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Namibia’s ‘Fairy Circles’ have mystified scientists for decades, but a new theory may have hit upon an answer
Deserts

Desert Discs: Solving the mystery of Namibia’s ‘Fairy Circles’

Apr 11, 2017
Written by
For decades, scientists have been divided over how these eerily perfect circle arrangements are formed in the Namibian desert
The Leguminosae plant family, which includes the gigantic Koompassia excelsa, contains 5,405 tree species, the most of any other family
Forests

Seeing the wood for the trees: how many tree species are there?

Apr 05, 2017
Written by
The first count of global tree species reveals how many are in existence... and how many are threatened
Emirates’ long-haul record was soon overtaken by Qatar’s Doha-to-Auckland route. But how long will the latest record last?
Cities

The Long Haul: are the world’s cities getting closer?

Mar 28, 2017
Written by
The new ‘world’s longest flight’ now spans a distance of more than 9,000 miles, from Doha to Auckland. But is there any limit to aviation’s global connectivity?
For many remote parts of the Swiss Alpine region, the yellow postbuses are the only connection to the wider transport network
Mountains

The many faces of the Swiss postbus

Mar 27, 2017
Written by
For the Swiss, the iconic yellow postbuses are much more than just a means of public transportation. Vitali Vitaliev hops on board for a journey of discovery
Porto Marghera, which shares its waters with Venice's canals, is due for a €72million clean-up campaign
Water

Cleaning Venice

Mar 25, 2017
Written by
After years of inaction, could the clean-up of the Venice lagoon finally be underway?
The Taj Mahal on the banks of the Yamuna river, one of two Indian rivers to be given a new legal status
Water

India’s Ganges and Yamuna rivers recognised as living entities

Mar 21, 2017
Written by
Following the recent success of New Zealand’s Whanganui river, India’s Ganges river and Yamuna river become the second and third in the world to be granted the legal rights of human beings
REDD+ or Dead?
Forests

REDD+ or Dead?

Mar 21, 2017
Written by
The UN-backed REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) scheme, under which developing nations would be paid not to cut down trees, is being hailed as the saviour of the world’s forests. But is it too focused on quantity…
Danger zones: mapping Europe’s earthquakes
Mapping

Danger zones: mapping Europe’s earthquakes

Mar 18, 2017
Written by
Where are Europe's earthquakes located? Benjamin Hennig maps the answer
Giant Kapok tree in the Amazon rainforest, Tambopata National Reserve, Peru
Forests

Research Blog: the Tropics and El Niño

Mar 14, 2017
Written by
Was last year’s El Niño a practice run for future climate change? In this introduction to an upcoming series of online blogs for Geographical, Laura Cole shadows the University of Oxford’s Global Ecosystem Monitoring Network and its work to discover…
Logging in the Kaluga region, Russia
Forests

Logged off: can deforestation be controlled?

Mar 09, 2017
Written by
Geographical’s regular look at the world of climate change. This month, Marco Magrini looks at deforestation
Impact on food security in South Sudan in February-April 2017, from minimal (green) to famine (deep red)
Mapping

Famine returns to the Horn of Africa

Mar 02, 2017
Written by
Drought in the region is turning to full famine – with catastrophic humanitarian consequences
Altitude sickness: cleaning up Lake Titicaca
Water

Altitude sickness: cleaning up Lake Titicaca

Feb 25, 2017
Written by
After decades of neglect, a major clean-up of Lake Titicaca is underway, but will it be sufficient?
Chapman’s Baobab in happier times
Forests

The enduring legacy of Chapman’s Baobab

Feb 23, 2017
Written by
What was once one of Botswana’s most iconic pieces of natural scenery has fallen, but is the legend really dead? David Clement-Davies looks at the tree’s history and the landscape’s future
Mapping the world’s largest tropical peatland
Forests

Mapping the world’s largest tropical peatland

Feb 20, 2017
Written by
The world’s largest tropical peatland carbon store has been mapped for the first time and it is 16 times bigger than expected
Country File: Mapping rural-to-urban migration
Mapping

Country File: Mapping rural-to-urban migration

Feb 18, 2017
Written by
Benjamin Hennig visualises how the world has moved to the cities, and what will happen next...
A familiar sight: bumper-to-bumper traffic on the streets of Mexico City
Cities

Air failure: long-running Mexico City scheme fails to reduce pollution

Feb 09, 2017
Written by
They have been in place for nearly a decade, but Mexico City’s Saturday driving restrictions have had negligible impacts on solving the megacity’s air pollution crisis
December 2016 saw Paris become the world’s most aerially polluted city
Cities

City of Smog: cleaning up Paris

Jan 28, 2017
Written by
As Paris continues to combat its severe air pollution problem, the compulsory displaying of car pollution certificates may be just the ticket
(Un)happy planet
Mapping

(Un)happy planet

Jan 21, 2017
Written by
Which are the world's happiest countries? Benjamin Hennig maps the answer
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