Hispaniola is the last Caribbean island where malaria is still spread locally

the gist

Malaria was once found across much of the Caribbean, but campaigns over the past century eliminated it from most islands, which now appear malaria-free on maps. Haiti and the Dominican Republic, which share the island of Hispaniola, are the exceptions, where the disease still circulates. The island's remaining transmission reflects its population movements, uneven health services and the difficulty of sustaining control measures such as bed nets, spraying and rapid diagnosis. The map illustrates how elimination is possible on islands while also showing how hard the final cases are to remove.

so what

It shows that malaria can be eliminated regionally, and it highlights the challenge of finishing the job where transmission persists.

more on this

background

Hispaniola is an island in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean, located between Cuba and Puerto Rico. It is the most populous island in the West Indies and the second-largest by land area, after Cuba. Covering an area of 76,192-square-kilometre (29,418 sq mi), it is divided into two separate sovereign countries: the Spanish–speaking Dominican Republic (48,445 km2 (18,705 sq mi)) to the east and the French and Haitian Creole–speaking Haiti (27,750 km2 (10,710 sq mi)) to the west. The only other divided island in the Caribbean is Saint Martin, which is shared between France (Saint Martin) and the Netherlands (Sint Maarten). At the time of the European arrival of Christopher Columbus, Hispaniola was home to the Ciguayos, Macorix, Ciboney and Classic Taíno Indigenous peoples.

From Wikipedia: Hispaniola (CC BY-SA 4.0) ↗ · text CC BY-SA 4.0

see

Johannes Vingboons, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

NASA/Expedition 20 crew, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

ElHoplitaGamer, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

key facts

Country: Dominican Republic
Population: 22.3 million
Area: 76,420 km²
Elevation: 3,098 m

Facts: Wikidata (CC0)

Our World in Data · CC BY 4.0

Image: Our World in Data

source: Our World in Data ↗

politics

Trump and Netanyahu reportedly clash over whether to resume military action against Iran

the gist

Israeli reports also say the cabinet directed the military to prepare for a possible new attack on Iran.

so what

The United States and Israel have been closely aligned on Iran's nuclear programme and regional threats, so open disagreement between their leaders over military strategy is unusual and closely watched. Whether to resume strikes is a decision with consequences for shipping, oil markets and the wider Middle East.

fun fact

Benjamin Netanyahu has served as Prime Minister of Israel for more years in total than any other person.

read it onThe Times of India The Tribune

search onBBCNYTCNNReutersAPAl Jazeera

Data: GDELT Project

Illustrative photo · Israel Belkind and Fanny Abramovitch (original) “The Provis…, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

10:49

supplementary video · Epimetheus on YouTube ↗

world cultures & travelWikivoyageclassic9th–15th century · Siem Reap, Cambodia

Angkor was the largest pre-industrial city on Earth, covering about 3,000 square kilometres

the gist

Angkor, near Siem Reap in northern Cambodia, was the capital of the Khmer Empire, which ruled much of mainland Southeast Asia between roughly the 9th and 15th centuries. At its height the city spread across about 3,000 square kilometres, making it the largest pre-industrial city on Earth by area. Its growth depended on water: huge reservoirs called barays, along with canals and embankments, stored monsoon rain and carried it to rice fields. That system let farmers harvest more than once a year and fed a very large population through the dry season. The temple complex of Angkor Wat, built in the early 12th century, is the best-known monument and still stands at the heart of the park.

how it works

The Khmer kings built enormous rectangular reservoirs that caught monsoon rain during the wet season. Earthen dykes and canals moved that water into rice paddies, so farmers could grow crops across much of the year. The surplus food supported craftsmen, builders and the workforce that raised the temples.

so what

Angkor shows how a society without industrial machinery could build a city on a scale that rivals modern metropolises, using engineering and water management instead. Some historians link its decline to drought, flooding and shifts in its water systems, which makes it a long-running case study in how cities depend on managing water. The site is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most important archaeological landscapes in Southeast Asia.

fun fact

The outline of Angkor Wat appears on the national flag of Cambodia.