About.com

Water Scarcity in Jordan, A Case Study

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 13:39:54 +0000

Jordan is an excellent example of a country dealing with water scarcity. Due to the country's climate and lack of adequate rainfall and water sources, Jordan's water use vastly exceeds its available water resources. Geography Intern Paige Rushbrook wrote an article about water scarcity, with Jordan as the case study.

Of Surveying and Surveyors

Mon, 13 Feb 2012 12:23:18 +0000

Contributing writer Emma Irving recently completed a course on geomatics, also commonly known as surveying, so she has written an overview of the topic of surveying so that we can learn more about that fascinating field. The career of surveyor, which she covers in her article, sounds like a natural fit for those with an interest in geography!

Bifurcation of Streams

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 12:31:43 +0000

While most are familiar with the concept of river tributaries, the streams that feed into a larger river, there is a less-common situation where a river divides into smaller streams. This is known as bifurcation and the resulting streams are known as distributaries. Geography Intern Dimitar Zhelev tackles the concept of stream bifurcation and its three main types. (Image: The Nile River bifurcates in the famous Nile Delta. Getty Images.)

Geography News Roundup

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 23:41:00 +0000

Here are a few of my favorite geographical news stories, culled from my continual postings on my Twitter feed:

In 50 to 200 million years, the new super-continent of Amasia (a merger of North America and Asia) will converge around the North Pole, forming a successor continent to Pangea.
China, the world's most populous country, is planning on building a super-mega-city of 42 million people that would be about twice the size of New Jersey.
Geographer Martin Lewis wrote a series of posts about the Caucasus on his GeoCurrents blog. His latest asks the question, should the Caucasus be considered to be a separate geographic region?
Also from GeoCurrents is an interesting article on the upcoming 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. He writes about Sochi's less-than-ideal winter climate for the Olympic Games (especially since Sochi's average winter temperatures are well-above freezing). Here's a listing of past Winter Olympic Games cities, most of which are more climatically appropriate.
Here's a strange one! Lawmakers in Azerbaijan are considering changing that country's name to North Azerbaijan. This change would upset Iran, which would then be home to South Azerbaijan.
Maybe this is stranger? News sources are reporting that WikiLeaks is considering moving their Internet servers to the not-a-country abandoned oil platform known as Sealand. In case I wasn't clear: Sealand is not a country.

Geography of the Strait of Hormuz

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 23:08:03 +0000

The Strait of Hormuz, located between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman of the Arabian Sea, has been in the news lately as the United States and Iran wrangle for control of the chokepoint. Learn all about the Strait of Hormuz in this great new geographic overview from Amanda Briney.

Geography as a Science

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:54:53 +0000

In her latest article, Xanthe Webb Aintablian explores the place of geography within the sciences. She discusses the foundations of the discipline and its modern-day growth and use of technology to solve real-world problems.

Urban Farming: The Future of Agriculture?

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:12:48 +0000

The greatest demand for agricultural products comes from the urban areas of the world. What if more were done to grow those products within the cities themselves? Learn all about the exciting future of urban farming from this latest article by Terry Hain. The possibilities are incredible!

Croatia Votes to Join the European Union

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 23:13:47 +0000

Despite the European debt crisis, on Sunday Croatian voters overwhelmingly chose to join the European Union. The referendum on joining the EU was supported by 66% of Croatia's population. Once the twenty-seven members of the EU approve, Croatia should be able to join the EU on July 1, 2013. A statement issued by the EU stated, "We welcome the positive outcome of the referendum on Croatia's accession to the European Union. With this vote, Croatia's citizens have given their endorsement to European integration. We congratulate Croatia and its people on their choice: EU membership will open up new opportunities for them and help secure the stability and prosperity of their nation."

Arctic Council Expansion?

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 08:22:33 +0000

The Arctic Council is an organization of eight countries that include territory that borders the Arctic Ocean. Member countries of the Arctic Council include Russia, Canada, the United States, Denmark (for Greenland and the Faroe Islands), Norway, Iceland, Sweden, and Finland. However, countries that are interested in Arctic issues are allowed to join as observer states. Currently, there are six observer states: United Kingdom, France, Poland, Germany, Netherlands, and Spain.

...

Read Full Post

China's Urban Population Now Exceeds 50% of Population

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 22:08:18 +0000

China's National Bureau of Statistics announced earlier this week that the world's most populous country has reached the point of being more urban than rural. The agency announced that 51.27% of China's 1.35 billion people live in urban areas, which represents a total urban population of 690.8 million. The average annual income in urban areas is 21,810 yuan ($3,444) while the income of rural dwellers is 6,977 yuan ($1,102). Around 2030, China's population is expected to peak at about 1.4 billion and then begin declining.