Expedition Earth: September 2012

Sunday, 30 September 2012

The scale of a map

What is scale ?

The scale of a map is the ratio of a distance on the map to the corresponding distance on the ground. Scale is what makes map drawing possible. It takes real life things and reduces them in size many times so they can be shown on a map.

Every map has a scale printed on the front and you should always check this figure before you start reading it. It will tell you how much smaller the area shown on the map is compared to the same area in real life.

A carthographer (the map maker) reduces the scale, he leaves out more and more details.
Carthographers produce different maps for different uses and with different scales.

Map scale 1 : 1250 - (This map scale is ideal for architects).

This means that every one unit of measurement on the map (like a centimetre) is the same as 1250 of those units (in this case 1250 cm or 12,5 metres) in real life.

Map scale 1 : 10,000 - (Ideal for town developers).

This means that every one unit of measurement on the map (like a centimetre) is the same as 10,000 of those units (in this case 100 metres) in real life.

Map scale 1 : 20,000

This means that every one unit of measurement on the map (like a centimetre) is the same as 20,000 of those units (in this case 200 metres) in real life.

Map scale 1 : 25,000 - (This map covers a small sized area. This unit of measurement is useful for surveying, so these maps are generally made for outdoor activities).

This means that every one unit of measurement on the map (like a centimetre) is the same as 25,000 of those units (in this case 250 metres) in real life.

Map scale 1 : 50,000 - (These maps cover a moderately sized area like a national park. So these maps could be used for planning a day out).

This means that every one unit of measurement on the map (like a centimetre) is the same as 50,000 of those units (in this case 500 metres) in real life.

Map scale 1 : 200,000 - (This map covers a large area and is useful for long-range exploration. For example for motorists, and long journeys).

This means that every one unit of measurement on the map (like a centimetre) is the same as 200,000 of those units (in this case 2 kilometres) in real life.

Map scale 1 : 500,000 - (Ideal for seeing the whole country at a glance).

This means that every one unit of measurement on the map (like a centimetre) is the same as 500,000 of those units (in this case 5 kilometres) in real life.

Access to sanitation

Access to sanitation: People with access to improved sanitation (%)

Access to improved sanitation facilities refers to the percentage of the population with at least adequate access to excreta disposal facilities that can effectively prevent human, animal, and insect contact with excreta. Improved facilities range from simple but protected pit latrines to flush toilets with a sewerage connection. To be effective, facilities must be correctly constructed and properly maintained.

More than 2.6 billion people—over 40 per cent of the world’s population—do not have basic sanitation, and more than one billion people still use unsafe sources of drinking water.

Four out of every ten people in the world don’t have access even to a simple latrine.

Five million people , mostly children, die each year from water-borne diseases.

Access to water

Access to water: People with access to an improved water source (%)

Access to an improved water source refers to the percentage of the population with reasonable access to an adequate amount of water from an improved source, such as a household connection, public standpipe, borehole, protected well or spring, and rainwater collection. Unimproved sources include vendors, tanker trucks, and unprotected wells and springs. Reasonable access is defined as the availability of at least 20 liters a person a day from a source within one kilometer of the dwelling.

More than 2.6 billion people—over 40 per cent of the world’s population—do not have basic sanitation, and more than one billion people still use unsafe sources of drinking water.

Four out of every ten people in the world don’t have access even to a simple latrine.

Five million people , mostly children, die each year from water-borne diseases.

Child mortality

Child mortality: Under-five mortality rate (per 1,000 live births).

Child deaths are falling, but not quickly enough. Between 1990 and 2008, the death rate for children under five has decreased by 28 per cent, from 100 to 72 deaths per 1,000 live births. That means that, worldwide, 10,000 fewer under-fives die each day.

The causes of child deaths are related to malnutrition and lack of access to adequate primary health care and infrastructure, such as water and sanitation, in many developing countries. Pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria and AIDS accounted for 43 per cent of all deaths in under-fives worldwide in 2008, and more than a third of all child deaths were attributable to undernutrition.

Considerable progress was made in routine immunization against measles worldwide, particularly in Africa, protecting millions of children against this often fatal disease.

Gender equality

Gender equality: Ratio of girls to boys in primary (and secondary)school (%).

Education plays a essential role in developing human capital in any society. Education has become a universal human right all around the globe. Education is a fundamental right of every citizen, but still gender inequality exist in educational sector.

We have to get rid of the gender inequality in primary and secondary education.

Primary education

Primary education: Net primary enrolment ratio (%).

Net primary enrolment ratio is the ratio of children of the official primary school age who are enrolled in primary school to the total population of the official primary school age.

Hunger

Hunger: Undernourished people (as % of total population).

By mid-2012, about one billion people were suffering from chronic hunger.

Malnutrition often leads tot disease, devastating the live of both children and adults.

More than 800 million people know what it is like to go to bed hungry, most of them are women and 300 million are children. Of these 300 million children, only eight percent are victims of famine or other emergency situations. More than 90 percent are suffering long-term malnourishment and micronutrient deficiency.

Every 3.6 seconds another person dies of starvation and the large majority are children under the age of 5.

Poverty

Poverty is the proportion of people living on less than $1 a day (%).

Saturday, 29 September 2012

Topography - Map Quizzes

Brush up your topography skills. The map quizzes are designed to help you learn the countries of the world as well as provinces, the capital and major cities.

The Netherlands

Provincies van Nederland

Provinciehoofdsteden in Nederland

Steden in Noord-Nederland

Steden in West-Nederland

Steden in Midden-Nederland

Steden in Zuid-Nederland

Waddeneilanden - Nederland

Wateren - Nederland

Koninkrijk der Nederlanden

Polders in Nederland

Europe

The Europe Quiz : 48 questions

The Europe Capitals Quiz : 39 questions

The United Kingdom Quiz : 4 questions

Africa

The Africa Quiz : 55 questions

The Africa Capitals Quiz : 54 questions

Middle East

The Middle East Quiz (West Asia) : 25 questions

The Middle East Capitals Quiz (West Asia) : 25 questions

Asia

The Asia Quiz : 32 questions

The Asia Capitals Quiz : 32 questions

North America

The USA Quiz has 50 questions

The USA State Capitals Quiz has 50 questions

South America

The South America Quiz : 13 questions

The South America Capitals Quiz : 13 questions

The World

The World Quiz : 12 questions

Friday, 28 September 2012

Silicon Valley

Silicon Valley is the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. Geographically, the Silicon Valley encompasses all of the Santa Clara Valley including the city of San Jose, the southern Peninsula Valley, and the southern East Bay.

The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations as well as thousands of small startups.

The expression originally referred to the region's large number of silicon chip innovators and manufacturers, but eventually came to refer to all the high-tech businesses in the area.

It is now generally used as a metonym for the American high-tech sector. Despite the development of other high-tech economic centers throughout the United States and the world, Silicon Valley continues to be the leading center for high-tech innovation and development, accounting for one-third of all of the venture capital investment in the United States.