the buzz log

As international relief agencies press to bring more aid into Myanmar, searchers have hit the Web for background on the cyclone-ravaged country.

Demand for "myanmar" has lifted queries 2,454% over the past week, while lookups of the country's former name, "burma," have picked up 1,401%. Surging terms like "myanmar map," "myanmar news," and "burma news" reveal an intense interest in the country's location and how it's responding to the disaster that struck nearly a week ago.

Here are some of the other fastest-moving search questions about the catastrophe...

• "What is a cyclone?"—According to the American Heritage Dictionary, a cyclone is "a violent tropical storm." This "atmospheric system" is "usually accompanied by stormy, often destructive weather."

• "What is the difference between a cyclone and a hurricane?"—Not much. "Hurricane" (and "typhoon") is a "regionally specific" name for a tropical cyclone. How these ferocious outbreaks are labeled depends simply on where each forms. Read more in this FAQ from NOAA.

• "Where is Burma?" and "Where is Myanmar?"—Myanmar is located in Southeast Asia, on the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. It borders India, China, Laos, and Thailand.

As to confusion over the nation's two names, here's American Heritage again: Burma's "civilian government was overthrown by a military coup in 1962 and again in 1988. The country was officially renamed Myanmar in 1989." Many sources, such as the CIA Factbok or Wikipedia, continue to refer to the land as "Burma."

•Finally, spiking demand for "junta," "military junta," and "myanmar junta" suggests curiosity about the term. Here's how Merriam-Webster defines "junta": "a group of persons controlling a government especially after a revolutionary seizure of power."