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Reference
Atlas — Detailed atlases covering the World, Canada, and the United States. Facts, figures, flags and maps delivered in a simple format. Learn about the world's people, economies, governments and geography in a click.
April is National Poetry Month — It was established in 1996 by the American Academy of poets to encourage young and old to appreciate poetry in its written and verbal form. Robert Frost (1874-1963) is perhaps the best known American poet laureate. What is a poet Laureate? It is a person appointed by the government to bring poetry to the conscience of its people. In Britain poet Laureates are appointed for life, in the U.S. their terms are from October to May, and in Canada their terms are for two years.
Earth Day — is celebrated April 22nd of each year. The first Earth day was celebrated in 1970 by 20 million people for the very first time, that same year the U.S. government establishes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to protect the environment and the general public.
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April 4th 1949 — 12 nations signed the treaty to
create the North Atlantic Treaty Organization better known as NATO. More
info.
April 4th 1968 – Civil rights leader, and
Nobel Peace Prize winner Martin Luther King was assassinated on a hotel balcony
in Memphis, Tennessee. More info.
April 11th 1911 – Titanic the biggest ship to
ever set sail at the time hits an iceberg on its maiden voyage and sinks in the
Atlantic Ocean. More info.
April 12th 1861 – The U.S. civil
war begins in South Carolina. More
info.
April 23rd 1564 – William
Shakespeare born in England and the annual celebration of St. George's day occurs Newfoundland
and Labrador
| Geography Word of the Month |
Degree – A unit of measurement; a degree is also written °. There are 360 degrees in a circle. Each degree is divided into 60 minutes, written as the symbol '. For example, 10 and a half degrees is written 10° 30'. Further, each minute is divided into 60 seconds, written as the symbol ".
The "blue men" have been living as nomads on the world's largest desert for centuries and are expected to cover their faces with a veil when they reach maturity. To what culture do these men belong? In addition what is the name of the desert a majority of this group calls home?
Send your answers by email to Maps101@maps.com for a chance to win an antique map from our Antique maps collection at Maps.com. A winner will be chosen at random from all correct entries, and be notified via email. For further assistance see article 792 in Geography in the News under Current Events.
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