Straight from Ireland
I came across this the other day. I think it’s fun because it’s a bit counterintuitive and it has generated quite a lot of discussion so I thought I would share it here. Two things are worth amplifying:
- By “in a straight line” I assume it means “along a great circle“.
- As it states in the small print on the diagram all lines originate at the geographical centre of Ireland which apparently lies at a place called Carnagh East, close to the border between County Roscommon and County Westmeath.
The main bone of contention is why the USA looks so small, in the matter of which I direct you to this reddit thread. The answer is clear when you look at what a great circle from Ireland to the USA looks like: most great circles from Ireland to the Eastern seaboard pass over Canada:
June 16, 2020 at 5:43 am
A related great-circle question: What point in North America is closest to Africa?
June 16, 2020 at 11:24 am
Newfoundland, although its an island so you may not count it.
June 17, 2020 at 8:48 am
Right. I think that it counts. It is not much farther than the closest distance between Africa and South America.
June 16, 2020 at 5:48 am
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