A picture of Earth from an uncommon perspective has caused quite a stir, and it’s easy to see why…
Since the US and Europe are both in the northern hemisphere, we often visualize our planet with extensive landmasses.
This is due to the fact that the majority of Earth’s land—about 68 percent—is located there, dominated by continents like North America, Europe, most of Asia, Africa, and parts of South America.
However, Earth’s surface is composed of approximately 71 percent water.
A particular Google Earth image effectively highlights that we truly reside on a ‘blue’ planet.
The image reveals a section of the southern hemisphere that is seldom viewed, prompting some unease among observers.
Twitter user @AMAZlNGNATURE shared the screenshot with the caption: “The side of planet Earth we aren’t used to seeing.”
The Pacific Ocean dominates the image, with a mere speck of green visible, representing New Zealand in the lower left corner.
As the Earth’s largest and deepest ocean, it spans from one edge to the other, with a segment of Antarctica appearing bright white near the bottom due to its icy surface.
The only other white spots are cloud formations and weather systems, typical in satellite imagery, scattered across the ocean.
The oceanic hemisphere, which contains the most water and least land on Earth, consists of approximately 89 percent ocean and 11 percent land.
There is more land than what is visible in the photo, beyond New Zealand and Antarctica.
This includes the Hawaiian Islands, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, and other Polynesian, Melanesian, and Micronesian island nations, such as French Polynesia and other territories like Easter Island, and the very edge of the Galápagos Islands (barely visible at the edge).
People on social media expressed discomfort at seeing the image, and I can relate to their feelings.
“The back of Earth’s head is crazy,” one surprised X user commented, while another added: “Feels wrong. I feel like I’m seeing something I shouldn’t.”
“Earth should actually be called water,” another user noted, while someone else remarked: “Proof that most of our planet is still mystery and ocean.”
New Zealanders were delighted to see their country featured, with one responding to the original post: “Speak for yourself. Hello from New Zealand!”
Another wrote: “Ah finally, a map we’re not left off of for once… a map all to ourselves,” while a third person stated: “To Pacific Islanders this is the front of earth, not the back.”
Ultimately, it’s all about perspective!