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Gotta mention this article from Neal Stephenson...

Mother Earth Mother Board

>The hacker tourist ventures forth across the wide and wondrous meatspace of three continents, chronicling the laying of the longest wire on Earth.

https://www.wired.com/1996/12/ffglass/

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That detailed research by Stephenson also served as the foundation for the fiber optic cable laying and data haven subplot in Cryptonomicon.

The Philippines was the first place I looked on this map because of this book.

You can find the FLAG cable referenced in the article on this map. The easiest landmark for finding it is the narrow section of the Malay peninsula. Stephenson spends some time in the article covering the overland construction there.

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