Google Maps for Africa
David just e-mailed me asking when Google Maps added street level mapping for Africa, and sure enough, I think as of yesterday, they have!
This is awesome news, I've really been hoping this would happen and it's a nice suprise. Read more on Google Maps Mania - Big news: African continent gets Google Maps roads and streets:
...Johannesburg has street level maps while the city of Cape Town reveals major routes and unmarked secondary streets.
Throughout the rest of the continent countries like Kenya, Nigeria, and Egypt (to name just a few) all show major routes while some countries contain street level mapping for major cities.
Until now I've used either Shell Geostar (for A to B directions and specific location searching) or Microsoft's Live Search's street maps which present a nicer aerial overview. Although Live's maps for Cape Town in particular aren't any more complete than Google's, I prefer the satellite imagery that Google Maps have which make the hybrid view so much cooler.
For comparison, check out the aerial view of this photo in Live and Google Maps - switch between the two across tabs after removing any side bars in Live; I matched them up pretty well. Here's a closer look.
I realised for the first time the other day that the photo I've linked above is the single point at which South Africa's two longest national roads, the N1 (becomes Table Bay Boulevard) and the N2 (becomes Eastern Boulevard) converge on Cape Town's foreshore. Funny how many times I've driven that route and never thought about it that way.
I had another thought worth sharing the other day: with all the debates around the now confirmed location for Cape Town's new 2010 Football World Cup "African Renaissance Stadium", if FIFA are so transfixed on a location with a view of Table Mountain, why didn't they consider Robben Island? They could engineer a bridge over Table Bay linking to both national routes, and since renaming is all the rage these days (and what or who is Robben anyway), call it "FIFA Island". And then the V&A's Nelson Mandela Gateway would really be a gateway. And you'd be able to take the 3 hour, 11km "Long Walk to Freedom" over the bridge, or run a half-marathon there and back, for a ridiculous touristy price of course. I also like to think that kitesurfers would finally have something physical to jump over.
YEAH!! Who's with me?
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9 Comments
I’m with you, even though I don’t know what Robben Island’s for in the moment and where the Metropolitan Golf Course’s situated. Your arguments sound clear and easy to follow – like always.
I was taking the piss David ;) …damn, lost in translation, haha
Robben Island is a World Heritage Site. When are you visiting? We’ll get in a game of golf before the course is flattened!
(Check out this Flickr photo and this Google Earth capture for reference.)
Great stuff! Finally, we’re getting noticed! I see that Google’s also recently re-updated their satellite imagery for Cape Town.
I drove through the Hugenot Tunnel yesterday and was thinking that if a feat of engineering brilliance of that magnitude can happen in South Africa, there is no reason why they can’t make that “Gateway” a tunnel on the ocean floor. I’m totally against ruining a magnificent view, but i’m also all for a road/railway link between Blaauberg and Town. Kitesurfers can build a wooden structure like skateboarders used to do in the library parking lot :)
Heh-heh. Fantabulous ideas Dames! But…the pedantic linguist in me must just note: I’m pretty sure “Robben” has something to do with “seals” (rob is seal in Afrikaans, I think?), so it’s basically Seal Island like approx. five billion other islands off the coast of any English-speaking (seal-breeding) coastline (including Mossel Bay!).
Est you brainiac, spot on. I checked the Wikipedia entry out of interest:
The name is Middle Dutch for “seal island” (or to be strictly accurate, “island of seals”, because Robben is plural). [Incidentaly, "Seal Island" is a different island in nearby False Bay.]
And further on:
Robben Island was first inhabited thousands of years ago by stone age people, at a time when sealevels were considerably lower than they are today and people could walk to it. It was then a flat-topped hill.
Which makes my proposal sound all the more worthwhile, haha! Fascinating reading.
Escalating costs… thats what I call the FIFA world cup 2010. You guys should see the signage at ex Jo’Burg International – “Welcome to OR TAMBO International” not “O.R. Tambo”
I’ve been driving through district six lately. That would be an awesome spot for the stadium. But that debate is over now.
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11 November 2006
nrgza10:50 am
Yeah! Nothing like a big concrete eyesore to unite us!