I have never been any good at geography. I hated it at school - all those maps, with pink and green patches. I could feel a pale grey mist descending before my eyes as soon as I saw one. I got 29% in my last geography exam, and was invited to give the subject up.
But, I am therefore ignorant. Very. And yesterday, I had a conversation wit my daughter, and was wondering why America is always on the left, and the Eastern countries on the far right, and what would it look like if it were seen from a different angle, with America....well, not on the left. Say, in the middle.
And then, because it was Tuesday, I went on to wonder where Tuesday starts. I know we get it before America does, and other places get it before we do, but who has it first? Whose Tuesday begins before anyone else's?
At this stage, Dsughter said, "well, I've got better things to do than have this ridiculous conversation with you," and went off to do the better things. So I'm no wiser than I was before. (Having said that, I don't recall Daughter having spectacular success in geography, either, so who is she to be so dismissive?)
That's all, really. But someone, somewhere, is already enjoying Thursday, although it's still Wednesday here.
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The day starts at the International Date Line that runs from the North Pole to the South Pole down the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Well, in a sort of zig-saggy way, actually. I thought everybody knew that. So, allowing for a few minor islands here and there, New Zealand is more or less where the day begins and Hawaii is where the day ends. So now you know too! I'm not sure on which side of the Samoa and Tahiti are, but we can always look it up....
ReplyDeleteI meant zig-zaggy, of course.
ReplyDelete...on which side of the line....
ReplyDeleteAlso, it can never be Tuesday here and Thursday somewhere else as a day cannot be greater than hours. Perhaps you were not good at math or science either?
ReplyDeleteWow! Well,that's me told. But when I had the conversation with my daughter, it Was Tuesday, but I posted this today (Wednesday) so I'm sure it is/was Thursday somewhere....wasn't/isn't it?
DeleteYes!
DeletePS I've amended the post to convert the last Tuesday to a Wednesday, which is what it should have been.
DeleteHow interesting! I always thought everybody is fascinated by geography and history, i.e. wanting to know what is where on our planet, and how it all came about. I know I was, and still am! But of course it was very naive from me to simply assume everybody would feel the same - I am certainly old enough to know that this is not the case with anything in life.
ReplyDeleteThe Euro-centric way of printing world maps has, by the way, often been met with resentment. It became firmly established at a time when (mainly) British scientists and adventurers made all those discoveries and trips, often funded by the Royal Geographic Society.
In Medieval times, maps often represented either Jerusalem or Rome as the centre of the (then known) world - of course without the Americas.
If you looked at world maps in use in other parts of the world (I know you won't actually be looking at them, for fear of the pale grey mist descending in before your eyes again), you'd find that there is a tendency to publish them not with Europe at their centre, but according to the country or region they have been issued in with that country or region in the middle.
I knew I could expect a sensible answer from you. Thank you, Meike. But I still hate geography!
DeleteLike the Librarian I assumed everyone likes learning about the physical world.
DeleteIt is never too late to get down to the library and borrow a few simple books about maps. There are many different projections.
Ancient Chinese maps are fascinating and not like our modern maps. I have never thought about the English as great map makers, but rather the Dutch. I admit I do not know about at Indian maps or those of other older advanced civilisations.
Lousie, you're right. It's not too late. But sadly, I'm too lazy. However, I await Adrian's assistance (see below) with much excitement..
DeleteI suggest you get yourself a globe, Frances. I have a small one of those, fairly recent but not very detailed. But it does allow me to turn the world upside down if I suddenly get an urge to do so! However, my usual instinct when I want to look something up is still to go back to my school atlas, showing the world as it was when I was 10 and first learned about it (mid 1960s). Sweden and England are still pretty much in the same place, I think. As for the rest of the world, though...
ReplyDeleteA globe would be good. I'm too mean to buy one, but I shall look out for one. Thank you, DT.
DeleteIf you get the right kind, it might even save you some money... ;)
Deletemy globe
DT, we have no room for more Things. But I shall consider your advice seriously.
DeleteTuesdays start in New Zealand, I think. Micronesia would make more sense, but geography rarely makes sense to me.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Patsy. Why shouldn't Tuesday's start in NZ? And it's nice to know someone else doesn't favour geography.
DeleteI didn't mean to come across as snippy, but I was on a roll. I think we should start a rumor that Tuesday's start in New Zealand, Wednesday's in Papua New Guinea, Thursdays in Sti Lanka, Fridays in The United Arab Emirates, Saturdays in Budapest, Sundays in Oslo, and Mondays in Liverpool. Wouldn't life be ever so much more interesting that way?
ReplyDeleteA thousand pardons for the extraneous apostrophes. I know better but the predictive text apparently doesn't.
DeleteNo offense taken at all. I like discussions. As for apostrophes, now they are something in which I specialise. And woe betide anyone who writes my name Frances' when they mean Frances's.
DeleteThere must be a virtual globe on the web to play with.
ReplyDeleteAdrian, couldn't you make me one? If you do, I promise to devote a long, laudatory post just to you.
DeleteYes I could but why reinvent the wheel or the world. I'll do you a map of the UK. Northern Ireland in orange. the South east in Blue along with the home counties. The south west would have to be mainly blue but with a touch of red. Purpleish. Anything north of Watford Gap services would be pure red with the exception of Northumberland which would be a pastel blue colour.
DeleteI can't make it interactive as I can't write the code to do it. I can't even pinch and load the code.
Sorry.
There was a comment on TV the other night ,something along the lines of Eastern Russia nearly touching Alaska, and for a moment I was thinking…that can't be right, they are 2 pages apart!
ReplyDeleteFrances, that reminds me of the old A to Z, when the road you were following went over the page. Thank heavens for satnav.
DeleteI'm a bit behind here. I do like looking at maps and our atlas shows the date line across the world. It's all man made of course. Someone at some stage decided where all those wiggly lines should go, but basically the sun can't shine everywhere at the same time and it takes 24 hours for it to go round, so it can never be more than 24 hours difference whichever way you go. A globe would be a very good idea to get the perspective as I can never picture the bit that goes round the back of the world map. Interesting.
ReplyDeleteYes. It's the bit that goes round the back. Maggie. You're speaking my language.
DeleteFrances, I think you should go and have a lie down.
ReplyDeleteI did, Lynne, but it didn't really help. I think I'll try wine. Wine always helps.
DeleteI'm with you Frances, I have no interest in Geography, I find it tedious. Don't waste another minute worrying about what day it is... :-)
ReplyDeleteWhat a sensible woman you are, Maria. I'll do that (except that I do know today's Black Friday...).
DeleteI loved geography at school (but detested history). I still love geography. I'm ambivalent about history unless it's to do with naval history in the era of Nelson. However living in New Zealand (and in the first city to see the sun rise each day) as well as the Outer Hebrides has taught me how very important it is to understand time differences (NZ is between 11 and 13 hours ahead of the UK or the UK is between 13 and 11 hours behind me when I'm in NZ). It matters if you don't want to upset people in the middle of the night.
ReplyDeleteGraham, do I seem like the kind of person who would upset people in the middle of the night? Perish the thought.
DeleteAbsolutely not Frances.
Delete