Australia / Oceania

Longest Place Names

“Can’t we just go to Å1?” may be the cry of tourists visiting some of these locations with the longest place names in the world. The north island of New Zealand is home to Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapiki- maungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu. Generally called Taumata, the…

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Thursday, 13th November 2008

Mount Taranaki/Egmont (Volcano Week 3)

Mount Taranaki/Egmont is another (apparently) active stratovolcano in New Zealand, but this one hasn’t done anything at all since the early 1800s when it reportedly produced “a moderate ash eruption”.1 Most interestingly from our perspective is that we can clearly…

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Friday, 17th October 2008

Whakaari/White Island (Volcano Week 3)

Whakaari/White Island (to give it its official title) is an active andesite stratovolcano 48 km from the east coast of the north island of New Zealand. The volcano reaches 321 m above sea level, but this is actually just the…

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Friday, 17th October 2008

Visiting Bruny Island (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. Bruny is one of 20 islands and island groups in the Australian state of Tasmania, the largest island of…

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Tuesday, 2nd September 2008

Backchannel

Sorry folks, no post today. However, many of you may be unaware that we operate a “backchannel” of sorts over at Twitter, where as well as a feed of all the posts from the main site, we also post some…

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Tuesday, 26th August 2008

Face of Cowboy Jesus Found in Desert!

The proof is now clear for all to see – Jesus was a cowboy! As demonstrated by this ridiculously large example of Pareidolia in the Australian Outback. These images have been colour-adjusted for clarity Actually, you’re not just seeing things,…

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Friday, 22nd August 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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