If you’re on the beach, this map shows you what’s across the ocean • Hacker News Board

Re: If you’re on the beach, this map shows you what’s across the ocean

#21

Post by eob » Tue, Jun 03, 2014, 6:01 AM UTC

jpatokal wrote: post #15

eob wrote: post #7

This really shows just how "landlocked" [1] the People's Republic of China is by the chain of islands bordering it -- they have less ocean-facing coastline than Morocco, Portugal, and even Mauritania. Next time you read about the PRC (a) trying to assert naval power in the South China Sea, or (b) maintaining claims to Taiwan despite having never controlled it, think of this map and the near complete absence of the PR…

"Landlocked" is stretching it. It's >800 miles from Kagoshima to Taipei, >300mi from Kaohsiung to Laoag, and ~680mi from Laoag to Hainan. Add in the Tsushima Straits and the bit between Hainan and Vietnam, and that's over 2000 mi of ocean that you'd need to blockade to block China from the Pacific.

Perhaps, if we're arguing word choice, but the broader point is that no megapower wants to play Red Rover for easy access to an ocean if war broke out. Until we develop space-based weapons platforms and/or hypersonic missiles, naval power will remain the key means of projecting power and buffering coastline vulnerability.

As long as naval power remains so important, unquestionable access to nearby bodies of water will be primary objects of power projection.

Re: If you’re on the beach, this map shows you what’s across the ocean

#22

Post by baddox » Tue, Jun 03, 2014, 6:20 AM UTC

tmhedberg wrote: post #13

eurleif wrote: post #9

It would be cooler if it took the shape of the beach into account, and showed what would be across the ocean if you were oriented along the tangent line.

That would be difficult, since coastlines are essentially fractal.

Of course, in practice such an app would not attempt inspect the coastline on a molecular level. It would just use vector data from some map source, and I suspect that would work quite well in practice.

Re: If you’re on the beach, this map shows you what’s across the ocean

#23

Post by baddox » Tue, Jun 03, 2014, 6:25 AM UTC

ximeng wrote: post #6

ipince wrote: post #3

Meaning Chile is the only country in the world that completely "owns" a latitude. Cool..

Denmark at the top as well. This is a nice visualisation too (linked from that page). https://www.jasondavies.com/maps/voronoi/airports/

That's not Denmark (Greenland) at the top. Greenland has been removed from the map for some reason.

Re: If you’re on the beach, this map shows you what’s across the ocean

#24

Post by baddox » Tue, Jun 03, 2014, 6:33 AM UTC

ipince wrote: post #3

Meaning Chile is the only country in the world that completely "owns" a latitude. Cool..

If you don't count small islands like South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (UK), this seems to be the case in reality. However, it wouldn't necessarily follow from this map, since this map only shows North America.

Re: If you’re on the beach, this map shows you what’s across the ocean

#25

Post by baddox » Tue, Jun 03, 2014, 6:35 AM UTC

nemasu wrote: post #2

Wow, so Chile has a spot where you can go around the globe and end up back in Chile...that is cool.

For one definition of "around the globe," yes.

Re: If you’re on the beach, this map shows you what’s across the ocean

#26

Post by swimfar » Tue, Jun 03, 2014, 6:46 AM UTC

prawn wrote: post #18

Suggests a project for someone to make a little play app which lets you stand on a beach, aim your phone and discover the next landmass in a given direction. Or likewise, "looking" down through the Earth. What's on the opposite site of where I'm standing right now (including detailing the oceans and seas).

Here are two sites which show you the opposite points (antipodes) of the earth of a given location. One is interactive, the other takes an address.

http://www.freemaptools.com/tunnel-to-other-side-of-the-eart...

http://www.antipodr.com/

There do seem to be some phone apps available as well.

Re: If you’re on the beach, this map shows you what’s across the ocean

#27

Post by Kiro » Tue, Jun 03, 2014, 7:07 AM UTC

I was expecting some kind of augmented reality app I could use on the beach to see what's beyond the horizon.

Re: If you’re on the beach, this map shows you what’s across the ocean

#28

Post by [deleted] » Tue, Jun 03, 2014, 7:29 AM UTC

baddox wrote: post #24

ipince wrote: post #3

Meaning Chile is the only country in the world that completely "owns" a latitude. Cool..

If you don't count small islands like South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (UK), this seems to be the case in reality. However, it wouldn't necessarily follow from this map, since this map only shows North America.

[deleted]

Re: If you’re on the beach, this map shows you what’s across the ocean

#29

Post by taejo » Tue, Jun 03, 2014, 7:31 AM UTC

baddox wrote: post #24

ipince wrote: post #3

Meaning Chile is the only country in the world that completely "owns" a latitude. Cool..

If you don't count small islands like South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (UK), this seems to be the case in reality. However, it wouldn't necessarily follow from this map, since this map only shows North America.

Another commenter claims Denmark (Greenland) also owns a latitude.