Screenshot from the OpenCage blog page where we list all the various #geoweirdness threads
6/ That concludes our look at geographic jokes. What did we miss?
If you liked this #geoweirdness thread you may also enjoy our look at
Geo games: https://en.osm.town/@opencage/113606413273241319
and of course "The Vaguely Rude Places Map" is always worth a chuckle
SwissTopo map with a hiker drawn into the topographic lines on a mountain peak
4/ Another bit of cartographic fun is the long tradition of map makers hiding figures in their maps
SwissTopo has a nice article with several examples from their maps:
www.swisstopo.admin.ch/en/hidden-images-2016122...
#geoweirdness
3/ No list of geographic jokes would be complete without a discussion of the "Bielefeld Conspiracy" which makes the claim that the German 🇩🇪 city of Bielefeld does not exist.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bielefeld_conspiracy
#geoweirdness
It's April Fools' Day so we thought it fitting to pay tribute to one of the greatest geographic jokes of all time.
In 1977 British newspaper The Guardian published a seven page supplement about the fictional nation of San Serriffe
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Serriffe
#geoweirdness
This week we reshare our #geoweirdness thread about the United Arab Emirates 🇦🇪 where we discuss the disputed islands near the Strait, amongst other bits of Emirati geographic oddness.
https://en.osm.town/@opencage/111113713944602654
If African #geoweirdness is your thing you may enjoy our threads about
🇿🇦 South Africa https://en.osm.town/@opencage/110247462187801704
and
The Congos 🇨🇩🇨🇬
https://en.osm.town/@opencage/116034618995930758
If African #geoweirdness is your thing you may enjoy our threads about
🇿🇦 South Africa https://en.osm.town/@opencage/110247462187801704
and
The Congos 🇨🇩🇨🇬
https://en.osm.town/@opencage/116034618995930758
Massive sand dune on the Atlantic coast, part of the Namib desert. By Robur.q - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42945720
The Hoba meteorite By Sergio Conti from Montevecchia (LC), Italia - P1000076, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37636359
10/ In #geoweirdness we focus mainly on political geography, but we must mention that Namibia 🇳🇦 has amazing geological features.
The Namib desert stretches for more than 2,000km while Dragon’s Breath Cave contains the world's largest underground lake
Massive sand dune on the Atlantic coast, part of the Namib desert. By Robur.q - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42945720
The Hoba meteorite By Sergio Conti from Montevecchia (LC), Italia - P1000076, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37636359
10/ In #geoweirdness we focus mainly on political geography, but we must mention that Namibia 🇳🇦 has amazing geological features.
The Namib desert stretches for more than 2,000km while Dragon’s Breath Cave contains the world's largest underground lake
It is one of the largest closed resource-control areas on the planet.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsau_%C7%81Khaeb_Sp...
#geoweirdness
This political retention created a significant South African enclave on the Namibian coast, controlling the newly sovereign nation's primary gateway to the sea.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walvis_Bay
#geoweirdness
in 1969 the UN 🇺🇳, successor to the League of Nations, declared South Africa's occupation of Namibia illegal.
#geoweirdness
The 1890 treaty was ambiguous, defining the boundary by the main channel. The ICJ (International Court of Justice) ultimately ruled in 1999 that the main channel put both islands in Botswana.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasikili/Sedudu_Isl...
#geoweirdness
Map showing the bridge / border between Zambia and Botswana, with Namibia and Zimbabwe separated by only 100 meters
Location where four countries ALMOST meet
4/ At the Caprivi Strip's unique eastern corner, Namibia 🇳🇦 is one of four countries - along with Botswana 🇧🇼, Zambia 🇿🇲, and Zimbabwe 🇿🇼 - whose borders come achingly close to forming a perfect quadripoint.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kazungula
#geoweirdness
Germany negotiated the strip to gain access to the Zambezi River and, thus an inland trade route to the Indian Ocean.
This strategic objective proved unviable due to the presence of the formidable Victoria Falls.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caprivi_Strip
#geoweirdness
This site walks through the history of each border line and the various treaties between the respective powers:
atlasofnamibia.online/chapter-1/international-...
#geoweirdness
Map of Namibia
We return to the southern hemisphere this week in #geoweirdness
We head to a country of vast deserts and long coasts - join us as we consider the geographic oddities of Nambia 🇳🇦
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Namibia
1/
Screenshot of the OpenCage blog page where we list all of our geothreads
12/ That's it for our overview of 🇵🇰 Pakistan's #geoweirdness
What did we miss?
We have more threads about specific countries, border disputes, geocoding, etc linked on our blog: https://blog.opencagedata.com/geothreads
Screenshot of the OpenCage blog page where we list all of our geothreads
12/ That's it for our overview of 🇵🇰 Pakistan's #geoweirdness
What did we miss?
We have more threads about specific countries, border disputes, geocoding, etc linked on our blog: https://blog.opencagedata.com/geothreads
The dispute over the demarcation line here, based on historical maps, remains one of the longest-running and most complex border disagreements.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Creek
#geoweirdness
The dispute over the demarcation line here, based on historical maps, remains one of the longest-running and most complex border disagreements.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Creek
#geoweirdness
Satellite view with the India-Pakistan border clearly visible.
9/ We covered about about the contentious India 🇮🇳 / Pakistan 🇵🇰 border situation in our #geoweirdness thread about India
https://en.osm.town/@opencage/114042486128539600
so here we'll just share some details we didn't yet cover.
Map showing the location of Gwadar on the coast of Pakistan.
6/ On the coast of Pakistan 🇵🇰 we find the port city Gwadar. Until 1958 it was part of Sultanate of Muscat and Oman 🇴🇲 when Pakistan purchased the territory
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwadar
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscat_and_Oman
#geoweirdness
This panhandle, a relic of the 'Great Game' era, ensures Pakistan does not share a border with any former Soviet Republic.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wakhan_Corridor
#geoweirdness
At that time, Pakistan included what became known as "East Pakistan". In 1973 the region split off in a blody war for independence and became modern Bangladesh 🇧🇩
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Pakistan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bangladesh_Liberation_War
#geoweirdness
The name Pakistan is an acronym of **P**anjab, **A**fghania, **K**ashmir, **S**indh, and Baluchis**tan** - divisions of 🇬🇧 British India in the time of colonial rule.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punjab_Province_(Br...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baluchistan_Agency
#geoweirdness
