Northernmost High-Resolution Imagery – Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada

Although the north coast of Greenland is slightly more northern than Ellesmere Island, Ellesmere Island is still plenty far north at 83.1°N, where we find this lone, random shot of ice breaking up on the Arctic coast of Canada’s northernmost island about 175 km (108 miles) northwest of Alert¹, the northernmost settlement on Earth.

Northernmost City – Longyearbyen, Svalbard, Norway

With a population of just 75, Alert may be the northernmost permanent settlement but it can hardly be called a city. The northernmost place with a population over 1,000 is Longyearbyen, the capital of the Norwegian territory of Svalbard. Because of both its size (just over 2,000 people) and location (78.2°N), Longyearbyen is home to numerous ‘northernmosts’ – the northernmost church, the northernmost bank machine, and even the northernmost blues festival!

Northernmost Street View – Nordkapp, Norway

At 71.1°N, European Route E69 is the northernmost road connected to continental Europe, snaking its way to the Arctic coast at Nordkapp (North Cape). The Street View images at the end of the road provide viewers with views of the Nordkapphallen tourist centre and a ceremonial cairn.

Northernmost Active Volcano – Beerenberg, Jan Mayen, Norway

The 2,277 m (7,470 ft) Beerenberg forms the backbone of the remote Norwegian Sea island of Jan Mayen at a latitude of 71°N. Beerenberg’s crater may be filled with ice, but fissures on the northeast slope have erupted with lava as recently as 1985.

Northernmost Golf Course – Ulukhaktok, Northwest Territories, Canada

The isolated village of Ulukhaktok on Victoria Island may not have much in the way of grass, but it still has a nine-hole golf course at 70.7°N. It may be hard to see on the satellite imagery, but look very closely and you’ll see little dots along the roadside – these are the artificial greens and tees necessary to play the barren course.

Northernmost Ski Resort – Riksgränsen, Kiruna, Sweden

Surprisingly far south (68.4°N) is the resort of Riksgränsen on the Sweden/Norway border. Almost bereft of trees, Riksgränsen is famous for its steep powder faces and huge rock drops, making it a must-visit for freeriders, extreme skiers, and anyone who enjoys skiing after midnight in the Arctic sun.

Northernmost Banana Plantation – Agricultural University of Iceland, Hveragerði, Iceland

Yes, they actually grow bananas at 64°N! Like many Icelandic towns, Hveragerði is built atop large reserves of geothermal energy – in fact, it lies on the southern slopes of the vast Hengill volcano. The huge amount of underground heat produced by the volcano actually makes it possible to grow bananas here as long as there is a roof overhead to keep away the cool air.

Northernmost Stone Castle – Olavinlinna, Savonlinna, Finland

Dating back to 1475, this three-tower castle sits on a small island at 61.9°N in the heart of the great Saimaa, the fourth-largest lake in Europe. The castle was built by Sweden in order to help lay claim to the land that would become Finland. For the past century, the island castle has served as the stage for the annual Savonlinna Opera Festival.

Northernmost Palm Trees – Southern France

While cultivated palm trees can be grown many hundreds of kilometres north with proper care, the furthest north that palms occur in nature is 44°N in southern France. As seen here on the promenade at Nice, they aren’t exact towering at this latitude; perhaps that’s why this species (Chamaerops humilis) is commonly known as the Mediterranean dwarf palm.

Northernmost Coral Atoll – Kure Atoll, Hawaii, United States

We end our list of northernmost items almost in the tropics. Located at a balmy 28.4°N is Kure Atoll, which is not only the northernmost atoll but the westernmost Hawaiian island. The atoll has but one island, Green Island, which is home to an unmaintained airstrip and an abandoned US Coast Guard station. Kure is set aside as a wildlife sanctuary and is home to tens of thousands of birds.

Locations: Finland, France, Hawaii, Iceland, Northwest Territories, Norway, Nunavut, Sweden / Categories: Islands, Natural Landmarks, Stadiums and Sport, Street Views, Structures, Volcanoes, Weirdness

View in Google Earth

Covering an astounding 5,200 km2 (2,000 sq. mi.) Mauna Loa is not only the world’s largest volcano, but is actually the largest mountain by area and by volume on the planet. In fact, when measured from its ocean base, it’s actually higher than Mount Everest! (Update, see this comment for some clarification on this point.)

Mauna Loa has been in a constant state of eruption for the past 700,000 years. Its massive size is due to its nature as a shield volcano; rather than exploding out of the volcano, the lava flows down the sides of the mountain just like rivers, slowly building the mountain higher and higher over time. From above they almost look like army camouflage or an impressionist painting. Some of these old channels are so huge that they cover hundreds of square kilometres as they run all the way to the Pacific Ocean.

Eruptions occur all over Mauna Loa in a rift zone several kilometres long. The summit crater, Mokuʻāweoweo, hasn’t actually erupted since 1984. This has allowed the lava that fills the massive 4.8 x 2.4 km (3 x 1.5 mile) crater to solidify on top, although one can still make out the conduits and fissures from where the lava emerged and probably will again.

Moving further down the rift zone to the southwest, molten-hot lava can be seen erupting out of cinder cones and slowly making its way down the slopes.

Because of the constant streams of new volcanic materials being laid down, much of the slopes are covered in nearly-barren brown and black volcanic rock. Some of this rock is smooth and pillowy, produced by flows known as pāhoehoe, while much of the slopes are covered in jagged, loose and blocky rocks produced by ʻaʻā flows. Despite the rough terrain and near-desert conditions in places, that hasn’t stopped people from building houses directly on top of the blocky old lava channels.

Mauna Loa is also famous as a major centre of scientific research, as the US government operates both a solar observatory and an atmospheric observatory on its slopes near the summit to take advantage of the high altitude and clear air.

Rough and narrow, the road up to the observatories pushes through seemingly endless fields of jagged rock as it climbs up the volcano. Along the way, drivers get an excellent view of the neighbouring volcano of Hualālai in the distance before reaching the observatories at the end of the road.

Since the last major eruption in 1984, Mauna Loa has been rather quiet; the longest recorded quiet period in its history. It’s only a matter of time before another big blast comes along and once again changes the landscape of Hawaii’s Big Island, and with over 100,000 people potentially in its path, you’ll be sure to hear about it when it does.

Locations: Hawaii / Categories: Natural Landmarks, Street Views, Volcanoes

View in Google Earth

Piilani Highway, Hawaii

Hawaii is of course well known for its volcanoes, and Google has done a great job covering the island chain’s roads and capturing some outstanding views. Here on the Piilani Highway on the island of Maui the road parallels the rugged coastline for miles and miles, all while gently riding the slopes of Maui’s ancient volcanoes. The road is ultimately very narrow, and it was closed for two years due to damage caused by the 2006 Hawaii earthquake.

D64, France

In the extreme southeastern corner of France, the D64 snakes through the Southern Alps and gives us some breathtaking views from high up in the mountains. The road is narrow, but that doesn’t stop cyclists and tourists from taking the journey as they are frequently recorded by Google’s cameras.

Going to the Sun Road, Montana

Winding its way up and down through Glacier National Park in Montana, Going to the Sun Road is a favourite among motorcycle riders in the United States. It’s been said that this road has the steepest, sharpest, and maybe even the most beautiful stretches of asphalt anywhere in America, and thanks to Street View, it’s easy to see why it’s so popular. Unfortunately for us, the camera car was using one of the original lower-resolution cameras when it made the journey.

Dalton Highway, Alaska

Alaska Route 11, also known as the Dalton Highway, stretches for 414 miles through some of the most deserted tundra in North America. The road itself was built as a supply road for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, but today it’s frequently travelled by truckers carrying supplies to and from remote northern Alaska. It’s been featured on numerous television shows like Ice Road Truckers and America’s Toughest Jobs due to its extremely dangerous position relative to the Arctic Ocean, and this road is also one of the most northern voyages made by the Google street view car anywhere in the world.¹

Hakusan Super Rindo Forest Road, Japan

Mt. Hakusan is one of three sacred Japanese mountains, and the Hakusan Super Rindo Forest Road is a sightseeing route through the adjacent alpine nature reserve of Hakusan National Park. What this means for us is we get some stunning scenery to check out as the Google car travelled almost the entire length of the road. There are vertical drop, stunning rock faces, and for most of the journey you can actually ride above the clouds!

Mount Cook Road, New Zealand

Leading motorists to the highest mountain in New Zealand, Mount Cook Road is a stunning reminder that New Zealand is home to some of the most beautiful landscapes in the world. The route takes us along the western edge of Lake Pukaki, then up to the base of Mount Cook itself. The valley around the road was carved out by ancient glaciers, remnants of which can still be seen today.

Transfăgărăşan Highway, Romania

The Transfăgărăşan in Romania has got to be one of the most breathtaking roads anywhere. Packed with hundreds of turns and thousands of metres of elevations, it’s no wonder that the hosts of “Top Gear” named this road “The Greatest Driving Road in the World”. Thanks to this stretch of tarmac, the journey between Transylvania and Wallachia has become the stuff of legend. The landscape is surreal, and the road itself is intense. Well done Romania!

What’s your favourite Street View journey?

Locations: Alaska, France, Hawaii, Japan, Montana, New Zealand, Romania / Categories: Street Views

View in Google Earth

It’s actually an old local tradition that seems to have morphed into a new kind of social networking. The messages can change frequently due to reuse of the rocks, but some of the more elaborate or hard to reach are often left untouched out of respect for the author. Others, like this one, just seem to be left for the heck of it.

Some messages have a purpose, like Happy New Year 2010 or Happy Valentine’s Day to Mom!

Others aren’t really messages at all, like this one that looks like a smiley face.

Some are left to interpretation, like this one who was either made by someone named Watermelon or someone who really likes watermelon.

Rory got a very special birthday present! Hope this message was around long enough for him to see it!

Maybe a Cowboys fan? Perhaps proud to be Hawaiian?

Political forms of view are always welcome with coral.

Someone even said they love me!

Yes, I even found a marriage proposal! Congrats E!

One thing is for sure, there are a LOT of messages scattered throughout the lava grounds. Take a look and let us know what you find!

For more information and pictures, check out Virtual Tourist. If you want to make your own rock graffiti, check out this page for some tips!

Locations: Hawaii / Categories: Islands, Street Views, Volcanoes

View in Google Earth

Unlike many larger active volcanoes, Diamond Head as it is seen today has changed little in over one hundred millennia. The 1,072 metre-wide volcanic cone was created through a single violent underwater eruption that sent ash and cinder thousands of feet in the air. The resulting debris settled and hardened to form the nearly symmetrical tuff-cone that today is one of the most recognisable natural features in Hawaii.

While known in Hawaiian as Le’ahi or “brow of the tuna,” it was 19th century British sailors who – mistaking calcite crystals for diamonds – named it Diamond Head¹. Given the less than catchy nature of the name Calcite Head, their misnomer stuck² and eventually became the official title of this grand state monument enjoyed by tens of thousands of visitors each year.

A mere twenty five minute drive from central Honolulu, Diamond Head State Monument boasts panoramic views of the city and the entire southern coast of the island of Oahu, drawing sightseers and outdoor enthusiasts alike.

Aside from being one of Hawaii’s major tourist attractions, Diamond Head also held a pivotal role in the archipelago’s early history as a U.S. territory. Fort Ruger was the first American military reserve in Hawaii and was constructed ten years after the 1899 annexation, in the middle of Diamond Head crater. Its concealed position was further shielded by a battery of mortars and made a perfect vantage point for the protection of American interests in southern Oahu.

Little remains of the fort, save a few bunkers and a 70 metre-long tunnel to a fire control centre with sweeping ocean views. In addition to those remains, the U.S. government still maintains an aviation control centre and several transmission towers at the crater’s summit.

Today, Diamond Head is a popular destination for visitors to Honolulu, with a large visitors centre and hiking trails. Even the Google Street View car made the trip, driving straight through the tuff-cone to provide us with a full 360-degree view of this otherworldly landscape.

Though Hawaiians are truly fortunate to live near such an amazing natural wonder, Google has once again brought the rest of us a little bit closer to one of the most awesome sights on Earth. Now we just have to wait for them to send someone up on foot so we can see the views from the rim!

Locations: Hawaii / Categories: Natural Landmarks, Street Views, Volcanoes

View in Google Earth

The technique has been popularised on the Internet in recent years by pavement artists such as Julian Beever and Edgar Mueller, but as far as we’re aware, their creations have never lasted long enough to be captured by any of Google’s cameras. However a number of buildings around the world have been adorned with large Trompe-l’œil murals, many of which which can be seen on Street View – if you can get to exactly the right spot…

This massive mural on the Lani Nalu Plaza building in Honolulu features Hawaii’s last monarch, Queen Lili’uokalani, alongside Duke Kahanamoku, the father of modern surfing. The figures are shown on a towering wave that threatens to crush three onlooking children.

Mana Nalu mural by John Pugh

From the right angle the effect is so realistic that when some passing firefighters first saw the mural, they actually rushed over to save the children. Don’t believe this isn’t 3D? Look how the illusion is completely shattered by moving only a few metres down the road!

Mana Nalu mural by John Pugh

Sometimes trompe-l’œil can have practical applications too. In Paris, the Saint-Georges Theatre was transformed from a featureless modern carbuncle into a stylish original building, simply with the addition of some convincingly realistic paintwork.

Saint-Georges Theatre by Dominique Antony

Some of the largest murals in the trompe-l’œil style have been made by Richard Haas, such as at 1211 North LaSalle Street, Chicago, where in 1980 he converted a plain 16-story 1929 building into a gargantuan tribute to Chicago School architecture.

Three sides of the building are covered in trompe-l’œil – here we can see the south face, which uses elements from several Louis Sullivan creations and includes a “reflection” of the Chicago Board of Trade Building in the painted windows.

Homage to the Chicago School by Richard Haas

Another artist working in the same medium is Eric Grohe, who converted the plain exterior wall of a shopping wall into a realistic sweeping vista onto a stunningly realised Niagara Falls.

Niagara by Eric Grohe

However in terms of sheer realism, we’ll have to come back to John Pugh, whose publicly visible work we’ve managed to find in several other places.

Siete Punto Uno (7.1) by John Pugh (created to commemorate the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake)

Bay in a Bottle, Santa Cruz, California, by John Pugh

Standin’ on the Corner Park, Winslow, Arizona, by John Pugh

There are hundreds more examples around the world – what other trompe-l’œil murals do you know of?

Locations: Arizona, California, France, Hawaii, Illinois, New York / Categories: Buildings, Monuments, Street Views

View in Google Earth

Mexico

In Mexico the cities of Monterrey, Guadalajara, Mexico City, Puerto Vallarta, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel and Cancun have all received coverage. So far we’ve spotted the world famous Teotihuacan pyramid, complete with people on top (previously covered in 2005):

The world’s largest bullring, which we viewed from above earlier this year.

And one of Mexico’s greatest exports, character piñatas.

Hawaii

Until now Hawaii was the only US state to not have Streetview coverage – but Google has now remedied that by bringing us imagery of main island of Hawaii. Here, covered in a blue tarpaulin, we can see the nose cone of the plane that was used in the opening episode of Lost – which was filmed around here somewhere…

Netherlands

The Netherlands already had excellent coverage, which allowed us to see all sorts of exciting nudity, prostitution, and other Not Safe For Work antics. The latest update goes on to cover Utrecht, Den Haag¹, Eindhoven, Den Bosch, Tilburg, Leeuwarden, Apeldoorn, Deventer and Amersfoort!

All of this means we can now see the brilliant Kubuswoning from ground-level (previously covered in 2006):

The windmills at the popular tourist destination, Kinderdijk, were captured by the Google Trike (turn round for loads more):

Spain

Finally Spain, which already had good coverage, has received an almost total blanket of blue streets. The updates extend right out to the Canary Islands, now covering Mallorca, Gran Canaria and Tenerife.

Here’s the Guggenheim Bilbao, complete with another massive spider (they pop up everywhere on Streetview it seems), which we covered back in 2005:

For continuing Spanish-language coverage of all the new Streetview imagery, you should follow Google Sightseeing Español on Twitter.

Have you found something interesting? Leave a comment below!

Locations: Hawaii, Mexico, Netherlands, Spain / Categories: Site News, Street Views

View in Google Earth

You might guess San Francisco. If you’re a Guinness Book of Records-reading smart alec, you might say New Zealand. As it turns out, you’d be wrong – probably. In fact, nobody seems quite sure which is the world’s steepest, and then there’s the problem of what exactly counts as a street anyway.

But we’ve looked into it, got out protractors out, and can now reveal the not-quite-scientifically-verified Google Sightseeing Top Six World’s Steepest Streets! And happily, the intrepid Street View car has struggled its way up (or down) all of them. Here they are, in reverse order:

6) Dornbush Street, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

In the East Hills area of the city, this quiet-looking residential street has been surveyed at a 31.98% grade – that’s a 17.7° slope. The Street View car missed out one section of the steepest part, which is one-way in the downhill direction. Check out the heavy-duty concrete staircase.

5) Maria Avenue, Spring Valley, California

Here’s a prime example of the “We’ve got a grid system and we’re damn well going to stick to it” school of city planning. Google’s Terrain view shows how the north-south street pattern has been laid out with no regard whatsoever to the steep contours – in fact you have to wonder whether the planners had ever even visited the site!

Maria Avenue marches straight up the southern slope of Dictionary Hill, attaining a surveyed grade of 32% (17.7°) just north of Chestnut Street. This section of road seems to be paved with concrete, and is cut off from the section above: Street View leaps straight across the gap, missing out this part of the road. The next block to the east would have been even steeper – Buena Vista Avenue is shown on the street map, but the builders understandably admitted defeat there.

4) Baxter Street and Fargo Street, Los Angeles, California

We’ll call this one a tie. These two streets are right next to one another in the Silver Lake district of LA, and both have been measured at 32%, but they get the nod over Maria Avenue on account of being altogether more exciting.

Baxter Street goes up and up and up… but then it goes down almost as steeply, giving the alarming impression that you’re about to drive off a cliff as you approach the summit.

Fargo Street is much shorter – only one block – but that’s plenty long enough for the cyclists who enter the annual Fargo Street Hill Climb. In 2008 one nutter rode up it 101 times in one day.

3) Eldred Street, Los Angeles, California

Just pipping Baxter and Fargo, with a 33% (18.3°) grade at its topmost end, LA’s steepest is in the Highland Park area. It rises 67m over only 400m, which presents some interesting challenges for its residents, according to an entertaining LA Times article.

2) Baldwin Street, Dunedin, New Zealand

Despite being listed in the Guinness Book of Records (and having that sign at the bottom), Baldwin Street doesn’t make the top slot. True, the top section attains an impressive 35% (19.3°) grade; true, it’s quite a slog walking up, even with the steps at the side¹; and true, sliding down it in a wheelie bin is a very bad idea; but it’s not the steepest. Unless anyone else knows better, the winner is…

1) Canton Avenue, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The signs at the top say “Do Not Enter”, and in slippery conditions you’d do well to heed them. Canton Avenue, a short cobbled street in Pittsburgh’s Beechview neighbourhood attains a whopping 37%, or 20.3°, gradient, making it the steepest public road in the United States – and, quite possibly, the world. This YouTube video shows what happens when you try and cycle up it, and this article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has more photos, giving an idea what it’s like to live there in winter. You can bet the residents of this house at the bottom of the hill are quite glad of that crash barrier out the front.

Honourable mentions

Here are a few other contenders that, for various reasons, didn’t quite “make the grade”…

West 28th Street, San Pedro, Los Angeles

Apparently this is officially the steepest LA street, at 33.3% (18.4°, just pipping Eldred), but looking at it on Street View, the steep portion is pathetically short. Next!

Ffordd Pen Llech, Harlech, Wales

This lane, said to be the steepest in Britain, plunges down the side of the steep hill topped by Harlech Castle. Sadly, Street View hasn’t reached rural north Wales yet, but there is high-resolution aerial imagery. The sign at the top claims it to be a 40% (21.8°) slope, but that seems dubious. And in any case, look at the sign just below the gradient warning: “Anaddas i fodur”. Unsuitable for motors. Disqualified on a technicality…

Waipio Valley Road, Hawaii

Now we’re talking: 45% gradient, or 24.2° – just look at those contour lines! Sadly, although this potential record-breaker is paved, it is restricted to 4WD vehicles – and in any case, it’s out in the wilds of the north of the Big Island, and with no houses on it you can hardly call this one a street. Still, it looks like quite a drive, judging by the pictures on this page.

Locations: California, Hawaii, New Zealand, Pennsylvania, Wales / Categories: Street Views

View in Google Earth

Kīlauea on the island of Hawaiʻi is often considered to be the world’s most active volcano.

The Hawaiian name “Kīlauea” translates to “spewing” or “much spreading”, which makes sense as it has been spewing lava non-stop since 1983.

Some of this 700 °C molten lava eventually reaches to the sea, where the explosive collision instantly boils the water and sets the lava.

The Google Earth image shows the giant cloud of stream rising from the shore or you can see the on YouTube.

The Google Earth image shows the giant cloud of stream that rises from the shore, and you can also see the dramatic meeting on YouTube.

In recent months activity at Kīlauea has stepped up, with explosive eruptions at the Halema`uma`u crater.

In the Google Earth image of the crater there is no explosion, but there’s another giant cloud, this time of the slightly more toxic sulfur dioxide. Another video on YouTube is of a burning eruption that was filmed just a couple of days ago.

.

Read more about Kīlauea and Halema`uma`u crater on Wikipedia and the other Volcanos of Hawaii in our previous post.

Thanks to Barnstormer66.

Locations: Hawaii / Categories: Volcanoes

View in Google Earth

In what was the most expensive pilot episode of all time, a plane crashed onto a beach. Part of this expense can be attributed to the use of a real passenger jet as a set for the downed aircraft.

According to Lostpedia, the fictional Oceanic flight 815 was a Boeing 777, but the part was actually played by a chopped-up Lockheed L-1011 TriStar. The nose section of this plane is kept under cover, on location in Hawaii:

Before it began its TV career the plane was owned by Delta airlines and had flown some 58,841 flight-hours without crashing onto any desert islands. The fuselage section of the plane is kept closer to the beach where filming happens:

Previously on Google Sightseeing: 4,8,15,16,23,42 – finding the Lost island

Thanks: Lostpedia

Locations: Hawaii / Categories: Aircraft

View in Google Earth