08 July 2008

Sure doesn't look like Nebraska


43rd Parallel


There is a sign along the SS16, which is the main road along the Adriatic coast, that indicates the exact spot where the 43rd parallel crosses Italy. With the mild climate we have here in this part of Italy I always thought we were of similar latitude with our previous home in New Mexico, but not so.


A look at a map shows that the 43rd parallel runs through the northern portion of the US, it is actually the border between Nebraska and South Dakota, and into the Great Lakes region. I know from personal experience that those regions have much more severe winters than we have here in central Italy. There are no palm trees or olive groves along the shores of Lake Erie.


Amazing what geographical differences such as mountains and warm seas can do to climate.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Whenever I look at a globe I am surprised at just how far north Europe is. Ireland is up there with Newfoundland. Newfoundland doesn't have the palm trees but Ireland does.

Bryan said...

Palm trees in Ireland?!?! Sure weren't any in southern England.

Anonymous said...

There are lots of palm trees in Ireland. Not as many as in Italy. We saw them on the coast, some were surprisingly far inland though. Supposedly, the seeds float there on the Gulf Stream. The Gulf Stream keeps the climate temperate. Snow is not very common there.

marybeth said...

Bryan,
Thanks so much for sharing your experiences and insights on life in Italy...I can't get enough of it!

I have a friend in Grottammare and sent him a link to your site after seeing this post. He never expected to see his town mentioned by an American on a blog.

grazie mille,
Marybeth
Kansas, USA

Bryan said...

Always amazing the unexpected connections people have around the world.