How remote is our world?

[Neil]

Cool map, looks like the world is covered in molten rock.

Except not at all.  The lava is in the wrong places.

[DontSayBanana]

Except not at all.  The lava is in the wrong places.

Yeah. If the land colors were inverted it would be a lot closer, since magma would supercool when it came into contact with a large body of cold water and form obsidian outlines.

On-topic: I think it's a little misleading. There's no gradation to show how navigable a waterway is; depending on the navigability of a river, it could introduce extra travel time. The same goes for condition of roads: their existence might shorten travel time, but poorer roads would need to be traveled at a slower rate.

[Alatriste]

Damn Spain as a lot of Rivers.

Yeah, but that's because Spain has plenty of mountains and hills. The rivers here are difficult, fast flowing and heavily seasonal - adding that to our dry climate means that they aren't navigable

This has always been known, and actually was a major factor affecting campaigns in the Peninsula both in 1702-1714 and 1808-1814. Only the Guadalquivir up to Seville by small ships (up to Cordoba and higher in flat bottom boats) and a short stretch of the Ebro are navigable in Spain; both the Douro and the Tagus are navigable near their mouths, in Portugal, but again only short stretches of them.   

[Malthus]

Heh, picking out rivers on a map and assuming they are navagable - my dad used to make that error regularly when planning our canoe routes. 

Many a mile of wading in our underwear through leech and mosquito infested swamps was the usual result ... "builds character" he would say. 

[Alatriste]

Heh, picking out rivers on a map and assuming they are navagable - my dad used to make that error regularly when planning our canoe routes. 

Many a mile of wading in our underwear through leech and mosquito infested swamps was the usual result ... "builds character" he would say. 

Let me guess: he loved Calvin & Hobbes.

[Malthus]

Heh, picking out rivers on a map and assuming they are navagable - my dad used to make that error regularly when planning our canoe routes. 

Many a mile of wading in our underwear through leech and mosquito infested swamps was the usual result ... "builds character" he would say. 

Let me guess: he loved Calvin & Hobbes.

The worst part is that the mosquitoes didn't bother him at all - it was like he was immune to them. Probably a result of his semi-feral childhood growing up in the woods.