Showing posts with label Storytelling Maps. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Storytelling Maps. Show all posts

Ukraine Russia War Map


An interactive map that shows ground positions of the respective troops involved on the either sides in the Ukraine Russia war. The Russo-Ukrainian war is an ongoing international conflict between Russia, alongside Russian-backed separatists, and Ukraine. The map shows the regions occupied by Russia inside Ukraine, and also the held or regained regions by Ukraine, along with the major bombing areas and strategic locations and border crossings.



Ukraine Russia War

The conflict between Ukraine and Russia began in 2014, after Ukraine's pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted following massive protests in Kiev. Russia annexed Crimea, a Ukrainian territory, in March 2014, and supported separatist rebels in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine.

The conflict has resulted in thousands of deaths and displacement of civilians, and ongoing ceasefire agreements have failed to bring a lasting end to the fighting. The war has also had economic consequences, with both Ukraine and Russia imposing economic sanctions on each other.

The conflict is fueled by historical, political, and cultural differences between the two countries. Ukraine has sought closer ties with the West, including joining the European Union and NATO, while Russia sees Ukraine as part of its sphere of influence and a buffer against Western expansion.

The conflict has drawn international condemnation, with the United States and European Union imposing sanctions on Russia for its involvement in the conflict. The war has also had broader implications for global politics, with tensions rising between Russia and the West and concerns over the potential for further conflict.

Efforts to resolve the conflict have included diplomatic negotiations, peace talks, and ceasefires, but a lasting resolution has yet to be achieved. The conflict remains a major challenge for Ukraine, Russia, and the international community.

Doklam Standoff


An interactive map that shows the ground situation of the Doklam Standoff between Chinese Army and Indian Army, resulted due to China’s invasion, provocation, encroachment, and infiltration into the Doklam area of Bhutan.



Doklam Disputed Area

Doklam (Donglang in Chinese) is an area spread over less than a 100 sq. km comprising a plateau and a valley at the trijunction of borders between India, Bhutan and China. It is surrounded by the Chumbi Valley of Tibet, Bhutan’s Ha Valley and Sikkim state of India.

As the world knows, China has a peculiar obsession for grabbing lands of neighbouring countries for its territorial expansion through illegal encroachments and occupation. The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) of China under its government’s directions, is actively involved in infiltration and invasion into other’s areas across the borders in the name of safeguarding the Chinese territory.

The Doklam standoff between China and India is the result of one such illegal encroachments by China into Bhutan’s territory across the borders at Doklam. The military standoff between PLA and the Indian Armed Forces occurred over an issue of Chinese construction of a road in Doklam. On 16 June 2017, the standoff arose as China attempted to extend a road into the Doklam plateau southwards near the Doka La pass, an area claimed by both China and Bhutan. India have acted on behalf of Bhutan, with which it has a 'special relationship', and stopped the aggression of the Chinese military at Doklam. Bhutan has formally objected to China's road construction in the area.

Several reports say the Chinese side is continuously beefing up its military presence near the disputed Doklam area after the month’s long standoff in the summer of 2017. Recent satellite images and intelligence reports show the Chinese have erected several permanent military posts, a few helipads and new trenches not very far from where the two Armies faced off. The above map describes the Doklam disputed area with the borders claimed by either countries.

Dangerous Places on Earth


An interactive map that shows most thrilling and dangerous places of the world, which one would not dare to visit in general. These places include dangerous country-borders and locations, which are considered as life-threatening, hazardous, or risky for normal life survival. In the map the red circles with skull symbol shows dangerous locations, whereas the yellow lines show the dangerous country-borders. Click on these features to know more details about it.



Dangerous Places on Earth

When we say the world is a beautiful place to stay or roam around, we should put exception to some places though. Because not all places on this earth are beautiful; some are dangerous too. From deadly earthquake-prone locations to areas with a surplus of crime, there are places on earth that are considered as life-threatening, hazardous, or risky for normal life survival. It’s now easier than ever to visit distant locations around the world. But just how there are beautiful places to visit, there are places that are definitely not tourist-friendly. Of all the places to go on your next vacation, these places should not be on your travel list. You might consider not visiting these places when planning your next trip.

The above map tries to explore and summarize such places on the interactive online map for quick reference.

The definition of dangerous places on earth can be explained as two types - ones that are naturally dangerous for humans to strive, and others that are dangerous because we humans have made it so for ourselves. Places like hurricane-prone areas, harsh deserts, or earthquake or volcano-prone regions comes under the first category, whereas places like most of the war-torn regions, disputed country-borders, or nuclear leakage and contaminated sites, crime-ridden cities, etc. comes under the second category of dangerous places on earth. When we obviously can't do anything for the first category; we can definitely control the second category if we have will-power and understanding and make the world a better place to live.

The Bermuda Triangle


An interesting illustrative map showing the geographical extents of the Bermuda Triangle in the Atlantic Ocean, along with the approximate locations of the unsolved incidents that have happened in the region.



The Bermuda Triangle

The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a loosely-defined region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean, where a number of aircraft and ships are said to have disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

Located in the Atlantic Ocean, the Bermuda Triangle extents are defined between Bermuda Island, Puerto Rico Island and Miami Beach in Florida as shown in the above map. The Bermuda Triangle has long been believed to be the site where a number of mysterious plane and boat incidents have occurred. While it has become part of popular culture to link the Bermuda Triangle to paranormal activity, most investigations indicate bad weather and human error are the more likely culprits.

Research has suggested that many original reports of strange incidents in the Bermuda Triangle were exaggerated and that the actual number of incidents in the area is similar to that of other parts of the ocean. While its reputation may scare some people, the Bermuda Triangle is actually part of a regularly sailed shipping lane with cruise ships and other boats also frequently sailing through the area.

But nevertheless, whether Bermuda Triangle is a myth or an unsolved mystery, the following incidents, which I compiled from various sources in the internet, also illustrated in the above map, can't be denied to have all really happened at the region!

Deering Shipwreak: On January 31, 1921, Carroll A. Deering a coal cargo vessel was sighted run aground on Diamond Shoals, an area off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, that has long been notorious as a common site of shipwrecks.

Flight 19 Disappearance: Flight 19 was the designation of a group of five Grumman TBM Avenger torpedo bombers that disappeared over the Bermuda Triangle on December 5, 1945 after losing contact during a United States Navy overwater navigation training flight from Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The same night the incidents happened, two Martin Mariner planes were sent for search operation, but then one of them never returned. A passing by freighter ship SS Gaines Mill reported that they saw a huge explosion on the ocean at a distance, but nothing was found in that reported spot.

Star Tiger and Star Ariel Disappearance: G-AHNP Star Tiger disappeared on January 30, 1948, on a flight from Azores to Bermuda, and G-AGRE Star Ariel disappeared on January 17, 1949, on a flight from Bermuda to Kingston, Jamaica. Both were Avro Tudor IV passenger aircraft operated by British South American Airways. Both planes were operating at the very limits of their range and the slightest error or fault in the equipment could keep them from reaching the small island Bermuda Triangle.

Douglas DST airliner Disappearance: The disappearance of a Douglas DST airliner, registered NC16002, occurred on the night of 28 December 1948 near the end of a scheduled flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Miami, Florida.

KC-135 Stratotanker Collided: On August 28, 1963, a pair of US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft collided and crashed into the Atlantic. The Bermuda Triangle version of this story specifies that they did collide and crash, but there were two distinct crash sites, separated by over 160 miles (260 km) of water.

Ellen Austin Encounter: One of the more fascinating oceanic tales is that of the strange encounter between the Ellen Austin and an abandoned vessel found adrift near the Bermuda Triangle. The Ellen Austin‘s captain sent two separate crews to bring the vessel to New York as a salvage prize, however both crews mysteriously vanished, and the derelict was lost forever.

USS Cyclops Missing: The incident resulting in the single largest loss of life in the history of the US Navy not related to combat occurred when the cargo collier Cyclops, carrying a full load of manganese ore and with one engine out of action, went missing without a trace with a crew of 309 sometime after March 4, 1918, after departing the island of Barbados.

Connemara IV Drifting: A pleasure yacht was found adrift in the Atlantic south of Bermuda on September 26, 1955. The crew of the yacht vanished while the yacht survived being at sea during three hurricanes. An investigation revealed that she had dragged her moorings and gone to sea.

Marine Sulphur Queen Disappearance: SS Marine Sulphur Queen, a T2 tanker converted to carry molten sulphur, noted for its disappearance in 1963 near the southern coast of Florida, taking the lives of 39 crew members on board. On February 2nd 1963, Marine Sulphur Queen started her ill fated voyage from Beaumont, Texas destined towards Norfolk when she was carrying over 15000 tons of molten sulphur.

USS Proteus Disappearance: The USS Proteus (AC-9) was a Navy collier that had been converted into a merchant ship. It was never heard from again after November 23, 1941, when it left from St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, bound for an East Coast port in the United States. The approximately 540-foot-long (165 meters) ship was carrying 58 crew men and a cargo of Bauxite ore to be made into aluminum, appears lost somewhere in the Bermuda Triangle.

USS Nereus Disappearance: USS Nereus (AC-10) was one of four Proteus-class colliers built for the United States Navy before World War I. The craft was named after the mythological Greek sea God Nereus, meaning protector of sailors. The USS Nereus was lost at sea sometime after 10 December 1941, at it mad its way to Portland, Maine, from St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. It disappeared with a crew of 61 along the same route as its sister-ship, the USS Proteus, had disappeared in the previous month.