Monuments

Lindisfarne (Island week 3)

It’s Island Week 3 here at GSS, which means we’ll mostly be posting about Islands. It’ll probably last about a week. Lindisfarne is a tidal island, off the north-east coast of England, which thanks to having been home to a…

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Wednesday, 3rd September 2008

The Shwedagon Pagoda

This incredibly shiny building is the Shwedagon Pagoda, also known as the “Golden Pagoda” (for obvious reasons) and it is the most frequented religious site in Burma (officially the Union of Myanmar), as Buddhists believe it contains relics of the…

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Thursday, 14th August 2008

The Demise of Bennie the Smoking Dinosaur

Long-time GSS readers may recall the story of Bennie the Dinosaur, who we originally spotted way back in February 2006. Bennie was originally employed as the mascot for a now-defunct chain of cigarette shops and in his lifetime had moved…

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Wednesday, 13th August 2008

Potala Palace, Tibet

This is the huge Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet, which used to be the winter residence of the Dalai Lama (the spiritual and political leader of the Tibetan people), until the current 14th Dalai Lama fled in 1959 following a…

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Tuesday, 12th August 2008

Hiroshima Peace Memorial

On this day, August 6, in 1945 – the first nuclear weapon to be used in war was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. The bomb, Little Boy, was released at 8:15 local time by the American B-29 bomber…

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Wednesday, 6th August 2008

Hokkaidō Centennial Memorial Tower

This is supposedly the Hokkaidō Centennial Memorial Tower in Nopporo Forest Park, Hokkaidō, Japan. The official site claims it’s 100m tall, and was completed in 1970 to honour the 100th anniversary of Hokkaidō’s official colonisation1. Of course dear geeky-reader, you…

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Wednesday, 23rd July 2008

Welcome to Google Sightseeing

Google Sightseeing takes you on a tour of the world as seen from satellite, using the free Google Earth program, or Google Maps in your web browser. Our team of authors present weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers.

Could you be one of our authors? We're looking for more freelance writers - please get in touch for more information.

Best of Google Sightseeing

The Morganza Spillway – Spring Flooding Special

The Morganza Spillway is a flood management system on the Mississippi River in Louisiana, intended to protect the cities of…

Very Large Christs

Back to his very origins, humans have chosen to worship physical representations of their deities. Currently the most popular religion…

Shipwrecks of Aden

For centuries, the port of [Aden][w] has served as Yemen’s gateway to the the world. Its distinctive double harbour lies in the crater of an extinct volcano. Over the years, a number of wrecked ships have accumulated in Aden’s harbour, many of which are visible in Google Maps imagery.

Lesotho: Kingdom in the Sky

Lesotho is one of the most unique countries on the planet. It’s the southernmost landlocked country, the largest country that’s entirely surrounded by another country, and the highest country on Earth. Yet, it doesn’t really show up on too many people’s radar. With the arrival of Google Street View imagery this month to Lesotho, it’s time to shed some light on the world’s largest enclave.

Rozenburg Wind Wall

The Netherlands is renowned for being a very flat1 and windy country. In the western town of Rozenburg the strong…

Recent Comments

  1. bob: if it was a dog then explain the casket laying open along the path. if you go to the actual map of this scene on...
  2. Sharon Klein: This tour guide about the Bikini Atoll Island reminds me of the advertisements for RX Drugs that you...
  3. Ken: Sorry for the grammar Nazism, but you can’t properly use the phrase “most unique.” Unique is...
  4. Tammo: Not entirely sure I agree with the notion that Lesotho is ‘the highest country on Earth’. For me...
  5. Chesterfield Museum: Ian, you say you haven’t been able to find a website for the association of twisted...

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