Map of D-Day Landings in the Battle of Normandy

It was a World War, but one of the most important operations of WWII can be boiled down to a single day in a single region of a single country. Operation Overlord, otherwise known as the Battle of Normandy, took place on June 6, 1944. There were 13 countries taking part in the bombings, amphibious landings, and fighting that began on what is called “D-Day,” after the military term used to plan the operation in secret. The map below showcases some important landmarks in Normandy, the coastal region across the English channel from Britain.

View Selected D-Day Landmarks in a full screen map

The most well-known aspect of the operation is the beach invasion. Over 4,000 vessels carried over 125,000 troops to six primary landings. Charging amidst German gunfire, this allied success helped regain control of Normandy, then France, and eventually all of western Europe. The beaches are known by their military code names: Utah Beach, Pointe du Hoc, Omaha Beach, Gold Beach, Juno Beach, and Sword Beach.

The largest number of troops landed on Omaha Beach, which was portrayed with bloody accuracy at the opening of the film Saving Private Ryan. Omaha also suffered the most casualties, with as many as 10,000 troops injured or killed. Percentage-wise, the smaller invasions of Utah Beach and Pointe du Hoc saw 35% and 60% casualties respectively.

Normandy then and now

The Atlantic shared a great then and now photo essay of D-Day for the 70th anniversary.

Normandy American CemeteryThere are at least two memorials near the beaches. The best known is the Normandy American Cemetery, where 9,387 US veterans are buried. There is also a memorial near Juno Beach honoring the United Kingdom’s involvement in the operation.

The map also shows a handful of the important objectives shared by the troops coming across the water and the paratroopers who preceded them behind German lines. Many of the objectives involved either protecting or destroying bridges as a way to control transportation throughout Normandy.

It’s been over 70 years since the invasion. The beach storm changed the tide of the war, which was completely over in Europe a year later.

A Long Time Ago: Every Star Wars Filming Location

38 years ago in a galaxy close, close to our own… In fact, it was within our galaxy that Star Wars was originally released on May 25, 1977. While “May the 4th” has become known as “Star Wars Day,” it’s later in this month that the real fans celebrate. With a set of new films set to release later this year, now is a good time to look back at some of the real life places that became the fictional places in that “galaxy far, far away.”

View Star Wars Filming Locations in a full screen map

The map above shows significant filming locations that were outside of studios, from the forest of Endor to the sand of Tatooine. Due to special effects, much of the Star Wars series has been filmed in sound studios. The three sequels will call Pinewood Studios, just north of London, home. Previously, most Star Wars films had studio work done at Esltree Studios, also in England.

One of the better-known locations is Tunisia, which has been home to the desert planet of Tatooine in episodes I, II, and IV. Episode VII will break tradition, as Abu Dhabi replaces Tunisia for Tattooine. The only other place to represent Tatooine was Death Valley, California, used only in the original movie and Return of the Jedi.

Casual fans may have trouble remembering the progression of Star Wars movies. The original movie was retroactively named Episode IV. In the 2000s, Lucasfilm released the much-anticipated prequel trilogy. Here’s the chronological order of the six films, along with the year they were first in theaters.

  • Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
  • Episode II: Attack of the Clones (2002)
  • Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005)
  • Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)
  • Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
  • Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983)

The most geographically diverse location has to be Naboo. The picturesque planet has been portrayed by Spain, UK, and multiple areas in Italy.

Like most films, Star Wars did some filming in California. However, it got outside of typical Los Angeles for its other-worldly settings: the desert of Death Valley and the Redwood Forest join the Yuma Desert as the only US locations.

Of course, the best of Hollywood frequently films outside of SoCal, as we discovered when looking at the filming locations of Oscar Best Pictures.

BatchGeo Translations Hit the Map in 148 Countries

The footer on our web pages is growing. Recently we’ve added translations for BatchGeo and currently support 10 languages. Russian, Mandarin (Simplified and Traditional), Portuguese, and Korean are the newest language translations we have available, joining English, French, Dutch, German, Japanese, and Spanish. Our powerful batch geocoding and map-making service is now accessible to the billions of people speaking those languages. And because it wouldn’t be BatchGeo without showing you a map, we’ve plotted every country where one of these 10 tongues is an official language.

View Countries Speaking BatchGeo Languages in a full screen map

The 10 languages of BatchGeo cover 148 countries and six continents. And that’s just official languages. We didn’t include the dozens of countries where English, French, German, Spanish, and others are spoken by significant portions of the population.

Nearly half of those countries are covered by our flagship site, which you know from this blog post is written in English. French is the next most common, officially spoken in 29 countries. 21 of those French-speaking countries are in Africa, a product of France’s colonization in the mid-1800s. Similarly, the English, Portuguese, and Dutch are from Britain, Portugal, and Holland’s own colonial efforts on that continent.

The same can be seen in South and Central America with Spanish speaking countries. Indeed, Spanish comes in third-most common with 21 countries represented.

Portuguese and Dutch are next, with 10 and nine countries, respectively. These two are spread far and wide given the fewer countries represented. Each is the official language of one of more country in Europe, South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia.

Other languages are more regional. Russian is spoken in some eastern European countries. Mandarin and Korean are each spoken in multiple Asian countries.

Four countries officially speak two or more of the 10 BatchGeo languages. Belgium recognizes Dutch, French, and German. Equatorial Guinea also has three, with French, Spanish, and Portuguese. Switzerland and Luxemborg border both France and Germany, so each have selected both as official languages.

By looking at the map, you can surely see how much of the globe is covered when it comes to batch geocoding in their native tongue. If you happen to speak Japanese, Dutch, French, German, or Spanish, be sure to view the videos, which have also been translated. Now that you’ve read down to the bottom, select your favorite language from the footer to get started.