October 27, 2011
Napoleon Bonaparte cleared away the chairs and the end-table and spread out onto the floor his big map of Africa. Then he took out his thinnest pencil and his longest straightedge.
He chose to start at the equator. (Why not?) A horizontal line he drew, then a vertical line at 20 degrees east.
Very carefully he covered the map with squares, each one hundred acres big. 74,679,027 squares altogether, with a sliver left over.
This would be his patrimony; this would be his gift to France.
He envisioned adminstrative centres, and swimming pools for all.
It was like that, almost.
He chose to start at the equator. (Why not?) A horizontal line he drew, then a vertical line at 20 degrees east.
Very carefully he covered the map with squares, each one hundred acres big. 74,679,027 squares altogether, with a sliver left over.
This would be his patrimony; this would be his gift to France.
He envisioned adminstrative centres, and swimming pools for all.
It was like that, almost.