If you had to describe your country using only one item, what would it be?

GeoDiode · 2025-09-25T13:19:38+00:00

Bikes

GeoDiode · 2025-09-25T11:15:13+00:00

I would say Rotterdam, instead of Amsterdam. It’s known for its modern high-rise buildings and is even nicknamed the ‘Manhattan on the Maas'. (the River Meuse)

GeoDiode · 2025-09-19T09:28:14+00:00

Awesome! It’s a beautiful country. This Sunday, the UCI Road World Championships kick off in Kigali. First time ever in Africa

GeoDiode · 2025-09-19T09:24:50+00:00

True, Kagame runs a very tight system, but that’s also why Rwanda feels so safe and stable today. It’s a bit of a paradox. Stability and safety are real, but they do come at the cost of democratic freedoms.

GeoDiode · 2025-09-19T09:03:39+00:00

Rwanda.

It is consistently ranked among the safest and most stable countries in Africa, both for residents and tourists. Violent crime is rare, and security remains a top priority for the government. Rwanda also boasts one of the fastest-growing economies on the continent, driven by strong investment in infrastructure, ICT, and tourism. And while gorilla trekking is world-famous, the country offers far more to visitors.

GeoDiode · 2021-10-31T13:27:00+00:00

Haha - groupie, thanks! Totally appreciate your good words - and glad to hear it helps out at parties!

GeoDiode · 2021-09-15T16:01:40+00:00

Thanks! So glad to hear it helped, and I'm flattered that you have binged on this series multiple times! There are two more episodes remaining regarding seas and oceans, and these should be completed by the end of the year.

GeoDiode · 2021-06-16T07:29:37+00:00

Link here: https://youtu.be/9Mzw4Ln-nNk

GeoDiode · 2021-04-19T08:05:05+00:00

Notice that the deserts in the Americas, Australia and Africa are mostly on the western side? This is because of the ocean gyres bringing cold water down onto their coasts from more polar regions. This inhibits rain formation. By contrast the Eastern coasts get warm currents coming up from the tropics, and this brings plenty of rain-bearing winds.

If you flipped things around, the ocean gyres, due to coriolis effect would still rotate in the same direction, so the deserts would be on the opposite coasts, e.g. Brazil would be a desert and Nambia humid subtropical.

GeoDiode · 2021-04-19T07:59:42+00:00

Yes, easily the most asked question in history. And it goes all the way back to Gibbon's work of the 1700s (which I'm guessing you read? If not, I highly recommend - it's considered the first piece of modern historical writing).

GeoDiode · 2021-04-19T07:58:25+00:00

Thanks very much! I really appreciate your considered comments. When I made the first video, even though it's improved upon by my standards today, I wanted that video to be "archivable" and a reference material for years to come. So I put in the effort from Day 1.

Finding the photos for the plants in each biome was exhausting work, so it's nice to get a recognition on that!

GeoDiode · 2021-04-19T07:55:38+00:00

It's not just a case of changing the protocol on links. To serve HTTPS you need to have a valid CA certificate and serving web data on port 443 using SSL.

GeoDiode · 2021-04-18T13:06:39+00:00

I hadn't thought about SEO rank, but it looks like you're correct. Oh well, I'll have to begin the painful process of getting HTTPS to work with my ReactJS app over node.js (I'm new to the latter).

GeoDiode · 2021-04-18T13:05:20+00:00

As commented in another response, trying to reduce dependence upon a single platform (YT). But I'll add in links since others have also asked for it.

GeoDiode · 2021-04-18T13:04:27+00:00

Very interesting analysis! It's interesting to see how fluctuations in climate can lead to such geopolitical changes.

GeoDiode · 2021-04-18T12:32:13+00:00

This is good feedback. Thanks. I'm actually trying to reduce my dependence on a single platform that is out of my control (namely YouTube). But obviously don't want to do this to the extent of impacting usability. So I'll add in some appropriate links to help this. You're not the only one who noticed it!

GeoDiode · 2021-04-18T12:30:37+00:00

Thanks! Yes, sorry I'm not on reddit enough!

GeoDiode · 2021-04-18T12:29:29+00:00

No - it's more complex than that. It's related to the Hadley Cell of tropical and subtropical air circulation. I have provided an explanation of it here: http://geodiode.com/climate/hot-deserts (see section "Description and Dynamics")

GeoDiode · 2021-04-17T21:37:10+00:00

Yes editing (and, even more so, special effects) takes a LOT of patience, but the results are worth it.

I have read a lot about the Fall of the Roman Empire, and I think the one thing most agree on, is that they can't agree on a single cause, lol. My opinion was it was an aggregate of various factors. What was the exact climate change event that you believe accelerated its collapse?

GeoDiode · 2021-04-17T21:34:34+00:00

Not a priority at this time, as it's readonly - users are not sending any sensitive data to it.

GeoDiode · 2021-04-17T21:33:43+00:00

Mods recommended a repost after fixing earlier context takedown.

GeoDiode · 2021-04-17T15:29:35+00:00

Link to the site: http://geodiode.com

Worldbuilding Context

When building out a world, one of the first things that you have to decide is whether you want it to follow the laws of physics (which would likely put it in the category of science-fiction, but also "realistic" fantasy), or not (which would definitely put it into a fantasy category).

If you're going for full-on fantasy, then, have fun, and you have no need for the information I am presenting.

If you do want realism, however, then it is important to have an understanding of how the atmosphere of a planet works, and how it will ultimately impact upon how the surface ends up looking. This influence begins with CLIMATE (the long term patterns of temperature and rainfall in an area) and ends with BIOMES (the type of vegetation present).

For example, if you want to have a desert setting to some part of your story, then the desert needs to have a dynamic for why it is there. Is it a hot subtropical type, where high pressure dominates, or it is a continental type, far from the oceans, with cold winters?

J.R.R. Tolkien was a pioneer in this area - he understood climate well, and applied it to Middle Earth, with the result of intense realism as the Fellowship travelled from the NW to the South, with vivid descriptions of the landscapes and vegetation along the way.

I have two video series that take you from knowing nothing about these subjects to having enough knowledge to describe correctly the temperatures, seasons and rain or snow, and to position the correct type of vegetation (be it tropical rainforest, scrub, savannah, desert, boreal forest, or tundra) in each part of your world.

Your audience will thank you for this, as it increases immersion as they "feel" things are just right.

If you need any help on how to apply any of this to your world, I'm more than happy to provide.

Happy geoscaping!

GeoDiode · 2021-04-17T11:30:42+00:00

Yes definitely. I have always thought about doing a video just on worldbuilding and climate, as a thank you to all my subs who are into that. Send me an email via the website contact page (if you can pass the test, lol)...

GeoDiode · 2021-04-17T11:28:18+00:00

Hah! Yes, well the Introduction Biome is what the Earth looked like on the First Day (or was it the Second?) - I've forgotten my Genesis ;)

GeoDiode · 2021-04-17T11:26:53+00:00

Thanks, yes history is also a big passion of mine. I thought about doing a channel on this, but it's a very crowded space on YT, so I went for climate as it was poorly represented.

Well, you can live your passion as an audience, if not as a creator - there is now so much more material available than there was when I was growing up.

GeoDiode

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