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Showing posts from April 14, 2024

Tolin's 2024 World Cruise blog posts, Day 99, Apr 17, 2024, Null Island (Soul buoy)

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Null Island  is the location at zero degrees  latitude  and zero degrees  longitude  ( 0°N   0°E )  i.e., where the  prime meridian  and the  equator  intersect.  The name is often used in mapping software as a placeholder to help find and correct database entries that have erroneously been assigned the coordinates 0,0. Although "Null Island" started as a joke within the geospatial community, it has become a useful means of addressing a recurring issue in  geographic information science . The point on the Earth's surface defined as Null Island is located in   international waters   in the   Atlantic Ocean , roughly 370 miles off the coast of   West Africa , in the   Gulf of Guinea .   A   weather buoy , named the Soul buoy after the   soul music   genre, is permanently moored at the location. The nearest land to Null Island is a small islet 354 miles to the north ( 4°45′30″N   1°58′33″W ) that is part of   Ghana . The nearest point on the mainland is Achowa Point   betwee

Tolin's 2024 World Cruise blog posts, Day 95, Apr 13, 2024, Walvis Bay, Namibia, Naukluft Park

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  Due to strong winds in Cape Town resulting in a 30-hour delayed departure, we had to bypass Luderitz Our port call in Walvis Bay was modified and shortened Walvis Bay   is a city  in  Namibia  and the name of the  bay  on which it lies. It is the  second largest city in Namibia  and the largest coastal city in the country. The city covers an area of 11 square miles of land.  The bay is a safe haven for sea vessels because of its natural deep-water harbor, protected by the Pelican Point  sand spit , being the only natural harbor of any size along the country's coast. Being rich in  plankton  and  marine life , these waters also draw large numbers of  southern right whales ,  attracting whalers and fishing vessels. A succession of colonists developed the location and resources of this strategic harbor settlement. The harbor's value in relation to the sea route around the  Cape of Good Hope  had caught the attention of world powers since it was discovered by the outside world in