#geography

Ipcc #ClimateReport projects that #climatechange will in all regions
More #heatwaves, longer warm seasons and shorter cold seasons, changes in precipitation patterns affecting flooding and drought
With every additional amount of global warming, changes will get larger

#ActOnClimate #geography #deforestation #RenewableEnergy #ClimateCrisis #Science #warming #Nature #climate #development #gasemissions #ClimateEmergency #ClimateAction #photo #photography #pollution #news #amazon #Politics

DAY 15 - Book Challenge : 20 books that have had an impact on who you are. One book a day for 20 days. No explanations, no reviews, just #BookCovers. #20books #20books20days #BookCover #CanadianBooks #JeffreyAlford #NaomiDuguid #Baking #FlatbreadsAndTheirFlavors_ABakersAtlas #BakingBread #Bread #FoodHistory #Travel #Culture #Society #History #Flatbreads #Geography #TravelJournal #Books #Art #CoverIllustration #Recipes #Photography #TheJamesBeardAward #Cover_Art #Book

It's a Montana Monday, and nothing gives me more trust issues than AI and its nonsense. This "Living in Montana" Facebook talks about Route 50 going through Montana (it goes through NV, UT & CO among many others). I labeled those cities where they ACTUALLY belong, too.

#Montana #Kalispell #Helena #Havre #Billings #map #geography #AI #nonsense #Monday

America’s loneliest Amtrak stations in FY 2023

Listed below are the 15 loneliest Amtrak stations across the country based on their number of passengers for fiscal year 2023. Nearly all of the places listed are in rural areas. The largest city on the list is New Iberia, Louisiana with just over 27,000 residents in 2023. Indiana and West Virginia both have three stations on the list while Montana and Louisiana have two each.

Most striking about this data, is that nearly half (47 percent) of the loneliest stations are along one Amtrak corridor — the Cardinal, which is a scenic arcing rail route which runs between Chicago-Indy-Cincinnati-Charlottesville-Washington DC-New York City! Why this is beyond the line traveling through many rural areas in the Appalachian Mountains and it being rather circuitous compared to more direct Chicago to New York rail routes is unclear.

Somewhat surprising are the numbers from Dyer, Indiana as well as Browning and Essex, Montana. Dyer is a suburb of Chicago, while Browning and Essex are located close to Glacier National Park. From the data, it appears most visitors to Glacier utilize the East and West Park Stations instead of nearby towns.

One town whose numbers are currently low, but likely had much highest tallies in the past is Rensselaer, Indiana. The town is home to the reopened St. Josephs College and once home of the Chicago Bears Training Camp. St. Joseph College closed down between 2017 and 2021 and is still rebuilding its academic programs. Meanwhile the Chicago Bears held their training camp at St. Joseph’s College from 1944 to 1974.

As the popularity of rail travel increases, hopefully additional passengers will choose to ride Amtrak to/from these lonelier stations. Regardless, for some of these towns, the train is the only intercity passenger service they have. For example, none of the three towns in West Virginia have current bus service from Trailways or Greyhound, nor do Browning and Essex in Montana. The same is true for Connersville, Schriever, Wishram, and Arcadia. That accounts for 60 percent of the list. As a result, the Amtrak provides a vital link for residents and businesses of these communities.

Peace!

_______

Montgomery, West Virginia = 266 passengers

2. Alderson, West Virginia = 399 passengers

3. Thurmond, West Virginia = 466 passengers

4. Rensselaer, Indiana = 509 passengers

5. Connersville, Indiana = 528 passengers

6. Lordsburg, New Mexico = 688 passengers

7. South Shore, Kentucky = 870 passengers

8. Schriever, Louisiana = 912 passengers

9. Browning, Montana = 935 passengers

10. Dyer, Indiana = 989 passengers

11. Essex, Montana = 1,009 passengers

12. Wishram, Washington = 1,072 passengers

13. New Iberia, Louisiana = 1,078 passengers

14. Lamar, Colorado = 1,138 passengers

15. Arcadia, Missouri = 1,228 passengers

SOURCES:

https://www.amtrak.com/state-fact-sheets
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Iberia,_Louisiana
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Joseph%27s_College_(Indiana)
https://www.amtrak.com/train-routes
https://trailways.com/bus-station/
https://www.greyhound.com/bus-stops

#AMTRAK #bus #cities #fun #geography #Greyhound #history #landUse #passengers #planning #rail #railroads #tourism #towns #Trailways #trains #transportation #travel

And we're live! You can now play these kind of puzzles also on my website: https://everycountryisunique.com/

It's a first version, and a bit rough around the edges, but I hope you like it. All feedback is welcome! Have fun!

And for all fans of this bot, don't worry! It will continue posting for your daily dose of geography fun.

#EveryCountryIsUnique #Geography #Quiz

Funny and somewhat true

#ActOnClimate #ClimateChange #geography #deforestation #RenewableEnergy #geografia #FossilFuels #ActNow #environment #EndFossilCrimes #ClimateCrisis #Science #warming #Nature #climate #development #gasemissions #ClimateEmergency #climatecrisis #biologia #ClimateAction #photo #photography #GlobalWarming #cartoon #pollution #news #earth #amazon #Politics

The Devil's Quoits (Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire, UK) looks particularly striking in the bright sunlight of this Spring morning.

#note #stoneCircleSunday #history #geography #archeology #prehistory #spring

Via: https://danq.me/2025/04/20/easter-sunday-stone-circle/

#EveryCountryIsUnique puzzle 648

Which country is the only one in the world with these 4 properties?
- Its flag contains black
- Has a population greater than 10M
- Is a member of Commonwealth
- Its fertility rate is less than 2 children per woman

Answer in the comments with a Content Warning! #Geography #Quiz #Vexillology

Planning for cities with linear skylines

Shown below are some of the cities around the globe that have linear skylines. While these can be visually impressive, especially when set as a backdrop against the coastline or mountains, they also can be challenging from a planning and infrastructure perspective, unless they are adapted properly to address this unique urban landform.

Bear in mind, that linear skylines are not just a coastal or narrow valley phenomenon. Las Vegas is perfect example of an inland city with a very linear skyline that resulted in part due to how the city developed as a desert oasis along a single major corridor. Other examples may result from topographic settings like narrow mountain valleys, river valleys, peninsulas, or islands.

The length of linear skylines can tend to dissuade walking, as the distances between sites can be intimidating. Furthermore, if the focus is too concentrated, primary streets that run the length of the skyline, such as the Las Vegas Strip, can become overwhelmed by traffic and people.

That is why it is important to have viable and efficient alternatives — light rail, buses, bicycling routes, trollies, or as Las Vegas has developed, a monorail line. Safe crossings of busy thoroughfares is also needed. As the image are shows, overpasses or tunnels for pedestrians may be necessary. Otherwise, crosswalks must be set up to allow time for safe movement across the avenues.

In some ways, a linear design can be efficient when it comes to utilities, because they can be focused in a narrower area. However, they must constructed of sufficient size and scale to handle the concentrated needs for water, sewer, electricity, gas, etc. Otherwise, the streets and roads may be constantly torn up to increase capacity. Utility managers will also need to address verticality of the service area, to assure water pressure and other services are maintained at their highest levels.

Another important factor to consider is public safety, particularly from fire-fighting and emergency response standpoints. By their very nature, linear skylines tend to be more dense and as a result taller. This is very evident from the photos provided below. How public safety services address the inherently denser and taller structures is critically important for assuring public safety is always a top priority for avoiding potential tragedies.

Another factor to consider for tourist-oriented linear skyline is the variations between on and off-season. Any and all planning efforts will need to take this into account as the extent of impacts can fluctuate greatly over a calendar year.

What is likely to be the most linear (and perhaps vertical) skyline of them all is the controversial 106 mile long, new city of Neom being constructed in Saudi Arabia (see images above and below. How this project will eventually turn out and whether it will achieve the stated goals of livability and sustainability remains to be seen. If it is successful, it may be a defining development for the future. Otherwise, it could be a precautionary tale to avoid excepting very specialized circumstances.

As has been noted throughout this post, linear skylines can have their challenges. How effectively these are addressed will help determine whether or not the infrastructure and services can meet the concentrated demand. At the same time, the opportunities are not quite as apparent. To this retired planner, ambitious individual developments that are overly lengthy or excessively vertical may not achieve their “lofty” goals. Similarly, it remains to be seen how efficient and effective such a narrow, dense and lengthy urban form can be.

Peace!

——-

Las Vegas, Nevada – centered along the Strip (Las Vegas Boulevard)

Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia and other beachfront cities – centered along the beachfront

Balneário Camboriú, Brazil

Miami Beach, Florida

Daytona Beach

Virginia Beach, Virginia

Ocean City, Maryland

Cancun, Mexico

Grand Rapids, Michigan – the tallest buildings are centered along the Grand River

Pikeville, Kentucky – a very unique linear “semi-circle” in the Appalachian Mountains.

Danang, Vietnam – concentrated along both the river and along the coastline at My Khe Beach

#BalneárioCamboriú #Cancun #cities #coastlines #Danang #DaytonaBeach #downtown #geography #GrandRapids #history #landUse #LasVegas #linearSkylines #MiamiBeach #Neom #OceanCity #Pikeville #planning #skylines #SurfersParadise #topography #transit #transportation #travel #valleys #VirginiaBeach #walking #Yanjing

Study reveals ‘flawed argument’ in debate over when plate tectonics began | Live Science…

Earth's crust today has a surprisingly similar composition to the planet's first outer shell, or "protocrust," new research finds... #platetectonics #continentaldrift #geography #earthsciences #geology

https://formuchdeliberation.wordpress.com/2025/04/19/study-reveals-flawed-argument-in-debate-over-when-plate-tectonics-began-live-science/

#EveryCountryIsUnique puzzle 646

Which country is the only one in the world with these 4 properties?
- Its flag contains at least these colors: red and green
- Has a population greater than 30M
- Is in Asia
- Has Arabic as an official language (de jure or de facto)

Answer in the comments with a Content Warning! #Geography #Quiz #Vexillology

Destroyed Ontario ghost town was almost a historic catastrophe
Once a quaint French Ontarian farming village nestled along the South Nation River, Lemieux, Ontario, is now nothing more than a distant memory.Formerly located just an hour's drive east of Ottawa, the town's origins can be traced back to the mid-1850s, when it began as a service centre for ...
#history #geography #geology #disaster #Ontario #Lemieux
https://www.blogto.com/city/2025/04/history-ontario-ghost-town-abandoned-landslide/

"Donald Trump branded 'dumbest president' after six-word geography blunder"

You mean people are only now just catching on?

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/donald-trump-branded-dumbest-president-after-six-word-geography-blunder/ar-AA1DbiKq

#Trump #US #politics #Geography #Facepalm

In 2024, the warmest year on record in Europe according to the EU's Copernicus system, Swedish and Norwegian glaciers melted by an average of 1.8 metres...

#glaciers #glaciology #EUCopernicus #sweden #norway #globalwarming #climatechange #ClimateCrisis #geography #GlacierMelt
https://www.euronews.com/green/2025/04/16/glaciers-in-sweden-and-norway-are-melting-faster-experts-warn

As sea levels rise, living forests can become salinated. Sometimes they turn to mudflats with minimal plant life, and sometimes invasive flora species take over. But sometimes they turn to marshland, the best possible outcome as marsh plants can do some of the work of forests, such as buffering against storms and storing carbon. @KnowableMag reports on the expansion of these “ghost forests,” the near-impossibility of slowing the trend, and what coastal transition might look like.

https://knowablemagazine.org/content/article/food-environment/2025/ghost-forests-are-growing-sea-levels-rise-climate-change

#ClimateChange #Sea #CoastalGeography #Geography #Science #Newstodon #NewstodonFriday #FollowFriday

9/15

Many people consider Taiwan's position in the world only in relation to China. However, it is also close to Japan and The Philippines

Taiwan's geographical position can be better as understood the maritime crossroads of the West Pacific or a bridge between Northeast and Southeast Asia

(map by Alex Kunz https://bsky.app/profile/taiwan-map-dataviz.bsky.social/post/3ln2ueq5sa22l)

#Taiwan #Japan #Philippines #China #geography #map #data #台灣

New video out today on five of the strangest borders in Victoria

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zslV7FcHjI

#Geography #Australia #Melbourne #History

Now the Netherlands are also cutting in funding for #academia, which notably translates in the planned closing of the #EarthSciences department at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
Because what we really need now is less research in physical #geography, climatology, geology, glaciology...
https://delta.tudelft.nl/en/article/closing-vu-earth-sciences-sends-exactly-the-wrong-message
https://mastodon.social/@NielsJdeWinter/114303289236655250
#VU

April Quiz Answers

Here are the answers to this month’s six quiz questions. If in doubt, all should be able to be easily verified online.

Geography

In what country would you find Mount Kilimanjaro? Tanzania
What is the largest desert in Asia? Gobi Desert
Which river flows through the Grand Canyon? Colorado River
Which country bordering India measures it’s success in terms of “gross national happiness”? Bhutan
Which country makes up more than half the western coastline of South America? Chile
There’s a town in the Peloponnese region of Greece with a namesake food item known for its purple colour and smooth meaty texture. What is this fruit? Kalamata Olive

Answers were correct when questions were compiled in late 2024.

#April #blog #geography #quiz #science #zenmischief

"The future won’t wait for your zip code to catch up! " - Futurist Jim Carroll

Yesterday I noted that the future won't slow down to wait for you to make a decision.

It also has little respect for those who try to avoid the reality that they are in a global economy.

When you step back and look around the world, something becomes crystal clear: The future is not unfolding in one place. It’s emerging everywhere—in labs in Ireland, factories in Vietnam, logistics hubs in the UAE, AI startups in Seoul, and solar grids in Morocco.

But while this global acceleration is happening, too many leaders and organizations are still thinking small. They’re stuck in a local mindset—tethered to domestic market opportunities, legacy business models, obsolete products or services, or outdated assumptions about where real progress comes from.

Here’s the reality: you can’t lead in tomorrow’s economy by thinking inside yesterday’s borders. I've said it before - the future doesn’t care about your region, your history, or your comfort zone. It flows to where the momentum lives. And that momentum is increasingly global.

- AI isn't just a Silicon Valley story—it's being industrialized in China, scaled in Europe, and accelerated in the United Arab Emirates

- the energy transition isn’t a North American trend —it’s becoming the default infrastructure in Scandinavia and the Middle East

- electric vehicles aren't some radical idea with a narrow future - it's becoming the dominant platform in China, Finland, and elsewhere
- advanced manufacturing isn't stuck in Detroit—it's transforming supply chains in Vietnam, Poland, and Mexico.

Meanwhile, companies that remain locally fixated are finding themselves cut off from opportunity—missing emerging markets, lagging on innovation, and getting blindsided by competitors they never saw coming. The world used to watch what happened in one or two countries to know where things were going. Now? You have to watch everywhere - because innovation doesn’t care about geography.

This reality is accelerating in the current economic and political volatility that defies 2025 - such that while one region tries to restore past glories, the rest of the world has decided to continue moving forward. Watch the latter - not the former - to figure out where tomorrow is now unfolding. 

Here’s what that means for your strategy:

- innovation is borderless.
- local thinking limits opportunity.
- a global mindset = competitive advantage.
- the future flows to momentum, not geography.

So ask yourself: Are you making decisions based on where the world once was? Or are you aligning with where it’s already going?

Because the future isn’t local anymore.

It’s global.

And it’s moving fast.

**#Global** **#Innovation** **#Future** **#Geography** **#Momentum** **#Opportunity** **#Mindset** **#Competition** **#Acceleration**

Original post: https://jimcarroll.com/2025/04/decoding-tomorrow-your-daily-future-inspiration-the-future-wont-wait-for-your-zip-code-to-catch-up/