Image taken on 2007-06-06 13:52:46 by jasonpearce.
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Antique world maps and cartography are some of the world’s most under-appreciated treasures. Antique maps are not only historical gems, but they can also be beautiful pieces of art. Some of the earliest known maps were drawn by the ancient Babylonians, Greeks, Egyptians, and Chinese. The ancient Greek astronomer, Ptolemy, drew one of the earliest world maps. Today’s experts have recreated the Ptolemy map. During the middle ages in Europe, map-making declined somewhat due to the leading philosopher’s interest in religion. Priests during the European middle ages preferred to concentrate on religion and spirituality rather than geography. While there were some maps drawn, such as Anglo-Saxon maps, Europe still had a lot of catching up to do with Asia where map-making was concerned. During the middle ages, the Chinese were leading with map-making sophistication. As the middle ages in Europe began dying out, Europeans were able to catch up with the Chinese. The discovery of the Americas played a huge part in increased map interests. During the exploration period, historic maps began to flourish. As the known world grew to explorers, so did the maps. World globes were also being made near the end of the fifteenth century. Beautiful tapestries of the world were also made during the 16th and 17th centuries. Antique world maps were captured in detail and sewn on wall tapestries. The craftsmanship of world map tap tapestries, globes, and historic maps was very striking and detailed. They were truly works of art, and are still around today. Collectors of history consider antique world maps to be very valuable, and many are still in great condition. Replicas are also being made on parchment paper for a “antique” feel. Some collectors prefer their antique world maps to be in as much mint condition as possible, while others enjoy the old, yellow stains that give historic maps true antique-ness.
Portable GPS devices have become very popular in recent years. These handy devices assist drivers in not only being able to view maps and directions on screen but to listen to instructions allowing them to keep their eyes on the road. They are great assistants which can help in avoiding traffic tie ups and quickly finding alternate routes when needed. Locating businesses and other services when in unfamiliar surroundings is simple with these geographical geniuses. However, like any good human navigator, a GPS device must have the right maps to perform the job expected.
Garmin GPS devices come with current maps preloaded. Buyers simply need to be aware of how they wish to use the device in order to select the device with the maps that will be most useful. Some maps are designed for automobiles and thus focus on road maps, others have trail maps geared toward hikers, snowmobilers, and other outdoor enthusiasts, while others are designed for marine use.
The Garmin GPS devices that are used most commonly make use of road maps. Obviously, for consumers in the US, road maps of the 50 states are the focus, but for those who travel it is simple enough to purchase maps to assist them during their trip. Maps for Asia, Europe, Australia, the Middle East, Brazil, Mexico, and many other countries are available and, in fact, there is the option of a World Map although it offers less detail.
For US consumers using their GPS device for outdoor activities, the US TOPO 24K is a handy tool which offers detailed topographical information, points of interest such as public facilities and fuel locations among many others, as well as detailed coverage of trail information within parks and designated forests.
The level of detail offered by the different maps varies and should be matched to the tasks it will be asked to perform. For instance, Garmin Roads and Recreation Maps provide maps detailing highways, local, county and residential roads for all 50 states as well as exit information that lets users know what businesses and services are present at a given interstate exit. The City Navigator maps however have a greater focus on highway and primary road maps as well as detail for urban and residential areas.
With new construction, changes in points of interest, services, and businesses, even GPS maps must be updated to remain accurate. Updated maps are published periodically and can be purchased through the Garmin website or selected retailers. Installing updates is simple as long as you have an hour or two of time and a good computer. Finding the maps that suit your needs and keeping them updated is key to having a GPS device that meets your expectations.
Why it’s good to have all three map services in one place? Simply because there are geographical regions on Earth where the three services are complementary. These complementarities come from many points. The first one is geographically. There are regions where MSN Virtual Earth has good road maps but Google Maps has more accurate image data and with a higher resolution. And also is about the up-dated maps and images. Once they have not the same sources of data (Image courteasy of NASA for MSN Virtual Earth , Data Navteq, Teleatlas for Yahoo! Maps and Google Maps) the images have different resolutions and collection date. In some regions Yahoo! Maps has good city maps with clear specification of one way roads and street names. These regions are in Asia, Africa, South America but also in Europe (Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Ukraine) where the need of all these three maps services together is obviously big. For example in Romania Google Maps shows on the map only the main important cities and some localities situated on the main national routes and MSN Virtual Earth shows on the map all main cities and a lot of small villages. But the area covered with high resolution images by Google Maps is significant bigger than the area covered with high resolution images by MSN Virtual Earth and Yahoo! Maps. But Yahoo! Maps has better city road maps for the main cities from Romania : Bucharest and Timisoara. In Argentina MSN Virtual Earth comes with geocoding places and addresses, road maps, satellite imagery and photography and traffic incident and flow information (but you have to be careful – data across the country seems very inconsistent : there are floating parallel roads that lead nowhere and locals notice there are incorrect road names). Google Maps and and Yahoo! Maps have not good road maps, and traffic incident and flow information but they have in some regions of Argentina better satellite imagery and photography.
Thailand, a small independent country, is situated in the heart of Southeast Asia. Bordered to the east by the Cambodia and Laos, to the north by Burma and Laos, south by Malaysia and Gulf of Thailand and to the west, by the Burma and Andaman Sea, Thailand map represent a small land area. It is referred to as golden land, not because it has some gold or other precious metal buried into it, but because of some special luster, reflected by its fertile rice fields, warm hospitality of the citizens and sandy beaches. Map of Thailand manifests hundreds of rivers and creeks. Majority of these are found in the northern part of the country. Crews of paddlers visit the place to paddle over the world class white water. Some of the reality based adventure program series, which concentrate on sports activities, take place in its water waves. This Buddhist kingdom is known as a Siam by outsiders. Its aquamarine seas and pristine beaches in addition to rich culture, shopping malls, colorful market and glitzy have laid a charismatic influence over its visitors. Its enticing mixture of destinations and islands has appealed to myriad of visitors. Some of the main cities high lightened in Thailand maps are Bangkok- the capital and primate city of Thailand is also known as Thai. It is a metropolitan city and one of the fantastic places to visit in whole of the Southeast Asian region. Some of its sights are finest in Asia and it offers amazing nightlife with live music, bars and discos. In other words, it is also known as the city of Angels.
In addition to it, there are many cities and attractions that have become famous among visitors. Its beaches have embalmed the disturbed mind of many travelers. Thus, Thailand travel is one of the exciting and fun filled act to refresh oneself.
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Bangkok
September 5, 2010, 11:13 pm
 Cloudy 30°Creal feel: 34°C
current pressure: 1009 mb
humidity: 69%
wind speed: 2 m/s WSW
wind gusts: 2 m/s
sunrise: 6:07
sunset: 18:27
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