The geography of Middle Earth

[Gorbulas]

Thanks for all your thought provoking responses guys. I think they are all very informative. For instance I wasn't very knowledgeable about the different and developing views on the shape and configuration of Arda. I should research this and the genesis texts of the History of Middle Earth at one time.
I am hardly a Tolkien scholar, as some of you guys obviously are. Heck, I only managed to read the Silmarillion, Unfinished Tales and Children of Hurin last year, after devouring Lords of the Ring and the Hobbit 25 years ago. For long years the Ainulindalë somehow proved unsurmountable, but what a revelation once I managed do digest it ).

Fonstead is indeed a most impressive resource as to 'global', continental and regional mapping of Arda. And I am definitely checking out the maps in Other Minds 1&2 Tolwen. Thanks for the tip!
I regard these maps as a starting points for a further and finer resolution that I am trying to achieve in my One Ring games. I really want to explore the travelling hero's changing viewpoint as she/he traverses Middle Earth. For this finest resolution I choose to be guided by sound optical, climatological, geological, geomorphological and botanical priniciples. I also tend to ponder on antropological, paleodemographic, archaeological and historical patterning. This all might be verry silly, and at times it definitely does feel that way, but fine resolution and highest plausability is what I need as a LM for full immersion and empathy at the gaming table.

I will continue to look for usefull landscape photographs and will ponder on most probable sights, sounds and smells of Middle Earth. I will be happy to further share, exchange or discuss these.
Do any of you guys know how to best share pics on the forum? I somehow do not manage to upload my anotated 'viewrange' LM map.

[Enevhar Aldarion]

Try this:

http://www.ringbell.co.uk/info/hdist.htm

This one is also interesting:

http://brilliantmaps.com/see-from-everest/

And it includes this bit of info:

"Interestingly, the world’s longest line of sight is not from Everest, but from Dankova, Kyrgyzstan (5.971 m.) to Hindu Tagh, China (6.436 m.) a total distance of 538km (334 mi)."

No clue why that particular one is the longest, considering both heights are only a bit over 20,000 feet, yet you can see 334 miles, while according to the website you can only see 211 miles from the top of Everest.

[Stormcrow]

"Interestingly, the world’s longest line of sight is not from Everest, but from Dankova, Kyrgyzstan (5.971 m.) to Hindu Tagh, China (6.436 m.) a total distance of 538km (334 mi)."

No clue why that particular one is the longest, considering both heights are only a bit over 20,000 feet, yet you can see 334 miles, while according to the website you can only see 211 miles from the top of Everest.

You don't necessarily need the world's tallest peak to have the longest line of sight. If you have a featureless globe except for one peak, that peak's altitude determines the distance to the horizon, and the horizon is the farthest line of sight. But if you've got another mountain just over the horizon, you can move that mountain back until its peak is just visible over the horizon, and now you've extended your line of sight distance (which assumes both endpoints are on the ground, not in the air). The Dankova to Hindu Tagh line may not be as high as Everest, but because they're both tall peaks, they can be seen farther over the horizon than Parasnath (relatively low) from Everest.

[Otaku-sempai]

I will continue to look for usefull landscape photographs and will ponder on most probable sights, sounds and smells of Middle Earth. I will be happy to further share, exchange or discuss these.
Do any of you guys know how to best share pics on the forum? I somehow do not manage to upload my anotated 'viewrange' LM map.

If you are using an image from another website (as I did in the previous post), copy and paste the image address and enclose it using the 'insert image' button at the top of the window.