Oddball_E8 Posted August 15, 2003 Share Posted August 15, 2003 well that got you wondering didnt it? my question is just how the hills get numbered... does the military powers number every single hill of the country, do they just number them per map or what? and why always three digits? well... just a thought... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted August 15, 2003 Share Posted August 15, 2003 I've wondered about this myself. The usual answer is that the number refers to the height of the hill in some convenient unit, but I am yet to be convinced that this is always the case. Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IntelWeenie Posted August 15, 2003 Share Posted August 15, 2003 I believe that most hills are numbered for their height in meters. (above sea level?) At least, that's been the case for all of them I can remember! :confused: I think you always see 3 digits because anything less is not much of a hill (except in Holland) and anything more is, well, more of a mountain and probably already has a real name. (edited for content, spelling) [ August 15, 2003, 10:57 AM: Message edited by: IntelWeenie ] 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oddball_E8 Posted August 15, 2003 Author Share Posted August 15, 2003 so you may in fact find that a map has tree or four "Hill 138" in them? now i understand... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SgtMuhammed Posted August 15, 2003 Share Posted August 15, 2003 U.S. maps tend to number in feet. But yes it is possible for two hills to have the same "name" but it is very unusual. Actually not all hills even get a number. It seems to be only the ones that really dominate the terrain around them. I've seen lots of maps with two hills of about the same height but only one of them will have a number. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave H Posted August 15, 2003 Share Posted August 15, 2003 Originally posted by sgtgoody (esq): U.S. maps tend to number in feet. But yes it is possible for two hills to have the same "name" but it is very unusual.Finally a subject I know something about. I worked for the Defense Mapping Agency from 1974 through 1994 as a cartographer. Maps for the US Army have the elevations in meters. We would only show the elevation of the highest hill in an area, which depended on the scale of the map. Trust me, there are many, many, many peaks with four digit elevations. Since these mountains are at very high elevations, there haven't been many opportunities to hear them designated by number in war movies. Also, many of them do have names. There are also "peaks" with two digit elevations, and even single digit elevations, in particularly low-lying areas. The Florida Keys are a good example. The reason for the standard three-digit designation is that it covers the range of the entire Earth between 100 meters (328 feet) and 999 meters (3,277 feet) above sea level. Most of the populated dry land falls into that range. Map grog!!! :eek: :eek: [ August 15, 2003, 02:12 PM: Message edited by: Dave H ] 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave H Posted August 15, 2003 Share Posted August 15, 2003 double post...curses! :mad: [ August 15, 2003, 02:11 PM: Message edited by: Dave H ] 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SgtMuhammed Posted August 16, 2003 Share Posted August 16, 2003 Originally posted by Dave H: </font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by sgtgoody (esq): U.S. maps tend to number in feet. But yes it is possible for two hills to have the same "name" but it is very unusual.Finally a subject I know something about. I worked for the Defense Mapping Agency from 1974 through 1994 as a cartographer. Maps for the US Army have the elevations in meters. We would only show the elevation of the highest hill in an area, which depended on the scale of the map. Trust me, there are many, many, many peaks with four digit elevations. Since these mountains are at very high elevations, there haven't been many opportunities to hear them designated by number in war movies. Also, many of them do have names. There are also "peaks" with two digit elevations, and even single digit elevations, in particularly low-lying areas. The Florida Keys are a good example. The reason for the standard three-digit designation is that it covers the range of the entire Earth between 100 meters (328 feet) and 999 meters (3,277 feet) above sea level. Most of the populated dry land falls into that range. Map grog!!! :eek: :eek: </font> 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Emrys Posted August 16, 2003 Share Posted August 16, 2003 Originally posted by Dave H: Maps for the US Army have the elevations in meters.But this was not the case during WW II, was it? As I understand it, the US Army didn't covert to metric until the Cold War. :confused: Michael 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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