The Whale shark (Rhincodon Typus) is the largest fish in the world, growing up to 12m (40 feet) in length. Though massive in size, whale sharks are completely harmless and feed on plankton and small fish which are filtered from the water as they cruise the world's oceans. Despite their size, whale sharks are remarkably gentle and curious. They have a slow growth rate, only reaching maturity at around 30 years old and living as long as 60 – 100 years. Their reproduction rate is also very slow – long intervals between pregnancies and producing around a few hundred pups at one time.

Whale Sharks are located near the Equator around coast lines and open seas. They swim mostly along the top of the surface. Whale sharks can be found in the following areas:

• Western Atlantic: New York to central Brazil and including Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean.
• Eastern Atlantic: Senegal, Mauritania, Cape Verde Islands, Gulf of Guinea.
• Indo-West and Central Pacific: South Africa and Red Sea to Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Japan, Philippines, Indonesia (Kalimantan, Java, Irian Jaya), Papua New Guinea, Australia (Queensland, Northern Territory), New Caledonia, Hawaiian Islands.
• Eastern Pacific: Southern California to northern Chile.
• Indian Ocean: the Seychelles, Mauritius, Zanzibar, Madagascar, Mozambique and northernmost Natal.

Unfortunately, in some countries such as India and the Philippines, the whale shark is often hunted for meat which is sold to feed the rich in SE Asia, where whale shark meat is an expensive delicacy. Numbers have certainly been reduced, but with the migratory habits of the sharks, it is very difficult to track and count them.

February to May: The time of year to see a whale shark in Thailand is between February and May.

April to June: Whale shark sightings are extremely common on the Ningaloo Reef in the months of mid April-June. A spotter plane communicates with boats as it spots the large shadow of a whale shark near the surface. Interactions are regulated by CALM (Conservation and Land Management), which limits the number of snorkellers in the water with a shark to a maximum of 10 and does not allow the use of flash photography. There are also strictly regulated guidelines including the distance a snorkeller should stay from the animal and how long a single interaction with a whale shark may last. These measures are mainly to reduce stress to the sharks, another unknown factor for scientists, even though people have been interacting with whale sharks on the Ningaloo for many years.

April to June: southern Belize offers whale shark spotting opportunities. The best time to do so during these months are three days before the full moon to three days after the last quarter moon. It's during these times that the Cubera Snappers spawn, attracting the Whale Sharks.

July to September: Rarely seen in shallow coastal waters, whale sharks have been regular visitors to the Sea of Cortez near Bahia de Los Angeles, Baja California, Mexico are closest to the US and are a good place to encounter whale sharks at this time of year.

November to April: whale sharks can be seen around Richelieu Rock in the North Andaman Sea.

If you have had a whale shark encounter, the Beetle would love to hear from you!

Meeting news from our branches around the world.

Where is Armenia? Armenia is the smallest of the former Soviet republics, bounded by Georgia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east, Iran to the south, and Turkey to the west. Aremenia counts amongst one of the world's oldest civilizations and once included Mount Ararat, (now in modern day Turkey) the mountain identified in the bible as being where Noah's ark rested after the flood. Under Tigrane the Great (fl. 95-55 B.C.) the Armenian Empire reached its height and became one of the most powerful in Asia, starching from the Caspian to the Mediterranean Seas. Throughout most of its long history, however, Armenia has been invaded by a succession of conquerors- the Greeks, Romans, Persians, Byzantines, Mongols, Arabs, Ottoman Turks, and the Russians.

From the 16th century through to World War I, significant parts of Armenia were controlled by the Ottoman Turks, under whom they experienced discrimination, religious persecution, heavy taxation, and armed attacks. In response to Armenian nationalist stirrings, the Turks massacred thousands of Armenians in 1894 and 1896. After the Turkish defeat in World War I, the independent Republic of Armenia was established on May 28, 1918, but survived only until November 29, 1920, when it was annexed by the Soviet Army. On March 12, 1922, the Soviets joined Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan to form the Transcaucasian Soviet Socialist Republic, which became part of the U.S.S.R. In 1936, after a reorganization, Armenia became a separate constituent republic of the U.S.S.R.

Armenia declared its independence from the collapsing Soviet Union on September 23, 1991. An Armenian Diaspora has existed throughout the nation's history, and Armenian emigration has been particularly heavy since independence from the Soviet Union. An estimated 60% of the total eight million Armenians worldwide live outside the country, with one million each in the U.S. and Russia. Significant Armenian communities are located in Georgia, France, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Argentina, and Canada.

Armenia – acknowledged as one of the cradles of civilization – is a beautiful country with a sophisticated people and a long and cultured history. As a result, Armenia is an intriguing tourist destination. Numerous monuments and masterpieces of the Ancient era and Middle Ages can be found throughout the country. Tourism in Armenia is rooted in the country's historical landmarks and natural attractions such as the water resorts of Lake Seventh hot springs of Arzni and Jermuk, the forests of Dilijan, Aghveran, Tsaghkadzor, Bjurakan and Gugark, and the mountainous natural caves and cliffs of the Southeast region. The 5165 meter Mount Ararat, geographically located in Turkey, is a national symbol of Armenia and is visible from much of the Southwest region.

The majestic peaks of Mount Ararat provide a stunning backdrop to Yerevan. The monastery of Khor-Virab and the ruins of the ancient city of Dvin (dating back to the second century BC) are located in the mid-distance Aerial view of Yerevan, capital of Armenia Statue of Komitas, one of Armenia's most loved composers, outside the Komitas Conservatory. Apart from writing many original composition, Komitas travelled the country noting down folk songs for posterity Yerevan, which is nestled in the shadow of the snow-capped heights of the majestic mount Ararat, where the Biblical Noah's Ark first landed escaping the Great Flood, is the capital city of Armenia. With a population numbering over 1.2 million, Yerevan is a bustling city. The central plaza, Republic Square, is designed in the Armenian national style and houses the Government House, the Cabinet and other governmental offices as well as the Erebuni and Armenia hotels.

Also situated on Republic Square are the Armenian History Museum and the Art Gallery of Armenia. Here, one finds informative and interesting models and artefacts of ancient Urartu and Armenia. In the Art Gallery one finds a worthy section on Armenian art from the seventh century AD. Amongst the many other museums in the capital city, the two most interesting house museums are those of landscape artist Martiros Saryan (1880-1972) and twentieth century composer Aram Khatchaturyan.

Yerevan, the ancient capital of Armenia, extends you a warm and friendly welcome. It is one of the oldest cities in the world. The earliest recorded settlement there dates back to 782 BC. King Argishty I founded a fortress city in the north-eastern part of present-day Yerevan, with the following cuneiform inscription, “With the majesty of God Khald, Argishty, son of Menua, built up this inaccessible castle and named it Erebuni…” You can still see relics from this part of our history at the Erebuni Museum in Yerevan.

As you explore the many interesting sights in Yerevan, you will learn about the culture and history of one of the world's oldest nations.

If you would like more information about Armenia, contact the author of this article, Mr Mushegh Gevorgyan, who can assist with tours, visas and translation services: tours@orient.am

February 2005 London meeting

Gerry Brennan was our first speaker and gave us an insight into life in Botswana. Gerry went there to teach Art & Design. She began with slides showing some of her pupil's work. The children are expert at making sculptures from wire. Gerry showed us some of Chobe National Park's 11,000 square kilometres, home to elephants, lion and buffalo, some of which get extremely close. Gerry also explained some of the local superstitions, my favourite being her picture of a house surrounded by green fields, however the area around the house had no grass, as the locals believe that snakes live in the grass and they are scared of them!

Our second speakers were duo Shally and Richard Hunt, whose talk entitled “No ordinary walk” was their 2300 mile, 40 week walk from Cape Wraith to Nice. Though they did the first part in reverse walking from Dover to the north of Scotland before hopping over the Channel and walking in the summer heat through Belgium, Luxembourg and France. They crossed both the Jura and Vosges Mountains, sleeping in refuges and camping. After 40 weeks they finally made it to Nice in the rain.

5^th March 2005 London meeting

Our first speaker was Matthew Leeming who gave Globies a fascinating talk on Afghanistan. Matthew began in the city of Herat, where he visited the beautiful Friday mosque with its wonderful blue tiles. We saw the tile factory where the tiles are still made by hand today. From Shibagan he showed us the solid gold jewellery which had escaped melting down by the Taliban by being hidden in a bank vault.

In Balkh we saw the worlds oldest mosque dating from 950AD, the mosque of the 9 domes, which is housed under a roof now to protect it from the elements. And the views of the spectacular mountains in the east of Afghanistan finished off a great talk.

Our second speaker was long time Globie Phil Koniotes whose slides took us to Svalbard and Greenland. The Svalbard part was actually the honeymoon of Phil and fellow Globie Lindy, who met at Globetrotters, all together, aaaaaaaahhhhhh! Their trip took them to see the wildlife of Svalbard where they saw Arctic Fox and all kinds of bird life, as well as enjoying Russian hospitality including BBQ's on board their ship. In Greenland Phil showed us the old whaling stations which are dotted around. Phil's fabulous icebergs photos showed the deep blue colours of the oldest chunks of ice. He was also lucky enough to spot a Polar bear and to see a hump back whale feeding frenzy.

By Padmassana

London meetings are held at The Church of Scotland, Crown Court, behind the Fortune Theatre in Covent Garden at 2.30pm the first Saturday of each month. There is no London meeting in August, but we will be back in September. For more information, you can contact the Globetrotters Info line on +44 (0) 20 8674 6229, or visit the website: www.globetrotters.co.uk

Country tatistics: highest population density.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population_density

We are sorry to say that for the time being, New York meetings are suspended as Laurie really needs a helper. If you have some time to spare and are based in or near NYC, please contact Laurie on the e-mail address below.

For details of forthcoming meetings email newyork@globetrotters.co.uk or register for email updates, click here at our website.

New York meetings are held at The Wings Theatre, 154 Christopher Street (btw Greenwich St and Washington St ), to the right of Crunch Fitness, in the Archive on the first Saturday of each month at 4 pm .

What is it: there are believed to be at least 15 different types of avian flu that routinely infect birds around the world. The current outbreak is caused by a strain known as H5N1, which is highly contagious among birds and rapidly fatal. Unfortunately, unlike many other strains of avian flu, it can be transmitted to humans, causing severe illness and death.

How do I get it: human cases have been blamed on direct contact with infected chickens and their droppings. People who catch the virus from birds can pass it on to other humans, although the disease is generally milder in those who caught it from an infected person rather than from birds.

What happens if I get it: bird flu can cause a range of symptoms in humans – some patients report fever, cough, sore throat and muscle aches. Others suffer from eye infections, pneumonia, acute respiratory distress and other severe and life-threatening complications.

Diagnose and treatment: flu drugs exist that may be used both to prevent people from catching bird flu and to treat those who have it. Currently there is no vaccine, although scientists are working to develop one.

How can I avoid contracting rabies: the World Health Organization recommends that infected or exposed flocks of chickens and other birds be killed in order to help prevent further spread of the virus and reduce opportunities for human infection. However, the agency warns that safety measures must be taken to prevent exposure to the virus among workers involved in culling.

For information on Ontario meetings, please contact Svatka Hermanek: shermanek@schulich.yorku.ca or Bruce Weber: tel. 416-203-0911 or Paul Webb: tel. 416-694-8259.

Meetings are held on the third Friday of January, March, May, September and November. Usually at the Woodsworth Co-op, Penthouse, 133, Wilton Street in downtown Toronto at 8.00 p.m.

10 Interesting Facts

1. The United States has the most money, power, airports, cell

   phones, radios and ISP's.

2. The United States consumes more energy than India, the Middle East, South America, Africa, South East Asia and Oceania combined – which means more than 3.1 billion people.
3. The top 5 energy consumers are all cold countries. The next 6 are mostly oil producers.
4. Top per capita importing and exporting nations tend to be a little small.
5. In Australia, there's plenty of open road. Which is just as well, because you wouldn't want to park your car.
6. You're 66 times more likely to be prosecuted in the USA as in France.
7. Nearly 1% of Montserrat ions are police.
8. Most Zambians don't live to see their 40th birthday.
9. Want your kids to stay in school? Send them to Norway.
10. Mexico has the most Jehovah's Witnesses per capita in the OECD.

Source: www.nationmaster.com