<p>Have you ever wondered what's happening on the exact opposite side of the world to you?</p><p>Wherever you are on our planet, there's a good chance you'd need a snorkel.</p><br><p>In this episode, we explore the concept of <a href="https://sketchplanations.com/antipodes" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">antipodes</a>—the exact point on the opposite side of Earth from wherever you're standing. We discover why most antipodes end up in the ocean rather than on land and cover a whole host of fascinating geographic facts, including how the Northern Hemisphere contains the vast majority of Earth's land and population, how map projections distort our view of the planet, and why Earth's oblate spheroid shape means some antipode distances are longer than others.</p><br><p>Along the way, we also raise the big questions like how deep have humans ever dug into Earth and how long it would take to fall through a frictionless tunnel to your antipode.</p><br><p>External Links and mentions on the show:</p><ul><li>Jono's sketch that explains the <a href="https://sketchplanations.com/the-mercator-projection" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Mercator Map Projection</a> </li><li>Jono references the Antipodal Map in the book <a href="https://www.worldofbooks.com/en-gb/products/marvellous-maps-book-simon-kuestenmacher-9781803380230?sku=NGR9781803380230" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Marvellous Maps by &nbsp;Simon Kuestenmacher</a></li><li>The 7.6 mile deep hole Jono talks about is the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20190503-the-deepest-hole-we-have-ever-dug" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Kola Superdeep Borehole</a> in Russia, initiated by Soviet scientists in 1970, primarily to better understand the earth’s crust.&nbsp;</li><li>Here's Jono's sketch about the thickness of <a href="https://sketchplanations.com/our-atmosphere-is-as-thick-for-the-earth-as-the-skin-on-an-apple" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">the earth's crust</a> being proportionally similar to the thickness of an apple's skin. </li><li>And finally, if you want to know your exact antipode, you can look here on <a href="https://www.antipodesmap.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AntipodeMap.com</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Episode Summary</strong></p><p>00:00 What Are Antipodes</p><p>03:23 Land Distribution on Earth</p><p>04:14 Map Projections and Perspectives</p><p>07:19 Antipodal Map Overlay</p><p>08:56 Cultural References Worldwide</p><p>10:15 Etymology of Antipode</p><p>10:41 Digging Through Earth</p><p>12:44 UK Antipodes</p><p>13:29 Great Circle Routes</p><p>14:20 Earth's Oblate Shape</p><p>15:25 Tunnel Through Earth</p><p>16:34 Closing Remarks</p><br><p>All music on this podcast series is provided by the very talented <a href="https://www.franccinelli.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Franc Cinelli</a></p><p><br></p><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>