Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Singapore, please. And step on it!
Suppose you live in New York City and are preparing for a trip to Singapore, almost halfway around
the world. In planning your trip, you decide to minimize your flying time and also to stop somewhere
for a day or two, just to break up your travels. A friend suggests a stopover in Rome, Italy. But an-
other friend tells you to layover in Helsinki, Finland. You have no idea which choice is best, so you
decide to find out by plotting the two cities on a map (see Figure 4-2).
Figure 4-2:
New
York City to
Singapore: Map
# 1.
Accepting the principle that a straight line is the shortest distance between two points, the map seems
to make your choice pretty clear, doesn't it? The itinerary to Singapore via Rome is apparently much
shorter than the route via Helsinki. As a result, you call your travel agent and make the appropriate
bookings.
Upon hearing your travel plans, your second friend is shocked. “You're not going by way of Hel-
sinki?” To show your friend the wisdom behind your choice, you take out your map and note the ob-
vious: The linear distance from New York to Singapore is shorter via Rome. Whereupon your friend
produces a map of her own (see Figure 4-3).
