Architecture · The East · Geography · Society

The Aswan Dam on the Nile, built in Egypt by the USSR, is itself a monument to Egyptian-Soviet friendship, yet once the hydroelectric complex was finished a separate monument was also erected to commemorate the warm relations between the two countries

Attempts to dam the Nile had been made for a long time, but the efforts of the early twentieth century came to nothing. The truly epoch-making undertaking was the Soviet construction in Egypt. The colossal dam raised by builders from the USSR was dubbed a modern pyramid, though in

Geography · Observations · Science · Nature

The history of Canis Major and Sirius, from bow and arrow to the hound Lelaps

Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky, but in fact it can be seen in the daytime sky too, if you know where to look. It is also known as the Dog Star, or Alpha Canis Majoris, for its reliability, constancy and unrivalled ability to help people find

Satellite map of South America with red markings across the Amazon basin.

Geography · Maps · Ethnography

Uncontacted peoples remain in Asia, New Guinea and South America

A Map of the Last Uncontacted Peoples of South America. At present, peoples who have never had direct contact with the outside world and modern civilisation remain in India, on islands of the Indian Ocean, in Vietnam, New Guinea, Paraguay, Ecuador, Colombia, Amazonia, Bolivia and Peru

Geography · Maps · Science · Humour

And here comes Emmanuel Macron in the Mercator projection

And here comes Emmanuel Macron in the Mercator projection. A splendid photograph for explaining why the scale on Mercator maps is not constant, and why the true area of countries differs from their area in the projection the farther one moves from the equator. This comes from the function that

Geography · Books · Nature

Sergey Yesenin’s 1920 poem “Sorokoust” about a foal running after a train

Have you seen How it runs across the steppes, Hiding in the lake mists, Snorting through an iron nostril, A train on cast-iron paws? And behind it Through the tall grass, As at a festival of desperate races, Flinging its slender legs up towards its head, Gallops a red-

Archive · The East · Geography · People

Parisian traveller Hugues Krafft photographed Egypt in March 1887

Photographs from a journey to Egypt, 13 to 27 March 1887. The photographs are by Hugues Krafft, a wealthy Parisian bourgeois of German origin who inherited an enormous fortune on his father's death, which allowed him to devote his life to the arts and to travel. He wandered

NB! · Geography · Observations · Science

How Can One See the Great Bear in a Plain Ladle?

NB! · Geography · Museums · Humour

All Olympian gods who descend for a short while into a mortal body to wander the city streets, the taverns or, as in our case, the museums, must bear in mind that the road from Athens to Mount Olympus is no short one, and the journey by post-horse will ta

The disc of the Moon in front of the Earth, with its clouds and oceans, against the black of space.

Geography · Science

Earth and the Moon in a photograph by the Deep Space Climate Observatory

The Far Side of the Moon That Cannot Be Seen from Earth. A photograph of the Earth and the Moon taken by the Deep Space Climate Observatory satellite.

NB! · Archaeology · Architecture · The East · Geography

The Pyramid of Cheops, Seen from Above

The East · Geography · Society

India's Population Overtakes That of China

India's population has overtaken that of China. India is home to 1.442 billion people, China to 1.425 billion. The population of Russia is 146.150 million people.

Geography · Observations · Society

Venice introduces a 5 euro fee for visitors to the old city on 29 peak days

Visiting Venice to become a paid affair on 29 days this year: certain days in April, May, June and July, when attendance at Venice Biennale events peaks. The charge will be 5 euros a day. It may be raised once the number of visitors to the city reaches a set