Minnesota, Land of 10,000 lakes(and many more).

Minnesota is  known as The Land of 10,000 Lakes. Actually, according the official count, there are over 11,000 lakes. Basically, Minnesota's geography gives lends its nickname. Geography is also the determining factor for how Minnesota got its name. Minnesota's name comes from the Dakota word meaning "land of sky-tinted waters", referring to the lakes. 

In short, if you want to go fishing, Minnesota would be a great place to do, with ample fishing opportunities everywhere. 

               Lake Vermilion in Saint Louis County,Minnesota. Source: Star-Tribune

How Minnesota got those lakes has everything to do with geology. Much of Canada and the Midwestern USA had been covered in an ice sheet 1 million years ago. It was the Last Ice Age, however, that would be a major influence on Minnesota's geography. The constant movement of glaciers, scraping at the soil and rocks, and the glaciers retreating and melting, this helped to form the lakes in Minnesota. 

                  Map of North American glaciation, Shane A. Lyle Kansas Geological Survey

And that is how we have the Land of 10,000(and many more) Lakes.

Chernozem, the other black gold.

No, chernozem is not a type of petroleum. There is no drilling into the soil for this kind of black gold. It IS the soil. This is actually a very rich, black soil found in the nation of Ukraine, among some places. In fact, "чернозем (chernozem)" translated from Russian literally means "Black Earth". In Ukrainian, chernozem is "чорнозем(chornozem)", also meaning "Black Earth".

This "other black gold" is a very rich, quality soil that is wonderful for agriculture. There is a high percentage of humus in the soil, and there are many nutrients in this soil, such as phosphorus, among many. It has a superior water-holding quality, compared to other kinds of soils. This is very important, especially in the warm months when water evaporation is very likely. Soil that can hold moisture very well is very important for crops.

     Chernozem soil, Anatoliy Lisnyak, Samogo.Net

In the entire world, there are two chernozem belts. One chernozem belt stretches from Croatia and the Danube river valley to Siberia. Another chernozem belt can be found in the central Canada. Small concentrations of chernozem can be found in northern China and part of Poland.

             Map of chernozem concentration, FAO-GIS


One third of the chernozem in the world is found in the nation of Ukraine. And the thickness of the chernozem in Ukraine can be as much as 5 feet(1.5 m).Ukraine has been called "Breadbasket of Europe" because of large production of wheat, rye, and other grains. It was a major grain producer under the Russian Empire. During its days as part of the Soviet Union, Ukraine produced 25% of the Soviet Union's wheat.

It is still a major grain producer, ranking 11th in the world in wheat production. It is a major producer of sunflowers. Ukraine makes more sunflower oil than any other nation on earth. In fact, Ukraine's role as a grain producer plays a part in its national flag. Blue on the top for the sky, and gold on the bottom for the grains produced in Ukraine.

Wheat farm in Ukraine, Kiyiv Post

A large concentration of this relatively rare type of soil in a nation, in the 2nd largest nation in Europe, it has been a highly sought-after resource. Many empires have wanted to control this region because of its soil resources. The desire to control this land has played a part in World War One, Holodomor, Ukrainian Civil War, and World War Two.



Before there were fights over oil, there were fights for fertile soil. The chernozem was the Black Gold of its time, and in some ways, still is.

Denmark, leader in wind power.

     Wind farm off the coast of Denmark, www.power-technology.com


The nation of Denmark is a leader in wind energy for Europe. It has long since been a leader for wind power. This started in the 1970s. As Denmark had a relatively high carbon footprint at that time from the coal-fired plants in those days, there was a desire to seek out alternative energy choices. The use of wind power has continued today. 3.1% of Denmark's GDP comes from wind power. 30% of Denmark's electricity comes from wind power.

Denmark has average wind speeds of 4.9–5.6 m/s measured at a height of 10 m. For wind power purposes, this would not be impressive. However, Denmark has much higher wind speeds along the western coast of the country. Average wind speeds can reach 8.5–9.0 m/s at 50 m height. This is very good for wind power.

Wind speed map of Denmark. http://www.windpowerwiki.dk

This is how meteorological conditions can be used to an advantage. This is definitely taking place in Denmark. Why talk about meteorological conditions on a geography blog? Well, meteorology is a sub-field of geography. 

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MERRY CHRISTMAS from PanGeographic, part 2.

Merry Christmas from PanGeographic.

Many are familiar with the idea of Santa Claus. The association with the North Pole, however, is something that needs to be corrected. "Santa Claus" is a mythical figure, who was modeled after a real Christian saint, Saint Nicholas. Saint Nicholas is NOT FROM THE NORTH POLE. St. Nicholas came from Demre, which is in modern day Turkey.

                                 Satellite Map of Demre

Map of Turkey showing where Demre is located

Maps from:

http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=82652&src=fb

http://www.juancole.com/2010/12/santa-claus-was-from-turkey.html/demre

MERRY CHRISTMAS from PanGeographic.

Merry Christmas to everyone. Hope everyone is having a good day. And Happy Birthday to Christ the Lord.

In the spirit of Christmas, which is about the birth of Jesus Christ, this is a map detailing where Jesus Christ was born. This map shows what it was like in Biblical times. However, this is more of a modern interpretation of it.

Where Bethlehem is today, map is courtesy of wikimedia commons.

A diamond in the cold.

Yakutsk is located in the northern reaches of Siberia, in what is known as Yakutia. It has the distinction of having the coldest winters for a big city.  With winter temperatures averaging −38.6 C(−37.5 F) in January, Yakutsk has the coldest winter temperatures for a city of 100,000 or more residents. Temperatures have been recorded as low as -63 C(-83 F).

However, this very frigid corner of the earth also has an economic importance. Yakutia is a major diamond mining region. Yakutsk is the second largest producer and exporter of diamonds in the world. Although the mines in Yakutia are located west of Yakutsk, 1/5 of the world's diamond production is in Yakutsk. It is this contribution that makes Yakutsk, and Yakutia, a place of economic important. A place many people have not heard of, but has its own distinction as a very cold city, and a major diamond production center.