Established in 1991 the Vautrin Lud International Geography Prize is the highest award that can be gained in the field of Geography. The award is modelled on the Nobel Prize and is called the “Nobel Prize for Geography”. It is named after the 16th century French scholar, Vautrin Lud, who is credited with naming the [...]
Dear All, Yesterday was 1st April, i.e. three weeks from that gigantic earthquake. The Government decided to call the earthquake “East Japan Earthquake”. A new fiscal/academic year started yesterday in Japan, and there were entrance ceremonies at government offices and companies everywhere. Prime Minister Kan and the other ministers started wearing suits, as if to [...]
A team of geographers led by Professor Yasuhiro Suzuki of Nagoya University mapped the tsunami front (red line) and the areas of severest damage (blue coloured) on 1:25,000 topographic maps, as you see at: http://danso.env.nagoya-u.ac.jp/20110311/map/index_e.html Provision of GIS-based maps is also underway.
Dear All, For many people in the world, the earthquake/tsunami/nuclear disaster in Northeast Japan fortnight ago may be the incidence of the past. Even in Japan, articles on it occupy less and less space in newspapers day by day. However, I believe the situation is still very serious, or is becoming even more serious. Here [...]
The Earthquake Disaster in Tohoku and Kanto Districtand the Subsequent Nuclear Power Plant Accident 18 March 2011 A gigantic earthquake of magnitude 9.0 occurred on 11 March 2011 off the Pacific coast of Sanriku, Northeast Japan, and it generated huge tsunami, killing a large number of people in and near the coastal areas of Tohoku [...]
Professor Yukio Himiyama reports... The hard situation in the disaster areas still continues, though relief operations are accelerated. The situation of the atomic plant is still at a critical level, and a large number of people have been evacuating from the danger zone. However, the general public, mass media, and many of the political leaders [...]
A word from Professor Yukio Himiyama (one of our IGU Vice-Presidents) from the Institute of Geography at Hokkaido University of Education on his experience of the recent events in Japan. Dear All, Thank you very much for your continuous support and encouragement. Here is some information which may not have reached you: General: Fragility of the current [...]
Aerial photos taken over Japan have revealed the scale of devastation across dozens of suburbs and tens of thousands of homes and businesses. Click here to view the photos
The hearts and minds of the global community of geographers go out to the nation of Japan as it begins to deal with the magnitude of their biggest ever seismic event. The IGU wishes to express its condolences to those who have lost loved ones in this latest tragedy. • 8.9 magnitude earthquake and aftershocks [...]
Scientists in helicopters survey lava rising from a crater floor on Hawaii's Kilauea volcano on March 6. The volcano's Pu'u 'O'o crater collapsed on Saturday, and a 0.33-mile-long (0.5-kilometer-long) fissure ripped open on a separate region of the volcano. The new vent has since been sporadically erupting lava up to 80 feet (25 meters) high, [...]