The Nile River. Possibly the longest river in the world, but certainly the most storied in history. Without the Nile, the civilizaiton of Ancient Egypt would have never existed. To the Ancient Greeks and Romans the source of the Nile was a question that vexxed them for centuries. This quest to find the source of the river would be the longest running question in geographic history. And its answer wouldn’t come until only 160 years ago.
Infamous Geography
The Krakatoa Volcanic Eruption of 1883 – The Loudest Sound Ever Heard?
In 1883, possibly the loudest sound ever heard, detonated in the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra, Indonesia. The source of this explosion? A volcano that has gone down in infamy. Over 36,000 lives were lost in the ensuing pyroclastic flows and tsunami, and is the second deadliest volcanic eruption in recorded history. This is Infamous Geography. This is Krakatoa.
In this video, I look at the causes of the 1883 Krakatoa eruption, the subduction of the Indo-Australian plate under the Sunda Plate, as part of the Pacific Ring of Fire that has led to Indonesia having the largest number of active volcanoes of any country. I look in detail at the colossal 1883 eruption, the sounds that it made that put it into the record books, and the killer pyroclastic flows and tsunami that led to so many lives lost.
I then look at Krakatoa in the context of other historical eruptions and as measured by the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI). Mount Tambora and Mount Toba, also in the same region are notable examples of other massive volcanic eruptions in recorded and geological history.
Lastly, I look at how the numerous volcanoes on Java have led to this island being the most populated on Earth, and end with a glimpse at what might lie in Krakatoa’s future.
The Northwest Passage – The Quick Northern Sea Route That Never Was
A sea-route that would connect Europe to the riches of Asia. Its there somewhere, over the north of the continent of America. So was the thought in the minds of thousands of merchants, explorers and kings in an obsession that would grip the sea-faring nations of Europe for four centuries. If only they knew the truth of the Arctic Archipelago of Northern Canada. A barren, frozen complex of land and sea about as hostile an environment as any to be found on Earth. A crusher of ships, and the grave of those arrogant enough to believe it was theirs to conquer. This is infamous geography. This is the Northwest Passage.