an island on earth

Have you ever heard of Nuku Hiva? Neither have I. But, maybe you have. Maybe you just know random facts or maybe you are or were an avid watcher of Survivor. Nuku Hiva was the site of Survivor in 2002. The island has a population around 2,600. The island is in the middle of nowhere. Not the-middle-of-Nebraska-nowhere, the-middle-of-the-Pacific Ocean-nowhere.

Some how, some way, thousands of years ago people arrived on this island. It boggles my mind how someone could get there. Why would someone choose to go out into the ocean and just paddle, and paddle? What makes a person stop at one island or to go on to another one? These are just a few of the questions I asked as I looked at this little island in the middle of the Pacific on Google Earth.

Of course these are nice warm weather islands. As I traveled around Google Earth I found much bleaker islands. What about the Svalbard? It’s an island that is part of Norway. The island was used for years for whaling. One of the cool aspects of Google Earth is that people can take pictures and tag the pictures of where they took them. So besides seeing topography of the island you can actually see what some of the island looks like. There are pictures of the islands shores, buildings, and even polar bears. You get a small glimpse of what it is like.

Lastly, the Tristan da Cunha, a small island between South America and southern Africa. The island is over 1,700 miles away from South Africa. First look as you zoom into the tiny island is that it is a definitely a volcano. Wikipedia, and factual as it can be, gives some great information about how the little island is run. With about 270 people and 80 families it is a tight-knit community. The community looks like a nice quant village even with a church, post office, and lush farm land.

These islands are only a tip of the iceberg of planet earth and what is on Google Earth. It is a great opportunity to explore the world, to see the fringes of the outer limits of earth, and to see a new glimpse into your own community.

For more info go to: Google Earth