Why are world globes important
World globes are the most accurate maps. The reason for this is very simple, Earth is a sphere, so is a globe. For this reason when you look at a world globe you can truly see the way the world looks in all of its simplicities and complexities.
All countries are shown in their true sizes relative to each other. There is no direction distortion so the distances between cities can be calculated, also a globe can be used to calculate the current time in each place in the world.
It has already been said that globes are much more accurate than any flat map. Imagine that the worlds surface is like an orange, peeling off the skin and laying it flat would leave lots of gaps. How to accurately reproduce a globe onto a flat map surface is what cartographers have been trying to do for at least 400 years. On many world maps, countries appear distorted, especially those far away from the equator. Greenland might appear bigger than Africa for example when it is 4 x smaller.
Flat world maps do have their uses though, after all you can't fold up a globe and put it in your pocket when travelling. Maps are particularly useful when used as objects to help find your way around a city for example. When a map is confined to such a small area, any distortions or other problems that occur at a world level are minimal but when looking at the whole world a globe is clearly a more accurate and more attractive choice.
Early opinions on the Earth's shape
When astronauts look down at the Earth from space, all they see is a huge blue and white sphere. Clearly thousands of years ago humans did not have the ability to pop into space to see what the world looks like.
It must have been very hard to imagine the shape of the world hundreds of years ago as must of the world, as far as the eye can see seems almost totally flat. Its really no surprise that many people believed the world to be a flat disc, also as many early sailors who sought to explore never returned you might imagine that it is quite easy to come to the conclusion that they may have simply fallen of the edge of the Earth.
In Greece, storytellers used to describe the world as a flat disc, surrounded by the "Ocean River". Hundreds of years later, Aztecs had a similar idea about the world. They believed that the world was a flat disc with a great circle of water around it.
Some had the right idea
Even thousands of years ago people were finding wholes in the argument of a flat world. If it was true that the world was flat then why did the sun rise in the east and set in the west every day? Why did the stars move in circles in the nights sky? These observations didn't prove that the world was round but they did give vital clues as to the true shape of the Earth.
Many myths trying to explain motions of the sun were created by various religions. For example the story of the chariot pulling the sun across the sky each day. Such stories were quite persuasive but little by little more and more people came to believe that the Earth must be a sphere.
The truth emerges
At around 250BC, the Green mathematician Eratosthenes noticed that a post in the city of Alexandria, Egypt cast a shadow at noon on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. At the same time in Syrene, a town due south from Alexandria at an angle. This was because the Earth's surface was curved, Eratosthenes reasoned.
By knowing the distance between the two cities and by calculating the angle of the pole to the shadow. Eratosthenes was able to apply geometric theory to determine the diameter of the world to an impressive accuracy. He calculated that the world was 7850 miles in diameter when it is 7926 miles in diameter at the equator.
Though Eratosthenes argument was very impressive and seemed to be irrefutable it must have been to complicated a reasoning to persuade the massive majority of people to come over to the correct way of thinking.
Where did the Earth fit into the universe?
By around 150BC most Greeks had accepted that the Earth was a globe, sphere shaped.
There was still a problem in that they did not know how this world globe fitted into the universe. Aristarchus, who lived in the 200s BC said correctly that the Earth revolved around the sun, but not many people believed him. Instead, they believed Claudius Ptolemy, an astronomer who said the moon, the sun, the planets and stars revolved around the Earth in a series of circles. For another 1400 years this mistaken idea was believed and accepted by the wider community.
In 140BC, a Greek man known as Crates of Mallus built what may have been the first globe in history. It is difficult to picture what this globe must have looked like as the Greeks had not explored Australia, the Americas not the mention the poles.
What were the Chinese thinking?
In China at around the same time as the Greeks, some Chinese astronomers thought the Earth was a hemisphere-like globe sliced in half underneath a dome shaped universe.
Other Chinese thinkers thought the universe like an egg, with the earth as the yolk. Then there was a third group of Chinese astronomers who said the universe was an infinitely large, almost empty space, where spheres like the sun, the moon and the Earth floated around very very far way from each other. This is very close but like the Greeks, the Chinese dropped this idea and stuck with the theory of the egg-shaped universe.
What were the Arabs thinking?
Astronomers in India learned about the universe by reading books written by the Greeks. Around 500AD, an Indian astronomer Aryabhata explained why the stars circled the Earth in the night sky. He believed the Earth must be spinning like a top.
The Arabs learned about astronomy from previous cultures, the Chinese and Greeks. They also used shadows to predict the diameter of the Earth. In the 1300's a former slave called al-Khazini came up with the idea of gravity, he stated that everything was attracted to the centre of the Earth.
Finally getting rid of old myths
Before European explorers and conquerors sailed across the oceans in the 1400s and 1500s, cartographers in Europe made globes. In 1492, Martin Behaim, a German cartographer, made the oldest globe that still exists today. Years later, the Dutch would become famous across Europe for striving to create the highest quality, most detailed globes of the time.
The problem was that even up to the 1600s people in power would still believe that the Earth was the centre of the universe. I real push began by educated people to persuade people against this way of thinking. Polish astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, German astronomer Johannes Kepler and Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei proved that all views about the Earth being the centre of the universe were nonsense. They showed conclusively that the Earth orbited the sun. Many religious leaders refused to believe these new ideas, the pope famously persecuted Galileo and the books of Copernicus were banned.
Finally in Sir Isaac Newton there was a man powerful enough and respected enough to force the issue. Isaac came up with the first theory that explained the movements of the sun, the moon and the planets. Newton realized the force that causes an apple to fall from a tree was also the force that kept the moon in orbit around the Earth. Newton explained that this force called gravity held the solar system together. Today, scientists are still getting more information about the universe and the laws of physics, but Newton's laws of motion give a pretty good description of everything that happens around us to this day.
Thanks to Replogle World Globes for this text.
Monday, 28 February 2011
Friday, 25 February 2011
Gemstone Globe Materials
At JustGlobes we strive to offer the highest quality and most detail ranges of Gemstone globes. Our gemstone globes are made using around 30 semi precious stones, some of which are described here.
Malachite
Malachite is a copper carbonate mineral, which essentially means that it is composed of Copper, Carbon, Oxygen and Hydrogen.
The name Malachite is derived from Greek which roughly translates to "mallow-green stone". This name given to the stone as the colour resembles that of the Mallow plant.
Malachite was used as an expensive paint pigment up to about 1800. Malachite is a good pigment as it very lightfast, meaning it doesn't fade with time or exposure to the sun as much as the majority of other minerals. This is an excellent trait for gemstone globes as materials that can resist fading over time will make for a brighter, more colourful gemstone globe for longer.
Malachite has a downside as a pigment and that is that it varies in colour noticeably depending on Oxygen concentration, this obviously produced inconsistent colour. For globes however, this is not a problem as each gemstone world globe is handmade, they are all unique and ever so slightly different. Colour variations in the semi precious occur in our gemstone world globes regularly due to changes in supply location, we feel this adds to the exclusivity and charm of the globes.
Recent historical evidence suggests that Malachite has been mined for around 300 years.
Mother Of Pearl
is an organic-inorganic composite material produced by some molluscs as an inner shell layer, it also it the material that makes up pearls. It is extremely strong and resilient making it a great globe material.
Oyster shells are used in the mother of pearl gemstone world globes at JustGlobes. They are both readily available and have a large and relatively flat inner shell layer making them the idea source for the mother of pearl globes.
When mother of pearl is broken down into individual components it is actually formed from calcium carbonate similar to chalk, a common material used to write on black boards. This may seem unflattering to what is an expensive and precious material, but the way that mother of pearl is formed tells a better story of how mother of pearl has come to be considered a precious material.
Tiny layers of calcium carbonate smaller and thinner that the eye can see and layered on top and side by side each other. These are jointed together by a matrix of organic material formed by the mollusc (in our case Oyster) itself. A good way to imagine mother of pearl is to think of the tiles that one might see in a bathroom in layers, one of top of another. This is a very simple yet beautifully organised pattern that creates the shimmer effect that makes mother of pearl so appealing.
Jasper
Jasper is a form of silica and can have a variety of different colours; red, yellow, brown, green and even blue.
Jasper breaks with a smooth surface, this is an excellent ornamental quality hence Jasper is a widely used material in gemstone products. As can be seen in the picture above Jasper is a very deep and beautiful material, perfect for globes. It can also be highly polished to increase its visual effect.
Jasper means "spotted or speckled stone", and is derived ultimately from Persian.
Malachite
Malachite is a copper carbonate mineral, which essentially means that it is composed of Copper, Carbon, Oxygen and Hydrogen.
Malachite was used as an expensive paint pigment up to about 1800. Malachite is a good pigment as it very lightfast, meaning it doesn't fade with time or exposure to the sun as much as the majority of other minerals. This is an excellent trait for gemstone globes as materials that can resist fading over time will make for a brighter, more colourful gemstone globe for longer.
Malachite has a downside as a pigment and that is that it varies in colour noticeably depending on Oxygen concentration, this obviously produced inconsistent colour. For globes however, this is not a problem as each gemstone world globe is handmade, they are all unique and ever so slightly different. Colour variations in the semi precious occur in our gemstone world globes regularly due to changes in supply location, we feel this adds to the exclusivity and charm of the globes.
Recent historical evidence suggests that Malachite has been mined for around 300 years.
Mother Of Pearl
is an organic-inorganic composite material produced by some molluscs as an inner shell layer, it also it the material that makes up pearls. It is extremely strong and resilient making it a great globe material.
Oyster shells are used in the mother of pearl gemstone world globes at JustGlobes. They are both readily available and have a large and relatively flat inner shell layer making them the idea source for the mother of pearl globes.
When mother of pearl is broken down into individual components it is actually formed from calcium carbonate similar to chalk, a common material used to write on black boards. This may seem unflattering to what is an expensive and precious material, but the way that mother of pearl is formed tells a better story of how mother of pearl has come to be considered a precious material.
Tiny layers of calcium carbonate smaller and thinner that the eye can see and layered on top and side by side each other. These are jointed together by a matrix of organic material formed by the mollusc (in our case Oyster) itself. A good way to imagine mother of pearl is to think of the tiles that one might see in a bathroom in layers, one of top of another. This is a very simple yet beautifully organised pattern that creates the shimmer effect that makes mother of pearl so appealing.
Jasper
Jasper is a form of silica and can have a variety of different colours; red, yellow, brown, green and even blue.
Jasper means "spotted or speckled stone", and is derived ultimately from Persian.
Monday, 21 February 2011
Winkel Triple Protection Globes/ Maps
Winkel Triple Protection (Winkel III) is a map projection.
It is used in order to try to translate an image of the earth from a 3D sphere as seen on a globe, to a rectangular map.
As discussed in other pages it is impossible to translate a globes visual cartography onto a 2D rectangle such as a map without directional and spatial distortion making maps less accurate the some world globes.
Complicated mathematical equations are used and integrated into software which aims to minimise the distortion effects created during map production.
There are many different mathematical techniques used to create maps each with their own advantages and disadvantages.
This page aims to help you decide which type of map you would like to buy, or if you would like to buy a globe.
The Winkel III projection was given its name by Oswald Winkel who proposed the projection in 1921.
This map projection technique measures 9th of 100 most accurate map projections. It produces only little distortion of country size and produces small distance errors between countries.
In 1998 Winkel III projection maps replaced the robinson projection as the standard projection for world maps made the National Geographic. Many of which are features on our site. www.JustGlobes.co.uk/world_maps.html.
Winkel III is unusual in that it is created by averaging the X (horizontal) and Y (vertical) coordinates from the two other seldom-used projections: the Equirectangular and the Aitoff. this creates slightly curved lines of projection which makes a better model of spherical cartography than if the lines were parallel as it the Mercator projection.
As mentioned before there will always be distortion on a map that would never be present on a world globe. Each projection technique has its downsides.
The major downside of the Winkel III projection is that it is not an equivalent map projection thus it suffers from compression. This means that some parts of the world, especially the polar regions toward the east and west of a map are slightly distorted.
It is used in order to try to translate an image of the earth from a 3D sphere as seen on a globe, to a rectangular map.
As discussed in other pages it is impossible to translate a globes visual cartography onto a 2D rectangle such as a map without directional and spatial distortion making maps less accurate the some world globes.
Complicated mathematical equations are used and integrated into software which aims to minimise the distortion effects created during map production.
There are many different mathematical techniques used to create maps each with their own advantages and disadvantages.
This page aims to help you decide which type of map you would like to buy, or if you would like to buy a globe.
The Winkel III projection was given its name by Oswald Winkel who proposed the projection in 1921.
This map projection technique measures 9th of 100 most accurate map projections. It produces only little distortion of country size and produces small distance errors between countries.
In 1998 Winkel III projection maps replaced the robinson projection as the standard projection for world maps made the National Geographic. Many of which are features on our site. www.JustGlobes.co.uk/world_maps.html.
Winkel III is unusual in that it is created by averaging the X (horizontal) and Y (vertical) coordinates from the two other seldom-used projections: the Equirectangular and the Aitoff. this creates slightly curved lines of projection which makes a better model of spherical cartography than if the lines were parallel as it the Mercator projection.
As mentioned before there will always be distortion on a map that would never be present on a world globe. Each projection technique has its downsides.
The major downside of the Winkel III projection is that it is not an equivalent map projection thus it suffers from compression. This means that some parts of the world, especially the polar regions toward the east and west of a map are slightly distorted.
Wednesday, 16 February 2011
Mercator Projection Map/Globe
Nothing displaying the Earth's cartography can be as accurate as a globe. This is a fact.
There is no way to represent the Earth on a flat surface without distorting some of the elements of the world. Maps however are still very popular and can still be educational. World maps can also make excellent furniture in a living room or hall way. For these reasons here at JustGlobes we have created a "World Maps" link on the left hand side of the site and under the "products" tab at the top of the site.
We have selected what we feel are the best world maps from a number of different suppliers. Also we have a range large enough to suit most tastes and budgets. From childrens maps featuring hundreds of animals as well as country names etc to maps of the Milky Way and the rest of the universe, from satellite cartography to a wide range of projection maps.
This particular page focuses on the Mercator projection that is used on a number of maps today. The use of a projection is to translate the cartography on a world globe onto a flat surface, at the same time minimising the distortion that would occur in the process.
The Mercator projection was first presented by a Belgian geographer and cartographer called Gerardus Mercator, in 1569. It became the standard map projection for nautical purposes due to its ability to present lines of constant course as straight segments. It also keeps a constant linear scale thus preserving the angles and shapes of small objects.
The downside of the Mercator projection is that the relative size of countries away from the equator gets progressively more inaccurate. For example Greenland appears larger than Africa when in fact Africa is 4 times larger.
The Mercator projection is still widely used in countries by the equator as distortion is negligible at these points.
Interestingly Google Maps uses a variant of the Mercator projection for its map images. Despite the aforementioned flaws of the Mercator projection it is well-suited to an interactive world map that can be zoomed easily to large scale local maps.
Many people today still prefer the Mercator maps to other maps as they were likely present in classrooms in the late 20th century.
Monday, 14 February 2011
Peters Projection Maps
At JustGlobes we are proud to be able to offer a large range of maps, as well as globes.
Maps can never be as accurate, or as detailed as a globe. This is because it is simply impossible to fully represent a sphere in a 2D rectangle shape. However many different techniques have been produced over the years in order to minimise spatial and directional distortion created when representing a globe on a map. This is important to map enthusiasts world wide as it can be interesting to see the differences in country size and shape depending on the technique or "projection" used.
One very popular globe to map correctional projection is called the peters projection. This page aims to describe the various benefits and drawbacks of this particular projection.
The Peters projection, named after Arno Peters, is one specialization of a configurable equal-area map projection. It is sometimes referred to as a cylindrical equal-area projection.
This projection achieved considerable notoriety in the late 20th century as the centrepiece of a controversy surrounding the political implications of map design. This was because the relative sizes of countries can change slightly when using a projection to represent a globe in 2D.
The Peters projection works by placing two parallel lines across the map. They must be identical distances from their nearest poles, in this case one parallel line is 45 degrees from each pole. Between these lines 36 evenly spaces circles are placed in three rows of 12. Outside of the lines 2 rows of 12 circles are evenly spaced (one for each parallel line).
A mathematical formula is used which distorts each evenly spaced circle by exactly the same amount. This distortion represents the 360 degrees of rotation around a sphere.
It is due to this even distortion that Peters himself argues makes his projection for map creation the most accurate.
Peters World Map
Arno Peters was an amateur historian. He devised a map based on a Gall's orthographic projection in 1967 and presented it as a new invention in 1973. Some argued that this was not suitably different to the original creators in 1855 to warrant being a new invention, but the Peters project map was created nonetheless.
Peters presented his map as a superior alternative to the dominantly used Mercator projection map at the time. The Mercator projection was originally designed for navigation but was at the time used in world maps.
The weakness of the Mercator project is that is that it increasingly inflates the size of countries as the distance from the equator increases. This leads Greenland to appear as the size of Africa when in reality Africa is 14 times larger.
Since much of the technologically undeveloped world lies on or around the equator, they appear smaller and therefore less significant on a Mercator map.
By contrast to this the Peters projection map shows areas of equal size on a globe as equally sized on a map. Restoring less powerful countries to their correct proportions. This reasoning has been picked up by many educational institutions and similarly concerned groups.
The downside of the Peters projection map is that to many it looks different and unfamiliar leading people to believe that it is less accurate than it actually is. Also it suffers from extreme distortion at the polar regions making it useless for all those interested in the coldest places on earth.
Maps can never be as accurate, or as detailed as a globe. This is because it is simply impossible to fully represent a sphere in a 2D rectangle shape. However many different techniques have been produced over the years in order to minimise spatial and directional distortion created when representing a globe on a map. This is important to map enthusiasts world wide as it can be interesting to see the differences in country size and shape depending on the technique or "projection" used.
One very popular globe to map correctional projection is called the peters projection. This page aims to describe the various benefits and drawbacks of this particular projection.
The Peters projection, named after Arno Peters, is one specialization of a configurable equal-area map projection. It is sometimes referred to as a cylindrical equal-area projection.
This projection achieved considerable notoriety in the late 20th century as the centrepiece of a controversy surrounding the political implications of map design. This was because the relative sizes of countries can change slightly when using a projection to represent a globe in 2D.
The Peters projection works by placing two parallel lines across the map. They must be identical distances from their nearest poles, in this case one parallel line is 45 degrees from each pole. Between these lines 36 evenly spaces circles are placed in three rows of 12. Outside of the lines 2 rows of 12 circles are evenly spaced (one for each parallel line).
A mathematical formula is used which distorts each evenly spaced circle by exactly the same amount. This distortion represents the 360 degrees of rotation around a sphere.
It is due to this even distortion that Peters himself argues makes his projection for map creation the most accurate.
Peters World Map
Arno Peters was an amateur historian. He devised a map based on a Gall's orthographic projection in 1967 and presented it as a new invention in 1973. Some argued that this was not suitably different to the original creators in 1855 to warrant being a new invention, but the Peters project map was created nonetheless.
Peters presented his map as a superior alternative to the dominantly used Mercator projection map at the time. The Mercator projection was originally designed for navigation but was at the time used in world maps.
The weakness of the Mercator project is that is that it increasingly inflates the size of countries as the distance from the equator increases. This leads Greenland to appear as the size of Africa when in reality Africa is 14 times larger.
Since much of the technologically undeveloped world lies on or around the equator, they appear smaller and therefore less significant on a Mercator map.
By contrast to this the Peters projection map shows areas of equal size on a globe as equally sized on a map. Restoring less powerful countries to their correct proportions. This reasoning has been picked up by many educational institutions and similarly concerned groups.
The downside of the Peters projection map is that to many it looks different and unfamiliar leading people to believe that it is less accurate than it actually is. Also it suffers from extreme distortion at the polar regions making it useless for all those interested in the coldest places on earth.
Friday, 11 February 2011
The Company Behind Globes
At JustGlobes we try, where ever possible to list the manufacturer on each item to give the globes on our site more of an identity. This helps our customers choose from a given brand if they like certain attributes on a globe only available from a given brand. This maybe the raised relief on the Replogle world globes for example, these globes boast the most impressive raised relief available.
what few people know is that many globe manufacturers are owned by the same parent company. This company has purchased each manufacturer so that it can offer a complete and full range of globes for all tastes and markets, with the goal of capturing close to 100% of globe sales across the world.
This company is called Herff Jones.
Herff Jones has a rich history, whether it is globes, graduation clothing or even super bowl winners rings.
Harry Herf and Randall Jones, who began their business in an old fire engine building on Capitol avenue in Indianapolis, founded the company in 1920. The company names were organised alphabetically.
The core business of the young Herff Jones was class rings, pins and emblematic jewellery such as medals in the US.
During the 1940's, after America had joined world war 2, Herf Jones modified their business strategy and focussed on supporting the war effort. Herf Jones produced bullet dies and the bronze star, which is a military decoration given to members of the United states Armed Forces for bravery, act of merit or meritorious service. Producing this metal was such a huge honour for Herf Jones, doing so elevated the brand name significantly.
You may think that this has has little to do with globes, but such a company, with a history of providing personalised items and medals to the military for bravery would come to strive toward the same ideals as the globe manufacturers Cram and Replogle world globes.
Over the years Herff Jones has expanded to supply schools all over the world with yearbooks, graduation accessories, diplomas, school photography educational learning materials.
Herff Jones found that school equipment was both a lucrative and rewarding market. Among many educational learning materials, globes were considered extremely important. Herff Jones purchased Cram and later Replogle world globes along with many other globe manufacturers.
Cram globes such as the Bradley and the Hanover are designed with the education market in mind. Catering mainly for schools whereas Replogle world globes caters for everything from very young children to antique style home desktop globes to fine furniture present in the oval office of the white house.
Thanks to Herff Jones for the information.
what few people know is that many globe manufacturers are owned by the same parent company. This company has purchased each manufacturer so that it can offer a complete and full range of globes for all tastes and markets, with the goal of capturing close to 100% of globe sales across the world.
This company is called Herff Jones.
Herff Jones has a rich history, whether it is globes, graduation clothing or even super bowl winners rings.
Harry Herf and Randall Jones, who began their business in an old fire engine building on Capitol avenue in Indianapolis, founded the company in 1920. The company names were organised alphabetically.
The core business of the young Herff Jones was class rings, pins and emblematic jewellery such as medals in the US.
During the 1940's, after America had joined world war 2, Herf Jones modified their business strategy and focussed on supporting the war effort. Herf Jones produced bullet dies and the bronze star, which is a military decoration given to members of the United states Armed Forces for bravery, act of merit or meritorious service. Producing this metal was such a huge honour for Herf Jones, doing so elevated the brand name significantly.
You may think that this has has little to do with globes, but such a company, with a history of providing personalised items and medals to the military for bravery would come to strive toward the same ideals as the globe manufacturers Cram and Replogle world globes.
Over the years Herff Jones has expanded to supply schools all over the world with yearbooks, graduation accessories, diplomas, school photography educational learning materials.
Herff Jones found that school equipment was both a lucrative and rewarding market. Among many educational learning materials, globes were considered extremely important. Herff Jones purchased Cram and later Replogle world globes along with many other globe manufacturers.
Cram globes such as the Bradley and the Hanover are designed with the education market in mind. Catering mainly for schools whereas Replogle world globes caters for everything from very young children to antique style home desktop globes to fine furniture present in the oval office of the white house.
Thanks to Herff Jones for the information.
Thursday, 3 February 2011
George F. Cram Globes
George Franklin Cram as a company goes back to the US civil war. George himself was a veteran of the US civil war. Once he left the army in march 1867, George and his uncle founded Cram, the company. At first the company manufactured atlas's and maps. They were in fact the first map and atlas publisher to use relief on maps, a type of shading that represents the height of mountains or the depth of oceans. George Cram created the worlds most popular atlas called "unrivalled atlas of the world" which printed from the 1880's all the way until 1952.
George eventually sold his company to one of his largest customers, E.A. Peterson of the National Map Company. He later passed away in 1928 at the age of 86.
In 1932 Cram, still bearing Georges name, began producing world globes like the above. In 1936, the company moved again to 730 E Washington street in Indianapolis.
Cram specialised in educational products for schools from 1937 until 1966, becoming the first American company to sell mainly into education. It is thanks to Cram that most children in America and now in England have globes in their classrooms.
In modern times Cram is still the worlds leading educational world globe supplier. Cram globes are available all over the world, now available as floorstanding models. Look out for the pale cream ocean on the globe to determine that it is a cram globe.
In 1932 Cram, still bearing Georges name, began producing world globes like the above. In 1936, the company moved again to 730 E Washington street in Indianapolis.
Cram specialised in educational products for schools from 1937 until 1966, becoming the first American company to sell mainly into education. It is thanks to Cram that most children in America and now in England have globes in their classrooms.
In modern times Cram is still the worlds leading educational world globe supplier. Cram globes are available all over the world, now available as floorstanding models. Look out for the pale cream ocean on the globe to determine that it is a cram globe.
Frank Lloyd Wright Globes
Frank Lloyd Wright Globes
He was born in Wisconsin in 1867, Frank Lloyd Wright on 8th June 1867 in Richland Centre. Frank was not just an architect, he was an educator and interior designer also. He designed more than 1000 projects in his lifetime and converted over 500 percent into completed works. This 50% success rate is simply unheard of today. In 1991 Architectural magazine published a list of the 100 most significant buildings in the world. Frank Lloyd Wright had designed 11 of them. His legacy is something that the whole world can treasure and his title as the greatest American architect of all time was officially recognised by the American institute of Architects in 1991. In 1940 Frank himself established his own foundation in order to preserve and protect his life's work. Such is its importance in American history.
As has been mentioned before in this page, Frank Lloyd Wright did a lot more than design buildings, he also designed the interiors of his own as well as other buildings. He also designed furniture, for example the Barrel chair whose design is obvious in the above globe simply call the barrel.
Frank loved to design residential properties, enjoying the challenges of meeting extremely precise and exact specifications provided by the customers. At the time (between 1900-1917) his designs were known as "prairie houses", this is now known as a style known for its flat or low sloping roofs and horizontal lines. Such houses are also seamlessly integrated within their location and landscape creating a harmonious view. Frank Lloyd Wright also incorporated lots of Japanese ideas into his design. This helped shape his work and many believe gave him the inspiration to create work based around straight, mostly horizontal lines.
Perhaps Franks most famous design is the interior of the Guggenheim museum in New York. This took over 15 years to design and create and is a masterpiece of interior design and engineering. It is also one of the best known museums in New York city. The museum itself overlooks central park. On the inside the building rises as an off-white spiral. The museum incorporates paintings all along the spiral towards the top of the building where an elevator can be taken to the bottom again. the most beautiful part of the museum design is that there is an open floor in the centre from which the whole spiral can be seen winding to the top of the building.
In 2009 the Frank Lloyd Wright foundation was approached by Replogle World Globes, the worlds premium globe manufacturer as Frank Lloyd Wright was passionate about fine furniture and Replogle globes are the worlds finest globe incorporated furniture.
The Frank Lloyd Wright foundation unearthed many drawings from their archives including the globe seen at the top of this page. This globe is based on a design that never went into production. Replogle used drawings, artwork and Franks buildings and interior designs to create a range of designer globes designed to to be style pieces with no compromise on furniture quality. All the world globes featured in the Frank Lloyd Wright range have bases made from solid hardwood and are all officially recognised by the foundation. These illustrious world globes start from around £200, a small price to pay for a designer furniture item.
Tuesday, 1 February 2011
What Globes Teach Us About Earth
Why is learning about the world useful?
You may well have heard the phrase "the world is growing smaller". This phrase came about due to the massive increase in communication technologies such as the internet and various social networking applications now in use worldwide. This ability to communicate instantly with anyone across the globe as if they were sitting next to us has given people a yearning to understand where places are. Iran, North Korea, Israel and many other countries are constantly covered in the news. In our experience over the last 5 years it is not common to know whereabouts these countries are in the world in relation to us in the UK. A world globe is the ideal tool for learning all about countries and place names, and also makes a great addition to a home.
A globe represents a our Earth in miniature. A 3D representation that we can all identify with. In order to fully understand geographical information we need to have a clear picture of the whole Earth in front of us. Because a world globe is spherical and 3D it portrays true comparisons of size, location, shape, direction and distance. Flat maps, or atlases show the Earth's features poorly and have spatial and directional distortion, this is unavoidable when representing a spherical object with a flat plane.
Although some globes feature a raised relief feature, where mountains can be felt as bumps on the surface, it should be understood that these are highly accentuated as mount Everest would be less than the thickness of a great of sand on top of the globe in literal context.
For the proper understanding of political geography and in some cases physical features as well as achieving a better grasp on world news locations, nothing can be better than a globe.
At JustGlobes it is our goal to have a globe in every home, office and classroom. even in libraries.
You may well have heard the phrase "the world is growing smaller". This phrase came about due to the massive increase in communication technologies such as the internet and various social networking applications now in use worldwide. This ability to communicate instantly with anyone across the globe as if they were sitting next to us has given people a yearning to understand where places are. Iran, North Korea, Israel and many other countries are constantly covered in the news. In our experience over the last 5 years it is not common to know whereabouts these countries are in the world in relation to us in the UK. A world globe is the ideal tool for learning all about countries and place names, and also makes a great addition to a home.
A globe represents a our Earth in miniature. A 3D representation that we can all identify with. In order to fully understand geographical information we need to have a clear picture of the whole Earth in front of us. Because a world globe is spherical and 3D it portrays true comparisons of size, location, shape, direction and distance. Flat maps, or atlases show the Earth's features poorly and have spatial and directional distortion, this is unavoidable when representing a spherical object with a flat plane.
Although some globes feature a raised relief feature, where mountains can be felt as bumps on the surface, it should be understood that these are highly accentuated as mount Everest would be less than the thickness of a great of sand on top of the globe in literal context.
For the proper understanding of political geography and in some cases physical features as well as achieving a better grasp on world news locations, nothing can be better than a globe.
At JustGlobes it is our goal to have a globe in every home, office and classroom. even in libraries.
National Geographic Globes
"Globes for the 21st Century"
No matter which National Geographic world globe model takes your eye, you can be assured you will receive a globe with an advantage over most other globes, its cartography.
National Geographic world globes have exclusive cartography that many find appealing. The countries are very pale, almost white, with coloured borders when the globe is unlit. When the globe is lit the countries become bright and some physical features become more apparent. This is a unique form of the dual mapping feature that many of the globes on our site have. Also in 2011 most National Geographic globes have 13" balls. This is opposed to the normal 12" size. This may not sound like a large difference but when put side by side it is clear that the 13" ball is more visually impressive, certainly when illuminated than a standard 12" globe.
All National Geographic globes on JustGlobes are illuminated, in order to best make advantage of the aforementioned unique cartography. Illuminated globes have their cartography printed onto a plastic material that is stretched over the ball that can never wear off. This does produce an amount of spacial and directional distortion not found on non illuminated globes but is minimised by National Geographic software.
National Geographic globes are in 2011 made in Germany to extremely high manufacturing quality control standards. The world globe balls are made from shock resistant vinyl, extremely tough.
Each National Geographic globe features a time dial at the north pole with allows the easy determination of time throughout the world. The annotations and other text on the globe balls are created using the National Geographic font which is the same as the National Geographic maps (also available on JustGlobes) and the National Geographic magazine.
No matter which National Geographic world globe model takes your eye, you can be assured you will receive a globe with an advantage over most other globes, its cartography.
National Geographic world globes have exclusive cartography that many find appealing. The countries are very pale, almost white, with coloured borders when the globe is unlit. When the globe is lit the countries become bright and some physical features become more apparent. This is a unique form of the dual mapping feature that many of the globes on our site have. Also in 2011 most National Geographic globes have 13" balls. This is opposed to the normal 12" size. This may not sound like a large difference but when put side by side it is clear that the 13" ball is more visually impressive, certainly when illuminated than a standard 12" globe.
All National Geographic globes on JustGlobes are illuminated, in order to best make advantage of the aforementioned unique cartography. Illuminated globes have their cartography printed onto a plastic material that is stretched over the ball that can never wear off. This does produce an amount of spacial and directional distortion not found on non illuminated globes but is minimised by National Geographic software.
National Geographic globes are in 2011 made in Germany to extremely high manufacturing quality control standards. The world globe balls are made from shock resistant vinyl, extremely tough.
Each National Geographic globe features a time dial at the north pole with allows the easy determination of time throughout the world. The annotations and other text on the globe balls are created using the National Geographic font which is the same as the National Geographic maps (also available on JustGlobes) and the National Geographic magazine.
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