They then had to transport the cheese with two wooden sleds downhill. While Chuck and Wynona were last to complete the challenge, they actually arrived at the Pit Stop before Joey and Meghan did because that team walked instead of taking a taxi to the Pit Stop. However, Chuck and Wynona received a 30-minute penalty since they improperly rolled the cheese down the hill (they were supposed to keep them on the sleds). Joey and Meghan arrived before the penalty expired, so Chuck and Wynona were eliminated.
Results: Team Anthony and Bates arrived at the Pit Stop first yet again, winning a trip to the island of Bora Bora in French Polynesia. Mona and Beth were second, Max and Katie were third, Caroline and Jennifer were fourth, Joey and Meghan were sixth, and Chuck and Wynona were last and eliminated.
Located in the southern part of the newest country in the world, the capital of SOUTH SUDAN is Juba (also written with two macrons above the u's: Jūbā). South Sudan is south of Sudan (well, of course!), east of the Central African Republic, northeast of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, west of Ethiopia, northwest of Kenya, and north of Uganda in Africa.
The weather as of 5:45 P.M. Central Time / 6:45 Eastern Time
According to the National Weather Service of Little Rock, there are TORNADO WARNINGS for eastern Stone and western Izard Counties in Arkansas as of 5:45 P.M. Formerly, parts of Conway, Garland, Izard, Marion, Perry, Pope, Saline, Searcy, Stone, and Yell Counties in Arkansas had a tornado warning, but does not anymore as of this update. In Illinois, the northwestern part of Jefferson county was under a Tornado Warning, but is not anymore.
There are Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in Arkansas, Northeastern Missouri, Central Indiana (Hamilton and Madison Counties), Western Ohio, and Northwest Pennsylvania and Eastern Pennsylvania (Lehigh and Northampton Counties) as of 5:45 P.M. Central Time / 6:45 P.M. Eastern Time. A Tornado Watch is issued for Arkansas, Southern Illinois, Northern Louisiana, Western Mississippi, and Southeast Missouri. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch stretches from Eastern Illinois, through Central Indiana and Ohio, and ending in Southern Pennsylvania. Visit the National Weather Service for the latest updates.
This post was first published at 7:28 P.M. Mountain Time / 9:28 P.M. Eastern Time
For those who would be affected by the weather mentioned in this post, visit the Denver and Boulder area's National Weather Service website for the latest information, as the weather can be ever-changing.
A strange paradox is happening in the U.S. state of Colorado: the two types of warnings issued are a strange combination to happen in one state, in one time period. First, according to the National Weather Service for the Denver and Boulder area, there are Tornado Warnings issued for the counties of Morgan, Phillips, and Washington, which are in Northeast Colorado. Second, there are two Blizzard Warnings in Colorado. One is in Northwest Colorado, and it stretches into Northeast Utah, while the other covers a large portion of East-Central Colorado - this warning is south and east of Denver and includes Colorado Springs. Not only are there both blizzard and tornado warnings in the state, the northern part of the East-Central blizzard warning is extremely close to the tornado warning in Morgan and Washington counties - being only 6 miles away! Visit the National Weather Service website at weather.gov for the latest national weather information.
A country located south of Nicaragua and west of Panama in Central America, COSTA RICA can celebrate its dedication to preserving the forested interior of the country for years to come. Costa Rica conserves its rainforests and vital ecosystems with many national parks and wildlife reserves. Even the Caribbean Sea coastline is dotted with several of these conservation efforts, including Parque Nacional (P.N.) Rincón de la Vieja, P.N. Barra del Colorado, P.N. Tortuguero, and P.N. Cahuita, and Gandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge. There is a national park, P.N. Braulo Carrillo, located closely north of Costa Rica's capital, San José. Parque Internacional la Armistad is a large forested area that is also found in Panama. There are other conserved areas in Costa Rica that I have not listed.
Quick GeoFact: TONGA is a country of many islands located in the South Pacific Ocean. Specifically, it is east of Fiji, south of Samoa, and west of Niue island — an island belonging to New Zealand. Tonga's capital, located on the main island of Tongatapu, is Nuku'alofa.
Located in Northwestern Canada, Yukon is one of the three territories (the others being Northwest Territories and Nunavut). The territory is east of the U.S. state of Alaska, north of British Columbia, and west of the Northwest Territories. With a current population above 23,000, the capital and largest city is Whitehorse, situated in Southern Yukon. The major rivers of Yukon including Peel River, Pelly River, Wind River, and Yukon River. Yukon, like British Columbia, is mountainous. The Mackenzie Mountains form a natural border with the Northwest Territories. Other mountain ranges include Ogelvie Mountains, Richardson Mountains, and Selwyn Mountains. Canada's largest mountain, Mount Logan, stands at over 20,000 feet (over 6,000 meters) in Southwest Yukon, close to Alaska's panhandle. National parks include Kluane N.P. and Reserve - where Mount Logan is located - and Ivvavik N.P. and Vuntut N.P. north of the Arctic Circle in Northern Yukon.
Located in South-Central Canada, Saskatchewan is one of the Prairie Provinces - the others being Alberta and Manitoba. Saskatchewan's northeast corner is part of a four-corners region. The province is east of Alberta, west of Manitoba, south of the Northwest Territories, southwest of Nunavut, and north of the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota. The capital and second largest city, located in Southern Saskatchewan, is Regina. The largest city is Saskatoon. Hence being a Prairie Province, Saskatchewan is an important center for various forms of agricultural activity. Like much of Canada, Northern Saskatchewan boasts many lakes, large and small. The two largest lakes within Saskatchewan's borders are Lake Athabasca and Reindeer Lake. Other lakes include Cree Lake, Old Wives Lake (in Southern Saskatchewan, about 60 miles southwest of Regina), and Wollaston Lake. National parks include Grasslands N.P. and Prince Albert N.P. in Central Saskatchewan.
Located in Eastern Canada, the French-speaking province of Quebec is situated to the west of the province Newfoundland and Labrador, east of Ontario, southeast of the Hudson Bay, and north of the U.S. states of Maine, New Hampshire, New York, and Vermont. The Gaspé Peninsula stretches over the northern part of New Brunswick. Located along the Saint Lawrence River, the capital of Quebec is Québec City. The largest city in the province, however, is Montréal - another city along the Saint Lawrence River. Quebec has many large and small lakes, including Lac Albanel, Lac Bienville, Lac Minto, Lac Naococane, Lac Plétipi; 'lac' is the French word for lake. The largest island, in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence below Eastern Quebec, is Île d'Anticosti (Anticosti Island). A meteorite crater called the Pingualuit Crater - other names include Cratère du Nouveau-Québec and Chubb Crater - is located above the 60th latitude line in extreme Northern Quebec. Lastly, national parks include Gatineau Park and La Mauricie N.P.
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