Quake Devastates Nepal

SCIENCE A strong earthquake rocked Nepal early Saturday, destroying buildings, damaging historic temples, and killing more than 4,000 people. (Nat Geo News) Explore the impact of the quake and the tectonically active region of Himalayas with today’s MapMaker Interactive. Teachers, scroll down for a quick list of key resources in our Teachers’ Toolkit.   Discussion Ideas In our video “Earthquakes 101,” we learn that most earthquakes … Continue reading Quake Devastates Nepal

China Irked by Obama-Dalai Lama Meeting

POLITICS President Barack Obama recently met with the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader, despite China’s appeal not to do so. (CNN) Use our resources to better understand the conflict surrounding Tibet. Discussion Ideas Why does China care if President Obama meets with the Dalai Lama? Read our media spotlight on the Dalai Lama, “Rebirth of a spiritual and political controversy,” for some help. (The … Continue reading China Irked by Obama-Dalai Lama Meeting

MapMaker Interactive Part 2: East Asia at Night

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China highlighted in MapMaker Interactive. If you can’t have trouble reading the labels, the red line is the approximate area of Tibet, and the brown area points to Lhasa. The yellow label on the top right identifies Beijing

In the last post we started using MapMaker Interactive– a free mapping tool on the National Geographic Education website– to explore just two of its thematic layers: Lights at Night and Population Density. As promised, this post will take you to deeper into the data to show how MapMaker can reveal patterns, anomalies, and–I would argue–stories about the planet and the people on it. 
Now, scroll over to East Asia. First, look at the Lights at Night layer and quiz yourself: What is that isolated bright dot in southwestern China? If you guessed it is the lights of Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, you’re correct. The city has been heavily developed by the Chinese government in recent years. For more, see these articles on the Tibetan railway by the BBC and China’s Xinhua (disclaimer: Xinhua is a government-run news source).

Continue reading “MapMaker Interactive Part 2: East Asia at Night”

Current Events Compass: Crisis in Tibet

The longstanding battle over Tibetan self-determination continues. Tibet has been the focus of international attention over the last couple of weeks amidst a string of protests. Non-violent demonstrations against repressive Chinese government practices were first organized by Buddhist monks in the capital of Lhasa. These initial acts were then quickly followed by violent uprisings among local Tibetans, exiled Tibetan nationals, and sympathizers around the world. … Continue reading Current Events Compass: Crisis in Tibet