Where are you really looking?

If you've been to the coast then you've probably asked 'What is on the other side?' For the most part you can't actually see to the other side of an ocean or sea.  Though in South Wales you can see across to England though this is technically the Bristol Channel, not a sea or ocean.

Growing up where I did in the Midlands, there were trips to places like Cleethorpes and Skegness.  Look them up, I doubt they are places you would visit if you are in the UK.  I always assumed if I could see then it would be Holland that I could see, beyond that I never gave it another thought.

One man, Andy Woodruff, a cartographer, has tried to answer this question and has produced maps to give you an idea of where you are actually looking at even if you can't see it.

By his own admission some of the maths may not be 100% accurate but the logic appears to make sense.  Take a look at the maps below to gain an idea of how it works.

His work builds on ideas from reporters at the Washington Post, they mapped out which places would be on the same latitude.  Keep in mind though, that being on the same latitude does not mean you would see this place due the angle of the coastline.

This map gives you an idea of this project.

If this is something you find interesting you can read all the articles by following the links below.  Where you do think you are looking at if you visit the coast in Romania?  Can you work it out?

Beyond the Sea - Andy Woodruff

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

What’s across the ocean from you when you’re at the beach, in 7 fascinating maps

1000 Places to visit before you die challenge

New for this year in your Geography room is the 1000 places to see before you die.  To link in with this each month there will be a challenge related to the location displayed on it.  

As it is a challenge there will be prizes, every entry will earn 5 House points, with more available for outstanding efforts.  Good luck and to have a chance of winning just hand in on paper your entry by the 31st of January.

Into the Storm

I finally got round to watching this film over the weekend having picked it up in on a trip to one of the many malls in Bucharest.
I was really keen to see the film based on the trailer to see how they show the effects of a tornado.

The film focuses on a school teacher and his two sons, they cross paths with a group of storm chasers who are attempting to film the eye of a tornado.  Throw in a couple of amateur storm chasers with a go-pro and a truck for some light relief and there's enough to keep you entertained during the film.

Often disaster films are not 100% accurate, read back to the post on San Andreas for one example.  So how do Tornadoes form?  There is a great TED video which explains the conditions needed that you can watch below.

Have you seen the film?  What did you think?  Would you like to earn extra house points by writing a review?  Post a comment or email me to get earning those points.

You can see I also picked up Pompei staring 24's Kiefer Sutherland and the man who knows nothing from Game of Thrones.  I haven't had time to watch this one yet but I will add a post soon.

Geography in songs...

Last week on BBC 6 music (check it out for a range of music) there was a feature with a huge Geographical theme.
Bands named after places, who have written a song with a place in it.

So how can we do?  We'll broaden it out a bit, in the comments post songs that have:

Places in the song title
Something Geographical in song title
Songs about a Geographical issue
Bands named after places

How about these to start us off...

Tsunami - Manic Street Preachers
Born in the USA - Bruce Springsteen
Maximo Park- Named after Maximo Gomez Park in Little Havana, Miami

If we can get enough then I'll create a page for them.  House points are available for your suggestions!!

Piatra Craiului

Last week Year 7 and 8 left behind the constantly developing urban area of Bucharest with it's traffic and heat, heading out to Piatra Craiului for their outward bound trip.

But what is it?  Where does it's name come from?  How was it formed?

Create an information poster about our trip location to gain extra housepoints.

GeoGuessr

How easy is it work out where somewhere is from an image?  You can test yourself using https://geoguessr.com/ how close can you get to the actual location on the map.  Send me a screen shot of your best attempts.  Can you get closer than 10 metres on any of the maps?