₦airaland Forum

On the right here you can see each of the main 5 swallowed up inside the landmass of Africa, one at a time to make it clearer…

And below that you can see an exact list of another set of countries by area, adding up to less than Africa as well…


The whole point being made was that we all have been taught geography mainly based on the Mercator projection - as the background in daily television news, the cover of my school atlas, in general the ubiquitous depiction of the planet.

But the basic fact is that a three-dimensional sphere being shown as a single two-dimensional flat image will always be subject to a conversion loss: something has to give…

The reason why Mercator was such an important advance is simple: on it one can draw straight lines to account for travel routes - in the days of the gigantic merchant fleets and naval battles an immensely valuable attribute.

But that ability to use lines instead of curves came at a cost: areas near the poles would be greatly exaggerated. Greenland looks deceivingly as if it were the size of all of South America for instance…

In other words: if things are normal near the equator, everything further north and south is familiar to us in a stretched and enlarged version, veering further and further away from the proper size. And conversely: if we kept the shapes as we intuitively know them now, Africa ought to be stretched massively larger to keep it in true proportion.

Hence the fact that in everyday thinking, Africa is just about always hugely underestimated - even by college grads, off by factor of 2 or 3.


The table at right shows the US including Alaska and Hawaii, btw. And while not listing Eastern Europe (dark blue in the map) it adds many others unused in the map: Mexico, Peru, New Guinea, New Zealand, Nepal and Bangladesh!

All of that became the fodder for the old cliché:
“Are you coming to bed, honey?”
“No not yet -there is someone wrong on the internet!”

A veritable shitstorm of responses latched onto the tiniest of tiny details. People complained “you missed Ibiza”, “how could you make Belgium the same color as the Netherlands” “and on and on and on...

Some others were dead certain to have spotted the big flaw “the UK is not the same size as Madagascar - this dude is SOOO wrong!”… and well DUH… that is PRECISELY the point I was making, in action: Madagascar is much larger!

Had I stretched things to truly properly show that though, then the whole shape of Africa would have looked very awkwardly elongated. I chose to tell the basic puzzle piece fitting story by using the familiar shapes.

Both together cannot be done - but one could probably do a much nicer job of an exact list of the ingredients and then a nearly exact fit of the pieces - or maybe “pouring the pixels” highly accurately in proportion into the outline shape of Africa as the vessel to contain them all - but afterwards each country is just a layer of color - I preferred the outlines, even if rather rough and symbolic.

Hopefully someone will improve on it - as mine was by far not the first and should also not be the last attempt to tell the story

But many totally missed the single big point: NO - this was not at all an attempt to create “an accurate map”, it was merely a simple graphical depiction of the statement: Africa is just immense - much, much larger than you or I thought. Just look at it, realize that, and smile - because you will never forget it again
And: here is to Africa achieving the stature that it deserves to have…

Kai Krause
The true map of Africa
A few years back there was an exhibition in a London gallery by the Royal Geographic Society, and the curator asked the edge.org group to contribute “unusual maps”. Thinking it would be for a few hundred people at most, I put together a little map that I had made previously in the mid 80s before, then as an example of scientific visualization graphics software (which I spent a decade on, actually).

It was a very simple premise that I had seen done a number of times before - never claimed it to be a novel invention - but had a slightly new twist in mind: Africa is so mind-numbingly immense, that it exceeds the common assumptions by just about anyone I ever met: it contains the entirety of the USA, all of China, India, as well as Japan and pretty much all of Europe as well - all combined !

And the idea was to roughly put all of them as puzzle pieces somehow fitting inside the outline shape of Africa, which is of course just a symbolic image - it may as well have been just blobs to tell the story, but it actually worked pretty well with the real pieces, at least enough to get the idea across in a visual and visceral way:
During the making of it, I sent it to a few friends for some feedback, but then next thing I knew Stephen Fry had tweeted it and within literally days there were tens of thousands of reblogs all over the place, a little viral meme…

Searching for that exact phrase got over half a million responses in 2010:

JeffreyJamez:
It is this same set of owls that will cry fowl when they're touched and still scream gender equality.


This matter weak me o bros.

sammyscholar:
CBN is the apex (highest) bank on the land.

JeffreyJamez:
I knew one olodo will pick on that illustration.

Just see how these girls are shamelessly trying to justify male sexual harrassment....Very disturbing.

Aimosagie:
My guy.. gbagbe oshi jare.. which psychological trauma to a man is it that you are talking about?? Even on this nairaland, you see the guys commenting and begging to be sexually harassed so biko what are you saying? A man cannot be raped except he truly wants it.. whatever regret he feels later on (if there's any) is just his conscience eating at him. Sex is something a man sees as a trophy he just acquired.. another puna he has conquered and will brag about it to other guys who care to listen and who will still be weirdly envious of the dude's conquest. So I say again..my guy, gbagbe oshi.

Rogersmith:
It is a miracle I tell you. Look at the sorry state of venuzeula...

sammyscholar:
I agree with the apex bank on this.

Hawlahscho:
I dont even know the meaning of FLOAT NAIRA, it sounds fine to ears abi.. To sink something is not good I suppose.

Someone that understands should pls explain to me.

MabraO:
Can they speak in English pls

YelloweWest:
Pls explain what the floatation means. Thank you

FitnessDoctor:
Source: http://newsphases..com/2017/04/5-habits-that-will-make-you-poor-for.html

Simplestone:
BRING BACK OUR CORRUPTION!!!

With Corruption a bag of pure water was N80

Without Corruption a bag of pure water is N150

With Corruption dollar was N180

Without Corruption dollar is N400

With Corruption I have 20hrs electricity at low
tariff

Without Corruption I have 7hrs electricity
with 45% increase in tariff

With Corruption keke to my house takes N50

Without Corruption keke to my house takes N100

WithCorruption smallest indomie was N40

Without Corruption smallest indomie is N60

Razor blade is now 20 naira per piece.

Egg is now 35 naira for one.

The list can go on and on but I just have to end
it and take a stand.....

If with Corruption Dollar was N180 and without
Corruption Dollar is now N425,

Brother and Sisters, you will agree with me that
we need corruption in this country...

Titus Sardine started with 4 fishes, it reduced to
3. Then now it's 2.

In years to come, you'll open Sardine and see
"Try Again Later"

LOL

Blonchilli:
I don't think I've come across any pre-wedding pics (I could be corrected btw) like the crazy ones we're obsessed here from the west why? Because they've already made awesome memories

Blonchilli:
Although it's fictional character but as a kid watching Rocky Balbao beat up bad guys in the ring made me consider being a boxer
That aside who put up the best fight against Rocky? I would pick Drago because of the hype to that fight and pundits doubting Rocky would come out of the ring with his life and that fight had effects on him years later( loss of memory, brain damage, he practically went to zero) and his family. So Rocky fanboys and fangirls let's know who was Rocky's toughest opponent

lightblazingnow:
Source: http://chrisngwodo..com/2012/01/why-nigeria-cant-break-up.html?m=1


No bad idea is repeated as constantly as the notion that the solution to chronic violence in Nigeria is for her to "break up." The case for Nigeria's disintegration surfaces routinely after tragic episodes of violence and has emerged following the recent increase in sectarian terrorism. Some perspective is necessary. Since the days before the Civil War, beating the drums of separatism has become a sort of pre-programmed response to national calamity. Rumours of our impending divorce attended the 1964 elections, the June 12 1993 crisis, the death of Moshood Abiola in 1998 and the Sharia controversy in 2001. In 1990, a gang of over-ambitious soldiers attempting to oust the Babangida regime even purported to evict five northern states from the federation. Thus, current debates about the durability of Nigeria are nothing new.

BMCskullHunter:
After writing all the jargon you put up there, better start thinking about how your region will survive without Niger Delta oil because there would be none for you soon.

lightblazingnow:
Having said all this, nations are not eternal but finite, expiring when they have outlived their usefulness to history and humanity. Nigeria is no different. Nigeria does not currently face immediate disintegration but a slow and steady erosion of federal authority by sundry paramilitaries, warlords and terrorist gangs, until the nation slips inexorably into failed statehood. Already we see signs of this in the brazen terrorism of pseudo-religious extremists who seek to establish alternate governments as well as the rise of oil-bunkering pirate gangs in our southern coastal waters.

It would be a pity if we were to let Nigeria fail. No one who has studied her history, encountered her acute humanity, sampled her cultural riches and researched the dreams of her founding fathers would fail to sense her ordination for higher purposes. For us to abort this purpose would be nothing short of cosmic treason. As Eme Awa once remarked, "If we were to dissolve the federation, a future generation of people will pass the verdict that the Nigerian elites committed suicide while of unsound mind." Nigeria has not been tried and found wanting. We simply have not invested enough of our intellectual and moral energies into actualizing her promise.

hibiscus76:
[size=8pt][/size]I really need to know?? All the guys I've ever met turned out to be very different from what they always portray when they first meet you... my observations though...question is I know there are still good guys looking for a relationship that'll work out but where are they? Why can't I find one?

DirewolfofStark:

---

Because you look like Gaborey Sidibe

Strahovski1:
Errm.. marry to fulfil purpose. So our purpose in life is to get married

You get married because you want to. That's the bottom line.

P.S as long as you are in Nigeria, even you op, you will get married for one of those reasons you listed up there. Either family pressure or you are getting old. Mark my words

Blue3k:
I dig this thread. I know this probably dumb question but if aids was around for at least a few decades before the 80's. Was the reason the virus didn't become epidemic because there wasn't that much urbanization.

Incline:
That someone's a virgin doesn't mean they're devoid of baggage. Everyone has baggage, virgin or not. Everyone goes into marriage with some sort of baggage.

sojiboy:
After the Kemen issue trying to make out with TBoss, some guys have seen it that guys are always seen as the culprit/victim of any rape/sexual incidence.
Some guys even went as far as saying some ladies would give green light but just to finish making out but the lady will scream rape.
While there was outrageous condemnation about Ay's and Tatafoo's comedy over TBoss of bbnaija incidence, some guys also flare that they re been harrased by ladies but that seems normal to every one, since it's lady's world.
While this was ongoing a Tweep in his own wisdom think there should be an agreement reached between two people before Sex can take place, since we all know that oral agreement may not be seen as valid or genuine, the handler @angelgabbyahara designed a CONSENT FORM for every guy's use.
It's been burning like wild fire since yesterday.
https://twitter.com/Angelgabbyshara/status/854351750358347776

Blue3k:
That's interesting but still find it weird aids came out Africa without anyone knowing. I still feel AIDs was cooked up in lab.