Wetlands of Congo

The REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO, located east of Gabon and west of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly known as Zaire), is home to a large area of rainforests but also of wetlands, marshes, and swamps. A large area of wetlands is located in the northern part of the country, primarily in the departments of Cuvette, Likouala, and Sangha. It also stretches southward into Plateaux department, which is in the central part of the country whose people speak French and local languages. Also, more wetlands are found east of the mighty Congo River - the border between the Rep. of the Congo and DR Congo. The northern part of the Rep. of the Congo is sparsely populated, hence why there are large swaths of wetland and forestland remaining.

Uganda National Parks

Like several African countries, UGANDA reserves a portion of its grasslands, marshes, and rainforests for conservation. Located to the west and east of branches of the Great Rift Valley in East-Central Africa, Uganda maintains national parks in all four cardinal directions: north, east, west, and south. Located in northeast Uganda, Kidepo Valley NP is surrounded by peaks like Lwala (2,456 m), Rom (2,352 m), and Lotuke (2,797 m, over the border in South Sudan). Parks in eastern Uganda are game reserves: they include Bakora, Matheniko, and Pian-Upe. The Bwindi Impenetrable NP is in the southwest panhandle of Uganda, west of the city of Virunga; hence the 'impenetrable' part of the name, it is not very accessible (only for walking, and that is difficult). Located in southern Uganda amongst marshes and swamps - west of Lake Victoria - is Lake Mburo NP. Lastly, western Uganda national parks include Kabalega NP and Ruwenzori NP. Most, if not all, of these national parks are crucial for protecting endangered species, like mountain gorillas, as they preserve their habitat and inhibit the act of poaching.

Reflecting on this Christmas Eve & Beyond

Hello, everyone! It is hard to believe that Christmas Eve is here already — and it's hard to believe that I'm making a post this late (of course, I should say early because it's 7:10 AM already)! I did not go to bed yet — oh well, I can sleep in! Anyways, the memories of New Year's Day, Easter, 4th of July, Halloween, Election Day, Thanksgiving are still vivid in my memory: I can almost describe them like they happened yesterday! Overall, this year turned out pretty well for me, and I hope 2012 was a great year for you, too! I'm looking forward to Christmas, and to a new year once again! 2012 seemed like a year of hope at the beginning, but lingering hard times still brought down many of our spirits. Hopefully, 2013 will bring us a renewal of hope, peace, happiness, and prosperity. In the meantime, spend a small amount of time seeing where Santa is delivering gifts with either Google Santa Tracker or NORAD (temporary webpage) — this has lots to do with geography, and boy is it fun! Anyways, I hope you have a great Christmas Eve, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

Topographically Diverse Chile

CHILE, being the long and skinny country along South America's western coast bordering the Pacific Ocean, is a land of extremes as far as geology, climate, and elevation goes. The eastern border with Argentina boasts the Andes Mountains, a tall mountain range with several peaks with elevations over 20,000 feet. While not all mountain ranges have a cold climate, this one does; of course, the tall peaks have snow on them. Meanwhile, an extremely hot and dry desert - Atacama Desert - stretches down the coastline of northern Chile and west of the Andes range. It only receives about 0.04 inches of rain a year, undoubtedly the lowest amount in the world; even the Sahara typically receives a little more rain - only about 0.1, but still more than the Atacama Desert. Southern Chile is relatively low in elevation, and its climate is cool and wet. You would typically find forests and land for grazing here. Central Chile is home to a Mediterranean temperate climate that is perfect for agriculture. Crops grown here include grapes and other fruits, corn, wheat, bean, potatoes, and sugar beets.

Blizzard & Winter Storm Conditions in the United States

Click on the map of Indiana to enlarge it. With more realistic borders than the template I made to use in previous weather posts, the original blank map used in this graphic was made by Daniel Dalet of d-maps.com

A Blizzard Warning stretches like an arch over Northern Kansas, NW Missouri, SE Nebraska, Iowa, SE Minnesota, JO DAVIESS county in Illinois (county in the far northwest corner of the state) and Southern Wisconsin. These states, along with Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and mountainous parts of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and three counties in Western New York, have all sorts of winter weather advisories, watches, and warnings.

> > > INDIANA WEATHER UPDATE
The most severe advisory in Indiana would be the WINTER STORM WARNING for the counties of ELKHART, LAPORTE, and SAINT JOSEPH in Northern Indiana (they are pink on the map). As projected by NWS Northern Indiana, these counties will accumulate 2 to 4 inches of snow (and maybe more if there is additional Lake Effect snow) until Friday night. Also, possible wind gusts from 35 to 45 mph - and even more along the lakefront - would cause lower visibility. This warning also includes counties in Michigan that are along the Lake Michigan shoreline: ALLEGAN, BERRIEN, CASS, MUSKEGON, OTTAWA, VAN BUREN, etc. LAKE and PORTER counties are under a LAKESHORE FLOOD WARNING (shown as green dots with white outline) and a Winter Storm Watch. The counties of Northern and Central Indiana, shown in regular blue, are under a Winter Weather Advisory. These areas are not under a warning because the winds will not as strong (but still pretty strong, from 25-35 mph of sustained winds and possible higher wind gusts) and the snow accumulation will be less. A High Wind Watch, with winds from 30-40 mph and gusts up to a whopping 60 mph that can minorly damage property, is issued by NWS Chicago for BENTON, JASPER, and NEWTON counties, along with FORD, IROQUOIS, KANKAKEE, and LIVINGSTON in Illinois. The Wind Advisory for Southern Indiana means that there will be winds from 20-35 mph with gusts up to 50 mph, according to NWS Indianapolis.

The Hebrides

Comprised of two main archipelagos, the HEBRIDES are located off the western coast of Scotland in the North Atlantic Ocean. Like most of Scotland, both sheep and land for grazing are common. Inner Hebrides is the grouping of islands that is closer to mainland Scotland, while the islands of the Outer Hebrides are aptly named for being situated farther out into the ocean. The body of water separating the two groups is the Little Minch. The Minch (also known as North Minch) is east of Lewis & Harris island, west of Scotland, and north of Skye island. The Sea of the Hebrides is in the south-central part of my graphic, surrounded by the islands of Barra, Canna, Coll, Rùm, South Uist, Tiree, and Skye. The Firth of Lorn separates the Isle of Mull from islands like Colonsay, Islay, Kerrera, Lismore, and Jura. You may have noticed, on my graphic, two towns named Uig - one on Lewis & Harris, and one in northern Skye; that is not a mistake! In fact, there is even a community named Uig on Coll!

Inner Hebrides
In this grouping, Skye is the largest island, followed by the Isle of Mull. Besides those two islands, the islands are much smaller; some do not have humans living on them. Amongst every inhabited island in the archipelago, the population and population density is low. According to the Skye and Lochalsh Council for Voluntary Organizations, Skye's population density is less than 4.5 people per square mile while the population is around 12,000. Other islands include Coll, Eigg, Lismore, Muck, Raasay, Rùm (also known as Rhum), and Tiree. The islands featured in the small inset map (which is scaled down 65% as noted) in the larger graphic above also belong to the Inner Hebrides.

Outer Hebrides
In this grouping, the largest island by far is Lewis & Harris. Marked by a white star with a dark blue border on my graphic, Stornoway is the administrative center for the Outer Hebrides and has the largest population of all towns in the Hebrides. Other smaller yet major islands include Barra, North Uist, and South Uist. These three islands, along with a smaller Benbecula island, have populations above 1,000. Islands with small or no populations include Berneray, Eriskay, Mingulay, Pabbay, and Vatersay.

Central African Republic Exports

A developing country in Central Africa whose capital is Bangui, the CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC relies on particular exports that greatly contribute to its economy. The export that contributes the most to Central African Republic's economy are diamonds. Other exports include timber, cotton, coffee, and tobacco. For an expanded post in the 2017-2018 Exports series, see this post from June 21st, 2017.

United States Weather Update

At 2:25 P.M. Central Time on December 9th: in northern Arkansas, a Tornado Warning is issued for SHARP and IZARD Counties. It is set to expire at 3:00 P.M. A Tornado Watch is in effect for eastern Arkansas, SE Missouri (12 counties), southern Illinois (6), western Kentucky (9), and NW Tennessee (5).

Several parts of the country are experiencing blizzard conditions, and warnings and advisories are issued for these areas. As of 2:20 P.M. a Blizzard Warning is in effect for counties in eastern South Dakota and southwestern Minnesota. A Winter Storm Warning is in effect for 3 counties in SE North Dakota, much of Minnesota and Wisconsin, and parts of New Mexico. Winter Weather Advisories are in effect for the same areas and includes Colorado, northern New York, all of Vermont, north and eastern Maine, and BERKSHIRE County in Massachusetts.

Zambia, The Land of Waterfalls

I bet you knew about Victoria Falls, a spectacular destination along the Zambezi River on the border of ZAMBIA and Zimbabwe. Did you also know that Zambia, situated in South-Central Africa, boasts quite a lot of waterfalls? The Chavuma Falls are located near Angola in northwest Zambia, and you would find the Ngonye Falls 200 miles south. Travel even more south (before reaching the Caprivi Strip of Namibia), and you find the Kasanga Falls. All three straddle the Zambezi River. Falls in northern Zambia include Chisimba Falls (near the city of Kasama, along the Lukulu River), Mambilima (Johnston) Falls, and Mumbotuta Falls. Both of the aforementioned 'M' falls are situated on the Luapula River, which borders the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Lumangwe Falls is the northernmost waterfall that I have mentioned. It is found along the Kalungwishi River, east of Lusenga National Park, and southeast of Lake Mweru.

Grand Duchy of Lithuania

LITHUANIA, a somewhat small former-Soviet country located east of the Baltic Sea, was actually the largest country in Europe at one time! The Grand Duchy of Lithuania, as it was formally called, stretched into parts of the present-day countries of Belarus, Poland, Russia, and Ukraine in the 13th through 18th centuries.

The Climate of Israel

The climate of ISRAEL varies between the southern and eastern parts of the country to the coastline along the Mediterranean Sea of the west. The climate of Israel's coastline is mild and similar to the climate of other countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. Therefore, Israel can grow citrus fruits, vegetables, and cotton. However, the climate is hot and arid for areas that have deserts and are located more inland. A notable desert, the Negev, stretches across southern Israel.

Physical Features of Saudi Arabia

SAUDI ARABIA is certainly known for its arid climate and deserts, like the Rub' al Khali (also known as the Empty Quarter) in the southern part of largest country on the Arabian Peninsula. It also features quite a lot of plateaus and some mountain ranges, including Jabal al Hijaz (Hejaz) along the western coast, the Najd (Nejd) uplands in central Saudi Arabia, and Jabal Shammar mountain range in the northern part of Saudi Arabia. Learn more by visiting my Saudi Arabia post!

Largest Lake in Poland

Located in northeastern POLAND, Jezioro Śniardwy is the largest lake of Poland. It is located in the southeastern part of the WARMIŃSKO-MAZURSKIE (Warmian-Masurian) province and is 50 miles east of Olsztyn, the province's capital. Jezioro Niegocin and Jezioro Mamry is north of the lake. Communities that surround Jezioro Śniardwy include Orzysz, Pisz, and Ruciane-Nida. The city of Ełk is about 25 miles east of the lake.

Some Facts About Macedonia

MACEDONIA is a circular country in Eastern Europe that has a population of over 2 million. Known more formally as the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, this country was part of Yugoslavia until it began to break up into multiple countries in 1991. There are five bordering countries: Albania (to the west), Bulgaria (east), Greece (south), Kosovo (north/northwest), and Serbia (north). Over two-thirds of the population, 67%, is Macedonian, followed by Albanians at 23%.  4% are Turkish, 2% are of the Roma ethnic group, and 2% are Serbs. Two-thirds of the population are adherents of Macedonian Orthodox, while 30% are Muslims. The capital is Skopje, which has around 450,000 inhabitants and is located near Kosovo in northern Macedonia. The three largest lakes are Lake Ohrid (partly in Albania as well), Lake Prespa (partly in Albania and Greece as well), and Lake Tikveš (an artificial lake completely within Macedonia). Macedonia maintains several national parks, including Mavrovo NP, Galičica NP, and Pelister NP.

>>> Visit my Macedonia post to learn more!

2012 Indiana Education Superintendent Election

For the November 6th election, Democrat Glenda Ritz ran against incumbent Republican Tony Bennett for the important position of Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction. Supported by teachers and others who were against Bennett's policies and philosophy, Ritz won 53% of the votes, leaving the other 47% for Bennett. Geographically speaking, the map of this election reveals a ;scattering of red and blue, meaning that you can find both Democrat- and Republican-voting counties located in all parts of Indiana. The pattern of Bennett-supporting suburban counties around Indianapolis is noticeable, and there is an apparent continuation of Ritz-supporting counties in western and northern Indiana.

The election data that was helpful for me to make my map and provide statistics below comes from Indiana's Secretary of State Election Division.

Seven Top Supporters of Ritz - these are the blue numbered counties in the map
1. LAKE (cities of Gary, Merrillville, etc.) - 122,252 / 179,045 total votes - 68.3%
2. VIGO (Terre Haute) - 24,692 / 38,823 total votes - 63.6%
3. MONROE (Bloomington) - 33,611 / 54,217 - 62%
4. MARION (Indianapolis) - 216,367 / 350,596 - 61.7%
5. VERMILLION (Clinton, Newport, etc.) - 3,952 / 6,390 - 61.5%
6. PERRY (Tell City) - 4,588 / 7,563 - 60.7%
7. LAPORTE (Michigan City, La Porte, etc.) - 24,773 / 41,461 - 59.8%

Seven Top Supporters of Bennett - these are the red numbered counties in the map
1. KOSCIUSKO - 18,595 / 29,150 total votes - 63.8%
2. MORGAN - 16,769 / 27,472 - 61%
3. HAMILTON - 80,127 / 132,902 - 60.3%
4. JOHNSON - 33,870 / 56,522 - 59.9%
5. BOONE - 16,088 / 27,001 - 59.6%
6. HANCOCK - 18,638 / 31,881 - 58.5%
7. HENDRICKS - 37,338 / 64,577 - 57.8%