Interesting question from the Symposum organizers this morning with regard to number of countries registered for the upcoming Sea Turtle Symposium, and number of new countries. Quite interesting answer as well...
Current map of countries represented (27 Jan 2009)
So far there are individuals from 86 countries registered for the Sympoisum in Brisbane Australia. This is a lot, but one Symposium has done better:24th (Costa Rica, 2004): 6825th (Savannah, 2005): 6126th (Crete, 2006): 9627th (Myrtle Beach, 2007): 7828th (Loreto, Mexico, 2008): 6929th (Brisbane, 2009): 86
Overall, 119 countries have been represented at the last five Symposia. Quite impressive.
It's no surprise that the number was so high in Crete as there were likely many representatives from countries around the Mediterranean that do not usually attend the Symposium every year. Likewise the list of countries this year is augmented by many small Pacific island nations that are not able to attend every year, as well as 13 new countries that have never attended before (these include some Pacific islands and several African countries). This is a very good development for the sea turtle community, and demonstrates the international nature of the Sea Turtle Symposium and the power of hosting the Symposium in different parts of the world.
I am looking forward to making many new friends this year and seeing even more new attendees at the 2010 Symposium in India!
Google has added a new high-resolution bathymetry layer to Google Earth and Google Maps. In Google Maps you have to switch to satellite mode to see it. The new layer appears to be based on the NOAA NDGC ETOPO1 or Gebco global bathymetry products.