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Google Earth – discover the New Earth. The Artificial planet.

Google Earth (and Google maps for that matter) brought a revolutionary access to satellite imagery to everybody connected to the internet.

Google Earth is a unique tool that allows the user to hip-hop from one place to another, without having to leave your office or living room.

If you want to see a similar article with the “natural” treasures of Google Earth, please click here.

Using this tool, you can discover another way to see your favourite landscapes and structures.

This article is just a “taster”, to show you what hidden jewels of the artificial world are visible from our “eyes in the sky”.

So let’s start with one of the latest constructions, that shaped the landscape of a modern Arab country, forever.

Photo 1. The Palm Islands and the World Islands in Dubai

The Palm Islands were the first in a series of artificial islands in Dubai, as part of an effort to build a permanent, exotic and unique holiday destination, and a a permanent source of income when the oil wells will eventually dry out.

Photo 2. The first of the Palm Islands.

A close up of the first of the Palm Islands shows the scale of the engineering of the project.

Photo 3. The World Islands in Dubai.

 The World Islands, is the latest effort of artificial landscaping in Dubai. This terraforming projects is of unparalleled scale, and it has already attracted interest from major investments, including some who want to build an Irish Hotel with an Irish Pub !

Photo 4. A satellite view of Edwards AFB (Air Force Base), in the Mojave, California, USA.

Edwards AFB is a USAF facility in the middle of the Mojave desert. The reason it was built there was of its isolated nature but also because of the fact that there was no human activity nearby and no houses or businesses. That made the site the ideal ground for testing new planes (and crashing many of them without the fear of collateral damage).

Photo 5. Airplanes on display at Edwards AFB.

Edwards AFB’s motto is “Ad Inexplorata” which means “To the unexplored”. I has been the testing ground of most of modern American planes. Some include the Bell X-1 that broke the sound barrier, the X-15 that flew at Mach 8, and well known planes as the F-16, F-15, F-111 and SR-71.

Photo 6. Gibraltar Airport.

 A unique experience, the Gibraltar airport “cuts in two” the peninsula of Gibraltar from Spain. So people who want to drive to Gibraltar or even walk, need to actually cross the tarmac when planes are not landing or taking off. So if you see the red light on .. expect a plane to fly just in-front of you. And when you see the green light, it is all clear to cross the runway and continue on your way ! Amazingly thousands of people do that every day and there never was an accident of any kind.

Photo 7. The shipwreck from the TV series “Father Ted”

 Not much to say here … if you watch “Father Ted” you have seen this at the opening titles. If you never watched Father Ted … it is about time you did !

Photo 8. The shipwreck of S.S. Maheno on the 75 mile beach of Fraser Island, Australia.

A landmark on 75 Mile Beach is the shipwreck of the S.S. Maheno. The S.S. Maheno was originally built in 1905, Gallipoli, and the English Channel, before returning to a luxury liner. In 1935, the ship was declared outdated and on June 25, 1935 the ship was being towed from Melbourne to Japan for scrap metal when it was caught in a strong cyclone. A few days later, on July 9 1935 she drifted ashore and was beached on Fraser Island. During the Second World War the Maheno served as target bombing practice for the RAAF

in Scotland as a luxury passenger ship for trans-Tasman crossings. During the First World War the ship served as a hospital ship in the Mediterranean

Photo 9. The “Navagio”. The famous shipwreck at an isolated beach of the rocky coast of Zakynthos (Zante), Greece.

The ship was actually smuggling cigarettes from Italy when it was abandoned by its crew in the threat of a Greek Navy warship. Instead of crashing on the rocky coast, it beached at the only sandy opening in the area.

Photo 10. The “Taipei 101” tower, in Taipei, Taiwan. It is currently the tallest building in the world.

Photo 11. Detail from the Disneyland Resort Paris.

 Disneyland is the children’s paradise on earth. The Disneyland resorts are well known for the diversity of fun they offer to their visitors. A view from above shows you the scale of things.

Photo 12. Eiffel Tower, Paris, France.

The Eiffel Tower. What do we need to say about it that has not already been said? It is THE landmark of the Paris, the city of lights. It is one of the most recognisable man made structures on the planet.

Photo 13. Burj Al Arab Hotel, Dubai

 Maybe the most exclusive and most expensive hotel in the world . . .  and you guessed right … it is in Dubai as well !

Photo 14. The Falkirk Wheel

 The Falkirk Wheel is a marvel of manufacturing. Based on the principles set by Archimedes in Ancient Greece, it lifts boats and narrow boats in the air and transfers them between two canals of different level, saving hours of traversing through locks.