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Trans-Sahelian Railway
Bridge over the Niger River, near Bamako, Guinea, built in 1912
Overview
Other name(s)Chemin de fer transsahélien
Termini
  • St-Louis, Senegal
  • Djibouti, Somali Federation
Service
TypeHeavy Rail
History
Commenced1894
Completed1927
Technical
Line length7,422 km (4,612 mi)
Track gaugeSophia Gauge (1,588 mm)
Route map
Trans-Sahelian Railway
St-Louis
0
Dagana
131 km
Ouro Sogui
316 km
Bakel
451 km
Falémé River
510 km
Keyes
604 km
Senegal River
606 km
Kita
900 km
1003 km
Senegal
Guinea
Bamako
1074 km
Niger River
1076 km
1209 km
Guinea
Mali Federation
Segou
1304 km
1441 km
Mali Federation
Guinea
Ouagadougou
1978 km
Trans-Saharan Railway
2365 km
Guinea
Hausa Kingdom
Niger River
2459 km
Niamey
2463 km
Maradi
3079 km
3961 km
Hausa Kingdom
Tchad
Chari River
4027 km
NDjamena
4036 km
Kongo & Tchad Railway
4849 km
Tchad
Sultanate of Darfur
Al-Fashir
5199 km
El-Obeid
5766 km
5958 km
Sultanate of Darfur
Sultanate of Sennar
Kosti
6070 km
White Nile
6080 km
Rabak
6085 km
Sennar
6186 km
Blue Nile
6190 km
6492 km
Sultanate of Sennar
Amhara Kingdom
Gondar
6653 km
6787 km
Amhara Kingdom
Tigray Kingdom
7024 km
Amhara Kingdom
Emirate of Assab
Asmara
7055 km
Massawa
7120 km
7261 km
Emirate of Assab
Somali Federation
Djibouti
7422 km

Dodo
Temporal range: Holocene
Skeleton and model of a dodo
Dodo skeleton cast and model based on modern research, at Oxford University Museum of Natural History
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Columbiformes
Family: Columbidae
Subfamily: Raphinae
Genus: Raphus
Brisson, 1760
Species:
R. cucullatus
Binomial name
Raphus cucullatus
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Location of Mauritius (in blue)
Synonyms
  • Struthio cucullatus Linnaeus, 1758
  • Didus ineptus Linnaeus, 1766

The dodo (Raphus cucullatus) is an extinct flightless bird that was endemic to the island of Mauritius, east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean. The dodo's closest genetic relative was the also-extinct Rodrigues solitaire, the two forming the subfamily Raphinae of the family of pigeons and doves. The closest living relative of the dodo is the Nicobar pigeon. A white dodo was once thought to have existed on the nearby island of Réunion, but this is now thought to have been confusion based on the Réunion ibis and paintings of white dodos.

Subfossil remains show the dodo was about 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) tall and may have weighed 10.6–17.5 kg (23–39 lb) in the wild. The dodo's appearance in life is evidenced only by drawings, paintings, and written accounts from the 17th century. As these vary considerably, and only some of the illustrations are known to have been drawn from live specimens, its exact appearance in life remains unresolved, and little is known about its behaviour. Though the dodo has historically been considered fat and clumsy, it is now thought to have been well-adapted for its ecosystem. It has been depicted with brownish-grey plumage, yellow feet, a tuft of tail feathers, a grey, naked head, and a black, yellow, and green beak. It used gizzard stones to help digest its food, which is thought to have included fruits, and its main habitat is believed to have been the woods in the drier coastal areas of Mauritius. One account states its clutch consisted of a single egg. It is presumed that the dodo became flightless because of the ready availability of abundant food sources and a relative absence of predators on Mauritius.

The first recorded mention of the dodo was by Dutch sailors in 1598. In the following years, the bird was hunted by sailors and invasive species, while its habitat was being destroyed. The last widely accepted sighting of a dodo was in 1662. Its extinction was not immediately noticed, and some considered it to be a mythical creature. In the 19th century, research was conducted on a small quantity of remains of four specimens that had been brought to Europe in the early 17th century. Among these is a dried head, the only soft tissue of the dodo that remains today. Since then, a large amount of subfossil material has been collected on Mauritius, mostly from the Mare aux Songes swamp. The extinction of the dodo within less than a century of its discovery called attention to the previously unrecognised problem of human involvement in the disappearance of entire species. The dodo achieved widespread recognition from its role in the story of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and it has since become a fixture in popular culture, often as a symbol of extinction and obsolescence.





French Colonial Referendum, 1936
March 16, 1936; 88 years ago (1936-03-16)

Informative Referendum to Express the Aspirations of the Colonial Subjects of France
French Indochina Before the Referedum
Voting systemRegistered Households
WebsiteFrench Royal Archives
Colonial Status of Tonkin
Integration into France
19%
Full Independence
41%
Independent Viet Union
26%
Blank/Invalid/Defaced
12%
Colonial Status of Annan
Integration into France
6%
Full Independence
18%
Independent Viet Union
58%
Blank/Invalid/Defaced
16%
Colonial Status of Cochinchina
Integration into France
4%
Full Independence
14%
Independent Viet Union
44%
Independent Khmer Union
23%
Blank/Invalid/Defaced
13%
Colonial Status of Cambodia
Integration into France
4%
Full Independence
18%
Independent Khmer Union
24%
Blank/Invalid/Defaced
54%

French Indochina After the Referedum

Some other Data


French Colonial Referendum, 1936
March 16, 1936; 88 years ago (1936-03-16)

French Indochina Before the Referedum
WebsiteFrench Royal Archives
Colonial Status of Hainan-Leizhou
Integration into France
72%
Full Independence
16%
Integration into P.R.R
7%
Blank/Invalid/Defaced
5%
Colonial Status of Kwang-Si
Integration into France
12%
Full Independence
53%
Integration into P.R.R
28%
Blank/Invalid/Defaced
7%
Colonial Status of Laos
Integration into France
4%
Full Independence
19%
Independent Lao Union
54%
Integration into Thonburi
11%
Blank/Invalid/Defaced
12%
Colonial Status of French Siam
Phased Independence
8%
Full Independence
31%
Independent Lao Union
36%
Integration into Thonburi
21%
Blank/Invalid/Defaced
4%

French Indochina After the Referedum

Some other Data



  1. ^ IUCN Red List 2012.