Here's another chance to play geographical detective! This
Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) image covers
an area measuring about 400 kilometers x 450 kilometers, and
was captured by the instrument's vertical-viewing (nadir)
camera on October 29, 2000. Use any reference materials you
like and answer the following three questions:
1. The prominent green area is a seasonal wetland associated
with what river?
The third largest river in Africa, the Niger, forms an inland delta
in central Mali. This image from Terra orbit 4603 shows the region as
it appears after the rainy season, when the delta is flooded.
2. To the east of this river is an escarpment included on
the United Nations World Heritage List. Which one of the
following statements cannot be applied to the people who live
there?
(A) They live in dwellings constructed from the surrounding sandstone cliffs.
(B) They stopped making ceremonial masks at the end of the 19th century.
(C) Some writers attribute them with detailed knowledge about a binary star system.
(D) Among their major crops are onions and millet.
Answer: B
In a remote area to the southeast of the delta, the sandstone cliffs
of the Bandiagara Escarpment are inhabited by the Dogon people. The
Dogon are renowned for the architecture of their cliff-side
dwellings, and their homes are typically built with materials from
the surrounding environment: mud-brick and sandstone, small amounts
of wood, and straw for the thatch roofs. Most of the Dogon (about
65%) have retained their animist religion, and the making of masks
for ceremonial purposes continues to this day. They are an agrarian
people, and utilize a number of ingenious soil and water conservation
techniques to grow millet and sorghum for subsistence, as well as
onions for a cash crop. Several writers, inspired by the studies of
the French anthropologist Marcel Griaule, attribute the Dogon with
incredibly detailed knowledge of the Sirius A/B binary star system.
3. A small city with a rich cultural heritage is located near
the top of the image. A particular spelling of this city's name
can be found in the title of how many of the following?
--A public television adaptation of an American novelist's writings.
--An Internet communications software application.
--A song written by a composer born in Rochester, New York.
(A) Only one
(B) Exactly two
(C) All three
Answer: C
The city of Timbuktu (also known as Tombouctou) is situated near the
top of the image, where the Niger River changes direction to flow
more directly eastward. Six hundred years ago, Timbuktu was a central
part of the trans-Saharan caravan route, and was a center of wealth,
culture, and scholarly learning. When the inland route gave way to
trade by ship, the city was abandoned and began to acquire its
out-of-the-way reputation. Today, drifting sands driven by dry
Saharan winds threaten to encroach upon the city's monuments. All
three works referred to in the question contain a reference to
Timbuktu in their titles. Specifically, in 1972 public television
aired "Between Time and Timbuktu", adapted from the writings of Kurt
Vonnegut; there is an internet software communications package called
"Timbuktu Pro"; and the song "Kalamazoo to Timbuktu" was composed by
New York native Alec Wilder.
28 people from all over the world sent in responses before the
deadline. Individuals who answered all three questions correctly
are listed below. The prize winners are indicated by asterisks.
1. JHG Hendriks, Hintham, The Netherlands*
2. SSL, Greenbelt, MD, USA*
3. Ellen Leske, Dresden, Germany*
4. Karen Bleier
5. Dr. Wolfgang Badenheim, Hoehr-Grenzhausen, Germany
6. Bonnie Shepard, Valencia, CA, USA
7. David Arnold, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
8. Philippe Thélin, Switzerland
9. Bill Kinnersley, Lawrence, KS, USA
10. Ulrich Enderle, Bramstedtlund, Germany
11. Oliver Morton, London, UK
MISR was built and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory,
Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Office of Earth Science, Washington, DC.
The Terra satellite is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center,
Greenbelt, MD. JPL is a division of the California Institute of
Technology.
Image credit: NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team.
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