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Islandception
Oddities of geography
- Thread starter GranTurNismo
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I once saw somebody spend hours moving small stones next to a river until a small track of water ran alongside the main river through a bend. Think, cutting the chicane at the end of Suzuka. Several years later I saw that the track had grown in width and volume and effectively created a small island of stone.
I don't know if it's still there. I wouldn't have expected it to last even a few days.
I don't know if it's still there. I wouldn't have expected it to last even a few days.
- 29,974
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1 square mile, I believe. City of London has a separate council from the surrounding areas such a Westminster and Newham. While it has unique laws and sub laws, I don’t think it’s actually a county, per se, just a district of central London.
Don’t quote me on that. That’s all off the top of my head.
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You're not wrong.
https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/about-the-city/about-us/Pages/default.aspx
However, it is also described as a ceremonial county (but not, I think, a "real" county by most definitions) because it has a comission of lieutenants.
http://www.liverycompanies.info/a-z-list-of-companies/her-majestys-commission-of.html
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1997/23/section/7
- 29,826
- Bratvegas
- GTP_Liquid
One of the more unusual sections of European borders is that between Belgium and the Netherlands in Baarle-Hertog.
Created after the 1843 Treaty of Maastricht that ultimately settled the disputed territory of recently formed Belgium from the Netherlands from which it gained its independence, it consists of multiple small Belgian exclaves within the Dutch province of Noord-Brabant and even some Dutch exclaves within the Belgian exclaves.
From what I understand, there are houses which are in two different countries where the borders run through and commercial properties that are subject to ever so slightly different laws and practices in one part of the premises but not another for the same reasons.
Created after the 1843 Treaty of Maastricht that ultimately settled the disputed territory of recently formed Belgium from the Netherlands from which it gained its independence, it consists of multiple small Belgian exclaves within the Dutch province of Noord-Brabant and even some Dutch exclaves within the Belgian exclaves.
From what I understand, there are houses which are in two different countries where the borders run through and commercial properties that are subject to ever so slightly different laws and practices in one part of the premises but not another for the same reasons.
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I think I remember seeing photographs of a clothing shop on the border that was half in & half out of pandemic related lockdown.One of the more unusual sections of European borders is that between Belgium and the Netherlands in Baarle-Hertog.
Created after the 1843 Treaty of Maastricht that ultimately settled the disputed territory of recently formed Belgium from the Netherlands from which it gained its independence, it consists of multiple small Belgian exclaves within the Dutch province of Noord-Brabant and even some Dutch exclaves within the Belgian exclaves.
From what I understand, there are houses which are in two different countries where the borders run through and commercial properties that are subject to ever so slightly different laws and practices in one part of the premises but not another for the same reasons.
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- Bratvegas
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The African country with the most pyramids is Sudan. Sudan has twice as many (~230) as Egypt (~110).
The battle on the Zuiderzee in 1573 was a naval battle fought on water whose location is now on land. The Zuiderzee (southern sea) was a bay of the North Sea in North Netherlands which, since the construction of the Afsluitsdijk in the 20th century, has now been cut off from the sea and reclaimed in large parts such as Flevoland, which roughly corresponds to the battle's location.
Portugal spans three continents. The Azores and Madeira are islands of the Atlantic but are fundamental, integral Portuguese territory and not any sort of special overseas dependencies as is the case in other countries. Madeira is off the African coast and the Azores are closer to North America.
The battle on the Zuiderzee in 1573 was a naval battle fought on water whose location is now on land. The Zuiderzee (southern sea) was a bay of the North Sea in North Netherlands which, since the construction of the Afsluitsdijk in the 20th century, has now been cut off from the sea and reclaimed in large parts such as Flevoland, which roughly corresponds to the battle's location.
Portugal spans three continents. The Azores and Madeira are islands of the Atlantic but are fundamental, integral Portuguese territory and not any sort of special overseas dependencies as is the case in other countries. Madeira is off the African coast and the Azores are closer to North America.
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Technically that applies to the Azores themselves.
The islands sit above something called the ATJ - Azores Triple Junction - which is where the North American Plate, the Eurasian Plate, and the Africa Plate all meet, in an R-R-R junction. Corvo and Flores, the two westernmost islands, are on the North American Plate itself, while the island of Santa Maria is on the African plate, just below the Azores-Gibraltar Transform Fault. All the rest are on the Eurasian Plate - so technically the islands are on three different continental plates (and thus continents).
Iceland is famously on two different plates. I've been to where they meet. There's a bridge...
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The Savoy Court road going to the Savoy Hotel in London is, I think, the only place in Great Britain with traffic on the right-hand side.
It dates from when horse-drawn carriage drivers would open the coach doors of the carriage for passengers without having to get out of the cab themselves. Thusly, a RHD vehicle was driving on the right so the driver would open the door for the passengers to alight directly onto the pavement.
It dates from when horse-drawn carriage drivers would open the coach doors of the carriage for passengers without having to get out of the cab themselves. Thusly, a RHD vehicle was driving on the right so the driver would open the door for the passengers to alight directly onto the pavement.
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The Atlantic end of the canal, which actually goes into the Caribbean, not the Atlantic, is north-northwest of the Pacific end of the canal. Even though traffic is moving "West to East," Pacific to Atlantic, the canal itself is more north-and-south, and that end of the canal is farther west than the Pacific end.
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- a baby, candy, it's like taking.
- TexRex72
There used to be a similar feature in the Philippines, but it was a casualty of geological events (
Vulcan Point in Taal Volcano Main Crater Lake on Volcano Island in Taal Lake on Luzon in the Philippines.
*Edit:
Yes, I actually typed "earthquack".
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If you class Cyprus as geologically an Asian island, the United Kingdom is the only country with territory in all 7 (traditional) Continents.
France comes second with territory in 6 (nothing Asian), then The Netherlands and USA on 3 continents.
France comes second with territory in 6 (nothing Asian), then The Netherlands and USA on 3 continents.
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I have heard tale that the turning point (roundabout I oppose) at the Savoy is very tight, hence the ability for a London taxi to turn in such a tight circumference.The Savoy Court road going to the Savoy Hotel in London is, I think, the only place in Great Britain with traffic on the right-hand side.
It dates from when horse-drawn carriage drivers would open the coach doors of the carriage for passengers without having to get out of the cab themselves. Thusly, a RHD vehicle was driving on the right so the driver would open the door for the passengers to alight directly onto the pavement.
However, from my days as a traffic warden in that exact location, I can tell you that the road leading to the Savoy, off of The Strand isn’t documented as a public roadway, and as a private roadway none of the regular rules apply.
Unrelated: I saw a comparison of Europe and Africa on a true scale map and the contrast and understatement of Africa’s size is incredible when compared to its representation on a ‘globe’ style map.
Aside from that, I really love cartography and think it is a fascinating science/ art.
@Jimlaad43, I visited Ayia Napa back in the day (for raving, naturally) and had no idea until now how much Cyprus is actually in the Middle East. I assumed it was a Greek island just off the mainland.
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Greece in itself is a transcontinental country as some of its Easternmost islands are only a few km away from Turkey (AKA Anatolia aka Asia Minor) and are classed as Asian islands, making Greece mostly European with Asian parts.
Cyprus is geographically Asian, but culturally European (at least the Greek bit)
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The United Kingdom has possessions in all seven continents (which is a cool fact) but the difference with the fact about France is that France counts almost all of its overseas possessions as integral French territory in a way that the United Kingdom does not:
French Polynesia, Saint Martin, Reunion etc. are all a part of France (as well as the European Union) and are represented as such in France's two governmental chambers. Jersey, the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar etc. belong to the United Kingdom but are not in the United Kingdom, not having representation in the UK's bicameral chambers.
I've probably mentioned it myself earlier in the thread but France's integral territory governance gives it the most timezones of any country.
Edit: Akrotiri and Dhekelia are the only "parts" of the United Kingdom to use the Euro.
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- Alabamamania
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