Geographic oddities

[wwmiv]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

If you can see both skylines from Six Flags, then there might be a building tall enough in Trenton to see both skylines from. Trenton is close to the straightline midpoint between Manhattan and Center City.

The tallest in Trenton is 203, less than half of Kingda Ka, so I am not sure if you can.

[jbermingham123]

Earth's longest straight line on land:



~11,240 km

[jbermingham123]

There were (are) white Europeans, the Sami people, who survived in isolated hunter-gatherer clans in the Scandanavian arctic well into the 20th century. They were not true "uncontacted peoples" in the strict sense; there is genetic evidence that they were exposed to the black death, and since the 18th century, a small number of missionaries have documented various insane-bordering-on-suicidal treks into the arctic wilderness to find Sami and convert them. Nevertheless, if the word "isolated" means anything, then most Sami were fully isolated from European society until around 100 years ago.

After being subjected to forced-scandanavian-assimilation policies from the turn of the century until the 1950's, most are now integrated into modern scandanavian society.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%A1mi_people

[mrnyc]

^ sounds like the ainu in japan.

Originally Posted by James Bond Agent 007

This is something I think a lot of North Americans don't appreciate: How far north Europe is. I've often wondered how much long summer days and long winter nights have affected their history, culture and development. But I guess that's another topic.

wouldnt it be nice if america had a gulf stream to keep things temperate? instead we get arctic blasts!

[proghousehead]

Originally Posted by mrnyc

^ sounds like the ainu in japan.




wouldnt it be nice if america had a gulf stream to keep things temperate? instead we get arctic blasts!

Gulf Stream is apparently weakening/shifting. Soon Europe will suffer the same winters we do. And it’s not like Europe is some tropical paradise in the winter as is. London is warmer than NYC in January with much less snow - no doubt - but the difference is rather marginal.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Did anyone ever figure out if you can see Detroit and Cleveland from Cedar Point? Seems likely, since both cities are roughly 60 miles from Sandusky on a straight line.

I've certainly tried to find Cleveland and Detroit from the top of Cedar Point's taller coasters, but to no avail.

You probably need a ridiculously clear day.

[Boisebro]

I'll just put this here and let you all enjoy browsing for the next 30 minutes:

https://twitter.com/amazingmap?lang=en


and don't forget this one, too:

https://twitter.com/TerribleMaps

[badrunner]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

And that's on a cloudy day. Did anyone ever figure out if you can see Detroit and Cleveland from Cedar Point? Seems likely, since both cities are roughly 60 miles from Sandusky on a straight line.

From a height of 420 feet (tallest roller coaster at Cedar Point) a building at a distance of 60 miles would have to be at least 813 feet tall to be visible above the horizon. So Detroit wouldn't be visible at all. Key Tower in Cleveland at 947 feet would theoretically be visible, but only the tip, and it would probably get lost in the trees and intervening terrain.

[BnaBreaker]

Originally Posted by Boisebro

I'll just put this here and let you all enjoy browsing for the next 30 minutes:

https://twitter.com/amazingmap?lang=en

Thanks for that!

A few geographical oddities that stuck out to me from that link:

*The northernmost part of Brazil is closer to Canada than to the southernmost part of Brazil

*Technically, at 730 km France's longest border is with Brazil (via French Guiana)

*Melbourne, AUS is closer to Antarctica than it is to Darwin, AUS

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Boisebro

and don't forget this one, too:

https://twitter.com/TerribleMaps

Interesting one from that link:

None of the countries that surrounded Poland before 1990 exist today

[mrnyc]

Originally Posted by proghousehead

Gulf Stream is apparently weakening/shifting. Soon Europe will suffer the same winters we do. And it’s not like Europe is some tropical paradise in the winter as is. London is warmer than NYC in January with much less snow - no doubt - but the difference is rather marginal.

warmer and much less snow = marginal? okurrr.

[Centropolis]

do you guys want to talk about the missouri bootheel? it dips further south than kentucky or virginia, they grow rice and cotton in weird sandy soil, and (allegedly) has gators. it is part of a failed continental rift perhaps similar to the red sea and is the great half-healed geologic scar of the mid-continent.

[mrnyc]

Originally Posted by iheartthed

And that's on a cloudy day. Did anyone ever figure out if you can see Detroit and Cleveland from Cedar Point? Seems likely, since both cities are roughly 60 miles from Sandusky on a straight line.

i'll ask around, maybe, but i dont think so from cleveland proper.

however, you definitely can sometimes in places as you go along the western suburb waterfronts, or just out in the water a little ways from shore in a boat.

also, except from clear days on the key or terminal tower observation decks you can't see canada from cleveland, but you can see it kind of regularly actually from either direction as a fata morgana/superior mirage depending on the weather. also these days at times you can see the red lights on canadian wind turbines from cleveland, but i think that is a fata morgana type weather effect too, not an actual straight view of it.

of course, they are always building new and taller roller coasters at cedar point, so maybe we can take that into account too, the views could change every season.

[UrbanImpact]

I posted a picture from twitter here once where you could make out Cleveland from the top of the Millennium Force roller coaster at Cedar Point. I'm unable to find that post now though

[iheartthed]

Originally Posted by UrbanImpact

I posted a picture from twitter here once where you could make out Cleveland from the top of the Millennium Force roller coaster at Cedar Point. I'm unable to find that post now though

Just found a tweet that says you can see downtown Detroit from Millennium Force, so I guess we somewhat have confirmation: https://twitter.com/Tripleb3amdream/...63385745817600

[mrnyc]

alrighty then -- cedar point is on a peninsula, so it sticks out there, i'm not surprized.

[Sigaven]

Originally Posted by bilbao58

El Paso is closer to Los Angeles than it is to Beaumont.

Beaumont is also closer to Jacksonville, FL than it is to El Paso!

[Centropolis]

OK so I couldn't really figure out why the Missouri bootheel exists. It’s kind of funny that a midwestern state is just like “Uh i’m gonna just stick my...uh finger way into the south like THIS!” I can only imagine that its the result of alcohol.

[xzmattzx]

Originally Posted by Centropolis

OK so I couldn't really figure out why the Missouri bootheel exists. It’s kind of funny that a midwestern state is just like “Uh i’m gonna just stick my...uh finger way into the south like THIS!” I can only imagine that its the result of alcohol.

It's because the major landowner in that area, who got his land from the French settlers who moved to Canada after the Louisiana Purchase, knew that Missouri would be the most important state in the region due to the slavery issue, and so he petitioned for his land to be included in Missouri instead of Arkansas.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by mrnyc

of course, they are always building new and taller roller coasters at cedar point, so maybe we can take that into account too, the views could change every season.

While you can never be too sure about what cedar point might have up its sleeve for its next trick, it's important to remember that there are only 8 (or 9*) full-circuit roller coasters in the entire world that exceed 300' in height, and while 2 of them are located at Cedar Point, they haven't built a coaster of that height in nearly two decades now. Top thrill dragster might remain the tallest coaster at the point for some time to come.


The World's tallest full-circuit roller coasters

1. Kingda Ka - Six Flags Great Adventure (NJ) - 2005 - 456.0 ft

2. Top Thrill Dragster- Cedar Point (OH) - 2003 - 420.0 ft

3. Red Force - Ferrari Land (Spain) - 2017 - 367.3 ft

4. Fury 325 - Carowinds (NC) - 2015 - 325.0 ft

5. Steel Dragon 2000 - Nagashima Spa Land (Japan) - 2000 - 318.3 ft

6. Millennium Force - Cedar Point (OH) - 2000 - 310.0 ft

7. Leviathan - Canada's Wonderland (ON) - 2012 - 306.0 ft

8. Intimidator 305 - Kings Dominion (VA) - 2010 - 305.0 ft

*9. Orion - Kings Island (OH) - 2020 - 287.0 ft (technically, Orion only stands 287 ft. above the ground at its apex, but its first drop is a full 300 ft. high due to sloping terrain)


source: https://rcdb.com/