My better half recently purchased a globe while redecorating our living room. In the age of Google Maps, which distortedly depicts the earth as flat, I haven’t fondled, let alone studied, one of these cylindrical wonders since grade school.
Upon doing so, I quickly realized that although faster, more useful and more convenient, digital maps can never replace the more accurate perspective of a model planet. Because of the latter, I even learned a few things and increased my respect for this big round ball we call home.
Northern Scandinavia is in the Arctic Circle
Forgive me, Norwegians, Swedes and Finns, but as an ignorant American, I had no idea just how far north you are. Many of you live on the same parallel as Northern Canada, Greenland and Iceland, which is a stretch for most North Americans to believe. We get anxious beyond anything above 45th parallel North. Crazier still, nearly a third of you is actually Arctic.
The Pacific Ocean is Enormous
After reviewing my globe, I finally found a visual justification for why California coastal water is so freaking cold. A body of water this colossal will never warm as much as lesser oceans. Granted, I always knew the Pacific was the biggest ocean in the world, but that title does not do it justice. Half of our ocean water is Pacific water! It could swallow the second and third largest oceans combined, the Atlantic and Indian respectively. Simply put, it’s size is humbling and makes me feel small.
Africa is Nearly Twice the Size of South America