Ivory Coast gets three-word postal addresses
Ivory Coast has adopted a revolutionary new system of postal addresses that contain just three words. It means that for the first time ever, everyone in the ｃountry will be able to receive mail to their house or office. Up until now, people had to rely on post office boxes. There were only 150,000 of these nationwide and people had to rent them, which meant poorer people found it difficult to receive mail. The head of Ivory Coast's post office told the BBC: "We have 150,000 PO boxes for a population of nearly 24 million. That means a postal address is a luxury in Ivory Coast. We have to make postal access available to everyone." He said the three-word addresses would move Ivory Coast into the digital age.
The Ivory Coast's new postal system is based on the what3words.com geo-mapping system. Its software has divided the world into a grid of 57 trillion 3m x 3m squares, each assigned a unique 3-word address. The software uses latitude and longitude coordinates to precisely pinpoint a location on a global address network. The 22 numbers from these coordinates are converted into three easy to remember words that replace house numbers, street and city names and zip codes. A what3words.com spokesperson said: "Poor addressing might seem no more than annoying in some ｃountries, but around the world, it hampers the growth and development of nations, ultimately costing lives."
Article Source: http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/1612/161211-postal-address.html
Image Source: http://www.graphicrevelations.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/mail-box-900x820.jpg
VOCABULARY WORDS:
1. Adopt (v.) ~ take up or start to use or follow (an idea, method, or course of action)
2. Luxury (n.) ~ the state of great comfort and extravagant living
3. Pinpoint (v.) ~ find or locate exactly
4. Hamper (v.) ~ to prevent the free movement, action, or progress of
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION:
1.What did the article call the new postal system?
2.What did people have to rely on to get mail?
3.How many PO boxes are there in Ivory Coast?
4.Who does the post office head want to make postal access available to?
5.What age did the post office head say Ivory Coast could enter?
6.What kind of system creates the addresses?
7.How many locations did software create around the world?
8.How many numbers are in latitude and longitude coordinates?
9.What kind of codes does the new address system replace?
10.What does a spokesperson say poor addressing can cost?
