Amazing Maps

World of Facebook

2010-12-16T05:55:00.000-08:00

A illustrative, but not too exciting map. Worth a quick look though!

Map of Humanity

2010-05-25T03:32:00.001-07:00

You have got to love this!

A truly great map, that takes on the impossible task of mapping humanity and connecting it to actual places. I've been studying it for at least half an hour now and so far "pride" is what pussles me the most. Click to Enlarge!

Classic Old World Map

2010-05-25T03:26:00.001-07:00

One of the classic old maps that can be found in numerous amounts, but I just love all of them! Click to enlarge.

Cabels across the Atlantic

2009-03-10T05:44:00.000-07:00

The first transatlantic cable was laid in 1858 after two failed attempts. How was a 1858-cable laying across the Atlantic constructed?

The cable manufactured was composed of seven copper wires closely connected or twined together, and protected by an exterior of three coats of gutta percha. Outside this again were six strands of yarn, and finally an external coating of wire, making the cable eleven-sixteenths of an inch in diameter. Its flexibility was so great as to allow of its being tied around the arm without injury, and its strength such that, if suspended vertically in water, it will bear six miles of its own length before breaking.

How was it laid?

The laying of the great Telegraph cable has necessitated the invention of new and even complicated machinery, while at the same time the accidental failure of the first attempt has brought about changes and improvements in the construction of the breaks and drums. We engrave, from drawings by our own correspondent, a complete representation of the machinery used. As is well known, the principal difficulty in the important undertaking is the even descent of the wire into the ocean without acquiring such velocity as to be broken by one of the sudden strains to which it is exposed, or coiling itself in a "kink." Of course the heavy swell of the Atlantic - and it must be remembered that even a calm implies a gigantic roll or swell of the mighty waves - will alternately raise and lower the vessel which is paying out the cable to such an extent as to necessitate a regulating power upon the descending wire, and in a gale of wind or on a chopping sea this necessity is vastly increased.. The machinery introduced for this purpose is admirably simple, and was contrived by Messrs. Easton and Amos, of Greenwich, England. It is placed on deck, in the afterpart of the vessel, and a little way to the right of the mizenmast. The cable, as it is uncoiled from the hold, passes over a horizontal groove and a deeply channelled wheel on to the great drums, around which it passes to another guiding wheel, and thence to the break machinery. These numerous windings preserve it from kinking, and the breaks are most ingeniously protected from the dangers of a too sudden jerk. Half between them and the stern is a grooved wheel, working on a sliding frame which is furnished with weights fixed on a rod, ending in a piston inside, or cylinder filled with water. This piston being somewhat less in diameter than the cylinder, leaves room for the water to circulate around it, although not without pressure. As, therefore, the cylinder is full, it is obvious that the play of the piston is impeded by the water, and that it will yield to pressure only gradually and not to a sudden jerk. It is now necessary to regulate the tension of the wire, which passes over the groove wheel and a block or sheaf, overhanging the stern, into the sea. The engineer weights the slide accordingly, the weight being hung on the shaft of the groove wheel under which the cable passes, and riding, therefore, on the cable itself. An index or dynamometer indicates the exact amount of pressure employed. Under this index is a steering wheel, which is connected with the weighting shaft, and a steersman, placed at this wheel, studies the index as he would a binnacle compass. The engineer instructs him as to the amount of pressure to be exerted, and a turn of the wheel suffices to relax or increase the strain. The abruptness of this, again, is guarded against by the water cylinder around the piston.

Both citations are from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper1858 Cable News

Check it out here

Africa’s Central Lake

2009-01-27T04:08:00.000-08:00

From the 1954 book Engineers’ Dreams

Africa's Central Lake planned by german architect Herman Sörgel in 1935. Basically the plan was to totally reconfigure the interior of Africa by creating a series of huge inland seas. His plan was to dam the Congo River where it passes through a string of deep, narrow gorges after it merges with one of its tributaries, the Kwa River. It would create a lake 350,000 square miles in area - larger than the areas of California, Nevada and Oregon combined.

Once the lake filled, it would be forced to overflow from another one of its tributaries, the Ubangi, into the Shari River which is one of the feeders for the present day Lake Chad.
Lake Chad would swell to the dimensions it was thought to have had over 10,000 years ago, spreading across the Ahaggar plateau. A river would then be created that would lead through Algeria, turn east into Tunisia and then eventually empty into the Mediterranean Sea at the Gulf of Gabes. This river could made navigable allowing ships to directly access the interior of Africa.

Map of the Vikings

2008-06-24T03:38:00.000-07:00

The Vikings discovered America. They just didn't tell enough about it. Maybe this is partly due to their raging and pillaging in the rest of Europe. While being robbed and killed people do not tend to pay to much attention to information regarding islands far far away.

Zeno Map

2008-06-24T03:28:00.001-07:00

This map of the northern part of Europe was published in 1558 but supposedly made already in the late 14. century. It depicts the northern and western countries of Europe. It is pretty accurate, especially recarding the longitude. This gives some concerns regarding it's autencity. Futher more... America is discovered, and that would make the Zeno brothers (who made tha map) the true discoverers of America. Well, if we disregard the viking Leif the Lucky and his crew...

How many Starbucks in how many countries?

2008-05-27T05:46:00.000-07:00

It's a US thing...

But the magic coffee bean shop is expanding!

Who is your true neighbour?

2008-05-26T01:12:00.000-07:00

Enlarge this to see an amazing map! Here you can see what people you are the closest to. Or the further away from!

Migration of Man

2008-05-26T00:37:00.000-07:00

This is truly amazing. The fact that Adam & Eve were born on the border of Kenya and Ethiopia and from there migrated throughout the world really astonishes me. Especially passing the Bering strait in order to migrate to the Americas. What really really really leaves me questioned is. What drove them ? Why did they migrate? Why wander through really difficult lands? Is this one of the defining factors of the human race? Our curiosity, our need to explore new territory (not just land)?

Amazing!

But who produces the coffee?

2008-05-21T05:21:00.001-07:00

Do the producing countries match the consuming (Starbuck) countries?

I guess Starbuck is more expansive than the coffee bean itself!

Coffee is a global thing!

2008-05-21T05:00:00.001-07:00

In case you didn't know!

The map shows what countries Starbucks are in. But it doesn't show the amount of shops in the countries. Such a map would be interesting, and I will supply it shortly!

Nevertheless interesting map:-)

The population of the world in year 1!

2008-05-14T02:38:00.001-07:00

Countries sized according to world population in year 1 a.d.

Back then the total population is estimated to have been around 230 million people. And more than 2/3 of them lived on the Asian continent.

Kind of amazing!

The world

2008-05-13T02:48:00.000-07:00

Waaaay before globalization was an issue for the commen people.

The world according to Bush II

2008-05-12T02:50:00.000-07:00

The world has changed during the past 20 years! ... From Reagan to Bush II.

Has the picture become more blurry or what is happening?

The world according to Reagan

2008-05-10T14:59:00.001-07:00

The world according to good ol' Reagan...

I saw this map some ten years ago. It's still great fun :-)

HIV

2008-05-09T06:54:00.000-07:00

1. Countries sized by population

2. Countries sized by HIV-rate

3. Countries sized by access to physicians...

Damn!

BE HAPPY!!!

2008-05-08T00:49:00.000-07:00

The average happiness in Africa is higher than that of Russia... maybe!?

Burma - Before and After

2008-05-07T12:11:00.000-07:00

It's a sad sad story...

If countries were sized according to the size of their population

2008-05-07T07:54:00.000-07:00

Look who's talking now!

...and in not too many decades some imagine.

If countries were were sized according to their GDP

2008-05-06T23:40:00.000-07:00

Again, a map interesting the economically sensed map interested reader :)

But Antarctica is definetely wrongly sized ;)

Besides GDP is in market prices, i.e. production is valued according to exchange rates. A map showing size according to GDP in puchasing power terms would be at least as interesting... it'll come soon!

US states renamed for countries with similar GDP

2008-05-06T10:22:00.000-07:00

For the economically & map interested reader.

The states are renamed after countries that have a similar GDP level. So it shows how what country the individual states total economy compares to. Interesting perhaps.

Soon I'll find a map showing how the individual states GPD per capita compares to other countries. The picture would be completely different from the above!

The New World

2008-05-06T10:10:00.000-07:00

... in 1562

The New World

2008-05-06T09:20:00.000-07:00

...when it was known as Vinland!