Monday, January 05, 2015

The School Antipodes Map


One of my favorite Google Maps of all time is Ze Frank's Earth Sandwich. Anyone who has ever looked at a map or a globe has wondered at some time what country lies at the opposite end of the world from their home.

Ze Frank's map allowed you to center a map on your location and discover what is on the other side of the Earth on another map. Ze Frank's map no longer works but you can now use the Antipodes Spain/New Zealand School Map instead.

In fact the Antipodes Spain/New Zealand map allows you to do much more instead - if you live in Spain or New Zealand. Anitpodes maps are disappointing for most people around the world - as most people discover that their anitpode is actually in the sea or an ocean.

The Spanish and the Kiwis are lucky because they are actually antipodes of each other. The Spain/New Zealand School Map takes advantage of this to try and foster partnerships between schoolchildren from each country. Enter a Spanish or New Zealand school name into the map and you can discover the school which is their nearest antipode. The map even provides the address of the school on the other side of the world so that the kids can send letters to their counterparts across the world.

If you don't live in Spain or New Zealand you can still use the map to discover your antipode.

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