h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi Steff! Welcome to H2G2.
I'm an ACE - Assistant Community Editor. I've turned up on your page to say hi, and welcome, and generally be friendly and helpful...
If you've got any questions about H2G2, feel free to ask me.

For a good selection of the better parts of H2G2, a great place to start would be the front page http://www.h2g2.com or the ACE's homepage http://www.h2g2.com/a214796

If you've got something interesting to write about, don't hesitate to start making your own guide entries (bottom left of your user page). A good thing to start writing about is where you live... and you can make people jealous by telling them that you don't have to pay tax...

See you around!

Tax! You think we don't pay Tax!!!! Okay, so if you're earning vast quantities of boodle the tax is very low. In fact the maximum is 20% at present. But for us mere minions the tax can be quite high. When you add in the cost of housing and in fact the cost of living in general, we are probably worse off than you.

If however you work for one of our financial invaders, (sorry, institutions), then you can probably afford a mortgage on a two bedroom house. £130,000 would be a good starting point.

Imagine being a native of Monaco, and a painter & decorator. Could you afford a house there? I suspect not. Unfortunately, as the Channel Islands are totally at the mercy of the banks nowadays, we are in a similar position.

Sorry. Am I going on a bit?

Apparently the latest thing among the immortals (I mean, rich people), is to live on a ship. (well, pretend to live on it anyway.) That way they avoid all countries and islands.
Anyone want to go on a Greenpeace-style strike?

I always wanted to go to Geurnsey. Perhaps it's part of being from the Isle of Wight, but I want to see all the Islands in the world.

As you may be able to tell I'm living up to my name. Not been to H2G2 for about a month!

Define "Island", I would think that there are at least 100 islands in this group if your definition is anything with water all the way round. However I approve of the principal and it could give you a goal in life.

Having been about the globe a bit, I can easily say that there are one or two islands you,d do well to avoid and numberless ones which you,d have trouble ever leaving. Go to it my son with my blessing. We expect a complete report of course.

Islands would have to be of a certain size - otherwise all continets could count as they all have water around them. I'll start off with the Islands in the UK first, though, such as the Channel Islands, Anglesey, the Isle of Man, Skye, Isle of Scilly, the Shetlands, Orkneys etc..
But it won't be for a few years, I fear.

In search of the average island, maybe. Be that as it may you will of course be welcome.

You will of course, have to get your finger out, life is not as long as you think.

That's true - life isn't eternal, but it's hard to fit everything in. We'll see how things go. I'd rather visit as many as I can, but only a few, and enjoy myself then rush through them all and not have time to see anything.

Greenland is officially an island - even though it's ridiculously big. It's owned by Denmark.

Here's a geographical question: Why is Greenland always coloured white on maps? The only other place that is white is Antarctica, because it's not owned by anyone. Greenland is owned by Denmark, why isn't it coloured as Denmark is? That's what seems to happen with all the other islands. (eg. the Falkland Islands and South Georgia are coloured as Britain is)

Why is both the Yellow Sea and Red Sea always coloured blue on maps too?

And the Black Sea.

If it comes to that why isn't the Caspian sea Caspian coloured?

Ah - I have an answer for that one!
The Caspian Sea is actually a lake. I don't know why or how - but it's the largest lake in the world. Hench it not being coloured as the oceans are.

Is Caspian a colour? I thought he was a Prince of Narnia.

And just what colour do you think Princes are...........?

I don't know - I'm colourblind!