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Private Notes
The place I am describing is one of the Easternmost regions of Russia and was almost entirely uninhabited until the start of the 20th Century, when prospectors first found precious metal. In any other place, or at any other time, it could have become a land of plenty and opportunity; instead, it became a sprawling region of despair and meaningless death, home to hundreds of thousands of slaves, forced to toil in labour camps.
Our very first Geographics video was about a Russian prison, Pyatak, made famous by its remote location and by the regime of isolation to which its inmates are sentenced. In today’s Geographics, we will explore another prison, which in a way is the radical opposite of Pyatak. This correctional facility is located in one of the most densely populated districts of a great European capital. Its residents are unlikely to complain about being left alone … if anything, overpopulation is more of a problem. So, welcome, or should I say Bienvenues to La Santé Prison in Paris, France.
In the middle of the Ob River in Siberia lies a forgotten island. Never officially named, it’s known after the nearest village: the hamlet of Nazino. But people who live in this desolate region know the island has another, secret name; a name you will never find on Google Maps. Over seventy years ago, dark things happened on this strip of earth surrounded by icy waters, things so horrifying they were kept hidden for decades. Things which resulted in this nameless place becoming known as Cannibal Island.
It’s one of the most iconic sights in Australia, perhaps in the world. In the Central Desert, a vast sandstone monolith rises from an endless flat plain, its red walls changing color with the shifting sunlight. Taller than the Eiffel Tower, older than the Himalayas, and covering more area than the entire nation of Monaco, it goes by the ancient name of Uluru. Today, it is one of the most sacred places in the entire world.
What’s that landscape of idyllic valleys nestled on the Pyrenees mountain range? Is it a Spain? Is it a France? No, it’s the 16th smallest country in the world, the Principality of Andorra. Join me in Today’s Geographics, as we explore some useful and pointless facts about this charming country. We will learn about Andorra’s unique system of government, its history and about that one time when a con artist became its King …
Out on the vast plains of the Kazakh steppe lies a place with an eerie secret. Covering an 18,500 square km stretch of wilderness, it looks to all intents and purposes like just another swathe of endless grassland. Yet this quiet exterior hides a sinister past. During the years of the Soviet Union, this area was strictly off-limits.Those who could get close enough witnessed blinding flashes, watched in awe as mushroom clouds expanded across the sky. This place’s name was the Semipalatinsk test site, also known as the Polygon. Today, we know it as the most-nuked place on Earth.
In today’s Geographics, we’re headed for downtown Los Angeles, to the area known as Skid Row. At the intersection of South Main and 7th Street stands the Cecil Hotel, which infamously became known as ‘the deadliest hotel in LA’, or ‘LA’s tower of terror’, or even as ‘the most haunted hotel in Los Angeles.’
The Pyramids of Giza:
Great Wall of China History’s Biggest Barrier in the world
In the 1970s, Cambodia's Khmer Rouge ran a horrifying prison camp called S21 that was at the heart of one of the worst genocides ever recorded. Fewer than 1% of those who stayed there made it out alive.
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Further reading:
Britannica: https://www.britannica.com/place/San-Andreas-Fault
US Geological Survey: https://www.usgs.gov/natural-hazards/earthquake-hazards/science/back-future-san-andreas-fault?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects
San Andreas Fault facts: https://www.livescience.com/45294-san-andreas-fault.html
Also: https://traveltips.usatoday.com/san-andreas-history-22705.html
Smithsonian: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-will-really-happen-california-when-san-andreas-unleashes-big-one-180955432/
Southern California Public Radio’s excellent, in-depth guide to surviving the Big One: https://the-big-one.scpr.org/stories/
CNN explainer: https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/06/us/what-is-the-san-andreas-fault-line-trnd/index.html
1906 SF quake: https://www.history.com/topics/natural-disasters-and-environment/1906-san-francisco-earthquake
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/the-great-san-francisco-earthquake
Inequality in earthquakes: https://the-big-one.scpr.org/stories/wealth-gap.html
Boil Water warnings: https://the-big-one.scpr.org/stories/water.html
Northridge quake: https://www.history.com/topics/natural-disasters-and-environment/1994-northridge-earthquake
Fort Tejon earthquake: https://www.c
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Source/Further reading:
Overview of the Sieges: https://www.visit-andalucia.com/one_post.php?id=305&title=the-14-sieges-of-gibraltar
New tactics used in the Big Siege: https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryMagazine/DestinationsUK/History-of-Gibraltar/
An account of the Big Siege: https://www.britishbattles.com/war-of-the-revolution-1775-to-1783/siege-of-gibraltar/
Early History of Gibraltar: https://www.visitgibraltar.gi/history-1704-1911
A Spanish account of the history of Gibraltar: http://www.artearqueohistoria.com/DESCARGAS/REVISTA/2014/22_Historia%20de%20Gibraltar%20en%20sus%20documentos%20siglos%20XVIII-XIX.pdf
Meet the Guzmans:
http://dbe.rah.es/biografias/6846/alonso-perez-de-guzman http://dbe.rah.es/biografias/39302/enrique-de-guzman http://dbe.rah.es/biografias/13838/enrique-perez-de-guzman-y-meneses
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Source/Further reading:
Lonely Planet: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/united-a
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Source/Further reading:
4 hr podcast on the history of the
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Source/Further reading:
The Temples of Hum
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You can watch Norm Macdonald in arguably the most entertaining episode of Mil
