In 2021, the Taam Ja’ Blue Hole was discovered in Chetumal Bay in the southeastern part of the Yucatan Peninsula. Initially recognized as the second deepest blue hole in the world, with a depth of 274 meters, new explorations have shown that its depth exceeds 420 meters below sea level (mbsl), establishing it as the […]
Geography
Just as all phenomena exist in time and thus have a history, they also exist in space and have a geography (United States National Research Council, 1997)
Posted inGeography
Australia’s Highest Peak is in a Remote Place in the Indian Ocean, between Madagascar and the Antarctic
In the southernmost reaches of the Indian Ocean, nearly 2,500 nautical miles (4,700 kilometers) southwest of Perth and halfway between Madagascar and Antarctica (from which is separated by 1,550 kilometers), lies Australia’s tallest mountain. This is Mawson Peak, located not on the Australian mainland but in the Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands, a […]
Posted inGeography
Gunnbjørn, a Nunatak, is the Highest Peak in the Arctic Circle, Greenland and Denmark
Until the year 1930, it was believed that the highest point in Greenland was Mount Forel, located in the Schweizerland range southeast of the island. The mountain and the range were named by the Swiss explorer Alfred de Quervain in 1912. That year, Quervain’s expedition crossed the Greenland ice cap from Godhavn in the west, […]
Posted inAncient Rome, Geography
The Mountain that Attracts Storms and Was Climbed by Three Roman Emperors
At the border between Turkey and Syria, near the mouth of the Orontes River on the Mediterranean Sea and about 30 kilometers north of ancient Ugarit (modern Ras Shamra), lies a mountain that has played a prominent role in the history of the region. Today it’s called Jebel Aqra (Mount Kel in Turkish), but it […]
Posted inGeography, Middle Ages
The Stunning Fortress of the Berlengas Archipelago in Portugal
Located on the west coast of Portugal, almost at the westernmost tip of Europe, lies the Berlengas Archipelago, a group of islands and islets in the Atlantic Ocean, about 10 kilometers from the town of Peniche. The archipelago consists of three groups of granite islands and islets, the main ones being Berlenga Grande (the only […]
Posted inAncient Greece, Geography
Megasthenes, the 3rd Century BC Greek Geographer who Described Himalayas and Calculated the Longitude and Latitude of India
Like many lost works of antiquity, their content can be partially reconstructed through the citations of later authors. This is what happened, for example, with the Phoenician history of Sanchuniaton. And also with the work of Megasthenes titled Indica, where he recounts his journey to India in the 3rd century BC. Megasthenes was born in […]
Posted inGeography
New Satellite Images Show Construction Progress of Nusantara, Indonesia’s New Capital City in the Jungle
The jungles of eastern Borneo, one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet, have begun to rapidly transform since mid-2022 due to the construction of Nusantara, Indonesia’s ambitious new capital. The epicenter of this transformation is an area near Balikpapan Bay, in the province of East Kalimantan. The President of Indonesia made the decision […]
Posted inGeography
Kerguelen, the Remote French Archipelago with More than 300 Islands Between Africa and Antarctica where a Hundred People Live
To an archipelago being known as the “Islands of Desolation” says quite a bit. If we also add that it’s located in the subantarctic region, meaning north of Antarctica and between 46 and 60 degrees latitude, the nickname is understandable. We’re referring to Kerguelen (which is its current name as “Desolation” fell out of use), […]
Posted inGeography, Travel
Dzungaria, the Region where the Hyperboreans Could Have Lived, is the Place on Earth Farthest from the Sea
At the border between Kazakhstan and China, south of the Altai Mountains, there is an ancient pass called the Dzungarian Gate. Its geographical and historical significance is such that it has long been described as the only gate of the mountain wall that extends from Manchuria to Afghanistan, along 4,800 kilometers. Some researchers believe that […]
Posted inGeography
Puncak Jaya, the Highest Island Mountain in the World and the Highest Point on Earth Between the Himalayas and the Andes
Due to its geographical location, between Southeast Asia and Australia in the Pacific Ocean and south of the equator, the island of New Guinea has a tropical climate with average temperatures of about 24 degrees Celsius all year round. However, it also has high peaks where temperatures can drop below zero, with abundant rainfall. One […]