Dangerous Places on Earth


An interactive map that shows most thrilling and dangerous places of the world, which one would not dare to visit in general. These places include dangerous country-borders and locations, which are considered as life-threatening, hazardous, or risky for normal life survival. In the map the red circles with skull symbol shows dangerous locations, whereas the yellow lines show the dangerous country-borders. Click on these features to know more details about it.



Dangerous Places on Earth

When we say the world is a beautiful place to stay or roam around, we should put exception to some places though. Because not all places on this earth are beautiful; some are dangerous too. From deadly earthquake-prone locations to areas with a surplus of crime, there are places on earth that are considered as life-threatening, hazardous, or risky for normal life survival. It’s now easier than ever to visit distant locations around the world. But just how there are beautiful places to visit, there are places that are definitely not tourist-friendly. Of all the places to go on your next vacation, these places should not be on your travel list. You might consider not visiting these places when planning your next trip.

The above map tries to explore and summarize such places on the interactive online map for quick reference.

The definition of dangerous places on earth can be explained as two types - ones that are naturally dangerous for humans to strive, and others that are dangerous because we humans have made it so for ourselves. Places like hurricane-prone areas, harsh deserts, or earthquake or volcano-prone regions comes under the first category, whereas places like most of the war-torn regions, disputed country-borders, or nuclear leakage and contaminated sites, crime-ridden cities, etc. comes under the second category of dangerous places on earth. When we obviously can't do anything for the first category; we can definitely control the second category if we have will-power and understanding and make the world a better place to live.

The Great Wall of China


An illustrative and detailed map showing the greater geographical extents and ground points of the Great Wall of China, including the Great Wall Traces, Forts, Watchtower and Beacons, identified through various times of the Chinese Dynasties, started from the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), continued through Han, Liao, and Jin Dynasties, and finally entering the Ming Dynasty (1368-1664 CE).


Data Source: The KMZ files of the Great Wall of China is freely available to download at the site researchgate.net.

The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China is the most extraordinary feature of engineering in history and one of the most iconic man-made structures on the planet. It is the ultimate wonder of the world. It took more time, more people, and more material to build this mega structure than any other man-made features on this planet. The world’s longest wall is the biggest and an awe-inspiring feat of ancient Chinese defensive architecture. The Chinese great wall winds its way across west to east breadths of China, generally built along the historical northern borders of China, scaling all kind of terrains: deserts, rocky mountain peaks, valleys and deep gorges, till it reaches the sea in the far east. Some sources claim that a trace of the Great Wall of China is visible from the space as well.

But why did the Chinese go to that staggering length to build it. Well, as I read somewhere, the wall was the result of immense blood, sweet and fear the ancient Chinese people faced. The ancient northern borders of China were battle grounds of frequent invasions from the fearsome horse-riding archers - the Xiongnu. This forced the Chinese emperors to adopt a radical strategy; they decided to build a wall - a linear complex fortress. It was built to keep out the raiding parties of nomadic tribes of the Eurasian Steppe, including the Mongols, Turic and Xiongnu, of modern-day Mongolia and Manchuria and to protect the Chinese states, empires, and the Han people from these invaders. With the wall height raising up to 20 feet, the wall distinctively changed the landscape across the territories, blocking strategic week points and passing through various terrains, and evolved over 400 years and 6000 miles.

The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, and other materials. Millions of the people were involved in construction of the Great Wall over various times of the Chinese Dynasties, started in the Qin Dynasty (221-206 BC), continued through Han, Liao, and Jin Dynasties, and finally took advanced shape during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1664 CE). The labour force used to build the Great Wall were not very skilled craftsmen or engineers, but were common workers, soldiers, forcibly recruited farmers, slaves, convicts and war prisoners. Even then the Great Wall of China carries a simple yet sophisticated and wonderful design; simple enough to be built quickly and with locally available materials and sophisticated enough that still stand upright after centuries.

How I created this map

The KML file that I downloaded from the above-mentioned source was suitable for opening in Google Earth Pro desktop application, but was not suitable for opening on top of online Google Map. So, I studied the content and structure of the KML, made some changes using normal code editors, like Notepad++, SciTE Text Editor, and made changes so that all layers open in Google Map. I have edited the KML files to remove the folder view and converted the data for normal layered view. And then I have added generalised lines to show the extents of the great walls. The KML file was containing various point locations of the of the great walls, like pillar or post locations, fort positions, location of beacons or watchtowers. I interpreted these point locations on top of satellite image in Google Map and tried to draw the traces of the great walls in various dynasties as shown in the map.

Seeing the vastness of the Great Walls of China, it is difficult to draw the exact extents of the walls with precise orientations and alignments. But I have tried to use my best judgment, with whatever time available, to compare the KML data with the impressions seen in the background Satellite image and decide on the positioning of the wall. Somewhere it could be correct, somewhere it might not be accurate. I leave it on the viewer to interpret accordingly. After all, this map created just to explain the extents of the Great Walls of China and to show why it is considered as a wonder of the world.

Seven Sisters of the North-East India


An informative map showing the geographical positions of the seven north-eastern sister states of India. Click on the polygons to know details about that state in the Legend Box.



The North-East Region of India

In India, North-East is a cumulative synonym for the seven north-eastern states namely Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura. These states cover about 8% of India's total area. Although there is great ethnic and religious diversity within these seven states, they bear similarities in terms of the political, social and economic spheres. The land of North East India has the most eco-friendly destinations full of natural attractions, the great wildlife, adventure options, tribal attractions and much more for perfect unexplored holiday tours.

The Northeast region can be physiographically categorised into the Eastern Himalayas, Northeast Hills (Patkai-Naga Hills and Lushai Hills) and the Brahmaputra and the Barak Valley Plains. The region is covered by the mighty Brahmaputra-Barak river systems and their tributaries. Northeast India has a subtropical climate that is influenced by its relief and influences from the southwest and northeast monsoons. It is the rainiest region in the country, with many places receiving an average annual precipitation of 2,000 mm (79 in), which is mostly concentrated in summer during the monsoon season. Cherrapunji, located on the Meghalaya plateau is the rainiest place in the world with an annual precipitation of 11,418.7 mm (449.6 in).

UNESCO World Heritage Sites


An informative map showing locations of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites on Google map, scattered across various countries worldwide. Click on the red circular dots on the map, representing UNESCO World Heritage Sites, to know more details.


Data Source: UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Official World Heritage List in other formats

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area which is selected by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as having cultural, historical, scientific or other form of significance, and is legally protected by international treaties. The sites are judged important to the collective interests of humanity.

There are various parameters that needs to be fulfilled for a site or place to be selected by UNESCO as World Heritage Site. It should have either historical importance or should represent scientific or cultural value of the civilization. Once a site is selected as World Heritage Site, it is the responsibility of the central government of the country in which the site is located to protect and preserve it for future. India is fortunate enough that it has many sites selected as UNESCO World Heritage Sites owning to its rich and diverse heritage covering scientific, cultural, historical significance. As of 2018, India has 36 heritage sites, the sixth most of any country (Wikipedia), representing magnificent specimens of architecture, unique traditions of culture and amazing natural objects.

UNESCO World Heritage Sites are generally the places of tourist attraction and attract people from all over the world to visit them. Hence, it would be helpful for people, mainly like tourists, to know about the location and surroundings of these places before planning a tour. The above map was created after grooming the freely available KML file from the above-mentioned data source.

The Bermuda Triangle


An interesting illustrative map showing the geographical extents of the Bermuda Triangle in the Atlantic Ocean, along with the approximate locations of the unsolved incidents that have happened in the region.



The Bermuda Triangle

The Bermuda Triangle, also known as the Devil's Triangle, is a loosely-defined region in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean, where a number of aircraft and ships are said to have disappeared under mysterious circumstances.

Located in the Atlantic Ocean, the Bermuda Triangle extents are defined between Bermuda Island, Puerto Rico Island and Miami Beach in Florida as shown in the above map. The Bermuda Triangle has long been believed to be the site where a number of mysterious plane and boat incidents have occurred. While it has become part of popular culture to link the Bermuda Triangle to paranormal activity, most investigations indicate bad weather and human error are the more likely culprits.

Research has suggested that many original reports of strange incidents in the Bermuda Triangle were exaggerated and that the actual number of incidents in the area is similar to that of other parts of the ocean. While its reputation may scare some people, the Bermuda Triangle is actually part of a regularly sailed shipping lane with cruise ships and other boats also frequently sailing through the area.

But nevertheless, whether Bermuda Triangle is a myth or an unsolved mystery, the following incidents, which I compiled from various sources in the internet, also illustrated in the above map, can't be denied to have all really happened at the region!

Deering Shipwreak: On January 31, 1921, Carroll A. Deering a coal cargo vessel was sighted run aground on Diamond Shoals, an area off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, that has long been notorious as a common site of shipwrecks.

Flight 19 Disappearance: Flight 19 was the designation of a group of five Grumman TBM Avenger torpedo bombers that disappeared over the Bermuda Triangle on December 5, 1945 after losing contact during a United States Navy overwater navigation training flight from Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The same night the incidents happened, two Martin Mariner planes were sent for search operation, but then one of them never returned. A passing by freighter ship SS Gaines Mill reported that they saw a huge explosion on the ocean at a distance, but nothing was found in that reported spot.

Star Tiger and Star Ariel Disappearance: G-AHNP Star Tiger disappeared on January 30, 1948, on a flight from Azores to Bermuda, and G-AGRE Star Ariel disappeared on January 17, 1949, on a flight from Bermuda to Kingston, Jamaica. Both were Avro Tudor IV passenger aircraft operated by British South American Airways. Both planes were operating at the very limits of their range and the slightest error or fault in the equipment could keep them from reaching the small island Bermuda Triangle.

Douglas DST airliner Disappearance: The disappearance of a Douglas DST airliner, registered NC16002, occurred on the night of 28 December 1948 near the end of a scheduled flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Miami, Florida.

KC-135 Stratotanker Collided: On August 28, 1963, a pair of US Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft collided and crashed into the Atlantic. The Bermuda Triangle version of this story specifies that they did collide and crash, but there were two distinct crash sites, separated by over 160 miles (260 km) of water.

Ellen Austin Encounter: One of the more fascinating oceanic tales is that of the strange encounter between the Ellen Austin and an abandoned vessel found adrift near the Bermuda Triangle. The Ellen Austin‘s captain sent two separate crews to bring the vessel to New York as a salvage prize, however both crews mysteriously vanished, and the derelict was lost forever.

USS Cyclops Missing: The incident resulting in the single largest loss of life in the history of the US Navy not related to combat occurred when the cargo collier Cyclops, carrying a full load of manganese ore and with one engine out of action, went missing without a trace with a crew of 309 sometime after March 4, 1918, after departing the island of Barbados.

Connemara IV Drifting: A pleasure yacht was found adrift in the Atlantic south of Bermuda on September 26, 1955. The crew of the yacht vanished while the yacht survived being at sea during three hurricanes. An investigation revealed that she had dragged her moorings and gone to sea.

Marine Sulphur Queen Disappearance: SS Marine Sulphur Queen, a T2 tanker converted to carry molten sulphur, noted for its disappearance in 1963 near the southern coast of Florida, taking the lives of 39 crew members on board. On February 2nd 1963, Marine Sulphur Queen started her ill fated voyage from Beaumont, Texas destined towards Norfolk when she was carrying over 15000 tons of molten sulphur.

USS Proteus Disappearance: The USS Proteus (AC-9) was a Navy collier that had been converted into a merchant ship. It was never heard from again after November 23, 1941, when it left from St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, bound for an East Coast port in the United States. The approximately 540-foot-long (165 meters) ship was carrying 58 crew men and a cargo of Bauxite ore to be made into aluminum, appears lost somewhere in the Bermuda Triangle.

USS Nereus Disappearance: USS Nereus (AC-10) was one of four Proteus-class colliers built for the United States Navy before World War I. The craft was named after the mythological Greek sea God Nereus, meaning protector of sailors. The USS Nereus was lost at sea sometime after 10 December 1941, at it mad its way to Portland, Maine, from St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. It disappeared with a crew of 61 along the same route as its sister-ship, the USS Proteus, had disappeared in the previous month.

Petroleum Production Sites of the World


An illustrative map showing petroleum production sites and their respective generalized petroleum basins occurring globally. In the map, “Oil Production Site” means the oil drills from where petroleum is recovered from the earth surface. And “Oil Field Basin” means a system of source and reservoir rocks where petroleum was formed, migrated and trapped. Click on the Oil Production Sites (red circles) or the Oil Field Basins (orange polygons) to know details about them.


Map Source and Credits:
  1. Oil Production Sites (Point data): Giant Oil and Gas Fields of the World (Compiled by M.K. Horn)
  2. Generalised Oil Field Basins (Polygonals): Drawn by Vinod Rowmuria, author of this blog site, taking reference from petroleum geology literatures.

What is this Map about?

Today’s world economy is driven by crude oil and the petroleum industry. Petroleum is the main source of energy till date and it is essential to maintain the present industrial civilization. Many industries run on petroleum products. And therefore its availability is a critical concern for many nations worldwide. The world has seen many wars because of this black gold.

Have you wondered how and where on this earth petroleum is produced? Going back to some basic geology, petroleum is a naturally occurring hydrocarbon material that is believed to have formed from animal and vegetable debris buried in deep sedimentary rock beds for millions of years. The petroleum, being less dense than the surrounding water, was expelled from the source beds and migrated upward through porous rock such as sandstone and some limestone until it was finally blocked by nonporous rock such as shale or dense limestone. In this way, petroleum deposits came to be trapped by geologic features caused by the folding, faulting, and erosion of the Earth’s crust. See the image below to understand the five ways how petroleum reservoirs are formed in the earth crust.

Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling in the earth crust. Although natural petroleum springs or seepages are also found but such occurrences are very rare. Oil drilling comes after the studies of structural geology at the reservoir scale, sedimentary basin analysis, reservoir characterization, mainly in terms of the porosity and permeability of geologic reservoir structures. It is refined and separated, most easily by industrial distillation, into a large number of consumer products, from gasoline (petrol) and kerosene to asphalt and chemical reagents used to make plastics and pharmaceuticals. Petroleum is used in manufacturing a wide variety of materials, and it is estimated that the world consumes about 90 million barrels each day.

USA has come up as a huge contributor to the total petroleum production in the world. Its contribution amounts to almost 25% of the total production of petroleum globally. Subsequent contributors in this line of huge petroleum producing countries are Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, United Arab Emirates, etc. A complete list of countries by its petroleum production can be found here.

Petroleum is a fossil fuels. It take millions of years to form and therefore it is also considered to be a non-renewable energy source. We should use petroleum products (oil and gas) judiciously and try to save them as far as possible. Five ways how Petroleum reservoirs are formed can be understood from the self-explanatory image below. In the above map the Oil Production Sites i.e., those red circles represent the locations on the earth's surface from where the Petroleum reservoirs are accessed through sub-surface drilling to collect the crude oil from the trap shown below.

Subsurface accumulations of Oil and Gas in Reservoir