Devastating!

This is just one of the many video clips showing the horrific events following the the 8.9 Richter Scale earthquake in the North East of Japan on 12 March 2011.

For more details click on the Pacific Tsunamis warning Site

A good week for Geographers!

On Monday new images of a remote Brazil tribe were released.

On Tuesday the Police launched their Crime Maps - they enable you to see the crime that takes place on your street.

On Wednesday Cyclone Yasi hit Queensland, Australia

On Thursday the British topped the anxiety about immigration pole

On Friday the Independent reported about drought in the Amazon.

But other than those it was all quiet!

What's in a name?

Year 7 Homework

Click on this link to take you to the University of Nottingham Institute for Name Studies.

Remember you have to find the meaning of 10 settlement names , including why Oldham is so called.

Any problems then come and tell me before the next lesson.

The Geography of GCSE results!

To get a list of the areas click this link.
Just for the record Hulme had a 95% pass rate.

And now in Brazil!

More than 500 people are now known to have died in floods in south-eastern Brazil, the country's worst natural disaster for several decades.
Heavy rain has led to massive mudslides hitting several towns, resulting in thousands being made homeless.

For the BBC story and other links click here.

Have they the answer?

The world is hurtling towards population overload, placing billions of people at risk of hunger, thirst, lack of energy and slum housing.
But the problems can all be overcome through existing engineering solutions, if politics and economics can only change tack.

Do you agree?

To read the article in full click this link.

Not just Down Under!

Flooding is not just affecting Queensland. Heavy rain in the Philippines and in Sri Lanka are having major effects on the local populations. This will give those of you studying AS level an excellent contrasting case-study.

For a report and other links relating to flooding in Sri Lanka click here.

For a report and other links relating to flooding in the Philippines click here.

And on the home front rapid melting snow and heavy rainfall have brought flood warnings up. For more details click to go to the Environment Agency Flood Warning page

Not such a happy start to the year?

The floods in Queensland, Australia will provide excellent case-study material for year 12.

For basic details click this link.

For an explanation for the flooding click this link.

For some of the consequences click this link.

Belfast GIE part 2

A good idea to assist your appreciation of what Duncairn is really like, is to conduct a virtual tour using Google Earth. You may have already annotated ground level images of the Cathedral Quarter, as part of your research into item 2. You now need to do the same for the following addresses

• Keadyville Ave (Duncairn 2)


• Duncrue Street (Duncairn 2)


• Mervue Street (Duncairn 1)


• Duncairn Gardens - Groundwork Northern Ireland (Duncairn 1)

Find a view nearby each of the above locations, take a screen grab and annotate. Please remember the view at the top of this page is an aerial view not the ground level view that you should use.

Belfast GIE part 1

This years GIE will require detailed study of the AIB, in particular the maps. Item 2 explores the work of the Laganside Corporation. A useful way to familiarize yourself with this item will be to produce a map, based on OS map extract from page 9, similar to that you have previously produced for Trafford Park UDC.


Take a copy of the map below. Zoom in on Laganside, cut, paste the area and annotate using text boxes to show how the Laganside Corporation has been able to stimulate developments in each of the following categories

• commercial and office developments



• leisure and tourism



• infrastructure- transport



• retailing



• housing



• environmental improvements

Each annotation should be precisely located. You will need to use results of previous research and the internet.

This map is just for reference, a colour version of your AIB.