Contest #838: the southern gate entrance to Black Star or Independence Square, Accra, Ghana

Black Star Square in Accra Ghana has two main entrances – the main obe with Independence or Black Star Gate in the north and a second building/gate with three thin arches in the south. Both would fit the arch theme of the series – but one was less obvious.

The square was completed in 1961 to coincide with a visit by Queen Elizabeth II, visiting to encourage the newly independent Ghana to remain within the Commonwealth.

It hosts all the major national public gatherings, national festivals, military parades, concerts and occasional fashion shows. Seating for 30,000+ surrounds the square.

The image below shows Independence or Blaxk Star Arch in the foreground, Black Star Square full of people and in the background the building we were looking for in front of the Atlantic Ocean.

Found before the hint:

  • Lighthouse
  • hhgygy
  • Phil Ower
  • zorro the fox
  • Graham Hedley
  • Angie CF

After the hint:

  • Martin de Bock
  • Paul Voestermans
  • Garfield

Contest #837: two arched bridges at the Kameido Kenjin Shrine in Tokyo, Japan

Following the series theme, we visited the Kameido Kenjin Shrine in Tokyo, Japan to find two arched bridges.

The shrine is dedicated to Sugawara no Michizane, a 9th-century Japanese scholar. It was built in Tokyo in 1646, damaged by US bombing during World War 2 and rebuilt in modern years. It hosts a wisteria festival each year.

Found before the hint:

  • Paul Voestermans
  • hhgygy
  • Lighthouse
  • Phil Ower
  • Martin de Bock
  • Garfield
  • Graham Hedley
  • Eloy Cano
  • Bas van Limpt
  • zorro the fox
  • Angie CF

How to solve WhereOnGoogleEarth contests!

Written by Elisabeth, one of the premier players of the game.

How do I find the location of an image?

First I look at what there is to see. Buildings, vegetation, water, landscape, roads. What could be there? What could have happened there? What could be so exciting about any place in the world? Maybe it fits a topic? Use your investigative instincts.

I compare the colors of the photo by spot-searching for places that might look similar. Zoom in – zoom out. Yes, it’s work!

What kind of trees are growing there? I pay attention to the shape of the landscape, whether it is hilly, flat or mountainous. What is the typical architectural style of the country?

Not to forget: the shadows. If they point more north – that could be in the northern hemisphere. Or more south – then it could be in the southern hemisphere. But you shouldn’t trust it, because sometimes the satellite images play tricks on us!

Then of course I ask our friend Google. Enter keywords in the search bar. Even better plus the country you suspect. I’m looking for newspaper articles, reports or lists, or even pictures. In general, it is important to compare and develop a kind of photographic memory.

There is no trick! Just try to hang around in Google Earth as often as possible and memorize what a place looks like.

Contest #836: the Veresk Bridge in northern Iran

Contest 836 continued the series theme of arches (if you didn’t figure that out yet) with the spectacular Veresk Bridge in northern Iran on the main line between Tehran and Gorgan. The railway line snakes across the mountains and is in use today, despite being opened for use in 1935. The Google Earth image below shows the railway line in the Veresk Bridge area.

The railway is on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, and contain 174 large bridges, 186 small bridges and 224 tunnels, including 11 spiral tunnels. The Veresk Bridge stands 110 meters above the valley, its arch measures 66 meters and the overall length of the bridge is 112 meters.

Found before the twisted hint:

  • Eloy Cano
  • Graham Hedley
  • Martin de Bock
  • Phil Ower
  • Paul Voestermans
  • Lighthouse
  • Garfield
  • Angie CF

After the hint:

  • zorro the fox