Geopolitical anomalies

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starjots
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Re: Geopolitical anomalies

Post by starjots » Fri Jul 02, 2021 5:25 am

C.J.Woolf wrote:
Wed Jun 30, 2021 1:52 pm
jyng1 wrote:
Wed Jun 30, 2021 8:14 am
I don't think the British settled them after they found them but they're probably the only ones that have made a success of it when they finally did though. When the Argentinians had a settlement there in the early 1800s it sounded a bit shambolic.
The Wikipedia article on the Falkland Islands / Islas Malvinas is quite a story. Every settlement (French, Spanish, British, and Argentinian) was ultimately abandoned before the British returned to the islands with sheep in the mid-1800s and made a proper economy. I had thought the British mainly valued the Falklands as a coaling station, but Wikipedia doesn't mention it.
Yes, that was a big thing around WW1 timeframe. The islands played a role in a couple of naval engagements involving a German raiding squadron. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of ... nd_Islands

In a strange twist of fate, in WW2 the German ship named after the German commander in the WW1 battle (who was killed) was involved in another sea battle off the coast of Argentina and later scuttled.

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starjots
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Re: Geopolitical anomalies

Post by starjots » Fri Jul 02, 2021 5:40 am

The Panhandle of Oklahoma (OK!)

From wikipedia.
When Texas sought to enter the Union in 1845 as a slave state, federal law in the United States, based on the Missouri Compromise, prohibited slavery north of 36°30' parallel north. Under the Compromise of 1850, Texas surrendered its lands north of 36°30' latitude. The 170-mile strip of land, a "neutral strip", was left with no state or territorial ownership from 1850 until 1890. It was officially called the "Public Land Strip" and was commonly referred to as "No Man's Land.

The article has some other interesting bits...

Map of the Oklahoma Territory - reading the history of the state is a sordid tale.
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Utisz
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Re: Geopolitical anomalies

Post by Utisz » Sat Jul 03, 2021 1:58 am

These gerrymandered districts in the U.S. never cease to impress me.

Illinois District 4 is up there with the best.

Image

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Ferrus
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Re: Geopolitical anomalies

Post by Ferrus » Sat Jul 03, 2021 11:09 am

C.J.Woolf wrote:
Wed Jun 30, 2021 1:52 pm
The Wikipedia article on the Falkland Islands / Islas Malvinas is quite a story. Every settlement (French, Spanish, British, and Argentinian) was ultimately abandoned before the British returned to the islands with sheep in the mid-1800s and made a proper economy. I had thought the British mainly valued the Falklands as a coaling station, but Wikipedia doesn't mention it.
An etymological curiosity is that 'Las Malvinas' comes from the French îles Malouines, as the very first colony was founded by settlers from St Malo which is a town in Brittany... and Brittany is named after Britain at least according to some etymological sources as it means 'little Britain' in reference to the supposed group of Romano-British exiles who moved to what was the Roman province of Armorica (where Alberto Uderzo got the name in Asterix from) in the aftermath of the Roman empire and the Anglo-Saxon raids.
Ex falso, quodlibet

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C.J.Woolf
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Re: Geopolitical anomalies

Post by C.J.Woolf » Sat Jul 03, 2021 2:24 pm

Ferrus wrote:
Sat Jul 03, 2021 11:09 am
C.J.Woolf wrote:
Wed Jun 30, 2021 1:52 pm
The Wikipedia article on the Falkland Islands / Islas Malvinas is quite a story. Every settlement (French, Spanish, British, and Argentinian) was ultimately abandoned before the British returned to the islands with sheep in the mid-1800s and made a proper economy. I had thought the British mainly valued the Falklands as a coaling station, but Wikipedia doesn't mention it.
An etymological curiosity is that 'Las Malvinas' comes from the French îles Malouines, as the very first colony was founded by settlers from St Malo which is a town in Brittany... and Brittany is named after Britain at least according to some etymological sources as it means 'little Britain' in reference to the supposed group of Romano-British exiles who moved to what was the Roman province of Armorica (where Alberto Uderzo got the name in Asterix from) in the aftermath of the Roman empire and the Anglo-Saxon raids.
So Las Malvinas are both South Armorica and Little Little Britain!

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Ferrus
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Re: Geopolitical anomalies

Post by Ferrus » Sat Jul 03, 2021 3:05 pm

C.J.Woolf wrote:
Sat Jul 03, 2021 2:24 pm
So Las Malvinas are both South Armorica and Little Little Britain!
Not to mention Falkland itself is a town in Scotland (singular) which has a 16th century renaissance palace that was used by the Kings of Scotland and was one of the favorite palaces of Mary Queen of Scots. It also had a viscounty. When John Strong was shipwrecked he thought there was just one island now known as West Falkland. When it was realised there were more they were pluralised - this happened in the Pacific too, the Gilberts or Cooks for example. He named it after the Viscount of Falkland. It is unclear what 'falk' means but one etymology ironically traces it to the Scottish Gaelic 'falc' which means heavy rain.
starjots wrote:
Fri Jul 02, 2021 5:25 am
In a strange twist of fate, in WW2 the German ship named after the German commander in the WW1 battle (who was killed) was involved in another sea battle off the coast of Argentina and later scuttled.
Scuttled after trying to hide in Uruguay until they had no choice as the time to remain in neutral ports was running out and the British government put maximum pressure on Uruguay to clear them out - effective given Uruguay's economy at the time was heavily based on exporting canned beef to the UK. To the pount British soldiers nicknamed tanks in WW1 fray bentos over a brand of said beef that was made in a Uruguayan town of the same name.

There are a lot of film reels about this as is was a rare good news story in the early years of the war.
C.J.Woolf wrote:
Wed Jun 30, 2021 1:52 pm
The Wikipedia article on the Falkland Islands / Islas Malvinas is quite a story. Every settlement (French, Spanish, British, and Argentinian) was ultimately abandoned before the British returned to the islands with sheep in the mid-1800s and made a proper economy. I had thought the British mainly valued the Falklands as a coaling station, but Wikipedia doesn't mention it.
Only during certain parts of WW1 when German commerce raiders in the Pacific were a threat.

For most of its history it was mainly associated with whaling. As anyone who has read Moby Dick knows sperm whale oil or spermaceti is found on an organ on the head of sperm whales. This was extremely important for 19th century houses as the main fuel for lamps that gave a higher quality light that smoky tallow candles. This was before the discovery of petroleum in Pennslyvania and Baku in the Russian empire towards the end of the 19th century that cut off the demand, though the Falklands still subsisted on demand for whale bones for corsets from whaling until that went too with the invention of the modern bra and the whaling population either returned to Britain or started to sheep farming like the rest of the island.

I have often heard it said their modern strategic interest likes in offshore oil, which is possible but speculative as there has never been proof of economically viable reserves. I should think they have far more strategic value related to their proximity to Antartica and territorial claims there that could become a live issue when the Antartic treaty of 1961 expires in 2041 and territory and resource claims on the continent are fair game again. (Ironically the US has never made a formal claim to Marie Byrd Land, despite FDR starting the process but I wonder if that will change after 2041.)
Ex falso, quodlibet

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starjots
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Re: Geopolitical anomalies

Post by starjots » Thu Jul 08, 2021 9:31 am

Big differences in this measure of happiness by nation that seem correlated to region. Like Africa, not so happy. Link to article w/details easier to read maps. Oh, I can't get the damn map to upload and its really late. Just click the link.

The metrics
United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network, has it all distilled down to a science using five categories: social support, freedom to make life choices, generosity, perceptions of government/ business corruption and recent experience of emotions
https://digg.com/2021/the-most-and-leas ... visualized

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Re: Geopolitical anomalies

Post by SomeInternetBloke » Mon Jul 19, 2021 8:13 pm

Why are geopolitical anamolies interesting to you INTPs? My better statement is this, how come you all responded? (consider this a blind spot kinda inquiry)
"My favourite song from one of my favourite albums, Nena asking you to please, please let her be your pirate. So smooth and joyful, I have to listen to it three times if I listen once" - ashi

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C.J.Woolf
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Re: Geopolitical anomalies

Post by C.J.Woolf » Tue Jul 20, 2021 12:26 am

SomeInternetBloke wrote:
Mon Jul 19, 2021 8:13 pm
Why are geopolitical anamolies interesting to you INTPs? My better statement is this, how come you all responded? (consider this a blind spot kinda inquiry)
I like geography and I like trivia. This is geographical trivia.

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starjots
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Re: Geopolitical anomalies

Post by starjots » Tue Jul 20, 2021 3:40 am

SomeInternetBloke wrote:
Mon Jul 19, 2021 8:13 pm
Why are geopolitical anamolies interesting to you INTPs? My better statement is this, how come you all responded? (consider this a blind spot kinda inquiry)
Anomalies challenge assumptions. /rationalize

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