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  • The Maps and Geography Thread

    I thought this was interesting. This map shows 2008 presidential election results by county in the south. Note the blue (Democratic) band that moves through several Southern states:



    This election was not unique. The area in this band is consistently more Democratic than the surrounding areas. So, why is there a band of blue counties that snake through the south? The non-intuitive answer is that this was the coastline of a shallow sea that has not existed in almost 100 million years.

    What does an ancient sea have to do with politics today? On this shore was deposited the remains of countless plankton (planktons?), making the soil more fertile than the surrounding areas. More fertile soil meant more agriculture. More agriculture meant more slaves in the 18th and 19th centuries. More slaves meant larger black populations in these areas today. And that is why we can see the remains of a 100 million year old sea in today's election results.

    At least that is what this article asserts. I am not familiar with the political analysis reputation of "Deep Sea News", but it is pretty interesting.

    http://deepseanews.com/2012/06/how-p...old-coastline/

  • #2
    Cool map. I love stuff like that.

    I dig the Earth at night pictures. Fascinating to me.

    One thing I learned recently. And I don't know how I never knew this before, but it was seriously amazing to discover. I always knew international flights went way north in their path, but for some reason I thought it had to do with wind currents (which is partially true sometimes but not the primary reason). So I was looking on a globe, and damned if a straight line between say Eastern Europe and Utah doesn't go almost right through the North Pole. Mind blown.

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    • #3
      Like Jay, I'm fascinated by this kind of stuff. I enjoy staring at maps and especially enjoy historical tidbits like the one mentioned above.

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      • #4
        Here's my beach house in Saudi Arabia

        https://maps.google.com/maps?q=najma...rabia&t=h&z=19
        Everything in life is an approximation.

        http://twitter.com/CougarStats

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        • #5
          [YOUTUBE]08LBltePDZw[/YOUTUBE]
          Everything in life is an approximation.

          http://twitter.com/CougarStats

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          • #6
            Global precipitation map.



            http://www.viewsoftheworld.net/?p=1841
            Everything in life is an approximation.

            http://twitter.com/CougarStats

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Indy Coug View Post
              Here's my beach house in Saudi Arabia

              https://maps.google.com/maps?q=najma...rabia&t=h&z=19
              Jihadist!

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              • #8
                Via Google Earth, I've been studying the islands of the Pacific. I've grown particularly fond of Pagan Island, in the north Marinara's. Once an outpost of the Japanese during WWII, it is covered with cement bunkers, downed aircraft, and tunnels dug. As far as uninhabited islands go, it's at the top of my list for a visit.

                Last edited by clackamascoug; 01-04-2013, 05:47 PM.

                When poet puts pen to paper imagination breathes life, finding hearth and home.
                -Mid Summer's Night Dream

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                • #9
                  Someone in my family just got a mission call to Micronesia. He won't be going to the Northern Marinara's, tho.


                  Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

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                  • #10


                    It's a bit stereotypical that we orient our maps with the north on top. Apparently, it was not always so; ancient maps tended to be oriented to the east, whence came the sun. Once we figured out the importance of Polaris as a fixed point in space, we started orienting our maps to the North.

                    See, e.g., this map, with the east on top, and Jerusalem in the center:

                    τὸν ἥλιον ἀνατέλλοντα πλείονες ἢ δυόμενον προσκυνοῦσιν

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                    • #11
                      MAPS is a very useful tool.
                      "It's true that everything happens for a reason. Just remember that sometimes that reason is that you did something really, really, stupid."

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                      • #12
                        http://www.sporcle.com/games/g/world

                        174/196 just now. No cheating.
                        "Yeah, but never trust a Ph.D who has an MBA as well. The PhD symbolizes intelligence and discipline. The MBA symbolizes lust for power." -- Katy Lied

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                        • #13
                          Maps and geography are some of my favorite topics in the world. This thread should be awesome.
                          Visca Catalunya Lliure

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                          • #14
                            Lost island in the Pacific http://www.strangerdimensions.com/20...e-lost-island/

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                            • #15
                              Originally posted by frank ryan View Post
                              I was in that area (studying) about a month ago, and had read about that "lost" island. Very interesting. The islands of the Pacific have occupied histories dating back 3,000 years. Of course that's not near as long as the Aboriginal Australians. I find this stuff more than interesting.

                              When poet puts pen to paper imagination breathes life, finding hearth and home.
                              -Mid Summer's Night Dream

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