The World Down Under
© Serhiy Mykhalchuk
© Constantin Mohilnik
KLYUCH.COM
published in NG Ukraine, March 2005
At the roadside café near Hobart the eye is caught by the upside-down map of the world. The North is at the bottom and the South is overhead. Eurasia – normally the heart of the world – here is its belly. A short explanatory note for strangers: the usual upper position of the North on geographical maps is nothing but the whim of our era, tribute to the eurocentrism – which is not at all justified from the point of view of the southern hemisphere dwellers. The South was often drawn above the North on many ancient maps. Now Australia is in the upper central position. Above it is Tasmania. And above Tasmania is only the Antarctic surrounded by the South Ocean.
Jan 3, 2008
Photos: 24
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