Where On Google Earth?

The Winter Olympics are in full swing and one of the most peculiar events is Curling.

Originated in medieval Scotland and once popular in the low Countries,  nowadays 90% of the curling players are Canadian.

The curling stones are preferably made of a very special kind of granite (Riebeckite granite), only found in Ailsa Craig, a small island off the coast of Scotland in the Firth of Clyde.

Ailsa Craig is basically an extinct volcano and has no population. The granite quarry is now closed but there still is a supply for stone making that will last until 2020.

(Oh, and I will never try to predict again wether a contest will be hard to find or not…)

Those who won the curling competition:

• hhgygy
• Ivar Bonsaksen
• Joel Zirmer
• Milosh, Serbia
• ACG
• Exsanguinator
• David Kozina
• Dennis S.
• Andy McConnell
• Willem
• Galileo
• Gareth Wilson
• Pascal Gilbraith
• Max_Power
• Malcolm
• OTazMan
• Andy M, USA

I made it a bit harder this week. However this site has somehow a relation with a current event.

The Golden Temple or Harmandir Sahib, is the main sacred place for the Sikhs.

It is located in the city of Amritsar, India and surrounded by a large lake, known as the AmritSar which means The Pool Of The Nectar Of Immortality.

Those who entered this sacred site:

• Andrew Siann
• hhgygy
• Smeulders B.
• Dennis S.
• Per Svolsbru
• Milosh, Serbia
• David Kozina
• Ivar Bonsaksen
• ACG
• Andy McConnell
• Mash
• Sarah G
• charlie my boy
• LegoMan
• Doc Will
• Malcom
• Willem
• Max Power
• Andy M
• David Denniston

One of the world largest shipbreaking operations is located on the beaches of Alang, India. According to Wikipedia, approximately half of the decommissioned ships are demolished here.

It is notoriously famous for the environmental and safety hazards. Local workers are exposed to PCBs and asbestos and safety accidents occur on a daily basis.

I found this video footage of the beaching of a ship. I am not sure that this is in Alang too, as there are several of these locations around the world, but you get the idea…

Those who beached the ships:

• Per Svolsbru
• Willem
• Doc Will
• Stephen Hope
• ACG
• Ivar Bonsaksen
• OTazMan
• Milosh, Serbia
• Andy M
• John_B
• David Kozina
• Andy McConnell
• charlie my boy
• Dennis S.
• Max_Power
• Andrew Smith
• Smeulders B.
• Neil
• Robert Matney
• Ole Ivanoff

Supposedly the most northern point of Europe is the Nordkapp (North Cape) in Norway. But it is actually located on an island and furthermore it is not on the most northern part in that neighbourhood, but that proved to be no objection to become a popular tourist attraction.

Those who reached 71° 10′ 21″ N

• Milosh, Serbia
• LegoMan
• ACG
• Ivar Bonsaksen
• Andy McConnell
• David Kozina
• andy h
• Galileo
• Exsanguinator
• Willem
• hhgygy
• Michael T
• Doc Will
• Per Svolsbru
• Dennis S.
• Max_Power
• Joey
• Andy M, USA

The Tarbela Dam is the largest earth filled dam in the world and located in Pakistan, in the Indus River.

The dam was constructed in 1968-1970 for irrigation, flood control and hydro-electric power.

The dimensions of this construction are rather impressive. Almost 160 million m3 (200 million yard3) of earth and rock were used in the construction, which makes it one of the largest man-made structures on earth.

Those who tamed the river:

• sarvnipun
• Jakob Langkjaer
• Calculon
• Ole Ivanoff
• LegoMan
• Milosh, Serbia
• David Kozina
• Ivar Bonsaksen
• Galileo
• Andy McConnell
• Jason Hattermann
• John_B
• Andy M, USA
• Dennis S.
• Max_Power
• Doc Will