The Ends of the Earth, As Seen Through Google Street View
The advent and continuous expansion of Google Street View has made it possible to explore far off places that we may never be able to visit in person. But where exactly does Google’s reach end? One person deigned to find out.
Inspired in part by the online game GeoGuessr, Alan Taylor over at The Atlantic’s In Focus blog set out to find “the ends of the road” — although, in truth, it’s a lot less philosophical than it might sound.
What he did was spend some serious time on Google Street View, attempting to find the borders of its coverage. At the top we have the end of Google’s ability to follow the Kaimu-Chain of Craters Road in Hawaii. Over time, lava from eruptions of the Kilauea volcano has covered the road and made it impossible to follow any further.
Both the photo above and below show a southernmost point, although one is much better marked than the other. Above we have the southernmost point buoy in Key West, Florida. Below, the southernmost point of Africa — no, not The Cape of Good Hope, though that’s a common misconception — The Cape Agulhas, South Africa.
From the south, we go east, to two of the easternmost points on their respective continents. Above is Lighthouse Road, Byron Bay, New South Wales, which is located on Australia’s easternmost shoreline. Below is one of the easternmost points Google has managed to map along Brazil’s Atlantic shoreline.
Finally, the last two photos we’ll show you here take you in opposite directions. Above, we have a photo of the Chilkat Range, across Lynn Canal from Juneau, Alaska. This point is about as far north of Juneau as Google (or anyone) can drive. And below is a point about as far south as one can go on the South Island of New Zealand.
These are only a few of the pictures that Taylor collected over the course of his digital travels. To see all 26 “ends of the road” for yourself, be sure to follow the link below to the original In Focus article.
The Ends of the Road [The Atlantic via kottke.org]
