Google Sightseeing takes you on tour of the world as seen from satellite, using the free Google Earth program, or Google Maps in your web browser. Each weekday your guides James and Alex present new weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers.

The editors: James & Alex

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Posted by Alex Turnbull, Thursday, 15th February 2007

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It’s still the 14th of February for another hour in some time zones, so we’d like to wish everyone a Happy Valentine’s Day with this heart-shaped swimming pool in Belgium!

heart-shaped-pool.jpg

Yes okay, that’s a stretch. In reality the only places to actually use UTC minus 12 hours are the uninhabited American territories of Baker Island and Howland Island in the Pacific Ocean (links are to Wikipedia).

As for the islands themselves, Baker has no coverage unfortuantely, but 68 kilometres to the north, Howland is captured with excellent quality imagery.

howlandisland.jpg

Not that there’s much to see of course. In fact other than using UTC-12, the only likely reason you might have heard of Howland Island is that this is where noted American aviator Amelia Earhart famously failed to reach during her attempt to make a circumnavigational flight in 1937.

Thanks to virtualglobetrotting.

6 Responses to 'Happy Valentine’s Day!'

  1. Jel says:

    That’s Embassy Residence territory: perhaps Europe’s getting serious about making love, not war…

  2. cookie monster says:

    Does this ickle island have some major military significance?
    I dont understand why they have bothered to send out a plane to photograph something which looks like a sandbank in the middle of a huge ocean.
    Am i just being daft?

  3. Alex says:

    CM, Wikipedia only says “During World War II it was occupied by the U.S. military”, but the image is a satellite one so they were in the area anyway ;)

  4. dave says:

    a very boring island. not worth having a look, if you ask me :-) the heart shaped pool though is very cool.

  5. cookie monster says:

    Perhaps they had a few frames of film left on a roll of 36 and wanted to use it up before sending to the chemist. I bet there is a picture of next doors cat on there somewhere aswell.

  6. Jel says:

    About a mile and a bit up the road is another cool water feature, this fountain Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth. at Rond-Point Montgomery.

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