Direct-Line Distances

The International Edition gives distances in kilometers between 1001 cities, towns, and islands around the world. The distances were computed mathematically from geographic coordinates using a complex formula from the science of geodesy called the "geodesic," which gives the shortest distance along the surface of the earth between two places and takes the earth's irregular shape into account. The introduction briefly explains the concept of geodesics. Examples are also shown for computing a simpler type of direct-line distance known as the great circle. With a list of the geographic coordinates used in computing the distances and several maps showing the location of places found in the tables. These books were designed to fill a basic void in reference collections. Distance questions are commonplace in libraries, yet these are the first works to provide comprehensive, balanced tables of distances between places around the world. They will also be invaluable to media news staffs, who need information for reports on fast-breaking items.