Interesting
2023 Global Peace Index
On June 28, the 17th edition of the Global Peace Index from international think-tank, the Institute for Economics & Peace (IEP) was released, and things are not looking great.
The analysis showed that conflict deaths are at their highest level this century causing world peacefulness to decline.
Some key findings in the report »
In June and July 2022, I spent five weeks riding and exploring Armenia’s backcountry and trails, entering from Georgia in the north-east, heading south down the eastern side of the country to the Iranian border, before making my way back up to Yerevan on the western side.
In this guide, I’ve tidied up and summarised the routes I took into 8 sections for anyone who is considering a trip there. By and large these routes are good for mid-weight and lightweight dual-sport bikes with decent 50/50 tyres and similarly equipped 4x4s, though the latter should proceed with more caution than the former.
From the muddy mountains of the country’s north-eastern Tavush and Lori regions to the searing heat along the border with Iran, Armenia is an explorer’s delight. The country is slightly sleepier but no less beautiful and the people no less welcoming then its slightly more brash, northern neighbour, Georgia.
Follow this link to read the whole guide, complete with GPX files!
Thanks Ed!
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Adventure Trend’s Armenia Country Profile
Map indicating GCC members (Source » Wikimedia)
Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states include Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
“We see that happening very soon because we see people flying from abroad to Europe usually spending their time in several countries rather than in one country. We really saw the value this can bring not to each country but all of us,” Al Sairafi said during a panel discussion on “The Future of Travel for the GCC”, held at the Arabian Travel Market in Dubai.
AKA Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf at Wikipedia.
According to the Timeout web site, some of the world’s most popular tourist destinations are increasing tourist taxes or otherwise restricting the number of visitors allowed in an effort to reduce over tourism.
On 15 November 2022, the world’s population surpassed 8 billion people.
Earth’s population continues to explode » from 1 billion in 1820 to 2 billion in 1930, to 3 billion in 1960, to 4 billion in 1974, to 5 billion in 1987, to 6 billion in 1999, to 7 billion in 2012, and 8 billion in 2022.
Following are the 50 most populated countries using the latest figures available »
The Noor is a short aerial film by Vadim Sherbakov, of the beautiful winter landscapes of frozen Baikal Lake in the Eastern Siberia region of Russia.
Noor (Нуур) is a Buryat word for lake, and Buryat is ethos people who have populated this area for many years, so it was appropriate to use their beautiful word for this short film.
Nowadays, the region the world’s largest pure water lake is popular with tourists.
15 Most Northern Capitals of Europe (via MapPorn)
At a latitude of 64.1466° N, Reykjavik is the world’s northernmost capital city. Only Nuuk, the capital city of Greenland, which sits at 64.1814° N, is further north than Reykjavík. However, Greenland is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark. Geographically, Greenland is part of the continent of North America.
In comparison, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada sits at a latitude of 45.4215° N.
Facts » Reykjavík is the only Western European capital without a McDonald’s or a Starbucks. The only other European capital without a McDonald’s is Tirana, Albania. Rome, Italy is Starbucks-free.
*Russia, is so vast, being the largest country in the world, and most of it within the continent of Asia. However, some consider Moscow, geographically at least, within continental Europe.
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