For those curious how their page requests and file transfers blast around the globe in a matter of seconds, this series of maps shows global fiber optic networks and termination points in an easy to survey layout.
Courtesy of Nicolas Rapp, the maps are part of a design series for Fortune magazine focuses on global communication. He writes:
If the internet is a global phenomenon, it’s because there are fiber-optic cables underneath the ocean. Light goes in on one shore and comes out the other, making these tubes the fundamental conduit of information throughout the global village. To make the light travel enormous distances, thousands of volts of electricity are sent through the cable’s copper sleeve to power repeaters, each the size and roughly the shape of a 600-pound bluefin tuna.Once a cable reaches a coast, it enters a building known as a “landing station” that receives and transmits the flashes of light sent across the water. The fiber-optic lines then connect to key hubs, known as “Internet exchange points,” which, for the most part, follow geography and population.
Hit up the link below to check them out and grab a high resolution copy to use as wallpaper.
Mapping the Internet [Nicolas Rapp via Mashable]
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For those curious how their page requests and file transfers blast around the globe in a matter of seconds, this series of maps shows global fiber optic networks and termination points in an easy to survey layout.