The Maps and Geography Thread

[Clark Addison]

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-presidential-elections-are-impacted-by-a-100-million-year-old-coastline/

[jay santos]

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.

[PaloAltoCougar]

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.

[Indy Coug]

Here's my beach house in Saudi Arabia

https://maps.google.com/maps?q=najmah+saudi+arabia&hl=en&ll=26.723871,50.074275&spn=0.00235,0.00327&geocode=+&hnear=Ras+Tanura,+Eastern+Province+Saudi+Arabia&t=h&z=19

[Indy Coug]

[YOUTUBE]08LBltePDZw[/YOUTUBE]

[Indy Coug]

Global precipitation map.

http://www.viewsoftheworld.net/?p=1841

[frank ryan]

Here's my beach house in Saudi Arabia

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

Jihadist!

[clackamascoug]

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.

[Katy Lied]

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

[All-American]

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:

[FMCoug]

MAPS is a very useful tool.

[wuapinmon]

http://www.sporcle.com/games/g/world

174/196 just now. No cheating.

[Tim]

Maps and geography are some of my favorite topics in the world. This thread should be awesome.

[frank ryan]

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

[clackamascoug]

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

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.